Driver training day @ Snett with Malc (Maxx)
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:50 pm
As previously mentioned in my build thread I booked Malc (Maxx on here) who is driver-coaching.com for a days training at Snett.
My plan had long been to do something like this once I had confidence that the GTR was reliable enough to commit. I looked at a number of options but Maxx came with a number of recommendations and I also thought his posts on here about what he teaches and how made a lot of sense. So a couple of phone calls to talk it over and the day was booked earlier this year.
Rather than write a long narrative of the day from arriving at the circuit I thought I'd just post up my thoughts about the day.
My over riding feeling is that proper coaching has to be one of the most enjoyable and cost effective way of finding time in a lap, especially if you have a car that you're used to.
I found Malcs teaching method to be very effective. I wont spill all his secrets here but without me feeling that I actually had to put myself into learning mode - for example if you knew you had to do an exam - I feel I learnt, and understand what is actually a huge amount of complex new information, and also un-learnt some previous stuff.
I think the proof of this is that as I think of what I learnt during the day there is no particular thing that stands out as it all blends into a coherent "lap". The key for me being that although Malc had me doing things in the car that were a massive leap of faith, i.e me doing what he told me when everything I wanted to do was the opposite - like add power when I thought i wasn't going to make the corner as it was - I now understand why that works, and how to apply it in other situations, not simply at Snett.
And this is it, I dont' feel like I've learnt lines, or quicker ways around Snett, or getting the best out of my car, although these are all true. I think the best summary of what I take away from the day is an understanding of using the cars available grip, the effects weight transfer on that grip and how to control that weight transfer in order to maximise the grip available - how that translates into a quicker lap. And this can be applied wherever I drive the car. I'm not saying I didn't think I understood weight transfer before, but I am saying that I do now.
There are of course lots of other things I could list.
So all in all, not only the best day I've had on track for a long time, but also a huge, but enjoyable learning curve for me, and by experiencing the "theory" as I went along, an actual understanding that I will be able to build upon with practice.
Plus of course Malc's a top bloke, and very brave - I think he only tensed up once or twice - Coram again Malc??
Although we didn't actually ever go out to set a lap time specifically, the data logs show that my later laps were around 4 seconds (from memory but I'm waiting to catch up with malc again as he's been training all week) quicker - which is huge. It also of course breaks it down by sector, and there's something very satisfying about seeing sector times falling throughout the day, even it's by 100ths let alone tenths.
I'd like to have done a full boost lap now come to think of it as we ran low boost all day so it would have been interesting to see the difference.
It was also fun riding pillion in my own car while Malc thrashed it round
Great day, fully recommended.
This is also on my thread, but here's the Vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcQ-JzGG7e4
My plan had long been to do something like this once I had confidence that the GTR was reliable enough to commit. I looked at a number of options but Maxx came with a number of recommendations and I also thought his posts on here about what he teaches and how made a lot of sense. So a couple of phone calls to talk it over and the day was booked earlier this year.
Rather than write a long narrative of the day from arriving at the circuit I thought I'd just post up my thoughts about the day.
My over riding feeling is that proper coaching has to be one of the most enjoyable and cost effective way of finding time in a lap, especially if you have a car that you're used to.
I found Malcs teaching method to be very effective. I wont spill all his secrets here but without me feeling that I actually had to put myself into learning mode - for example if you knew you had to do an exam - I feel I learnt, and understand what is actually a huge amount of complex new information, and also un-learnt some previous stuff.
I think the proof of this is that as I think of what I learnt during the day there is no particular thing that stands out as it all blends into a coherent "lap". The key for me being that although Malc had me doing things in the car that were a massive leap of faith, i.e me doing what he told me when everything I wanted to do was the opposite - like add power when I thought i wasn't going to make the corner as it was - I now understand why that works, and how to apply it in other situations, not simply at Snett.
And this is it, I dont' feel like I've learnt lines, or quicker ways around Snett, or getting the best out of my car, although these are all true. I think the best summary of what I take away from the day is an understanding of using the cars available grip, the effects weight transfer on that grip and how to control that weight transfer in order to maximise the grip available - how that translates into a quicker lap. And this can be applied wherever I drive the car. I'm not saying I didn't think I understood weight transfer before, but I am saying that I do now.
There are of course lots of other things I could list.
So all in all, not only the best day I've had on track for a long time, but also a huge, but enjoyable learning curve for me, and by experiencing the "theory" as I went along, an actual understanding that I will be able to build upon with practice.
Plus of course Malc's a top bloke, and very brave - I think he only tensed up once or twice - Coram again Malc??
Although we didn't actually ever go out to set a lap time specifically, the data logs show that my later laps were around 4 seconds (from memory but I'm waiting to catch up with malc again as he's been training all week) quicker - which is huge. It also of course breaks it down by sector, and there's something very satisfying about seeing sector times falling throughout the day, even it's by 100ths let alone tenths.
I'd like to have done a full boost lap now come to think of it as we ran low boost all day so it would have been interesting to see the difference.
It was also fun riding pillion in my own car while Malc thrashed it round
Great day, fully recommended.
This is also on my thread, but here's the Vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcQ-JzGG7e4
