Periodic analysis is a positive step toward improving the product.

It is an article we all should read and the comments section is loaded with good advice.
I have refused to get back in a car when the driver was all about speed and not about technique.
I don't teach or encourage speed, I teach awareness and how to be smoother, which can translate to speed with practice.
Yes, all too often the student is a person with little to no track experience with something like an E36 M3 with all the track goodies that remove the understeer and other design features that have saved many a novice driver.
Then there's the turbo cars with after market boost and an additional bucket of horsepower. Don't get me started on the rice rockets from up north with ESL drivers.
 
It is a thought provoking article and it raises some good questions but it also has a level of unavoidable media sensationalism that is inappropriate. Statements like "The unacceptable danger of modern track-day coaching - The system is broken. We need to fix it." and "Ride-along performance-driving instructors are dying on the job. How do we stop it?" are overly dramatic and treat ALL high performance driving instruction as if it were uniformly dangerous. Is there a fear that if they actually treat the subject like the complicated, multi-faceted issue that it really is it will be too boring to sell copy? The truth is that there are hundreds of organizations that provide safe and controlled opportunities for drivers to participate in events intended to develop their car control abilities and improve their skills and painting them all with the same broad brush as broken and deadly is ludicrous. I have been in the right seat regularly over the last 14 years with multiple organizations and I would argue that, if anything, the death toll on PUBLIC ROADS is lower because of it.

It is tremendously unfortunate that the instructor in question lost his life - my thoughts go out to his family. Life is a contact sport and sometimes you roll the dice and the wrong number comes up on even impossibly long odds. Seemingly innocuous choices are made and the ultimate price is unexpectedly demanded. I have no data on the subject but I'm going to guess that an instructor in a well managed high performance driving event is probably significantly safer statistically than driving down the freeway on his way to the event. None of us wants it to happen or likes it when it does but it is a real risk, albeit small, so that should absolutely be considered when making the decision to participate.

Everybody's experience varies but I have never had to get out of a student's car. There are faults in my personality like over communicating and generally wanting to be in control of a situation that turn out to be good when doing high performance instructing. I have a conversation with every student before we ever start the car about what they are there to accomplish, how they feel about the upcoming experience, and what my unbreakable rules are. I make sure that the student understands that our time will be a partnership and only if we work together will we achieve our goals for the day. I have yet to come across a single partnership that isn't made better by both parties fully understanding exactly what is expected from them. My first requirement is that the moment either of us feels unsafe FOR ANY REASON it is time to immediately reduce speed and exit the track to talk about it. Looking back on all of the students that I have instructed it is clear that most had decent skills, all improved markedly over the course of the event, and every one of them was required to view me as a safety officer first and a tool to improve their skills second.

Sadly, articles like the one in question are a good way to get people asking the right questions but it never stops there. Nobody takes a look at the Conference and BMW programs where I have done the majority of my instruction and says "these have proven to be good, relatively safe programs that are a benefit to the driving community but we should always pay attention to where they can be improved". What happens is a bunch of people who know nothing about high performance driving will want to bring it under restrictive rules and then laws that will cause it to cease to exist. The young lady who died at a grassroots stock car experience in the middle of the state a few years ago inspired a state lawmaker to try to clamp a regulatory iron fist on ALL high performance driving events. This is not an appropriate place for political opinion, but it must be stated; close scrutiny of your hobby or activity by the government usually results in reduced freedoms. 'Nuff said.

I had the great opportunity to briefly serve as both IRDC's club president and chief driving instructor and I can assure you nothing is more important to the organization than safety and the avoidance of unnecessary risk and liability. The insurance industry has the ability to shut us down even quicker than the legislature if we don't keep people safe.

Now, I will step safely and carefully down from my soapbox because jumping down might hurt my old joints ....
 
The one part of this article that I do agree with is the 'coaching the coach." I had my turn as well running our driving school and I tried to get a little coaching as part of the process with Ross Bentley kindly donating his time one evening for a room full of club instructors. I benefited immensely, as did many I spoke with afterwards, and I do believe it should be part of the package.
We have a great core of racers willing to come out year and after and instruct, but their levels of training and skill are ll over the board. I had both coaches and students come to me with complaints during my three tenure. A few of the instructors would not get back in the vehicle after one session, as I have done twice in my 35 years of coaching, and conversely a few students told me they were not getting their money's worth and wanted someone else with them.
Some coaching is quite verbal, some with lots of 'sign language' and some with minimal input. A few want their students to go faster, while most are happy to keep them in check, especially with the wide range of fast cars we now deal with as mentioned in the article.
So we could use a program that would standardize the way we approach our schools, just like Bondurant, Russell or any of the pro schools out there.
 
As I've watched from the other side of the fence, hopping over to help on occasion. I don't envy the instructor's position in the side without the contols. I'd be feeling a bit insecure, to be sure.

There's certainly a difference between the training of a student that just wants to develop skills of control for every day success in traffic, those that may aspire to become licensed drivers, regardless of sanction, and those that are TnT/open/club track day users for their own good reasons. Like any other sport-hobby to further develop the skills that they acquired from previous events. Return customers in some form.

Each club to it's own style.
 
Last edited:
Here's the cure: Formula Vee. They won't be spinning the tires in third at 130 mph ;-)

Seriously, I originally thought I'd made a mistake buying a slowpoke Vee; thought I should have bought a CF. But now towards the end of my novice year I've realized that I have a great deal to learn about going fast, it's not about horsepower on the straight, which is good because I don't have any horsepower on the straight!

I did spin the Lotus in Driver school with Wes in the right seat, he's a brave guy and withstood a couple more sessions before abandoning me. I've learned a lot this year and I think the conference schools and novice program are well-managed and well structured. Scott Faris has been tireless and excellent as the conference newbie director. We novices owe him and the rest of the conference volunteers a debt of gratitude for the work they do for us. Linda Heinrich was very helpful to me in getting started in my first race.

I believe the conference novice program works well in getting newbies into contact with everyone who volunteers to put on the races. Working with Linda in timing and Thomas and Lynn in the corners and Becky and Julie on the grid and the countless others that I've met and worked with give me a good appreciation for the hard work and sacrifice our volunteers demonstrate to allow us to pursue our passion.

I looked at other organizations novice programs before joining conference and this program wins easily. I've heard comments from other novice drivers about how they like the way it's designed and managed. It's one of conference's greatest strengths and it's the future, we need a well-managed program like this to keep the new drivers coming in. It's working, and the volunteers are doing a fantastic job.

I only wish I could do more, and I plan to volunteer even more of my time next year because, another feature of the FV, they don't need a lot of maintenance at the track:biggrin:
 
I guess my FIRST question is, how many ride along instructors are killed or even injured every year?? Are we talking one or two out of the thousands (which is still too many) or, are we talking about dozens per year (a real problem).
 
Abandon you Jim, after 3 sessions in the wet? You did such a good job, (other than scaring the turn crew at T2), that you needed to go out on your own for the last session. That my friend was a salute to your abilities with a fast car on a wet day, not abandonment, although similar words ran thru my head as we backed up quickly thru the grass toward that turn station!
I agree, our license directors have always been top notch, as is everyone involved in the Conference process. The matter at hand though is the difference between clubs as far as their approach to running a school. I really like the annual instructor clinic that Cascade puts on every spring, and I would love to see the other clubs use that as a template to improve their product. Young people in fast cars with no interest in listening to what they are being taught is another issue within the issue that also needs to be resolved, but yet they are our customers. Lots of winter discussion material here.
 
I have done a few instructor days in the past couple of years and the only thing I don't like is no HANS device in the street cars. I hope to find a good used harness type for this purpose as otherwise I enjoy the experience.
Maybe we get some of these for conference events in the future? We can't ever be too safe!

This could prevent many injuries at hpde events.
 
westipton said:
Young people in fast cars with no interest in listening to what they are being taught
Click to expand...
Ha. I was thinking about old, rich guys with fancy cars that have no interest in somebody telling them what they can/can't do with their car/time/money...
 
Yep, those guys too Steve. Then you have the gals, who usually do not like being told what to do, or how to do it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top