Edge Addicts, NOT all instructors are the same.

VIPER GTSR 91

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As an instructor myself for novice only (its too scary otherwise) there is a lot more to it than just teaching. You need to have a positive personality with the driver. Friendly, easy going, relaxed, and NOT impressed with yourself. At COTA I had several instructors ride with me since I had not been on the track before. And having several instructors at an event or over time you gain a lot of insight from different thoughts and techniques, just like golf, baseball, or any other sports. The first day both instructors were really good and I got a lot out of the stints from them. The second day was a disaster as I ended up with someone who was impressed with himself, not relaxed, and not a good communicator. Even before getting in the car he was very wound up, emotional, and even stated that this was a check ride??? Really? I knew this was not going to be fun. He was a constant chatter box and hard to understand as you can only take in so much information at a time. Then he wanted to drive my car which he did but it was more for his pleasure than mine. I spoke with the lead about this and she was very grateful for my report and offered to get me another instructor. So if you are not happy or uncomfortable with your instructor at an event, do not hesitate to ask for another. You are the customer and paying a good penny to learn.
 

XLR8

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That sounds like the second instructor that rode with me. He had never been to COTA before but had used video games to learn it. He could not talk enough about his GTO. A little distracting!!
 

RadarBait

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Wow...sorry to hear you had that experience. You are quite correct, that not all instructors, and not all drivers, are the same. Their personalities, experience, technique, and skill levels vary, and it's important to get as good a good match as possible between instructor and driver. A good instructor should be able to modify their presentation to suit your desired style, if you can successfully communicate your needs to him/her. But as you say, always feel free to ask for a different instructor if for any reason you are not getting what you need. I was fortunate to be one of the Edge Addicts instructors at COTA, and I worked with several drivers of varying experience and ability over the weekend. I was careful to ask what their goals were, and tried to teach as much as I could without overloading. For some drivers new to track driving in general, the amount of info to digest can be very overwhelming. Track rules and track etiquette alone can be overwhelming for some people, let alone trying to negotiate esses at unaccustomed speeds, with a faster car on your tail, and an instructor trying to point out signals from the flag station ahead... Whew! With each driver, I tried to be careful to limit the amount of new information each time around, and always ask "Am I talking too much?" I had fun with all of my drivers, and I *think* they all enjoyed themselves too, at least they said they did, their performance improved over the course of the day, and we all went home safe, tired, and smiling, which I think is success!
-Mike
 
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VIPER GTSR 91

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Thanks Mike and XLR8 for a great reply and very informative too. The instructor I had on Saturday was Jeff I believe. I also made a review on the Addicts site but never heard back. And I noticed too that no reviews were posted. Hmmmm
 

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