ASK THE COACH
09-21-2011 | 04:18 PM
#481
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From: All Ate Up With Motor
At some tracks, like Barber, the curbing is very very grippy and very benign, and can help "grap" the inside tires, thus aiding rotation in corners. Sometimes, curbing can be used to straighten out a section of linked corners. Also, benign track out curbing effectively widens the track, allowing higher cornering speeds & a bit more margin for mistakes. 
09-21-2011 | 05:26 PM
#482
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From: Fort Lauderdale, FL
During practice sessions at new tracks, use that time to test the curbing. Find out which curbs you want to use and which ones to stay off of. Figure that out in your first couple of practice sessions, then add speed and you'll be ready to race.
Using Road America as an example, track out curbing at T5 and T8 you want to avoid. Hit that stuff and at the very least you'll need to tap the brakes on the next straight to fix the pad knock back you probably experienced. And that's getting away easy, its pretty rough out there. On the other hand, hitting the track out curbing of T14 and the apex of the Kink are critical to a fast lap. Use those curbs everytime.
Remember to thoughtfully use practice to explore these sections of each track and you'll quickly learn the secrets the locals use to beat the out of towners. Nothing better than beating the locals on their home track.
Using Road America as an example, track out curbing at T5 and T8 you want to avoid. Hit that stuff and at the very least you'll need to tap the brakes on the next straight to fix the pad knock back you probably experienced. And that's getting away easy, its pretty rough out there. On the other hand, hitting the track out curbing of T14 and the apex of the Kink are critical to a fast lap. Use those curbs everytime.
Remember to thoughtfully use practice to explore these sections of each track and you'll quickly learn the secrets the locals use to beat the out of towners. Nothing better than beating the locals on their home track.
09-22-2011 | 12:44 PM
#484
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From: DFW
On a completely different topic, this past weekend I was instructing at a PCA event here in Texas, as well as teaching the classroom session for the most advanced run group. We ran Texas World Speedway clockwise. Sunday morning, I arrived at the track and went to mess with my car in its garage, only to find a totally flat LF tire. Not even 1 PSI of air, totally flat. Thankfully I always bring at least one spare wheel/tire, so I removed the flat & put on its replacement.
Inspecting the flat, I found no obvious penetration or nail, etc. I thought, perhaps it is a leaking valve stem, which has happened before. Nevertheless, I did a visual inspection of the outer & inner parts of the rim, as I always do when I take wheels off the car, put wheels on, as well as immediately before & after each track day. In fact, I had intended to inspect then on Saturday evening, but we had a big cookout/beer bash at the track......and I forgot.
Outer surface was fine. However, on the inner bead area, I observed a small hairline crack about 1" long. I hadn't hit anything, including curbs, so it had to be metal fatigue. I have a total of 9 track wheels, 4 of which are several years older then the other 5. This was one of the older ones. I have decided to trash the other 3 older ones and order 4 new ones. The 5 newer ones are flawless.
Bottom line: just as I coach my clients, inspect your gear as often as physically possible. Wheels break. How often have we read about that here on RennList? Don't forget "just that one time" as I did. I am very, very lucky that tire was flat, else that wheel could have disintegrated on track, and the LF is the load bearing tire with this clockwise track configuration.
Wheels are consumables. I brought my cracked wheel into Sunday's classroom to hammer home this point.
Speaking of clockwise configurations and load bearing tires... take a look at the wear on my LR tire at the point of deciding to skip the Sunday afternoon sessions. Now the other 3 tires were in great condition, and with 18 heat cycles on them, they could have easily finished the weekend for me. But since all of those cycles were at TWS going clockwise, the limiting factor on the LR tire was # of laps (120+), not heat cycles.
So I too was very lucky... I could feel that tire going away throughout the first morning session on Sunday, and should have looked at it a lot closer before going out for the 2nd session. Even though I took 10 seconds off of my lap times in that 2nd session, started late-apexing to compensate for the degrading rear end traction at track-out, and ultimately aborted the latter half of the session, I was in retrospect, truly playing with fire. Especially at T7, where a castrophic failure would have been, well, catastrophic.
Pass that hammer, please.
09-27-2011 | 03:13 PM
#487
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From: Columbus Ohio
I have an ask the coach question. As some of you know I am a lawyer and i had a fellow who does provide some private coaching ask me if he should have his students sign a waiver relating to his instruction, to limit liability and if he should carry liability insurance. I am not sure you can obtain reasonable coverage, but that would make sense to me. Just wondered what the coaches point of view is.
I told him that i thought the the likelihood of a legal claim coming about is unlikely and rare but not out of the question.
His next question relates to the use of cameras in the car, i told him it depends on what happened, its a two edge sward. So what is your advice?
I told him that i thought the the likelihood of a legal claim coming about is unlikely and rare but not out of the question.
His next question relates to the use of cameras in the car, i told him it depends on what happened, its a two edge sward. So what is your advice?
09-27-2011 | 03:59 PM
#488
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I have an ask the coach question. As some of you know I am a lawyer and i had a fellow who does provide some private coaching ask me if he should have his students sign a waiver relating to his instruction, to limit liability and if he should carry liability insurance. I am not sure you can obtain reasonable coverage, but that would make sense to me. Just wondered what the coaches point of view is.
I told him that i thought the the likelihood of a legal claim coming about is unlikely and rare but not out of the question.
His next question relates to the use of cameras in the car, i told him it depends on what happened, its a two edge sward. So what is your advice?
I told him that i thought the the likelihood of a legal claim coming about is unlikely and rare but not out of the question.
His next question relates to the use of cameras in the car, i told him it depends on what happened, its a two edge sward. So what is your advice?
09-27-2011 | 04:09 PM
#489
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From: Columbus Ohio
I would have to look at the waiver again but I am wondering if you are coming to a PCA event and are given permission by the event chair to get into a car with a driver who you are coaching and getting paid for, I wonder if the pca policy covers it. I suppose it may because you are doing so with the permission and the consent of the region putting on the event. I would think that as long as you follow the rules you are under the umbrella of coverage. Just wondering how you analyze the risk.
09-27-2011 | 10:27 PM
#491
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From: Durham, NC and Virginia International Raceway
i had a fellow who does provide some private coaching ask me if he should have his students sign a waiver relating to his instruction, to limit liability and if he should carry liability insurance. I am not sure you can obtain reasonable coverage, but that would make sense to me. Just wondered what the coaches point of view is.
His next question relates to the use of cameras in the car, i told him it depends on what happened, its a two edge sward. So what is your advice?
His next question relates to the use of cameras in the car, i told him it depends on what happened, its a two edge sward. So what is your advice?
In terms of venues, I clear beforehand and am totally above board making sure that the event organizers know that I have a commercial relationship with my client, their "student." Often, I inquire before the client signs up to make sure there will be no issues. I register as an instructor even though I have no intention of driving their car in other than orientation laps in order to follow most organization's protocols.
We follow their protocol down to attending class sessions, if required. I've run into some resistance and snottiness from a few club organizers who have questioned my commercial arrangement, but most are glad to have the additional entry that will follow their rules. Sometimes I trade a short briefing for their advanced or instructor-level participants in exchange for the ability to bring my client to their event and be assigned to me.
I've not run into any difficulty (except for the National Corvette Museum events) and prefer to run at lower-density, more flexible schedule events such as David Murry Track Days, Chin Motorsports, most motorsports country club days (Autobahn, Lime Rock, NJMP and VIR), Asphalt Ventures or ReZoom.
Just works better that way.
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www.peterkrause.net
www.gofasternow.com
"Combining the Art and Science of Driving Fast!"
Specializing in Professional, Private Driver Performance Evaluation and Optimization
Consultation Available Remotely and at VIRginia International Raceway
09-27-2011 | 10:30 PM
#492
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From: Durham, NC and Virginia International Raceway
If we are all correctly registered and following all event rules and protocols, I see no reason why a commercial relationship would obviate that coverage.
09-28-2011 | 12:09 PM
#493
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From: Columbus Ohio
Thanks Peter, I was going to respond to VR's post that PCA does not permit commercial instruction. Our Region has hired professional coaches to work with instructors and students. We have also allowed them to do a one-on-one with students for a fee. As you suggest we have asked them to put on a class or do show a video in class to discuss some general topics.
In your list of organizations, however you did not mention PCA that you work with?
In your list of organizations, however you did not mention PCA that you work with?
09-28-2011 | 12:11 PM
#494
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From: All Ate Up With Motor
Thanks Peter, I was going to respond to VR's post that PCA does not permit commercial instruction. Our Region has hired professional coaches to work with instructors and students. We have also allowed them to do a one-on-one with students for a fee. As you suggest we have asked them to put on a class or do show a video in class to discuss some general topics.
09-28-2011 | 04:02 PM
#495
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From: Durham, NC and Virginia International Raceway
Having logged extensive track time in the '90's in a 951, I'm a member of PCA and a supporter of my local chapter's DE events. It's just that for my individual client program, there are other venues that offer less traffic density and a more flexible schedule to permit lengthy debrief and analysis. I have worked at several PCA events, so I don't think there is a prohibition (or at least I've never found or been apprised of one vis a vis PCA.