Mark Dreyer

Chris Hall was doing instruction rides at the last weekend DE. This allowed a driver to have a lower cost since you could hire him for a single 30 minute run session-no data unlike when you hire him for the entire day. I had him ride with me one session after having used him an entire day a few weeks prior. It was really cool that he said he couldn't help me without the data since he liked what I was doing and could only help me now by analyzing the data.

I'm posting this to counter the previous opinion that a pro coach is a waste if you are 5+ seconds off pace. I was beyond 5+ seconds off the pace before I hired Chris and now after one full day with him he's telling me he needs data to help me any further. I know I'm no Schumacher, rather this is a testament to the value of a top level coach like VR or Seth or Chris. Best $ I've ever spent on this hobby!

BostonDMD

The rain also didn't help me much........

Larry Herman

Actually I think that it did. We may have not been able to work on your outright dry speed, but it did show the amount of car control that you had and your ability to judge braking distances and evaluate grip. Also, it clearly pointed to your steering mechanics which we worked on correcting. That issue may not have been as apparent in the dry.

Veloce Raptor

Yup. The rain that day really helped my guy, too. Big time.

BostonDMD

In all honesty I did enjoy riding in the rain.

After hearing many racers hating to go out in the wet, I was pleasently surprised.....

It seemed like the car really talked to me......(or was it you Larry in the communicator?)......

Greg Smith

What me and others are trying to say is you don't need a pro coach if you're 5 seconds off pace, most advanced DE instructors will help you greatly. That's not to say a pro coach won't help, it's just bringing a gun to a knife fight. You're not going to be able to take advantage of a pro coach's advanced instruction and analysis if you're still working on the basics.

$.02

Larry Herman

Hey, I actually agree with you.





Must not be feeling well.

ProCoach

Most professional coaches (people I know who derive a majority of their income from working with drivers of all levels on-track and at-track) charge between $750-$1500 (can be all-inclusive or plus expenses depending on venue/travel distance) per day. These professionals supply data and often video systems of their own and most work before with the client to plan the course of study for the day(s).

Those who do this "on the side" or have day jobs are often less.

FBB, keep your nut...

dahcopilot

go to a de and request a ride with an insrtuctor who drives a low horsepower car or one that is not overly modified that is still running at the front of the pack. they will show you how to go faster without opening your wallet. following a similar car to find out where they are faster and studying their line costs nothing. when you get to where you need that last 2/10ths of a second, hire a coach

ZSA Motorsport

or buy a spec miata, a spec boxster and master car control. too many guys in too fast a machine for their skill level. big HP and a heavy right foot makes to omany feel they can just erase away errors or bad cornering. sure, in a non-competitive environment, thats definately the case. yet you go up against 15, 20 talented drivers who have skill AND power, and you lose without equal car control.

i have a spec miata. i love drive it. that car requires tremendous car control and when you blunder, you feel it for like a full lap. you lose horsepower, momentum, there aint no rightfoot pedal action thats going to get it back quick. you're going to have to refocus quick, start hitting your marks perfect again, and do that for a lap or two till you get back on the wheel of who you are chasing.

miatas...spec boxsters (after all this is a porsche site)...driving in the rain...instructors....whether DE or pro...all great stuff to help build skill.

Gary R.

Hey, those are my wheels/tires!

Veloce Raptor

LOL at your license plate...on a Ferrari...very nice. You gotta be up at the $1500 end to pay for upkeep!

I kid, I kid.....

fatbillybob

I'd like to hear what the procoaches have to say about that. I dissagree with you. In spec crashata you guys are bumping and rubbing with foot to the floor with 85hp and lots of relative weight. You can't do that and live to tell about it at 150mph in a faster car. In a faster car every bad step results in twice as fast bad reaction with a big penalty of crumpled metal and maybe injury. I'm thinking momentum control aside I'm fearless in a miata at 95mph. In SCCA racing we have mixed groups with slower and faster cars as well as slower and faster drivers. If you are in a faster car you have so much more to worry about moving safely through slower traffic like timing the closing speed into a turn as your competition is riding your rearend. The ultimate of pinching off your competitor behind a slower car is darn hard work and takes precise timing while covering huge feet per second. It is fun but by the end of a sprint race I'm pretty done metally and physically.

Veloce Raptor

IMO you are both correct. Spec Miate or Spec Racer Ford will definitely teach you how to be a MUCH faster & smoother driver. You will really learn what momentum is all about , and how to preserve it. And if you race, you will learn race craft or be at the end of the pack. The REALLY smart drivers can use these skills & transfer them to faster, higher powered cars...and begin to drive ALL cars like momentum cars. A coach can help with this, but it really has to be learned by the driver... Those who don't, and then move to big power cars, are susceptible to what FBB says.

ProCoach

You know of where you speak!