race911

Ooops..........hit send too soon.

But damn straight the focus from rolling onto the track for the first session on Saturday AM was "what times are you running". Kinda why I shied away from actually running in '80, and chose to hang around to work corners, do timing, help wrenching, etc.

tkerrmd

Ken would I be right in assuming that is not a standard PCA DE event?? cause if it were wish we did it!!

race911

Standard as far as what GGR has been doing for about 35 years.

dblapex

Here in the Florida regions the only PCA events with timing is club racing. NASA does time trials but you need to be solo approved to enter them. In 7 years +/- of instructing I think I may have timed 3 students, and they were all solo ready.

as mentioned by another instructor, my green students only get two gears their first session and I dont care about the line. My general outline is described below.

First session- track orientation
Second Session-work on line at slow pace (3 gears max)
third session-full instruction

Second day
First session-full instruction (at reduced pace from 3rd session first day)
second session-full instruction (plus flag quizes)
third session-slight reduced pace from second session (more flag/procedures quiz)

I have a general rule of show me you can drive slow then I'll let you drive fast, This has worked well for me 99% of the time. There is always one person that wants to show you how good (fast) they are and I will usually tell them great. Let me see your line and if it is clean I will send you for solo sign off, which has never happened. I will also not sign any off out of novice till they know flags and procedures cold (even though national has this as a solo requirement) as it is more important than knowing the line. I would rather know you are going to stop at a red flag and not black flag then hit an apex!

sjanes

I taught at a Viper Days event this summer, and it was also a timed event. I wasn't sure what to make of it when they put a transponder on my student's Viper, but figured that timing or no timing, I'm not going to let him go faster than was safe. In the end, he was an excellent student and didn't seem too disappointed (although I could tell he was a little) that we were the second slowest car in the first run, mostly because I had him do the whole run in 4th gear. As the event went on, we worked on being smooth and vision skills, and we started passing some cars. By the end of the three days, he was gridded third or fourth based on time, and he never took it out of fourth gear. He appeared pretty pleased with himself, and really understood the importance of learning how to drive instead of just trying to go faster.

There is no need to be afraid of the car or the event. It's the attitude of the driver and how well he/she accepts instruction that will determine how your weekend will go.

gums

have any of you guys wound up on your head?

Veloce Raptor

Well, there was this red-headed gymnast chick in college....

gums

you guys are too quick sometimes.....

Bull

Yes, but not in a student's car. It was in an SCCA race when a spindle broke.

Veloce Raptor

Yeah, that was me when I was 18. But she helped me with that problem, too!

FTS

Redline does similar timed events: http://redlinetimeattack.com/

I am a mid-level Blue student with Potomac, a friend of mine signed me up for this time attack last year at Summit; they put me into the unlimited mod black group and wanted to send me solo out there with full track cars and semi-professional drivers. I refused and just watched from the sidelines. The first day it was for students and just track time, but you could get your laps timed with the transponders; there were many first timers out there. These things happen, no matter how illogical they may seem, we all sign waivers remember?!?!?

C.J. Ichiban

for our local PCA chapter, I was the young guy in the GT3 a few months ago-

instructor: "so how many DEs have you done?"
me- "this is my first one, so we can count that, eh?"
instructor: "are you solo certified?"
me- "Solo? I drive alone all the time, what does that mean?"
instructor: "let me make sure these harnesses are nice and tight..."

I had probably done 25-30 track days in 3 different cars so I was decently proficient, but not knowing me at all this guy was scared. I was laughing inside, because by that point I was a really responsible guy behind the wheel already, but on paper it didn't look like it would be that way.

when we got back in, we both had a good laugh about it. next instructor that day was a lot more fun-

"dude- sweet car! I've never been in one of these before"

I've done a handful of one on one, all day instruction things, and find them about 300% more useful than HPDE instruction. I'd like to instruct eventually, but feel the need to cut my teeth in the racing ranks before I'll get credibility (being a young guy, nobody takes me seriously at first)

the service you guys as instructors provide is really valuable and as a general rule I'm very thankful of anyone giving tips in my right seat.

Carnerd

+1!!!