1. Google Hack.

Download or open Google Earth. Search for a location say Otterburn, United Kingdom. Double click the high street to centre it.
Click the add a placemark icon.
Right-click (alt-click for Macs) the placemark icon in the left hand navigation column.
Copy the latitude/longitude with a comma between them in www.google.com/maps. EG: 55°13’53.63″N, 2°10’35.19″W.
Paste this location code in your browser address bar.
Then copy and paste the javascript below in your browser address bar.

javascript:void(prompt(”,gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));
Hit ENTER. A pop-up will appear with your geocode. Remove the brackets to make it usable.

2. GPS Visualizer.

Take the same lat/long reading – EG: 55°13’53.63″N, 2°10’35.19″W – from Google Earth and pop it in the location field here: http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/geocode.
Your geocode will then appear with a map ref. The geocode will look something like this: 5.2316968, -2.1761311.

3. Reverse lookup (including zip/postcode).

UK
The post office charges a small fortune to use their gps/postocde look up. There’s an open source version here: http://www.uk-postcodes.com/.
Take your Lat/Long data or postcode data and pop it in here. It will return your geocode and a range of postal codes.

US
In the US this data is freely available. Try adding an address to Google Earth, such as Google Investor Relations: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043. Right click the location marker and there’s your Lat/Long data. Feed it into the GPS Visualizer above for finer detail and the geocode. you can also feed it a geocode to get the Lat/Long – just enter the geocode such as: 37.4211444, -122.0853032 and you’ll see the Lat/Long coordinates beneath.

Let me know if this helps or if you come up with any other methods.

If you want to convert data files for different GPS systems use the open source Easy GPS: http://www.easygps.com

The Scandinavian Flick

While you can modify the previous hairpin handbrake turn to accommodate your edge of the seat needs, at speed it is easy to get wrong. Here’s a simpler technique.

Once again the aim is to unbalance the car so at speed drop down into third gear then quickly turn the wrong way into a corner to unbalance (that’s right, away from the corner you’re turning into) then immediately turn back the right way.

Now let the rear end slide out as far as your nerves can take and hit the throttle to power out of the slide. It takes a bit more to master this technique but it is well worth it. The initial shimmy where you turn against the direction of the corner feels totally counter-intuitive and, if you’re trying it on a mountain road with a precipice ahead for your first time, it’ll scare the hell out of you. Again it’s a perfect manoeuvre to practise in a wide-open space such as a disused airfield, industrial estate or race track.

Taken from the book How to Drive a Tank, more stunt driving techniques can be found here.

If you’re interested in receiving a free Kindle/ebook edition (for a limited time only), just drop me a line either in the comments below or via the contact page.

Learn these skills for yourself at http://www.stuntdriveuk.com

Don’t forget your training wheels!

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Aim for the centre of the ramp in a straight line using one side of the car.
2. Balance steering and acceleration. When the car lurches off the ramp, you’ll be riding on the edges of your tyres, just like a motorbike taking a corner.
3. Hold your position until it’s time to go horizontal again. Then turn into the direction of your underside.

Troublespots. Depending on the type of car you use you may well have trouble with your carbs. Experiment and see what works!

Taken from the book How to Drive a Tank, more stunt driving techniques can be found here.

If you’re interested in receiving a free Kindle/ebook edition (for a limited time only), just drop me a line either in the comments below or via the contact page.

Learn these skills for yourself at http://www.stuntdriveuk.com