Flying Finn

Next time I have to try how well that works!

Congrats Z!

I once had really hard student who just couldn't or wasn't willing to listen (and drove really bad), I wish I had remembered following "instruction" I learned from someone here in Rennlist (I think it was DJ):

"If you don't start listening to me, we're going to crash... I hate crashing, and if we start to crash, I'm going to start kicking your *** before the car even finishes crashing."

TD in DC

Larry Herman

Sounds like DJ

38D

I use something similar:

"If you don't start listening, something bad is going to happen. When something bad starts to happen, I start to get scared. When I get scared, I lose all control of my bowels. After that, I can assure you that you won't be driving this car again with the windows up..."

JCP911S

"Do everything your instructor tells you!"

I was at Pocono North with a Green student with a new (and very fast) car who just didn;t get it... each time at Turn 1 is would could down the brake markers "3,2,1, Brake.."

After a while i decided to stop and let him go on his own... we hit the brake zone.... nothing... we scrable trough and I aski.... "why didn't you brake?"

"You didn't tell me.."

Sheesh....

Bull

Z-Man, congrats! Just remember to remain calm under all circumstances, even when a little voice inside your head is saying "we are DOOMED"! That helped a lot when I had TWO students completely lose their brakes last year. Remember, nobody wants "He Died Screaming" on their head stone!

BrianKeithSmith

I had a student once that was so bad, I actually asked him if he drove himself to the event or if someone else drove him to the event. I was convinced there was no way he could've made the 2 hour trip from his home to the track without someone telling him "Brake", or "Turn", etc....

There's no way possible for that student to ever read this post, because there's no way he could navigate this far into the web without someone telling him to "click here", or "point here".

It was incredible....

Every time I'd walk over to the guy's car I'd look back at my friends and say "Dead man walkin'!!!" because I was convinced that the next session would be my last on earth....

Just had to share, plus I had to give Z-man something to look forward to.

Brian

Larry Herman

Z-man, here's one tip to give your newbie when you get onto pit lane for the first time. Ask him (or her) to open the door and reach down and touch the track. Then explain to them that the black surface that they just felt is asphalt, just like what they are used to on the street. And even though we are at a racetrack, it is the same stuff and has no magical properties. If anything, it is probably slipperier than what you are used to on the road, so tell them "however your car brakes and handles on the street, it will be the same on the track."

I came up with that one when a first time student went into turn one at Summit and after slowing somewhat, GOT BACK ON THE GAS! When the dust settled I asked him why he did that and the response was "we are on a racetrack, aren't we?" Once we got back into the pits, that's when I made him reach down and touch the track.

38D

Since we are telling stories...

My favorite was a guy who literally think had a vision problem. We are going down the hill at the Glen, and the guy is pointed right at the wall on track out.

“Don't drive off the track, " I say.

"Ok," he says somewhat timidly

“Um, you are still too wide. Don’t drive off the track!” This time with a little more urgency

“Um…”

“Dude, get to the right now!”

At the last minute, he corrects back to the right, but not before hitting the track out cone. We go into the pits, and he’s cracked the bumper on his brand new Z06 . We talk about what happened, and he claims to understand the mistake. I foolishly agree to go back out. As we are going down the hill again, there is the track out cone sitting about two feet into the track.

“See the track out cone?”

Silence.

“You see the track out cone…right? Don’t hit it. Stay to the right.”

Silence again. You have got to be kidding, right? Oh no. It’s too late now as the poor cone is only a few feet away. WHAM!

Oh yes, he hit the f-ing cone again. When we get to pits we talk again. He says he didn’t see it either time. I realize the guy has a legit vision issue. Not something you think you have to worry about, but it does happen! The really scary part was having that guy in such an insanely fast car like a Z06 was.

VaSteve

Z-man

Many thanks, BKS!

I did take my student out in a run towards the end of the event, but not as the last run for him. Though we had the chatterbox communicators working, I still advised him to give me a thumbs down incase something was wrong with him and we needed to come in. Halfway through the warmup lap, he's giving me a doulbe thumbs up and I could see a big smile on his face! His comments were, "Wow, we're going awfully fast!" I said to myself, "Wait till the tires warm up!" Later in the run he confessed that he was closing his eyes when we were going through the left hander (Pocono North course). After a little bit he said he wasn't scared of that corner and kept his eyes open.

Might as well throw in a list of "things NOT to say to your student:"
- "Nice spin. Will you listen to me NOW?"
- "Can't believe we made it through that session."
- "Your wife/son/friend codriver drives your car much smoother..."
- "I think I just soiled myself..."
- "I've NEVER seen a line like that through that corner."
and my favorite:
- "That's gonna hurt."


-Z-man.

bobt993

A couple of years back, we had a green student show up in with a fully deck out trailer/ GT3 raceprepped with a hot lap timer(nomex suite, the works). The guy he was sharing the car with listed a solid resume of his skills and driving so he started in White. The Green student was so aggressive the instructor restricted him to one gear only(3rd) and sat on him. The advance driver could not drive a solid line if it was painted on the course (Pocono North). One of my co-drivers pulled in early to the pit out by the wall to complain about the solo drivers ability. Just over his shoulder while he was bitchin at the decision maker the GT3 spun across the infield for a good 50yards. Seeing the shock in pit-out controls eyes, he turned to see grass flying..... " I guess I don't need to say anymore"....... Good Luck!

Jerseybean

Congrats and good luck Z-Man.

Might as well throw in a list of "things NOT to say to your student:
You might want to start thinking about taking tennis lessons.

gbaker

Hurley Haywood unstructing this poster: "You're braking too soon. Don't brake until I scream 'Brake!', and then do it like your life depends on it--because it will."

993inNC

Congrats Z. There is no better feeling than taking someone from their "not knowing what they don't know" to actually getting it (usually to varying degrees). A few things I tell my newbie students is: that although they are on a racetrack, they need to understand that they are going to learn to dance. Yes dance, they need to not only learn apexs', brake zones, track out yada......... but to execute in the smoothest manner possible. They need to drive the way one ballroom dances......smooth. I also tell them (if they're completely green) that although the pavement curves back and forth, they aren't on the street and they don't "follow" it persay. The only goal is to stay on it! Which leads into explaining apexs' and the like.

Good luck and be sure to bring us back lots of stories as time goes on, we all need a good chuckle from time to time