Pete Orr is one of the most well known and respected stock car drivers in the Sunshine State, but is also sought out as an expert in preparing drivers and cars for competition. Pete has crewed for the likes of Junior Hanley and Darrell Waltrip, and has raced in many levels of top level stock cars inclduign the NASCAR Busch Grand National series. Orr is currently working as Crew Chief for late model driver Travis Kittleson, and has consulted with countless other racers in his career, but his new racing school was the topic of the conversation on this week's KARNAC.com radio show. Read Hans Nieborg's notes from the Pete Orr interview below.

By Hans Nieborg
Rick Anges and I had the great pleasure of talking with Pete Orr on Karnac.Com's - Racin' Talk Radio Show last night and it was amazing the things we learned from him!

To begin with, Pete is working with his racing school, "Pete Orr's Winners Circle Racing School", where their mantra is "Learn To Win". We talked about the way the classes are held and what exactly he does that is different from most other racing schools. I was of the impression that he has some pictures he passes around and writes a ton of stuff on a chalkboard and that was about it. Actually, it turns out he has front and rear sections of a race chassis, set up so he can go over every aspect of the function of 'stock clip' suspension systems. These are portable pieces that he can take to wherever he holds a training session so he can give a real hands-on experience with real components.

I asked him how deep the training goes, and he said that the topics run the full deal, for example:
Chassis setup: He details how to adjust your chassis for better handling, with emphasis on maintaining setup and baseline records. Details are given as to what happens when you make an adjustment on one part of the car and how it affects the rest of the setup.

Tires: Choosing tires seems to be a simple chore, but when it comes down to it, a few things are overlooked when a racer selects a tire. Pete even gives tips on stagger and how to condition new and used tires for a race.

How about shocks and springs? They cover the dynamics of tuning these very important parts in your suspension system. Pete is always looking for that extra edge he can give his 'students' by providing access to resources they wouldn't normally have have on their own. While at the PRI show in Indiana last week, he found a new shock that is both inexpensive and completely rebuildable. He said that at his next seminar in Lakeland, a shock absorber representative is coming in with some great demonstrations on how to work with their products.

And finally, working on the frame itself: A rundown of the how to calculate and adjust the roll center of the car, how to do alignments and even squaring-up the frame to ensure it is tracking straight down the speedway is covered.

All of this and much, much more will be covered in his next seminar this weekend in Lakeland. If you have some time, and a little bit of money, you can gain valuable information that can make your car more consistent and understand how to make it handle better in changing track conditions.

This course is a "must have" for all racers from pure stocks on up to modifieds that have to use a stock-type front clip with A-arms. Give him a call toll free at 1-877-955-RACE to reserve your seat for this very impressive and fast approaching class. The Pete Orr Racing School also has a new web site at www.peteorrracing.com.

-Hans Nieborg





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