Books By Don Alexander

Return To High-Performance Handling Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop)

With a racing and automotive journalism career spanning four full decades, Don Alexander is one of the nations most noted and respected race driving experts, writers, test drivers and racers. Most recently, Don set five International and National land speed records at Bonneville driving the Banks Sidewinder to a top speed of 222.139 MPH, making it the world’s fastest pickup truck of any type.. The Sidewinder is a Dodge Dakota pickup with 5.9 liter Cummins TurboDiesel engine producing 735 horsepower and 1300 lbs.-feet of torque. The truck was built by Gale Banks and Don will be running the trucks in drag races and open track road course events in 2003.

Alexander has over 40 years of auto racing experience as a driver, racing instructor and author. Don has taught over 5000 individuals the skills needed to drive racecars, and has reached thousands of others with his 10 books and hundreds of magazine articles.

Don’s racing school career began in 1970 at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, then located at the Ontario Motor Speedway. Don helped develop several programs, including a comprehensive ambulance driver training program, for the Riverside International Racing School at Riverside International Raceway. He then operated his own performance driving school based at Irwindale Raceway with a satellite location in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1987, Don began instructing at the Driver’s Connection at Willow Springs International Raceway. He became the Chief Instructor at the school in 1990. In 1991, Don took a full-time position as the Chief Instructor for Drive Tech Racing School, where he created all of the training classes. He has also instructed in private-sector classes at the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Emergency Vehicle Operations Training Center. Don has helped several racers as a coach, providing insights and developing skills that have helped racers become winners.

Alexander is probably best known for his stint as the Editor of Circle Track Magazine. His Learn to Race & Win and RaceCar Setup article series were the most popular in the magazine’s history. Don has written for many magazines including Mustang Illustrated, Turbo, All Chevy, Short Track, Petersen’s RICHARD PETTY’S STOCK CAR MAGAZINE, the NASCAR TRUCK RACING magazine, NASCAR GARAGE and GRASSROOTS MOTORSPORTS. His concise, understandable writing style has made his work very popular.

After leaving Circle Track in 1995, Don conducted a national seminar series, called Think To Win Seminars, with the legendary Smokey Yunick. The series was very popular, reaching racers in nine cities. Alexander also conducted a national seminar series in 1988/89 covering road racing chassis setup and tuning. Don has appeared at many club meetings and conventions, including SEMA, PRI and the International Auto Salon as a guest speaker, talking about a variety of racing and automotive related topics.

Of the 10 books Don has authored, the current title "Think To Win" has been the most successful. This book has broken new ground in the area of driving racecars. It focuses on the mental aspects of driving, but also covers the physical techniques and the principles of physics that all racers need to understand. The newest titles by Alexander currently on bookstore shelves are "High Performance Handling Handbook", which covers the principles of vehicle dynamics and suspension tuning for both race cars and street machines, and "Stock Car Driving Techniques". Other racing books authored by Alexander include "Sprint Car Technology", "The Racer’s Dictionary" and "Formula Car Technology", which earned the 1980 Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association Book of the Year.

Alexander’s racing career spans four decades and a wide variety of racing machines. He began racing in 1960 in Go Karts. This was followed by a stint of bracket racing at local So. Cal. drag strips. Don began SCCA racing in 1969, racing an Alfa in the production category. During his road racing career, Alexander has driven in Formula Vee, Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, Formula 5000, Trans Am, Improved Touring, Showroom Stock, Spec Racer and Firestone Firehawk. Don began short track racing in 1976 at Speedway 605 and has driven many types of cars including modifieds, late model stock cars, Southwest Tour, ASA, sprint cars and others on both dirt and asphalt tracks.

In 2000, Alexander was invited to compete in the Beetle Cup All Star Race at Road Atlanta. Alexander was representing MOTOR TREND magazine in the event. Don finished 9th racing against some of the best road racers in the world - Hans Stuck, Danny Sullivan, Tommy Kendall, Jack Baldwin, Price Cobb, Brian Redman, Scott Sharp, Scott Goodyear, Bill Adam and others.

In 2002, Alexander competed in the inaugural OPEN TRACK CHALLENGE driving a Subaru WRX. Alexander won two championships racing a VW Rabbit in the Neuspeed GTi Cup and NASA endurance races in 2002. He is racing a Super Unlimited Race Truck in West Coast NASA Road races in 2003 in addition to his Banks Sidewinder driving duties.

Don also provides test driving services for several automotive aftermarket companies

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