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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/18/2008 9:54:28 PM
Posts: 92, Visits: 540 |
| The track is a very intimidating place for a newb. Let's make their first track day less stressful:- I'm not sure if our mentor program is running full tilt or not. If not let's reinstate it. Also, let's broaden it to others. For example, having a mentor for your first trip to Mt Tremblant would be helpful (getting through Montreal, route, finding the track, finding the hotel, bringing plywood to jack your car, where to expect air, where to buy gas, whether to change currency, etc.)
- Create a soft "requirement" to memorize the track (maps, videos) ahead of time. This would make it a LOT easier for new students, IMO. Create or find annotatede track video, ideally with an on-screen track map and voice-over.
- There have been a lot of "My First Track Day" articles written. Maybe we could provide some to never-ever's?
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/14/2008 11:26:43 AM
Posts: 7, Visits: 18 |
| | My number one suggestion would be to provide explanation of what the heck is going on when you show up. I had a great mentor, but it was still very intimidating and confusing. There are no signs, no directions, no details given on anything. You are left to figure it out yourself or ask. There should be a simple set of directions on what you should be doing when you get a track. What to bring (tools/clothing/cash/etc.), what to do to get your car ready (not only mechanically but simple stuff like taking out non-esentials before hand) at home, how to check in, where to park, what to do with the junk in your car, how much stuff you have to take out of your car, etc. If you walk around the pits in the morning you can tell who is new simply by the "what the heck am I supposed to be doing" look on their face. Even after getting the basics nailed down this would be helpful when going to new tracks. At Mt Tremblant I drove the wrong way around the pits because I simply didn't know it was one way traffic (there aren't signs or anything). The guy next to me had to move his car and gear from down the lot because he parked in the club racer section (again no indication of this). Even getting to the track is confusing. A normal person wouldn't expect the track is down some washed out dirt road. I turned around the first time because I was sure I had gone the wrong way. Just my .02 off the top of my head. Tim
www.Bimmerfest.com |
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| | | | Track walks or van-arounds at very slow speed (10 mph) to "discover" the track would be huge. It's a chance for a very, very experienced instructor at that particular track to point out the nuances.
Edited: 2/5/2008 1:25:58 PM by Anonymous |
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/13/2008 12:14:14 PM
Posts: 7, Visits: 68 |
| | I think some type of noticeable tag worn by the never ever person would be helpfull. My experience has been that a lot of regulars are more than willing to help out the never ever's but how would you know? If the never ever's were wearing a tag or a special bright bracelet then everyone would know and be able to take some heat off of the already busy organizers and instructors. You see a guy with the rookie badge walking around aimlessly and you can say "Howyadoin'? You know where you're supposed to be? You know what's going on next? Is your car all set? That may help... |
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Forum Guru
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/15/2008 1:40:19 PM
Posts: 57, Visits: 158 |
| Healy325 (2/5/2008)
I think some type of noticeable tag worn by the never ever person would be helpfull. My experience has been that a lot of regulars are more than willing to help out the never ever's but how would you know? If the never ever's were wearing a tag or a special bright bracelet then everyone would know and be able to take some heat off of the already busy organizers and instructors. You see a guy with the rookie badge walking around aimlessly and you can say "Howyadoin'? You know where you're supposed to be? You know what's going on next? Is your car all set?
That may help...
this is a good idea. About 4 years ago, Dan Chadwick must have figured out that I was a never ever (or maybe an event or two later a almost never ever). He helped me figure out that my stock brakes were melting and then at another event he helped me swap the pads when I got stuck. I kept coming back largely because of the friendly help I received. I LOVE to drive, but it's the people who keep me coming back. We need a way to understand who is new and trying to break into the community of old farts, who want to be friendly, but can't tell who is lost and who is just happily alone.
Just as a hint, the sign shouldn't be a cone which goes on the head. I like the bracelet idea. Something yellow and florescent on the right hand. |
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/11/2008 5:32:22 PM
Posts: 3, Visits: 36 |
| | while name tags can be goofy and a pain, I think it could help people Identify each other. Maybe colored to match your run group. |
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/6/2008 11:19:19 AM
Posts: 2, Visits: 3 |
| Couple of things.
1. Have instructors/mentors contact newbies via phone or email prior to the event.
2. Tell the newbie that one of his first responsibilities upon arrival is to find his instructor. Give him make/color/number etc to make it easier but make him do it. That would not only give him guidance for his first event but encourage the instructor by making him think the student actually cares.
3. I think we already have newbie checklists for car prep./ registration/ tech etc available either online or in the mail prior to the event...don't we???
4. Instructors need to have a pretty concise opening conversation which includes 'why are you here? what are your goals today? 'here's what's gonna happen' and a reminder that especially on your first day going fast is secondary to car control and placement. Speed comes after smoothness. Smile a lot. Remind him that you're still alive after___ years of doing this and you ain't gonna let him kill himself today. Which, by the way, is pretty much your responsibility anyway. |
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/27/2008 8:15:48 PM
Posts: 3, Visits: 80 |
| oldredracer (2/6/2008)
Couple of things.
1. Have instructors/mentors contact newbies via phone or email prior to the event.
2. Tell the newbie that one of his first responsibilities upon arrival is to find his instructor. Give him make/color/number etc to make it easier but make him do it. That would not only give him guidance for his first event but encourage the instructor by making him think the student actually cares.
At my first track day 3 years back this was done for me with the bmw club. About a month before I received a phone call from my mentor, telling me about the track, how things were going to go during the day and for the first thing I do when I get there was to find him. It made it much easier and less stressful on me when I showed up that morning and turned out to be a wonderful day even though it was raining all morning.
So I would definitly agree with 1 and 2 100% |
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/19/2008 2:45:35 PM
Posts: 2, Visits: 8 |
| Great ideas! One barrier for me at first was not having a current helmet. Luka kindly offered to let me borrow his (using the liner he asked me to bring), but I'm not sure I'd have taken the leap if I'd had to buy a helmet "on faith" before my first drive.
So how about getting some sponsors to chip in on a few helmets of various sizes that newbies could borrow? (And maybe let more seasoned folks with an out-of-date helmet rent them after all the newbies who needed one were furnished.) Sponsor logos would be entirely appropriate, and make clear who'd been kind enough to put up the $200+ to help someone out.
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/19/2008 2:45:35 PM
Posts: 2, Visits: 8 |
| Another thought: To me, one of the key offerings is the advanced safety school programs. While on one hand I'd like to see more of these scheduled and in places that are convenient to where many people live, maybe there's an opportunity to get some folks hooked on track days at NHIS (or elsewhere) after the safety school there without having to commit to a full track day. (And if this is already being done, my apologies, as I haven't heard about it.)
At the end of the school, have each student do a few circuits of the track with their instructor, sort of a 4/10s exercise, just to get out there, feel a couple corners, and start both the acclimatization process as well as end the day with that extra little kick of adrenalin for the "real" thing. It would remove many of the unknowns, from general lay of the land to what a track looks like from behind the wheel, to reinforcing how your instructor is your guide for learning and success.
I did a Skip Barber program years ago in the BMW days that ended with their little eighth-mile "24 Minutes of Lime Rock", but a chance to have had a guided tour of the full track once or twice at a non-competitive speed would have frosted the cake.
How this could be arranged in terms of track rental or meshing with another club event there is surely the challenge. |
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