Tim

I was asked by my regions CI to help out instructing one sunday afternoon when a few students had instructors who left the DE early....

After that initial round of instructing I was asked more frequently to help out.. Then morphed in to a full time DE instructor....

About 6-7 years after all this PCA went with the National Certification Program, which I took and passed and now I'm a Nationally Certified PCA instructor.. also have been accepted by NASA and BMWCCA to instruct.

So for me it was right place/right time which I parlayed further.

Larry Herman

Sometimes a little bit of all 3. Skills and luck are how most get there. Politics has allowed some pretty mediocre drivers to become instructors, and has prevented some good ones from attaining that.

My advice? Drive well, discuss your DRIVING techniques, lines etc. with instructors in your region and be able to explain everything that you do in the car. When the time is right, they will ask.

Veloce Raptor

I agree with everything Larry said. In addition, liberally spreading $50 bills arolund really accelerates things. Just ask the folks I have recommended for our instructor training!





Professional Racing and Driving Coach

kurt M

+1 I have seen mediocre drivers end up as instructors along with the good ones. Not much with regards to good drivers getting passed over. I have also seen some OK drivers that are Great Instructors. Keep in mind that instructing is not driving. It is communicating and live feed adjusting to your students best learning methods. The driving part has to be second nature to you before you think about the instructing part. You will need to learn or already have good teaching skills. ESL is not much of an issue in car. In car you want to keep it clean and simple anyway. Having enthusiasm for driving and a curiosity in the form and function of the craft is a plus. Most regions CIs are always looking at the upper run group drovers sorting out the next batch of suc...I mean instructor candidates

Brian P

Instructing is a LOT of work. Make sure that you want to do it for the right reasons.

PedroNole

Paolo-

If you want to instruct badly enough, tell someone and they'll let you know whether you're ready. If you don't want to instruct THAT badly, wait until you're asked. 90% of the people are instructors due to either of these options.

Some, who shall remain nameless, paid money or lied when they moved to that region about already being an instructor

TedA

I got the opportunity to start instructing a year ago. I felt like I wanted to give back, every one of my instructor's were great. I took the NASA level 1 and 2 instructor clinics this spring. What I learned was that you can know the line, brake points etc..., but you also have to figure out how to communicate this. Some people can learn from the drover's seat...others only get it after they see and feel it from the right hand seat.

Darren

The first thing is you have to lose your mind. And be willing to get into cars with people with no clue and 400 hp. It's pretty stupid, why do we do this again?

It's a lot of work, forget about messing with your own car. You're lucky if you get a chance to drive your car. Well exaggeration, but the focus has to be on the students not you. Run to Autozone and get a spark plug or be on time for my student's session? What do you think wins?

It is fun though, and I've learned a lot about analyzing and communicating student mistakes that have let me be a better driver. It forces you to be more analytic about subtleties. Personally I really enjoy trying to relate to and communicate with total strangers and get them to drive well.

Darren

Bumper sticker "My Red group would kick your Red group's ***"

dbryant61

This is an entertaining read. Paolo, my intro was my region's CTI asking me "shouldn't you be instructing by now?" I instructed the next event and realized I was un-prepared. I signed up for the next PCA clinic and got the CTI's referral.

The short answer is it depends on the region. Like several others wrote, let your CTI know you are interested, and make sure you really want to spend 4.5 hours (1.5 your car, 1.5 their car x 2) on the track plus one hour off-track with your students. And be prepared to grow a small contingent of goupies who come up to you at the bar like they are your best friend and you don't remember them.

NASA (mid-atlantic) instructor training is better than PCA, IMO.

TedA

Dude...this is a whole different issue that may require some counciling..

kurt M

No kidding and I am real bad on names. Can remember cars, droving and the like but the the names slip and I am not as old as Bull or Larry so I can't use the age card convincingly just yet. I keep in in mind 0.0 students remember their first instructor well and try to act accordingly. I went something like 9 in a row 0.0 Greens one season. a baseball teams worth of guys off on the wrong foot.

Larry Herman

Who said you're not?

RonCT

Paolo,

Two items that are available online for you to consider:

"DE Advancement" has a section on the general criteria considered for being invited to become an instructor:
http://www.cvrpca.org/de/forms/09-de-advancement.pdf

Criteria for CVR Instructors
The Chief Instructor and CVR Track Committee continuously observe and identify
Black Run Group drivers with the potential to become DE instructors based upon their
personality on and off the track, their ability to communicate, and their driving skills.
Candidates are observed and assessed by multiple means prior to being invited to become
instructor candidates. The minimum driving experience requirements are 40 track days
over 3-5 years, with at least 10 track days in Black.
Examples of the characteristics and abilities we are looking for in potential instructors
include:
Personality and Character traits
• Excellent communications and interpersonal skills.
• Treatment of all drivers as peers and with respect
• Willingness to commit to a reasonable number of DE events each season
• A recognition that people learn in different ways
• A mature attitude within the “competitive” track environment
Instructor Driving Skills
• Demonstrates continuous and total awareness of driving environment
• Drives the line effortlessly and consistently with perfect turn-in, apex and trackout
points lap, after lap
• Demonstrates ability to communicate while driving at Black Run Group speed
• Knows the limitations of their car, consistently drives within that limit
• Anticipates and recognizes potential problems with other drivers and cars
• Reacts instantly to abnormal/undesirable car movements

And here's the online Instructor Training guide:
http://www.cvrpca.org/de/instructor_...ebook_9_05.pdf

Bull

+1000. I have seen way too many fellow instructors who really dislike instructing, but do it for the recognition, etc. Their instructing shows their attitude, including signing off students very early in an event so they can get to their personal agenda.