drcollie

Nevermind, he was solo - it was a Club Sport - he was solo. Listen to the sound of money at the end.

dgrobs

Why are you posting this? We've all seen it before, too many times.

Why post this?

dgrobs

Enough already......

Edit: The sound of money? really?

Mikelly

I lost 7 months of my life due to a “student” incident. I’ll be picky with the club, I’ll be picky with the student, and I will not ride with other racers. I’ll exploit their data and video with them and give them as much “coaching” as my limited abilities allow.

I applaud all of you guys and gals who want to give back. From 2009-2017 I “gave back” and spent some time in hospital and rehab for that generosity. Do you, but go into it with open eyes and know “it” WILL happen if you do it long enough. It being the big “oops”.

There are still things I don’t understand about some clubs. I don’t know why some still make instructors pay. We take the risks, we should NOT pay to take that risk. Also, We should know in ADVANCE who the student is so we can reach out and inquire about their experience and what they hope to accompllsh in the upcoming event. I now instruct maybe 3 weekends per year and only when the schedule works out with mine.

Again, Good on those of you weekend warriors who do it weekend in and weekend out.

Mike

Sword_of_the_Spirit

On your latter point, that would be Superb! It should be customary to know who is riding with you (both ends). I’ll forward that to the few clubs I run with as it makes so much sense, you have to wonder why not?

A few of you here have touted never spinning or loosing traction as an instructor (when driving solo/alone). I have to wonder then how you can tell when it’s prudent to correct or to let it be. Let me put it this way: we all know and have seen when correction made it worse (as a pro and novice) as well as when one should have tried correcting and didn’t. I’ll be honest, there are reasons why skid pads are in place. It’s to train in a controlled environment. What about when you’re solo out there either with or without traffic? I wouldn’t want an instructor who hasn’t been in both situations. If that offends, that’s great. I hope it does because you can’t say with any credibility the “whats” and “ifs.” Granted, every situation is unique. But better to have a notch on that belt (not a crash, just pushing that car a bit beyond what it can take) than nothing at all.

CT_Peter

As a fairly recent solo driver who also started doing some SCCA and Champcar racing last season, I wanted to learn Thunderbolt before a race last year. The Audi club had an HPDE that worked for my schedule. I signed up and reached out to the registrar. Since we were both new to each other, and my goal was to learn the track as quickly as possible/realistic in a day, I requested an instructor. At the risk of providing too much info, I also passed along my driving log so they would know my experience and progression. They matched me with a great instructor and put us in touch prior to the event. So, at least from my POV, connecting student and instructor prior was fantastic. I realize it’s not always possible due to last minute changes and/or registrations, but certainly great when it is.

Thank you to all the instructors out there. I’ve met some amazing people along the way and will always be grateful for their time and instruction. As someone who is thinking about instructing one day myself (when/if I’m ready), I’m following this thread closely.

dgrobs

The PCA regions that I run with already do this.
The student and the instructor either email or call each other well before the event to get any questions answered and address any concerns either might have.
Works quite well and is usually the norm within PCA regions.

needmoregarage

Allegheny Region (ARPCA) “requires” instructors to contact their student ahead of the event. Obviously last minute changes may be excluded with time constraints.

In my experience, I wouldn’t say it’s the “norm” with PCA regions, but I know Niagara (NRPCA) also does it. I’ve also instructed with PCA regions that don’t do this, and you learn your assignment when you show up.

dgrobs

NNJR, NER, and NCR do this as well.

It's a great idea and puts many concerns to rest for both parties...

Locker537

I was going to say "my local regions..." but that is redundant.
This is a great practice in my opinion.

sonorous

I'd just like to jump in with another positive post and to thank all the great instructors I have had in my short HPDE experience. There has already been praise given to NE organizers but I like to call out NER and NCR PCA specifically as running top notch events with a focus on safety, and what I can only assume is a stellar instructor development program. I base this opinion on the quality of the instruction I have received, but more critically the instruction my wife has received. I attended my first event by myself, but after seeing how well it was run, I convinced my wife to join along. She was hooked right away as well and I know it was due to the safe atmosphere and excellent first instructor. I am not sure if any of you know Justin Becker but wow he did a fantastic job at her first event! I have been very impressed with how the instructor team is not only focused on safety and teaching driving technique but also on adapting to different learning styles. My wife is the first to admit she learns very differently to most and all of her instructors were receptive to that and able to work with it. Multiple instructors have noted to me that adapting an navigating different learning styles is part of their curriculum. Again I am impressed, thank you!

Montaver

I like instructors that can make me faster, takes a certain type generally those who have racing experience. My friend who is an instructor hops in with me a couple of times a weekend, but having an instructor in the car all the time would feel redundant. Some org's I find to be dismissive of other org's run experience/instructors, like if you haven't spent a lot of time with that club you are at the bottom and have to 'do your time'.

dgrobs

You think JB was good on the track? You should see him at The Seneca Bar after a couple Old Fashioned's.

Shameless plug for my good buddy:

South Shore Autoworks | Auto Repair | Massachusetts


SSA for the win!!!!

ExMB

And that hits the nail on the head. PCA tries their best for a std across all regions. To their credit they allow enhancements. But I agree with you that some regions take it a little too far. An experienced driver visiting a new track may expect a check ride for evaluation for group placement. But to automatically place that driver into the bottom (instructed) group I, like you apparently based on your post, disagree with. I have seen it happen. But in fairness I have seen a check in a low run group only to find that the driver then was allowed to run in a higher group where he had no business being in; car was doing it, driver lacked awareness of others.

bbinder

I can vouch for JB's performance at multiple events as an instructor and once the track goes cold