ITRCA

I am looking forward to a very fun event and getting on the track with all you guys.

here are some random notes I'll toss about about my instructing style if its helps:

- I have a comm system in my car with a 'student' mic for the passenger that slides up in their helm, makes for great on track instruction communication.

- I usually have a folder with plenty of track maps in hand, along with a pen, so that when we are between session I can show the student on the actual map what they should (or should not) be doing.

- I like to have them go in my car first and go only 5/10s speed or something so they are not freakin out and can pay attention to what I am saying. That way they can see the basic line before we get in there car. Later on I like to take them back out in my car for a full speed run.

- The first session I am in their car i keep comments to a minimum so that I can see what they are doing right and wrong without my comments distracting them. Then, after the session I get the handy track map out and talk to them about corrections, improvements, and thing they did right. I found that the first few sessions (for a new diver) are so hectic behind the wheel for them, that they don't really get much out of me yelling out instructions every second while they are 100% focused on not spinning out (heheheh). As they get acclimated and relaxed behind the wheel, their brain can absorb more and more realtime instruction, thats when I start giving more and more realtime 'ontrack' feedback to them.

- I usually start with the car position, so where you car should be on the track, in general, for each part of the track. That segways right into the 'line' and finding the basic line for the track and then moving to the proper line for the car (as it may and probably will be slightly different to other cars) and where to be breaking and when to be on the gas. Once they have those things established, I move into more advanced things like thresh-hold braking, trail braking, heal toe, et, et. If I know a track well enough I will end it with little nuances of the track where you can get some speed, like giving up one turn for another or knowing a burm that if hit right will help rotate you car around a tight turn.

Anyway, those are just notes, I will do whatever you need me to do

I have many track vids of MAM you can check out:

http://64.158.28.140/MPEG/TwinVision/ma ... 04_gt3.mpg

http://64.158.28.140/MPEG/TwinVision/ma ... 1turbo.mpg

http://64.158.28.140/MPEG/TwinVision/ma ... pracer.mpg

http://64.158.28.140/MPEG/TwinVision/ma ... _04_c6.mpg

http://64.158.28.140/MPEG/TwinVision/mam_5_1_2004.mpg


All my other track vids are here (LegunaSeca, RoadAmerica, BIR, et, et):
http://www.myrx7.com/movies/

whoohooo cant wait to run MAM again!!!

Great stuff, Damian.

Before I get in a car I want to know about two things: the car and the driver.

Since we’re tech’ing our students’ cars, that’s a good time to find out what they’ve done to modify their cars. Marker 2 at T1 is not a good place to learn that they’re running stock brake pads and all-season tires.

It’s also helpful to ask about their prior track or autox experience to give you a general idea of their capabilities. Seat time does tend to make better drivers, but it’s equally possible that a student with a few hpde’s under his belt has used the time to learn bad habits that need to be un-learned. Before I strap on my helmet, I also like to “quiz” the driver to make sure he understands the handling characteristics of his car and what he needs to do in the event of a spin or an off.

Regardless of skill level, I always ask what each student wants to accomplish over the weekend. If one student’s goal is to drive ultra-safely and not cause any undue wear on the car, and another student’s goal is to learn advanced car control, I’ll instruct them very differently. It’s natural for us to want to push our students to be great drivers, but some students aren’t in it to be an F1 driver, so I try to keep each student’s goals in mind.

great additions Batoutahell!!!

>>Marker 2 at T1 is not a good place to learn that they’re running stock brake pads and all-season tires.

hahah, so ture!!!

>>It’s also helpful to ask about their prior track or autox experience to give you a general idea of their capabilities. Seat time does tend to make better drivers, but it’s equally possible that a student with a few hpde’s under his belt has used the time to learn bad habits that need to be un-learned.

great point

>>Regardless of skill level, I always ask what each student wants to accomplish over the weekend. If one student’s goal is to drive ultra-safely and not cause any undue wear on the car, and another student’s goal is to learn advanced car control, I’ll instruct them very differently.

another great point

thanks for the good notes, incorporatign all these concepts helps me be a better instructor.

Something I have found helpful is the use of hand signals in the car to keep the talking to a minimum.

I go over the signals before we get going so they have an understanding of what I am doing.

Car placement for me is a big thing I feel students have to learn. So I use 4 very basic hand signals.

A clentched fist is BRAKING

Open hand pressing done is APPLY THE GAS (like a pedal )

Then open hand sideways bent at the wrist for LEFT and RIGHT. I use this to help them find the line on the track, setup before and after a corner ECT.

It is very simple but effective for me.....................

Matt Jensen

great post Matt, i like the hand signal concept