Hi guys,

I'm going to be speaking to novices at a couple of upcoming track days. I have no problem going off on tangents, explaining theory, but I'd like to stay on track (no pun intended) and have a clear goal throughout the day(s).

I would really like to get your input on what works or what has not worked in talking to "newbies", and I'd also like to make sure I don't miss something important. A couple of props: I'm planning on bringing a steering wheel, and having a large course map printed with glossy lamination for dry marker usage.

Even if you haven't spoken in front of a class, from the perspective of an instructor, what advice could you give a classroom speaker.

Thanks!

 

Keep things simple, emphasize safety and track etiquette (flags, passing, pit in and out, warming up, etc.), make them comfortable (noobs tend to be nervous) with some humor/lightheartedness. The safety/comfort level thing has always seemed like the biggest deal to me for novices, so maybe make that the goal? I'm really not any kind of authority on the matter though.

What doesn't work: too much detail, touching on advanced techniques (heel-toe, LFB, etc.) before anyone knows what the hell they're doing out there, getting too lost in telling "war stories."

 

to add.....


Stress team work, or maybe call it consideration. Although racing is not a team effort, with respect to each individual driver, but if you stress to the novices that their actions will come back to them if they are respectful and considerate, as well as their actions upon being an "*******", it might give them the mindset that they will not be the only driver on the track.

 

dont get too caught up on driving technique, at least in the beginning.
Go over the absolute basics that you take for granted. Stuff like procedure for getting on track, flags, passing procedure (this is a new concept to them), set their expecations for the speed (or lack of) for the first couple sessions and this this is a slow learning process, drill the point home that they need to learn the track in their head.
Later in the day/weekend you can move on to driving techniques

 

Thanks all ^^^

There were a few things I forgot... especially KISS and the warming up.

One of the examples I remember the most from "BSR" was the chair/balance thing.

Braking - up on front two legs
Turning - on left/right two legs
Accelerating - back two legs
Braking and Turning - up on one leg
etc.

 

I second the teamwork theme

you might also stress the fact that this isn't a competetion, so nobody's ego is on the line

they tend to take it personally if folks are riding them in the turns, and then react by drag racing said car down the straight

I'd stress that at this level it's best to just concentrait on the line, and if they need a little free track there's no shame in pulling into the hot pits for a sec


edit: don't forget in a spin two feet in!!

 

Another important point but one often difficult to grasp by new drivers is that you don't get fast by trying to drive fast. But if they will learn the line they will become faster. The last student I had tried to drive the **** out of the car first session out. He damn near wrecked us and he was slow. Everyone wants to be fast but you have to get them to buy into the fact that it will come if you listen and learn the line.

 

The hard part about this is everyone is coming from somewhere different. I helped one student last year with a 2 minute conversation about snowboarding... nice, deep, slow turns... carving, not shifting from side to side. Of course at the same event, I'm not sure if I helped my own student much. What you said above, technique over "go-pedal" was what I was trying to get across, but it never seemed to sink in.

Again, I really appreciate the input!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chrisb &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Another important point but one often difficult to grasp by new drivers is that you don't get fast by trying to drive fast. But if they will learn the line they will become faster. </TD></TR></TABLE>
You can sum this up by the motto, "Learn to drive fast, slowly." Maybe repeat this a couple times during your talk.

If you're worried about going off track (and your drivers going off the track), make some bullet points up on the board. It looks like they're for the drivers to follow, but they're actually for you to follow.

Also, as sccguy said, some humor/lightheartedness should be a positive thing. Guys who talk to newbies about safety tend to take a kind of hard-boiled, humorless approach that makes everyone have respect but also feel a little tense. Anything that makes them worry too much and/or gets their blood pressure up I believe will do more harm than good. Just MHO.

Dan

 

Different students will want different levels of technical instruction which is probably better handled by individual instruction or at least breaking the large group up into sub groups. For the large group speaches, somebody mentioned safety and especially reminding people before the last session to keep it cool.

 

FLAGS

MIRRORS

GUAGES

in that order!!!!

respect those on the track....LIFT!!!! you might learn something....i learnerd me 2 seconds a lap following some m3's at road atlanta!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LudemanDan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
You can sum this up by the motto, "Learn to drive fast, slowly." Maybe repeat this a couple times during your talk. ..., some humor/lightheartedness should be a positive thing. Guys who talk to newbies about safety tend to take a kind of hard-boiled, humorless approach that makes everyone have respect but also feel a little tense. Anything that makes them worry too much and/or gets their blood pressure up I believe will do more harm than good. Just MHO.

Dan</TD></TR></TABLE>

Again this is helping me greatly.

For the most part, I'm pretty sure there will be about 20 students per class... so I'm hoping this can be a semi-formal class session. Hit some key issues about the track, staging, flags, cones indicating turn in/apex/turn out. I'm also hoping to build enough time for some QandA. As the day continues, hopefully I can stay tuned into the level where most folks are and hit the lowest common denominator as far as how deep to go with technique and bring everyone up a level.

Another thing I noticed, and for some reason I'm thinking Porsche Club track day events, instructors are paired with students BEFORE the actual event to talk about a few things... establish goals, work on developing good habits before actually getting to the track. Anyone hear have any experience with doing this?

Thanks.

 

I focus on the basics.. drives me nuts to see somone trying to explain a friction circle to a guy who has never pushed a car to its limits..

First classroom session:
Getting on and off the track. (Pit-out worker, blend line, mirrors / pit-in hand signals, speed) Also include any track-specific info here. Is there a false grid, paddock speed limit, etc.

6 basic points: Braking point, Braking zone, turn-in point, apex, track-out and the concept of outside-inside-outside. (By knowing these terms, they will be able to communicate with their in-car instructor better)

Passing zones, point-by, flags, mirrors.

Thats it, most people will take the better part of two days to get all that down consistantly anyway.

(2nd session I tralk about late/early apex and track specific lines and such. once they have been out there)

Jon K
http://www.seat-time.com

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by emwavey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">One of the examples I remember the most from "BSR" was the chair/balance thing.

Braking - up on front two legs
Turning - on left/right two legs
Accelerating - back two legs
Braking and Turning - up on one leg
etc.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This should be taught in every high school driving class.

 

One of the most helpful things I got told was to just pick one or maybe two things to focus on at an event. You get so much stuff that it can be daunting to try to pay attention to everything you get taught. I think my first HPDE I worked on following a reasonably consistent line for most of the event, didn't worry about brakes, throttle, or anything else, then on day 2 when I was more comfortable following a consistent line, I started working on accelerating out of turns. It helped a lot to be able to make some significant progress on one or two things over the course of the weekend, and I think it helped my instructor to only have to help me with 1 thing at a time. I know I tried to do everything at once when I started autocrossing and it was very frustrating for me and for anyone unfortunate enough to be trying to help me.

 

^^That's good advice, and it reminds me of something Paul Newman said.

Work on a track one turn at a time. Instead of thinking hard about parfecting each turn as you go around it, just work on nailing turn 2. Once you have that down perfectly, work on turn 3. Getting the whole track right this way might take all day, but it sounds like wisdom to me.

Dan

 

When you get to the end of the lecture part and ask if there are any questions, don't expect any. Have a few "questions" ready for them so you can give them the answers. They will be on such an information overload that they simply can't think of anything to ask or can't put it into words. Simply asking if there are any questions, having none, and sending them out of class has the wrong feel. You may even want to have one or two simple points that are really part of your lecture as things you put in at the end as questions you have been asked in the past. It may also loosen them up and make a few questions occur to them.

 

-EGO CHECK!

-Always listen to your driving instructor (even though its different from what the classroom instructor is saying)

 

Don't forget a very basic cornering procedure:
1. Brake
2. Downshift
3. Turn In
4. Accellerate
5. Unwind

Newbs get confused!

 

For the first timers, usually in the second session of the day, I spend a lot of time convincing them that they need to get control of their eyes. In the excitement and drama of their first track session, no one is going to be able to look through a corner or watch their mirrors. But in the later sessions, I coach students to "wideband" their vision.

Even before I ask them to practice looking through corners, I ask them to drive down the straight looking out the very top of the windshield at the sky. This forces them to pay attention to how they can use their peripheral vision to "feel" where the car is on the track surface. This leads naturally into the topic of looking through the corner, as they build confidence in their ability to place their car at an apex without staring at it until they drive over it. Then call their attention to how easy it is to spot a car in your mirrors without actually taking your eyes off the road. Nice side-effects of this instruction include a) allows the student to drive more safely EVERYWHERE, and b) greatly increased comfort level on the track.

Granted, this is more of an in-car instruction method, but you might be able to make it work in a classroom setting.

--Jon

 

jon nailed it

LOOK AHEAD! its so hard for a noob to grasp that concept unless you are on track but do your best to make that work

FLAGS! an instructor once asked me mid session how many corner workers there were? i thought for a second and answered 4. he said there were 5. its very important to know where to look for flags not just what they mean. i always wave to each corner worker during a cooldown lap to make 100% sure i know where they are.

MIRRORS and POINT BYS! for christ sake teach them point bys and the fact you can use them even if they graduate up in the levels. im one of the few people who runs de 3/4 that still uses a point by on a very regular basis. its just ediquitte because a DE session isnt racing no matter how much it might seem like it when you are chasing a faster car

the ego. we once had this guy in a carera driving like a total ***. he would bunch 4 or 5 cars behind him in the infield then get 15 cars on them by the end of the straight. just because your car may be the fastest one out there dont drive like a jackass. everyone wants to have fun.

 

I would cover the basics....track etiquitte (sp), passing, flags, etc... Then a little bit on driving. Explain to them the advantages of being relaxed in the drivers seat...and smooth. My first day on track, after embarrasing myself countless times in a worn out POS VW Gti, and riding along with countless lousy drivers (who were all faster than me), I had the priveledge of riding with a guy named Alan in a black non-turbo tiptronic trans porsche...who simply amazed me. I got out of the car the first time rather unimpressed....until I saw his lap times...then it all made sense. The ride I had was pleasureable and smooth, with few harsh movements....like we were on a sunday drive through the canyons, just faster. The whole track went by in one liquid-like motion, and he was running times with the built turbo cars in his daily driver. The one lesson that this taught me: The slower the driver moves, the faster the car moves, and vice versa. Mention a couple things from your own experience to make their first experience that much more enjoyable. Nobody has fun going out the first time, driving like an idiot because they don't know any better, and spinning the car 5 times.

(At least I didn't)

 

Radius = speed
smooth=fast

Look up!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mohudsolo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When you get to the end of the lecture part and ask if there are any questions, don't expect any. Have a few "questions" ready for them so you can give them the answers. </TD></TR></TABLE>

and dont expect any of them to volunteer the answer. Its OK to call on them. It will help start to get a dialog going

if you do intermediate classroom expect them to ask a million questions!

 

One of the best things that Dan Unkfer ever said was "Spend money on yourself before you sink it in your car." Spend money on safety first, then classroom, learn your car as is.