Novice School Instructors

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:27 am

A couple of items related to the Novice School (TIAA-CREF feels extrernal email decreases productivity, so I have to use the forums).

Two courses
Turnaround and around - focus on slow in and fast out.
Slalom to the left, slalom to the right - offsets and more offsets.

The courses will be located on the main runway at the Golden Knight area.

The Turnaround and around course will have a timer.

The instructors will be split into two groups. You will stay with your students all day.

The students will be split into two groups, instruction and course. The instruction group will be split into two groups, driving and resting. If we have 54 students, each course will have 27 students. On any course, the most drivers receiving instruction at one time will be 7.

If we have 10 instructors per course, 7 will be driving and 3 will be answering questions for those students "resting".

If the courses work out right, we may be able to split working into two segments. This is a game time decision.

We will NOT be gathering for one big lunch. If we have a lunch break, it will be no more than 30 minutes and we will stay in our groups. If this does take, place we will set up a 30 minute Q&A session with students asking the instrutors questions. Hell, I might even set up a table a few chairs to make y'all feel important

Please remember, these individuals are novices. We want to focus on the basics and the proper way to handle autocross. We want these people to do well and enjoy this sport for years to come.

Questions????

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Quote:

Hell, I might even set up a table a few chairs to make y'all feel important

If you do, can I sit next to the life-size cutout of Eric?

And will you have pen & paper handy, in case any of the students ask for autographs?

Seriously, though - will we be driving students' cars if they want us to? Or should we just do demonstration runs in our own cars? Kinda helps to know what they have to work with. (I promise I won't drift it :lol:

)

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:42 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

will we be driving students' cars if they want us to? Or should we just do demonstration runs in our own cars?

Can you demonstrate how to drive a 2WD drive, you AWD hack!? :wink:

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Sure - I've been practicing with your rallyx car... :twisted:

(2wd is a lot like awd, just involves more handbrake & in the case of rwd, more countersteering - oops! did I just say that?)

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 5:01 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

Seriously, though - will we be driving students' cars if they want us to? Or should we just do demonstration runs in our own cars? Kinda helps to know what they have to work with. (I promise I won't drift it :lol:

)

Typically this is not advised during a novice school. The capabilities of the car will be obvious if a student drives hard enough to be near the limit. If they don't drive it that hard, then you have more to work on anyhow.

For a first or 2nd time novice, seat tiem is the most important thing. I do agree that riding with the instructor is useful, particularly to put a particular car placement/style with the standard vocabulary of autocross, but that can be done in the instructors car just fine.

All the instructors should be able to do a 6/10th run with the exact line they would like their students to be taking. No need for a student car to demonstrate that.

Scott

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 5:17 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

Sure - I've been practicing with your rallyx car... :twisted:

(2wd is a lot like awd, just involves more handbrake & in the case of rwd, more countersteering - oops! did I just say that?)

You haven't been practicing in mine...it only has 1WD! :lol:

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 5:39 pm

jimpastorius wrote:

Questions????

The updated event info answers many questions...

http://www.thscc.com/autocross/events/2 ... 9info.html

But my additional ones are...

1. To ensure people are getting a consistent message between instructors, I am assuming that there will be an instructor meeting before/after the drivers/students meeting and that we will cover the what topics/skills we are going to cover?

2. Will we be covering basic autocross rules for the total newbies? Things like how cone penaties work, rules for what constitues a "down" cone, etc. Basically the types of things that probably are also covered during a regular event during the Novice Drivers Meeting.

3. Event info lists registration and drivers meeting time. Do instructors need to show up earlier or at a specific time?

scottjohnson wrote:

All the instructors should be able to do a 6/10th run with the exact line they would like their students to be taking. No need for a student car to demonstrate that.

Mostly this is a clarification, but I had asked Jim about this (see initial thread asking for volunteers). It sounds like instructors will not need their cars and that we will be instructing from the passenger seat in student cars. I mention this because in my situation my wife and I are bringing one car and she will be using it as a student. However I can see the benefit of doing a 6/10th run with students in instructors’ cars to illustrate proper lines.

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 5:51 pm

Richard Casto wrote:

Mostly this is a clarification, but I had asked Jim about this (see initial thread asking for volunteers). It sounds like instructors will not need their cars and that we will be instructing from the passenger seat in student cars. I mention this because in my situation my wife and I are bringing one car and she will be using it as a student. However I can see the benefit of doing a 6/10th run with students in instructors’ cars to illustrate proper lines.

The beauty is, nothing stops instructors from borrowing other *instructors* cars. You can demonstrate the proper line in ANY car that runs well enough that you don't have to get out and push.

If an instructor is car-less, they are welcome to borrow mine for student runs (at 6/10ths).

Scott

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

Or you can take the minivan out on a 6/10ths run. C'mon, you know you want to!!

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 5:55 pm

jimpastorius wrote:

Questions????

i'm completely confused, but that is par for the course....i'll just figure it out when i get there.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:11 pm

Wes Eargle wrote:

Or you can take the minivan out on a 6/10ths run. C'mon, you know you want to!!

I do.

Remember the Grassroots Motorsports story they have last year or so? About how a Honda Odyssey Minivan was faster than a classic Jag E-type on an Autocross course? It seats seven, so I could take six students at a time.

If gas wasn't so expensive, we would bring both cars down.

Emmie Fisher · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 8:03 pm

Time for course walks with students? I always think that's an important part of any school.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:19 pm

Y'all must have been worried that I did not respond....quickly. I was in transit!

I am going to let the students know in advance (tonight) if they want the instructor to driver their car, simply ask. But it will count as one of their runs. Any instructor thrashing someone's car will not be invited back.

The trouble with instructors driving their own car is that it takes a long time to swap out of cars. Do not forget, the driver line will only be 3-5 cars long with two cars on course as we go along. So there is not a lot of down time.

Course walks....of course there will be course walks! That is the most important aspect of ax. We will probably pair 2 students per instructor. Since Kevin does nto believe in walking the course, he is excused from this exercise.

Actually I think the times are wrong on the website. But they are pretty close. I really want the instructors on pretty much the same page. If we focus on the basics, we all should be preaching the same sermon. The secret is to be positive with them.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:20 pm

Kevin Allen wrote:

Quote:

Hell, I might even set up a table a few chairs to make y'all feel important

If you do, can I sit next to the life-size cutout of Eric?

And will you have pen & paper handy, in case any of the students ask for autographs?

Seriously, though - will we be driving students' cars if they want us to? Or should we just do demonstration runs in our own cars? Kinda helps to know what they have to work with. (I promise I won't drift it :lol:

)

When you actually accomplish something we will consider moving you up to our head table. Until then, the peanut gallery awaits

David Teague · **Posted:** Thu Mar 17, 2005 12:15 am

Jim what time do instructors need to be there? I will be driving down that morning and just need to know what time to leave cary.

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