I've been running HPDEs for four years now, in a Miata, 944 Turbo, and now the Z, and after thinking it over for a while I've decided to take the next step: becoming an instructor.

This e-mail just arrived in my in-box:

I am so in! I'm really looking forward to this. And now I'm glad I didn't sign up for the NASA event at VIR that weekend.

 

While I didn't nominate you, I wouldn't hesitate to do so. You'll make a great instructor James... good luck!

 

Aww, shucks.

FYI, I had asked Bruce, SP's chief instructor, late last year if I could sign up. He gave me the instructor's manual to read, and then put me on the list for this session (after I called--several times--and reminded him).

Although I'm sure the class will be great (and free track time, too!) I think I'll be somewhat nervous my first few times out as an instructor. It's a little scary. You hear about the really bad students, and there are the occasional accidents to worry about, too. But it will be...interesting, shall we say.

Have a good time at VIR this weekend, John et al, and make sure to post a complete report as soon as you get back.

 

congrats!

 

Commasense,

Thats pretty cool.

When I get a Z, can I request you as my instructor!

In 6 - 9 months you may have a student with a Z!

Great news! Congrats...

 

I have never been an instructor but I have had a few instructors, some good, some not so good. I don't know you from Adam, but I might be able to give you some things to think about. This is all my opinion:

1) Find time to talk to your driver before the first run. Get to know them, find out their experience level, their expectations, their concerns. Don't make your first meeting be as you jump into their passenger seat on the false grid.

2) If the schedule allows, take them out as passenger in your car before you ride as instructor in their car. This could be the best, most efficient time for instruction the entire weekend. If this is not possible, at least make sure they have a chance to do a run as passenger in your car (if you have a passenger seat) or in another instructors car. IMHO if you fail in this you have not done your job as an instructor. This is very valuable education time.

3) Stay positive. We're out there to learn, but we're also out there to have fun. Don't tell the student what they did wrong, tell the student what they did right, or how they could have done it better. If you do this correctly, they'll end up telling you themselves what they did wrong. Self-criticism is an important characteristic of a good driver and this is the way to encourage it.

4) Communicate, but know when to shut up. I learned a lot from my instructors, but I think after a few sessions an instructor can be a distraction and a crutch. A first-timer will need a lot of instruction on driving the line, how to push their car, flags, etc. Once they have gotten the feel of it, consider doing a run as a silent passenger. Arrange it with the driver before-hand, of course, but hold all comment until after the run is over (safety issues excepted, of course). This leads into:

5) Don't be afraid to let them solo. If they're a hazard or if they say they want you to ride along don't push the issue, but most drivers should be at least offered a solo run by the end of their first weekend.

My $.02

Brian

 

Good points, I also suggest getting a 2 way communication device it is so much better than screaming at each other.

 

Brian, those are excellent points! Especially the tip on communications. As a military/commercial professional aviator, I have sat beside other pilots for almost 17 years, either giving or taking instruction, and you summed it up perfectly.

 

Congrats James!! You can practice teaching me at Mid-Ohio!

At my Lotus Corp Christmas Party I was asked to teach at their event.........

I have a lot to learn.....but.....I'm getting better. I'm sure novices can benifit from your experience. (Forget that "******" from the BBC show)

Free track time is a major +! Along with driving the **** out of other Kool cars!!!!!

 

Guys,

Thanks for the good wishes and suggestions, especially your post, Brian. I'll have a report next week.

 

James,

Congrats! Welcome to the club! Now after you start instructing for BCR, you can get on the lists of several other clubs and get a *lot* of free track time. And you gain tons of flexibility in scheduling. No more applying months in advance and only getting in half the time. All you'll need to do is send an email saying you're coming a week or two before the event.

And becoming an instructor makes HPDEs twice as fun.

By the way, I bhobson333 made some excellent points which we (the instructors) sometimes forget.

Also, be prepared to be really tired at the end of a track day. There's nothing quite like being in a student car on a track for 3-4 hours a day plus your own track time and whatever rushed pit maintenance (pad changes, etc...) you have to do to wipe you out. I sleep really well after track days.

Anyway, congrats again, I hope we will meet soon. Try to come to a BMWCCA event at SPR (I attend almost all of them).

Jason

 

Also, meant to add:

Although, I'm sure the BSR people take instructor promotion seriously and their course seems thorough, consider "becoming an instructor" with a group like BMWCCA or Trackmasters. Both of these groups run 2 day Instructor Training Classes (ITS) that are a full course designed to transition you to an instructor. You get about 4 hrs a day on track and about 5 in the classroom. Most of the track time and class-room is spent role-playing. You play the role of an instructor and a senior instructor drives the car and pretends to be a student of varying ability. IT's very challenging and the instructors will create really tough situations for you to deal with and react to. They run all kinds of scenarios and really put you through your paces. At the end of the weekend there is a test with a different instructor. It's a 20 minute driving evaluation (evaluating your driving to ensure that you are at the instructor level) and two more role-play scenarios where you are tested on your instructing ability. They score you from 1-5 and if you get a 4 or a 5 - you become an instructor. It is tough (most people in my group failed) but it really teaches you a lot about the non-driving part of instructing and is a really valuable experience in my opinion.

After that, teaching real students is a breeze - the "fake students" that these guys create are really tough!

Jason

 

Congratulations James!

You'll be an excellent instructor and I hope you have a blast. Sitting as a passenger while you were driving was an excellent learning experience, I can't wait to sample your instructor side!

Here's hoping I'll get to learn a fraction of your knowledge.

- Thai