Overview
We offer nationwide pro sim race coaching and real-world track event training on your home sim via remote coaching. These are unique comprehensive programs that provide an extremely effective and affordable way to significantly improve your performance on track (real-world as well as in sim racing).
About Remote Coaching
It’s very counterintuitive, but remote coaching in sim is typically far more effective than onsite coaching for several reasons:
1. Coach and driver have their own sim (no need to waste time constantly change seats back and forth throughout the session)
2. Discord voice provides far better communication than talking over engine noise in onsite coaching
3. Discord allows instantaneous data sharing between coach and driver during and after the coaching session (e.g. Motec analytics, links to tools, coaching notes, settings, etc.)
4. All Discord communications are stored in a repository – if you want to revisit turn-by-turn track notes from a coaching session you had a year ago, those notes are always available
Don’t Have a Sim?
On a regional basis (New Jersey/New York area), all TrackLevelUp coaching and training is also available in a simple “arrive & drive” format through our partner: Apex One sim center in Westfield, NJ. Apex One has pro-level motion sims at very affordable hourly and monthly rates. “Arrive & Drive” is a great option for those who don’t have a sim, or don’t want to deal with the cost, complexity, and space requirements of building and maintaining a sim at home. Click here to get started with Arrive & Drive at Apex One.
What Makes TrackLevelUp Unique?
- World-class pro sim racing coach who is equally fast on track
- Sim programs specifically tailored to train for all forms of real-world track events
- Custom modelling of your personal track car for training at your specific tracks
- Specialized training programs that cover every facet of track performance and driver excellence (race, wet track, DE, track days, track acclimation, unlimited seat time for event practice, technical course/autocross, etc.)
- Sim track training that provides an extremely affordable and effective way to get far more out every precious moment on track!
Coaching & Training Programs
| Coaching/Training Programs Available |
|---|
| Race Training (iRacing or Assetto Corsa) – We have one-on-one coaching that will dramatically improve your lap times and consistency on track. Our instruction covers all facets of racing, including race, tire, fuel, and pit strategy, car setup, race tools, screen overlays, sim rig optimization, etc. We use advanced analytics, lead-follow coaching, and racecraft practice in order to ensure you are ready for your upcoming races. |
| Custom Car Modeling (Asseetto Corsa) – Creates a custom model your track car in sim through a simple online form to guide you through providing detail information about your car, track preferences, and training goals and priorities. This custom modeling allows you to drive your individual car, at your target tracks. This targeted training will allow you to perform better at all of your real-world track events. |
| Track Days/DE Training (Assetto Corsa (primarily for custom car modeling), iRacing)– Unlimited seat time for extended track acclimation and practice, in advance of every event, allows you to significantly improve your consistency, pace, and safety on track. Track event training can be self-directed, or use one-on-one coaching that guides you through resolution of all of your challenge areas (e.g. difficult corners, braking zones, driving line, etc.) at every track during throughout the season. |
| Rain/Wet Track Training (iRacing) – Targeted wet track training allows you to dramatically improve your consistency, pace, and safety on track during wet weather conditions. Rain often occurs unexpectedly at real-world track events, and it’s nearly impossible to prepare for – unless it happens to rain at your event, where it is then “trial by fire”. Our Rain training provides a structured program that will make you a wet track expert and to allow you to find the dry line and be far safer and more consistent whenever you encounter rain on track. This program is applicable for both real-world track events and for competitive sim racing. The default track for rain is Virginia International Raceway (VIR) because it provides a mixture of track elements common to all tracks; however, each driver can choose their preferred track for wet track training. |
| Technical Track Training / Autocross Training (Assetto Corsa) – Experienced track persons will tell you that best “first step” to track driving is to start with a car control clinic to learn your own limits, and those of your car, in wet and dry conditions. A second phase of that fundamental training is to master the highly technical courses found in autocrosses (slaloms, tight corners, short braking zones, etc.). Mastering autocross is like “boot camp” to refine your skills to make to you faster, safer, and more consistent on track. The significant downside of autocrosses is that total track time is always severely limited due to logistics. Our sim autocross training provides unlimited track time with endless back-to-back runs. We offer custom-built proprietary autocross tracks based on real-world events, as well as reference lap videos that can be used as a reference for your own performance. These proprietary tracks can be downloaded to your sim here – and are available to “arrive & drive” at our partner sim center (Apex One, Westfield, NJ). Autocross training can be self-directed or with coaching. |
Custom Car Modelling
(Minimum 1 hour of coaching required for custom car modeling)
We offer the ability to custom model your track car in sim for use in targeted track training in the Assetto Corsa simulator. Driving your individual car, on your event tracks, will make you faster, safer, and far more consistent on track.
NOTE: A minimum of 1 hour of coaching must be signed up for to qualify for custom car modelling because it is a complex process that requires:
1) Modelling a car in sim to detailed specs you provide
2) Extensive car testing on your target tracks
3) Refining the modeling based upon testing and driver feedback
Michael Polasek is a pro sim racer, a kart racer, and real-world driver. He is ranked in top 0.13% of sim racers worldwide on iRacing, and is top 5 in the world in his preferred Touring Car class. Michael is the 2024 SRO eSports Champion, an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Champion, Porsche Club of America National Champion, and he holds world records on several car and track combinations. His record lap times on the treacherous Mount Washington are legendary. He has three solo 12-hour “top split” race wins at Sebring, COTA, and Catalunya. He won the 2024 ‘top split’ Road America 500 special event, where he had the opportunity to drive the vintage “GTO beast” all-wheel-drive Audi Quattro.
Michael holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. This, combined with his deep experience in competition and in car and chassis setup, allows him to understand driving physics and vehicle dynamics from a mathematical perspective in addition to real-world experience. He is also very well versed in the gospel according to Ross Bentley, Carrol Smith, Skip Barber, etc.
Michael is highly competitive in karting, with multiple championship wins. Although Michael’s background is heavily based upon sim, that sim experience has directly translated to outstanding performance on real-world track, being able to set pro-level lap times with very little acclimation time. Michael knows first-hand that excellence in sim training can make you extremely fast and consistent on track, and he is driven to provide those benefits to you to significantly improve your performance on track.
Questions?
PCA NNJR DE/Track 2025 Schedule
(https://nnjr-pca.com/driver-ed/)
#1 NJMP Lightning (Apr 5-6): Cayman GT4 Hotlap: QuadCam: Video Motion Sim: TBD
#2 Mid-Ohio (May 9-11): Videos TBD
#3 NJMP Thunderbolt (May 23-24): Videos TBD
#4 Lime Rock (Jun 23-24): Videos TBD
PCA Autocross Pocono East
(NNJR / Riesentöter / Central PA)
#1 Autocross (8/25/24 Layout) – Stock 996.1: QuadCam: Video Motion Sim: Video
YouTube: Max Verstappen – Sim racing is not just a game
YouTube: PCA Pocono Autocross run on Motion Sim (Custom Track/Course Creation)
YouTube: GR Cup at VIR: Real-World (2:08:213) vs Sim (2:08.23)
YouTube: Full Analysis of GT4 Lap at Mosport
NY Times: Max Verstappen Sim Goals