(Almost) FREE Driver Training in Basingstoke

[Don]

The Basingstoke IAM Group are holding a "Better Driving" course which is open to the general public as well as new IAM Associates on the following dates:

Tuesday 4th October 7:15pm - 9:30pm
Tuesday 11th October 7:15pm - 9:30pm
Sunday 16th October 9:00am - 12:00noon (ish)

Richard Aldworth School Basingstoke.

Admission is by pre-booking only with the Group Secretary contactable via e-mail here:

basingstoke-iam_AT_tiscali.co.uk

(Remove all the spaces and replace the "_AT_" with the "@" sign - this is to stop the evil spammers!)

Admission cost is just £10...payable in advance or, by arrangement with the Group Secretary, on the first night. The £10 contribution will be put towards the cost of the room. Rest assured we will be making a loss!

I will be lecturing - as well as other members of the Group.

The evening sessions are lecture based and will cover a range of topics including Observation, Hazard Identification, Junctions, Bends and Corners, Limit of Visibility, Car Control, Manouvers and more...

The Sunday session is intended to provide each attendee with a "demonstration drive" showing them how the various aspects covered in the previous lecture sessions come together into a smooth, safe drive. There may an opportunity to get an Assessment drive - I can't promise that at this juncture.

If you are local enough that those times are doable and you fancy listening to some, hopefully, thought-provoking material about DRIVING then please get in touch with the Group Secretary.

I'd also appreciate it if you posted on this thread saying you are coming. It will help me guage the response threads on PH create.

Please keep all other comments and questions to e-mail or other threads. Thank you.




>> Edited by Don on Thursday 8th September 15:54

[Kinky]

Don,

You can count me in for the 2 lectures for sure (subject to me being here). But I will pay up front (so no financial loss on your behalf).

Will there be handouts available? Or will it be copious amounts of note taking?

And just to clarify (for others)- it's £10 for the 2 sessions - not each.

No brainer (IMHO).

As for the sunday drive - I will genuinely try to make it - but I doubt it (unfortunately).

K

>> Edited by Kinky on Thursday 8th September 17:53

[Kinky]

Actually Don - is it 2 seperate sessions - or is it the same session repeated twice?

I'm assuming it's 2 seperate sessions - as you say we pay on the 1st night.

Can you confirm? (so that I can block out my social/family diary).

Many thanks in advance,

K

[Don]

The course is made up of two lectures each covering half of the material - the second is NOT a repeat of the first. The final Sunday is a opportunity to get a demo drive - and no more...

[m12_nathan]

Don,

I'm at the 'ring and Spa from the 8th - 11th so may not be able to make the second lecture, can I come to the first and the drive or is it all or nothing?

[nigelgt3]

sent an email to the address but have had nothing back ???

nigel

[Kinky]

m12_nathan said:

Don, I'm at the 'ring and Spa from the 8th - 11th so may not be able to make the second lecture, can I come to the first and the drive or is it all or nothing?

Nathan,

I can't officially answer for Don or the B'stoke IAM group - but I'll check with Shirley.

I personally can't see why not. What I can do for you (or Don) is to send you the handouts, etc, from the 2nd session.

FYI - I'll be at both sessions, but won't be on the Sunday drive

K

[Kinky]

Natan,

Just sent you a mail confirming that missing a session is no problem at all.

I checked with Shirley, and she's got no issues with that at all.

I can also make sure that you get the 2nd nights set of handouts, etc before the Sunday drive.

Regards,

K

>> Edited by Kinky on Wednesday 28th September 14:33

[m12_nathan]

Thanks for the info, will confirm I can make it and get booked.

[Don]

nigelgt3 said:

sent an email to the address but have had nothing back ??? nigel

You should do, shortly. I'll be checking with our Secretary in due course.

[Don]

m12_nathan said:

Thanks for the info, will confirm I can make it and get booked.

Apologies for no earlier reply, Nathan. K is right - although some of the "fun" stuff is on the second evening...

Thanks to you all for your interest. I hope at least one or two of the topics covered gives you pause for thought and you are able to make use of that!

[Kinky]

Don,

It's all AOK.

I've checked everything with Shirley, for both Nigel and Nathan.

And we're all bang up to date on it all.

K

[m12_nathan]

Don, you'll get the chance to play with a proper flappy paddle system too - upchanges in 0.08 seconds and the best noise ever on the way down (overlapping with braking obviously )

[Kinky]

m12_nathan said:

Don, you'll get the chance to play with a proper flappy paddle system too

Can I play too?

Please?



K

[Don]

m12_nathan said:

Don, you'll get the chance to play with a proper flappy paddle system too - upchanges in 0.08 seconds and the best noise ever on the way down (overlapping with braking obviously )

What a car!

Actually this is something of an issue for the IAM/ROSPA/Authors of Roadcraft and so on. Sequential systems are now working their way from racecars into performance cars (like yours) and will go on into everyday cars that we can expect people turning up to IAM courses to own.

The IAM has "best practice" advice it offers to drivers of "automatic" transmission vehicles...including use of lower gears and so on. As yet I have not seen best practice advice for sequential systems.

Now - sequential manual (i.e. with clutch) systems are unlikely to get fitted to very many road cars just yet (I can, of course, think of a few exceptions!). But clutch-pedal-free systems are now becoming common - and the IAM/ROSPA/etc etc must respond.

In the mean time I would read the manufacturer's manual and glean the advice they have to offer about using their product!

From an "Observer's" point of view I am very keen to see these "flappy paddle" systems, get to know them (there are various sorts from what I can tell) and understand how best to use them.

I have a suspicion that since the car's onboard computer is matching revs on the downshifts AND the driver's hand need never leave the wheel pretty much all the downsides of brake/gear overlap are being dealt with by the technology...and so the fact that the technology of the system virtually *requires* the driver to make such downshifts whilst decelerating its best to do so. But then how best to do that? Of course the changes should be in a straight line wherever possible...and completed before the hazard. But what do you do when coming to a halt or going at a roundabout? There must be specific cases of what is best to do - and what the car does for you and what you have to instruct the car to do.

I await the "official" line with interest. But in the meantime I am going to enjoy every opportunity I can to discuss/ride/review with owners the ways they find best to exploit the technology.

So. YES PLEASE, Nathan!

And I hope you find some topics we cover of interest...and useful.

[m12_nathan]

Kinky said:

Don, It's all AOK. I've checked everything with Shirley, for both Nigel and Nathan. And we're all bang up to date on it all. K

Of course you can play too, does this mean I don't have to email shirley? Just turn up with my cash?

[Don]

If in doubt - email.

[Kinky]

Nathan,

You'll need to confirm with Shirley at basingstoke-iam AT tiscali.co.uk

I just confirmed that missing a night would be ok.

And paying up on the 1st night is ok too.

K

[Don]

Thanks to all of you who came tonight.

Kinky: my apologies we didn't get a longer chat - we should have a beer sometime!

[m12_nathan]

Thanks to Don and Kinky - 'twas an interesting session.