Want to become a professional tuner? Here's some advice from those who have already done just that. Learn from their experience and mistakes to reach the same goals using resources they never had on hand, like EFI tuning courses from the High Performance Academy.
These are just some interviews we have had with professional tuners in the aftermarket industry which give some insight into how they got to where they are today.
Shane T | Tuned By Shane T
Shane T is a professional tuner based in the USA who works on a range of high level motorsport applications including drag racing and land speed racing world record setters.
You can learn more about Shane T, his work and his background from the Tuned In Podcast, one of the best technical automotive podcasts available today or via one of his many interviews on the website by using the search function.
Greg Banish | Calibrated Success
Greg Banish holds a mechanical engineering degree with an automotive specialty, but he's quick to point out you don't need one to tune a race car. The Calibrated Success founder explains how he went from modifying his own car to doing OEM-level calibration work, why high school physics is really all you need to get started in the aftermarket, and where the two worlds differ most dramatically — including why aftermarket tuners have it considerably easier than their OEM counterparts in his opinion.
Nathan Tasukon | Tuned By Nate
Nathan Tasukon's path into tuning started the way many do — getting beaten at the drag strip and deciding it wasn't going to happen again. Caught at Formula Drift at World Time Attack, the tuner behind Tune By Night traces his journey from the Honda drag scene at Terminal Island, through a decade with MoTeC USA and a stint doing IndyCar calibration work with Honda Performance Development, to becoming the tuner for Formula Drift competitors Fredrik Åsbo and Mac Cerrito.
Martin Donnan
Martin Donnan has been a fixture in Australian performance tuning for over two decades, starting on modified motorcycles before the VN Commodore opened the door to serious EFI work. Caught at World Time Attack with his 1,060whp street-driven R35 GTR, Martin discusses transmission weak points and how to address them, the advantages of standalone ECU systems over reflashing at serious power levels, and why he prefers high-speed data logging over real-time tuning when pushing cars to their limits.
Tony Palo | T1 Race Development
Tony Palo (podcast ep:010: Tony Palo Six-Second Passes and Pushing Past 2500whp with Billet) built his reputation in Honda drag racing by starting on adjustable fuel pressure regulators and cam gears, and working his way up as EFI technology evolved around him. He explains why beginning on a low-powered stock car is still the smartest approach for anyone wanting to learn, and walks through the MoTeC-based traction control strategy he developed for his front-wheel drive Integra — a setup now used by the majority of FWD Honda drag racers in the country — before moving on to discuss his transition into the R35 GTR tuning world.
David Rowe | Electronic Performance Systems
Recorded at Pikes Peak with David Rowe (podcast ep:053: Tuning Priceless Legends for a Living.) of Electronic Performance Systems, this interview tackles one of the most persistent myths in the industry: that you have to destroy engines to become a competent tuner. David, who got his start at MoTeC straight out of the gate in 1995, shares how he built his career, why honesty with customers about a build's limits matters more than chasing maximum power, and why word of mouth backed by real results remains the best way into the industry.
