Track/Race coaching ?

[Jm4ck]

Hi all, i apologise if this is in the wrong place but just curious as to if anyone has any experience with 1-1 driver coaching more specifically at knockhill but still generally interested regardless of location.
I know knockhill themselves provide something similar, just thought it was worth seeing if anyone can recommend or share some knowledge. Thanks in advance !

[grumpy52]

Proper tuition is always worthwhile, especially if you have little track experience.
You will be amazed at how much time you will reduce on lap times .
All the instructors that I know down here are multiple championship winning drivers and work throughout the motorsport business.
The chief instructor at Knockhill has been involved in several TV programmes giving instructions to the presenters and also assessment of cars .

[Nabu]

Talking from experience here (track coach) I believe that coaching is plenty helpful for anyone that seeks for it.

Mind you, the last 4 words of the sentence above are chosen carefully as there are different kinds of people.
People that feel they have to prove something to whoever is sitting next to them.
People that don't want you there (it happens in my business that I am required to sit next to someone for 1 hour to make sure their skill is up to par with the car)
And lastly, people that want to really listen and absorb (each on his/her own way) anything you have to tell them.

Assuming that you are on the last group, considering how you even took the time to create this thread, having a track coach next to you can help you in the following ways....

1) Quickly assess your driving skills and spot your weak points
2) Try and make you understand each and every one of these
3) Try and make you improve on them by showing/telling you the right approach
4) Offer insight and knowledge regarding how to drive on a track in general
5) Offer insight on a new track that you are visiting for the first time. Braking, turning points, late entries, late apex, compression, crests... all these things are different from track to track and it takes all of us time to learn how to negotiate them. A local person can bring you up to pace by offering you these points, without you having to go over hundreds of laps to discover.
6) Lastly, and again I am talking from experience, having an instructor inside a car can save you sometimes from ending the day in tears. We are not God but still a good instructor can catch something before it evens starts happening and with good guidance can help try and avoid it. This is often not understood by the driver himself but believe me when I say its true.

So, my opinion as I would offer it to a friend of mine is to get instruction as it can be greatly beneficial to you, for whichever reason of the above

Enjoy your track time and stay safe!
Kostas.

[88racing]

Great post.

The only extra thing I’d say - and it might seem obvious - is you need to pick someone you get along with. Someone who is argumentative, stroppy, overpowering, etc will likely put you off and waste your money.

[Order66]

Jm4ck said:

Hi all, i apologise if this is in the wrong place but just curious as to if anyone has any experience with 1-1 driver coaching more specifically at knockhill but still generally interested regardless of location.
I know knockhill themselves provide something similar, just thought it was worth seeing if anyone can recommend or share some knowledge. Thanks in advance !

The instructors at Knockhill are very good and experienced, couldn't recommend them enough. Had others at other tracks/trackdays and the knockhill instruction was the best of the lot.

[doogalman]

I have the pleasure of working on the same team as Kostos above at Spa and Nurburgring.
Everything he said I will acknowledge as being good.
Never be afraid to ask for help, especially if the weather conditions are not ideal. The fact that you are considering some help is the best place to start.
There is nothing more gratifying to us instructors when you catch up with the pupil later in the day or at a later date and they are singing your praises.
Learn and enjoy.

[jassihayre]

I'm in the same boat and need some instruction. I have had several 20 minute instruction sessions at track days but didnt really find them useful. A couple of them were totally useless as the track was so busy on the one occasion and the other had some racing teams testing so we just eneded up going round on the right and I never really got to use the proper lines or braking points. On the one occassion the instructor never really said much and just kept critising the fact that I had stripped out my mx5 and wondered if it was road legal . Would be good to spend a day with someone who can assess what you're doing right and wrong and then help correct as said above.

[Mark Benson]

Nabu said:

Talking from experience here (track coach) I believe that coaching is plenty helpful for anyone that seeks for it.

Mind you, the last 4 words of the sentence above are chosen carefully as there are different kinds of people.
People that feel they have to prove something to whoever is sitting next to them.
People that don't want you there (it happens in my business that I am required to sit next to someone for 1 hour to make sure their skill is up to par with the car)
And lastly, people that want to really listen and absorb (each on his/her own way) anything you have to tell them.

Assuming that you are on the last group, considering how you even took the time to create this thread, having a track coach next to you can help you in the following ways....

1) Quickly assess your driving skills and spot your weak points
2) Try and make you understand each and every one of these
3) Try and make you improve on them by showing/telling you the right approach
4) Offer insight and knowledge regarding how to drive on a track in general
5) Offer insight on a new track that you are visiting for the first time. Braking, turning points, late entries, late apex, compression, crests... all these things are different from track to track and it takes all of us time to learn how to negotiate them. A local person can bring you up to pace by offering you these points, without you having to go over hundreds of laps to discover.
6) Lastly, and again I am talking from experience, having an instructor inside a car can save you sometimes from ending the day in tears. We are not God but still a good instructor can catch something before it evens starts happening and with good guidance can help try and avoid it. This is often not understood by the driver himself but believe me when I say its true.

So, my opinion as I would offer it to a friend of mine is to get instruction as it can be greatly beneficial to you, for whichever reason of the above

Enjoy your track time and stay safe!
Kostas.

All of this is true, after 20 years of racing I still take tuition and still learn from the instructors - chances are they'll pick up on things I've become lazy with and almost certainly know the track better than I do. They often make me think about corners or parts of a circuit in a different way too.
I make sure my car is as well prepared as possible, why wouldn't I do the same with myself?

[XMT]

OP did you do anything further about this. Was checking something similar online myself and came across your thread. Again knockhill would be ideal.