Driver Talent

[ellie]

Hey motor sport guru's and enthusiusts,

I'm a young mechanic and have done a few different defencive driving courses through work and would rate myself as a very capable driver and able to learn fast. I'm strongly against flogging a car on the streets unless it's targa or the like but I would really like to get others experiences and advice on what path they took and how effective it was but more importantly what you would now recomend to do to develop driver talent/experience as I would love to get into dutton rally etc. Would you recommend skidpan days, track days, advanced driver courses etc.?

P.S. I'm in QLD and own an R32 GTS-T

Cheers in advance

[Medium Dave]

When a friend and I were about 18 we would help out at our local rounds of the tas rally series and through there made contacts and bought a cheap 2nd hand car, borrowed a terra trip and raced in that for a few seasons. Friends and family got roped into being pit crew, which sorted us out of a few scrapes. You will have a hard time injuring yourself in a tired old corolla/datto with a roll cage and helmets (one year we ended up upside down in a ditch, next year a creek and walked away) Nothing like learning by doing Dont worry about being really competitive straight away, just get out there have some fun.

[GTR32GUS]

Cant get Talent u are born with it or without it (like me)

I agree with Dave "Nothing like learning by doing"

[ellie]

True but a talent only becomes a talent when you develop it! Guys like doohan,brabham and jim richards didn't just fall into a car and were fast. It was a long, sometimes very destructive path to the top.

Get in there and try it, I would agree is the best way to learn but what I'm asking is in what? I don't intend on being a great in motorsport, I just want to be able to take my car out and push it within it's limits but have the car be the limiting factor, not my ability!

So where did you learn your skills? As Dave said he got into racing through a few contacts and family assistance. The end goal will be road rally but for someone who is super green in the world of racing/rally, what do you recomend to pick up the basics of car control on the edge?

[Beer Baron]

skid pan days are good. then get some instruction on circuits. and most importantly listen to what the instructors tell you!

[Sydneykid]

I made a few simple mods (mostly suspension) to my first road car and went supersprints, hillclimbs, motorkhanas, drags etc with my local car club. After few events I quickly worked out that I didn't know how to drive on a track, so I went along to a one day advanced driving course, best $200 I ever spent. Learnt heaps, did some more club events and won my class/classes a few times.

So I figured it was time to build/buy a race car. Raced it a few times and worked out that I needed some more specialised training, so I went along to a 2 day circuit race driver training course,. That really taught me how to get around a circuit, best $400 I ever spent.

At the same time I pit crewed for a few race teams, even a couple of rally teams and picked up plenty of set up tricks. The logistics of a race meeting, what and when to do things. I also did some scrutineering, it's amazing what you learn when checking a professionally built race car.

Now I manage a race team, do a little driver training, suspension set up clinics, data acquisition plus write a few magazine articles and race very infrequently.

cheers

[GTR32GUS]

Yeah fair enuff

I like u i want to devolop my driving skill as i only new to the skyline game

Im in Canberra so I am very close to Wakefield Park as soon as I get a second set of rims i gunna get to as many track days as poss , mate of mine has been to about 8 times in his EVO and in that time he has taken about 3 sec off his best time. Practice makes perfect.

The best time he has done is low 1:09 his mate who has raced a bit can do 1:08 so that what he wants to do. His advice to me is dont worry about anybody else just race yourself have a good time.

About the only racing i have done was motor cross and little bit of speedway i was far from the worst but I was so far from the front it wasn`t funny. I grew up on a farm (bout 1km from Wakefield) so i had done heaps of riding some of the ppl had only been riding a few years and they SMASHED me u could pick the riders with talent

If u have a talent for driving just like the people with a talent for football or riding it wont take long to surface

As for driving skills the limited one i got were leant from racing my mates in padock bashers on the farm

[Beer Baron]

i find in amatuer and mid level motorsport it's the guys with the most experience, practice and training that do well, not always the guys with the most talent. they are busy climbing the ranks to the top!

[Roy]

I think it all comes back to bum is seat time, and good tuition. Its near impossible to learn it all yourself, its so much easier when ppl show you. Thing is ppl like me know everything and cant be told so will never get better then my current standard...which is ok, mi really enjoyt workign on cars and seeing what changes make the car slower & faster...

Formula Vee looks like a good class to get into, im even looking at Saloon Cars or Porsche 944 Cup. From what i can see there are a few good classes around....but i hate the thought of touchign another car as it would put me out for a whoel season...so will stick to hack levels of motorsport where if i spend enough i can get the upper hand, irrespective of ability

[Frink]

the 1st skid pan day i went to was awesome. it was with aaron mcgill and all he said was "i ain't gonna give you advanced driving tips or tell you how to do it. all i'll say is what to do and watch you do it. if you come un-stuck, i'll tell what you did wrong and how to correct it, but the best way to learn is to just get out there and do it..." practice makes perfect.

[ellie]

That seems to be along the lines I was thinking except for the circuit tuition which I was unaware even existed so I'll definitely have a look at that!

So I think the basic plan to upgrade car skills for me is =

1. advanced driver training. Approx. $200 which If I'm not mistaken teachs you how to control power slides (accidental ofcourse).

2. a skid pan day to get used to the cars behavour under a limited grip situation

3. maybe a track day at QR to learn the racing lines, braking capabilities etc.

4. a track tuition course so that i'll already have a feel for the track from the track day and be able to build from there

From then on I guess it's practice, practice, practice!

for your responses guys and if anyone has any more ideas/suggestions, post away!

Edited May 1, 2006 by ellie

[Frink]

pretty much.....

[predator]

mountainrunner is organising on his next track day.. driver training out at QR for an extra fee in adition to standard laps if you want them. Give him a PM..

[ellie]

Cheers pred.

just got to give the Hi-cas the boot! pain in the arse system.

[KamikazeR33]

john bowe does driver training / circuit training. maybe u should look into that

[hrd-hr30]

in SE QLD, best way to learn is in things like:

- motorkhana - cheap and learn car control in a safe, low speed environment. Holden Sporting Car Club and Gold Coast Tweed motorsport Club run alot of motorkhanas.

- Autocross - smooth dirt (decomp granite) race track with plenty of run off area - low grip and relatively low speed make this an excellent place to learn car control. And have far too much fun in the process. Entry is cheap too. They also have practice days with cheaper entry and less cars - so more track time. Ipswich West Moreton Auto Club run the Autocross.

Nothing like time behind the wheel, no matter where it is, for improving the skills. Just get involved with a CAMS affiliated club, get your licence and get out there to as many events as you can at as many different venues as possible!

Rod Browning (ex rally guru) runs advanced driver training days at Morgan Park too.

Mt Cotton driver training centre has a skidpan and circuits/roads.

And Total Driver run training days too - sometimes at Lakeside!

Edited May 2, 2006 by hrd-hr30

[fatz]

i always found sticking my transponder on a faster car when the owner isnt looking always improved my times

[Roy]

...or having someone run up pit lane with the transponder so that the track is somehow shortened a few hundred mtrs

[siksII]

i have done (in order) sometimes irresponsible street 'learning', defensive driving course, drag strip, skidpan and last of all circuit.

i didnt find the defensive driving course very helpful as i had given what they taught us a go already on the road, mostly braking, and also avoiding manouveres etc.

drag races were just fun really, nothing new there..

skidpan is a good experience, as although im sure everyone has a go at second gear corners, on the skidpan you can see how the car reacts at much higher speeds, so i learnt a lot about control in third gear. wet skidpan was also very useful as you have a large area to try and push the limits on a wet surface.

I recently went to my first circuit day at wakefield park, there was not many people there which was handy!

i have to say i learned the most at the circuit day, and only because i had a friend with me who knew the lines etc and showed me how to drive around the track.

at the start of the day i was pretty hopeless, wrong lines etc, and i would overheat the tyres quickly and just overall be slow! after my friend came in the car and taught me what i should be doing, the tyres were lasting heaps longer, driving was a lot smoother and i was massively faster than at the start (4-5 secs faster!)

one mistake was going there on crap tyres, seems like a good idea if you are being tight, but in the end it becomes a big limitation as you just want to go faster but there is no grip and with the tyres i had on they overheated quickly and car was overall a deathtrap to drive (i dont have much power, and could get it sideways easy at 130km/h in third..)

so put good tyres on, go to the racetrack, and get someone to show u how to drive

Edited May 2, 2006 by siksII

[ellie]

There's a lot of ideas there i Hadn't considered!

Thanks guys and motorkhana's are the witches hat runs aren't they?