shakedown067

I've been asked by my local autocross club to help with the novice school in March that we put on every year. They asked for me to be one of the 12 instructors (32 students). Any advice for a newbie instructor? I'm confident about the basics, but curious if there are things I should key on, and some things to not worry as much about. I figure hand position, looking ahead, and getting close as possible to the cones is a good start.

I want to do my best to not just be an instructor in the seat, but to be an effective one.

Thanks!

rustyguns

just make sure you teach them the number one rule in racing a Corvette..........Have fun!

shakedown067

We do have a C5Z registered. Whoo hoo, we normally don't have many vettes. Two Factory Five Racing Cobras, and two Lotus Elise's too, now those should be fun. Oh, and an '03 Ford Lighting. I love this sport!

Bill Dearborn

While riding in the car during a run it is pretty hard to keep up with the pace of the car through the course so you may want to think of some one or two word instructions that you can say to guide the student. Before you start a run make sure the student knows what you may say and what it means. I am thinking of words like Brake, Gas, Stay Left, Stay Right, Turn. If you are going to guide the student you need to be far enough ahead of what is happening so they have time to react to your guidance. Even though they will be much slower than you they may still be going fast enough that it will be hard to keep ahead. If you are on a tight course it will be a real challenge.

Bill

Jason

Look further ahead than they are comfortable with. Don't fixate. Gas wheel brake string theory.

Kubs

Smoothness!!!!! Most important when learning. If you give the car jerky inputs its going to be a handful. Also, remind them slow in fast out. It doesn't feel as fast as sliding into the corner but the time will reflect the difference. Autocross requires lots of patients to execute.

TEXFRC

Yes, it's that time of year again. I have two schools coming up too. And I really enjoy instructing.

I start by having the student talk me thru the course before we drive it. If they are unable to I have them go look at the course again until they can talk me thru it.

I then explain that we're there not there to work on the car but to work on the driver.

Suggest you focus on no more than three or four things rather than giving them too much to remember. I cover 1) hand postition on the wheel 2) LOOKING AHEAD 3) backsiding cones and 4) Unwinding when the car pushes (and it will).

On the first run I tell them that I'll be quiet and observe. Then between the first and second we'll discuss how they did.

On the next few runs I tell them that I'll be talking to them. I'll pick one of the four concepts listed above. Usually start with looking ahead. Going into a sweeper I'll tell them where to look and why. They will not get looking ahead in one school but all we can do is introduce them to the idea.

On the next run I'll tell them when they should be backsiding cones and will even yell at them "backside" when it's time. And after the run I explain why we need to be backsiding cones.

On the next run when the car starts pushing in a corner I'll tell them to unwind. This is a tough concept for them to grasp, turn the wheel left to make the car go right.

I will then switch with them and drive their car thru the course and tell them what I'm doing and why as I'm driving. Then I have them look at my time vs. their time so that they can see that it's the driver not the car.

I'll then switch with them and have them drive as many times as permitted because we all know there is no substitute for seat time. And I will observe them from outside the car too.

I go one step further with the concepts listed above. I keep a pad of sticky notes in my pocket. As I explain each concept I write it on a sticky note and put it on the dashboard. By the end of the school they will have 3-4 sticky note reminders to look at before each run. There is usually a regular autocross the next day and the sticky notes help to refresh their memory.

If there is an AX the next day and I'm working a corner I'll tell them that I'll be watching them and that I want to see them using the concepts that they learned in the school.

And as mentioned, the reason they are there is to HAVE FUN!

Jim H.

shakedown067

Wow, all great stuff guys. It's certainly giving me a bit of extra confidence needed. Just found out a little while ago that use novice instructors get a course map and some pointers before the event. We start by doing a 35-40 second course, then we brake it down into three separate mini-courses to work on different aspects of autocross, like braking, slalom, and a figure 8. Feeling even better about it! I've done it once for a pair of friends so I could co-drive their car (I towed the trailer) at an event. I think I did pretty good as I improved their times by over a second each. These tips will help me do even better this go around. Thanks!

Solofast

One of the things that I find REALLY helps novices is to teach them to start from a 3:00/9:00 hand position for entering each corner (ie, no shuffle steering). The reason for that is that if they shuffle steer they don't know how much the car will turn on corner entry, and each corner entry will need a different amount of steering and there isn't a "baseline" place to start the corner entry motion from. If they start from the same place, even after a few corners they will be able to look ahead and correlate how much steering is called for in the corner an they can then put it in smoothly.

This simple technique makes a huge difference in corner entry smoothness. I found that if they didn't have a consistent place to start from that they tended to jerk the first motion and the corner entry wasn't smooth.

I also try to teach them to try not to move the wheel much once they are committed. This teaches the student to anticipate how much to turn in and to do it in one smooth motion. You can talk about being smooth, but unless you have a way to trick them into doing it you will find that they will end up sawing at the wheel in mid conrner. If you do this drill at low speed, and then rachet up the speed in subsequent laps they will get the idea and the improvement in smoothness will be noticeable.

Bill Dearborn

I have been autocrossing since 91 and have never heard the term backsiding cones before. What does that mean?

Bill

JiminVirginia

Be encouraging. I had Sam Strano as an instructor once, at a time in my progression when I must have been pretty clueless. After my first run, he said with a smile, "Well, Jim, that was not too terrible." Then he spent a lot time encouraging and exercising real patience, and he singled me out at the end of the day stating, "Here's a guy who had real lightbulbs go off." It made a difference, made it more fun. Think about the impression you wil leave.

Also, work on one thing at a time.

shakedown067

I hadn't heard of that exact term either, but it sounds like when you are trying to hit an apex cone with the back tire. Really working/knowing the location of your car. I've got to work on that myself. I still rarely get close enough to the cones, but I know better.

TEXFRC

Backsiding is getting the rear wheel as close as possible to a cone usually in a slalom. A great backside will wobble a cone but not knock it out of the box or knock it over.

I saw the perfect backside years ago watching John Ames run a slalom. 8 cone slalom and when he exited it all 8 cones were still wobbling but none moved or fell over. The corner workers watching could not believe it.

For every inch you are off a cone there is some kind formula of the time you have lost.

Jim H.

osobadchevy

hey im not sure we can say me and you are smooth but we are fast but you are rite if you can get them smooth n good on the brakes they are in there and so are you

froggy47

Don't use jargon (like backside a cone or apex or trail brake) unless you are positive they understand what the heck you are talking about.

Have fun.

xilr8n

Bill,

To me backsiding is targeting the backside of the cone and not the frontside as you look at them. I'm not crossing before the cone, I'm crossing after it.

Kubs

Yeah sometimes I get a little crazy in an autox but Im very smooth on race tracks.

napacruzerc5

Walk, walk and walk some more.

l98tpi

Also, focus and picture the coarse created by the cones, not the cones themselves.

Bill Dearborn

OK, understand now. Learn something new everyday.

Bill