Drivers Ed
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Peterborough area
Drivers Ed
Looking for more information on drivers ed at Mosport.
My first p-car and have only had it on the road for 2 months last year and just about ready to get her out and I'm thinking it would be a good course for me.
Anyone who has done it and would like to share their experience would be great. Not sure if I'll ever get out on the track but I'm sure the experience and training would be a definite asset.
My first p-car and have only had it on the road for 2 months last year and just about ready to get her out and I'm thinking it would be a good course for me.
Anyone who has done it and would like to share their experience would be great. Not sure if I'll ever get out on the track but I'm sure the experience and training would be a definite asset.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 196
Likes: 0
From: Stouffville, Canada
I did the mandatory IDS in 2009 and an almost full season of DEs last year. It has been a fabulous experience so far. The instructors are very knowledgeable and they will not push you past your comfort zone - just watch out for the instructors from NJ during the joint UCR/NNJR DE in June! Unfortunately, I think all of the places for the two mandatory Introductory Driving Schools in April are already filled - check it out through the UCR PCA site. There is another IDS in Shannonville but you may have to wait until Aug to attend. Good luck and have fun.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
From: Toronto
just watch out for the instructors from NJ during the joint UCR/NNJR DE in June! Unfortunately, I think all of the places for the two mandatory Introductory Driving Schools in April are already filled - check it out through the UCR PCA site. There is another IDS in Shannonville but you may have to wait until Aug to attend. Good luck and have fun.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
From: Toronto
Looking for more information on drivers ed at Mosport.
My first p-car and have only had it on the road for 2 months last year and just about ready to get her out and I'm thinking it would be a good course for me.
Anyone who has done it and would like to share their experience would be great. Not sure if I'll ever get out on the track but I'm sure the experience and training would be a definite asset.
My first p-car and have only had it on the road for 2 months last year and just about ready to get her out and I'm thinking it would be a good course for me.
Anyone who has done it and would like to share their experience would be great. Not sure if I'll ever get out on the track but I'm sure the experience and training would be a definite asset.
You may want to check in with someone from apex driving (Jerry Lowe, John Mahler) to see if they can accommodate you. To be honest I don't know if they take people with absolutely no track experience but you can always find out and have an alternative to IDS and PCA DEs (more track time at Apex too!)
Also the Toronto BMW club has DEs as well - and they welcome non-BMWs. They might be good to talk to as well
You can always try Calabogie too - they have instruction with lapping as well.
I guess my point is - just because you miss PCA IDS doesn't mean you have to miss a full season of tracking like i did the first year I had my car.
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Gerry Lowe will accept people with no track experience on most of the days he runs. Unless specifically it says not. He also runs days at TMP (Toronto motorsports park, Cayuga) which in my opinion is a great track start your DE career, only really one corner that can cause grief and it's a slower track compared to Mosport. As for the BMW clubs, I certainly know that the Genesee valley BMW club (GVC) will not allow convertibles on their days, silly I know but that's their rule.
One word of caution re 'trackdays/DE' .... Welcome to your new addiction!!!
PT
One word of caution re 'trackdays/DE' .... Welcome to your new addiction!!!
PT
Race Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,859
Likes: 50
From: Hamilton, Ont. Canada
I agree that the PCA IDS is probably the best way to get started. Failing that, Gerry's days at TMP are quite good, and that's a good track to get started on. Whatever you do, I would advise NOT having your first experience being on the big track at Mosport. Too fast, too dangerous for a first-timer. I did my 2nd DE there (first was IDS/track day at Shannonville) and I was really glad I had at least a day at a smaller track to start. I was still pretty petrified for the first few sessions!
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Instructor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Ontario
My first track day was yesterday at Shannonville, open lapping with a Toronto car club and will be at the IDS at Mosport next week. Will anyone else be attending?
Shannonville in the rain as a first timer was quite an experience, intimidating is an understatement. There is so much goong on from remembering the racing lines, orchestrating clutch, brake gas feeing the balance and all of them happening at a pace that I was unprepared for. We shared the track with a bunch of street cars, tuned Honda's some of which had much more than just a tuna can muffler, a Nissan GTR that smoked me 4 times on the back straight(what a sweet sound), a full race Hyundai that did not like thte rain and a few wrx's, one of which had crazy power and limped home after loosing it into the bales at turn 1. Although it was not a DE day I did bring my nephew along who is a darn good track driver, he took me for a few intro laps showing the rain and dry lines then spent most of the next two hours trying to dial in my braking points and lines. What a blast! My greatest take-away was how keeping the car settled on the double apex turns and treating them as a single long arc rather than two. As the track dried he took a few fast laps to warm up the tires then took me out as a passenger and quite frankly scared the S**T out of me...our cars have soo much more potential than I thought. I don't know if I will ever be as confident a track driver and certainly won't have 15 yrs of not fearing mortaliity to really hone my driving. All together appx 200 on track kms and the car barely broke a sweat. Can't wait for the next.
Earl
Shannonville in the rain as a first timer was quite an experience, intimidating is an understatement. There is so much goong on from remembering the racing lines, orchestrating clutch, brake gas feeing the balance and all of them happening at a pace that I was unprepared for. We shared the track with a bunch of street cars, tuned Honda's some of which had much more than just a tuna can muffler, a Nissan GTR that smoked me 4 times on the back straight(what a sweet sound), a full race Hyundai that did not like thte rain and a few wrx's, one of which had crazy power and limped home after loosing it into the bales at turn 1. Although it was not a DE day I did bring my nephew along who is a darn good track driver, he took me for a few intro laps showing the rain and dry lines then spent most of the next two hours trying to dial in my braking points and lines. What a blast! My greatest take-away was how keeping the car settled on the double apex turns and treating them as a single long arc rather than two. As the track dried he took a few fast laps to warm up the tires then took me out as a passenger and quite frankly scared the S**T out of me...our cars have soo much more potential than I thought. I don't know if I will ever be as confident a track driver and certainly won't have 15 yrs of not fearing mortaliity to really hone my driving. All together appx 200 on track kms and the car barely broke a sweat. Can't wait for the next.
Earl
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Track Day
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Surf thru the various marque sites [PCA, BMWCCC, etc] and find an event at a track close to you, likely Mosport and go and watch an event. BMW clubs generally take anybody. You'll need car inspected and a helmut [SA2005 or M2005 or better]. You'll have a blast, you'll learn in a very safe and controlled environment. The instructors are fabulous. mike BMW Club Ottawa
Pro
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 745
Likes: 17
From: North york
I'm booked for May 25th (my first DE) Its a full day course put on by Pfaff Porsche and Apex, that I booked through Brad at Pfaff tuning. There are still spots availlable even though it is listed as sold out on the Apex site. The days schedule includes, in-class, track time, skidpad, collision avoidance, and braking exercises.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 196
Likes: 0
From: Stouffville, Canada
The instructor I had was good but he encouraged me to drive solo that weekend. It was my second DE weekend in Green and I wasn't comfortable so I didn't. A good friend of mine who was also in Green and had a similar level of experience wasn't so lucky - he is the one that crashed on Turn 2 in the rain. I am just saying that they appear to have a little less respect for what can happen to you at Mosport than our UCR instructors do.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,219
Likes: 117
From: Toronto
That should NOT have happened in Green. Wow, that sucks!
Race Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,859
Likes: 50
From: Hamilton, Ont. Canada
+ a million on what Phil said. No way a 2nd-time driver should be driving solo at Mosport, especially in the wet! Maybe at TMP or similar in the dry. I did 2 seasons of DE before driving solo, drove one lap, spun and crashed, then waited another year and a half before driving solo again!
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,395
Likes: 7
From: Ottawa, ON
Shannonville is a great place to start, and in August, the Upper Canada Region of the Porsche Club of America (PCA UCR) offers their IDS (Introductory Driving School, as noted above) there on Saturday, then instructed lapping of the full course on Sunday for $350. It's excellent value, and a very safe and challenging track that you can grow with.