....but it was fun!

I spent yesterday doing my second event as a professional driving coach
with a company offering short (mostly 3 lap) "race experiences" to
people with no previous track experience.

Three cars—modern Camaro, modern Mustang (manual gearbox), and a Nissan
370Z, each set up with an auxiliary brake pedal and engine kill switch
for the passenger seat, full racing seats and harnesses with roll bar added.

Running in the Camaro all day, I gave 22 people huge thrills and some
insight into what it's like to drive a car at speed. The day started
under wet conditions, but got a lot better later on until we finished up
on a completely dry track.

A lot were timid, but a few became less timid with instruction.

A few were less timid, but only one really struggled to stay within the
limits of grip (in the worst car for driving in the wet; the Camaro's
throttle pedal is not very progressive), and there were only a couple
who I need to prevent from spinning with the aux brake. Almost everyone
needed some demonstration of just how hard a car will really stop.

All in all, I did 75 laps with customers with about 10 laps as driver.
One very nice lady, a survivor of cancer, who had paid for rides in two
of the cars (I think she went out in the Mustang after her first go with
me in the Camaro) asked if she ride as a passenger with me for two more
laps to really see what the car could do. I think I gave her a sense for it.

And I also did probably about 15 laps on my own, warming up the car and
also recording some video for tutorial video for the company to offer
for those coming to the next event to actually see what they're supposed
to be seeing when they actually get out there.

All-in-all, a great way to spend a Thursday in May.

:-)

On Friday, May 20, 2022 at 9:51:59 AM UTC-6, Alan wrote:
> ...but it was fun!
>
>
> I spent yesterday doing my second event as a professional driving coach
> with a company offering short (mostly 3 lap) "race experiences" to
> people with no previous track experience.
>
> Three cars—modern Camaro, modern Mustang (manual gearbox), and a Nissan
> 370Z, each set up with an auxiliary brake pedal and engine kill switch
> for the passenger seat, full racing seats and harnesses with roll bar added.
>
> Running in the Camaro all day, I gave 22 people huge thrills and some
> insight into what it's like to drive a car at speed. The day started
> under wet conditions, but got a lot better later on until we finished up
> on a completely dry track.
>
> A lot were timid, but a few became less timid with instruction.
>
> A few were less timid, but only one really struggled to stay within the
> limits of grip (in the worst car for driving in the wet; the Camaro's
> throttle pedal is not very progressive), and there were only a couple
> who I need to prevent from spinning with the aux brake. Almost everyone
> needed some demonstration of just how hard a car will really stop.
>
> All in all, I did 75 laps with customers with about 10 laps as driver.
> One very nice lady, a survivor of cancer, who had paid for rides in two
> of the cars (I think she went out in the Mustang after her first go with
> me in the Camaro) asked if she ride as a passenger with me for two more
> laps to really see what the car could do. I think I gave her a sense for it.
>
> And I also did probably about 15 laps on my own, warming up the car and
> also recording some video for tutorial video for the company to offer
> for those coming to the next event to actually see what they're supposed
> to be seeing when they actually get out there.
>
> All-in-all, a great way to spend a Thursday in May.
>
> :-)

you are a fucking idiot

On 5/20/2022 8:51 AM, Alan wrote:
> ...but it was fun!
>
> I spent yesterday doing my second event as a professional driving coach
> with a company offering short (mostly 3 lap) "race experiences" to
> people with no previous track experience.
>

Sounds interesting.

Now that the border situation seems to be approaching
reasonableness, are you thinking of leaving the restricted
confines of little Mission, and visiting our bigger
and faster US tracks?

We have an 18 race, 9 week end schedule available.
Plenty, seriously plenty of grid spots available
at a great variety of tracks.

https://www.icscc.com/season.php

On Friday, May 20, 2022 at 10:51:59 AM UTC-5, Alan wrote:
> ...but it was fun!
>
>
> I spent yesterday doing my second event as a professional driving coach
> with a company offering short (mostly 3 lap) "race experiences" to
> people with no previous track experience.
>
>
<snip>
>
> All-in-all, a great way to spend a Thursday in May.

I did this kind of thing as a driver with the Exotic Driving Experience a few years ago. I drove a Ferrari 430. You could run any of the transmission modes (fully auto semi etc) but the coach had a little box to tune the engine up or down. You started out at about 50% power and he worked it up based on your driving. They blacked out the speedometer but gave you a USB stick with your data afterwards.

The two things that still stand out for me are how light the back end felt but it never gave up traction (it felt almost like an empty bedded pickup) and how far off I was on guessing my speed. I thought I was going a LOT faster than I was...

Still, it was a ton of fun and cured me of thinking a Ferrari could every be a daily commuter.

FWIW
DLM

On 2022-05-20 12:46 p.m., a425couple wrote:
> On 5/20/2022 8:51 AM, Alan wrote:
>> ...but it was fun!
>>
>> I spent yesterday doing my second event as a professional driving
>> coach with a company offering short (mostly 3 lap) "race experiences"
>> to people with no previous track experience.
>>
>
> Sounds interesting.
>
> Now that the border situation seems to be approaching
> reasonableness, are you thinking of leaving the restricted
> confines of little Mission, and visiting our bigger
> and faster US tracks?
>
> We have an 18 race, 9 week end schedule available.
> Plenty, seriously plenty of grid spots available
> at a great variety of tracks.
>
> https://www.icscc.com/season.php

I certainly hope so.

I don't currently have a tow vehicle, so I'll have to work that out.

If not this season, then certainly next year.

On 2022-05-20 1:39 p.m., D Munz wrote:
> On Friday, May 20, 2022 at 10:51:59 AM UTC-5, Alan wrote:
>> ...but it was fun!
>>
>>
>> I spent yesterday doing my second event as a professional driving
>> coach with a company offering short (mostly 3 lap) "race
>> experiences" to people with no previous track experience.
>>
>>
> <snip>
>>
>> All-in-all, a great way to spend a Thursday in May.
>
> I did this kind of thing as a driver with the Exotic Driving
> Experience a few years ago. I drove a Ferrari 430. You could run any
> of the transmission modes (fully auto semi etc) but the coach had a
> little box to tune the engine up or down. You started out at about
> 50% power and he worked it up based on your driving. They blacked out
> the speedometer but gave you a USB stick with your data afterwards.
>
> The two things that still stand out for me are how light the back end
> felt but it never gave up traction (it felt almost like an empty
> bedded pickup) and how far off I was on guessing my speed. I thought
> I was going a LOT faster than I was...

Yup. Quite honestly, the hardest thing with most of my customers
(guests? clients?) was convincing them that, yes really: you can
accelerate at full throttle once the car is on the straight, and, yes
really: you can stay on the throttle until I tell you it's time to brake.

:-)

>
> Still, it was a ton of fun and cured me of thinking a Ferrari could
> every be a daily commuter.
>
> FWIW DLM

I was never under any illusions about that.

;-)