A bit of a soap box stand, but it needs to be said.

I don’t know if one can truly be a master in the term of being all knowing. In many ways you will always be a student in that there is always that extra something that can be improved upon. As such, you need to take in that humble pie as often as you can.

Reminiscing when I took the race school I was very disappointment at how people treated the noobs or rookies. The course material and the information presented were professional. What took away from the experience were quite a few bad apples. It’s these attitudes of these individuals that take away the sport. Everyone had to started the same way – bright eyes and bushy tailed. The bottom line is don’t be an ass.

Hear me out before the comments of – hey, that’s life and tough it out. I have volunteered my share. I know what it takes to get to the track, to organize the events, be the first person there, the last person leaving, the person that gets all the complaints, the person that still gets things done cause no one else will volunteer (even though you ask for help), the person …. I’ve been there and done it.

Why? Why do I still come out if the masses don’t appreciate the work or want to understand the complex issues of organizing? Quite, simply I enjoy racing. I understand people have to step up to the plate and when you volunteer it is a thankless job with next to no gratitude. There’s always the ass’s in the background that says they can do a better job yet the’re the first to walk away when things need to be done. It shouldn’t be like that, but that’s the world I live in.

Anyway, I’m starting to rant. The big question that always comes up is how do we attract more drivers and why are there no new drivers? Well, let me tell you my story…

My background is in Solo 1 and Solo 2 or the current terminology; Time Attack and Auto-slalom. I started my limited racing with a handful of people. I was looked down upon driving a “tuner” car (albeit, it was just an ACR neon). However, I made friends and I stuck with it. So much so I volunteered my time looking after timing and then moved on to look after solo 2 events. I setup track days so that solo 1 folks could get more practice. I setup and maintain a forum as a medium for communication as the club grew out of using a message board…. What I’m conveying is that I have tried to be involved and help push the sport.

Race school:

It was important to bring the race car out for the race school. I had a co driver with no experience and we all know seat time utmost important. It wasn’t as informative for me for the “basics”, but that doesn’t say I didn’t pick up something new or re opened my train of thought. I came in to the event as if I was learning everything all over again.

So what happen?

Lots of attitude towards bringing a race car out.

Why’d you bring that out here?
What are you going to learn in that?
I won’t fit in there?
You won’t be able to hear anything I say?
That was stupid of you to bring a race car out
You have a cage in that?
Why do you have a cage?
Why is there a passenger seat in the race car?

These were comments from many people (some I knew and some I didn’t).

Had I known there was so much hate in sitting in a fully prepped race car I would have left the car for Day 1 – it was not worth beating up a race car and those poor R tires

Good job instructors for refusing to teach my friend – a rookie driver
- I’m still a little pissed that very few people would sit and teach my friend
- Being fat isn’t an excuse to tell my friend off – maybe it should be looked upon as more of an incentive for weight reduction
The whole point in bringing the car out was to have experience in the car at a race school – in an environment designed for.. let me guess racing
- There are no issues with the car; it runs, it’ has a muffler (very quiet), street driven to the track, starts, fully functional – so why the hate?
stupid question like “why did you bring a race car out?”; – I dunno race car + race school… Who would’ve thunk?

I’ve been through it before and the moment you start getting trophy’s and out classing the stubborn old timer’s; it’s amazing the silence you get afterwards. I started racing in 1998 and sub compacts were still being ridiculed in 1998. I guess not much has changed in ten years and the racing people still question why entrant numbers are dwindling.

It was not a warm welcome for my friend to the sport as he got an ear full of complaints about driving a race car at a… wait for it… a race school. Especially, when we spent the time and preparation to put in a passenger seat and harness.

There are two particular individuals that really should think hard if they should teach.

Instructor 1

locking your arms from steering is just plain stupid. This does not work for tight and very slow turns (less than 90kmh).
- also a little difficult when the steering wheels is a race steering wheel
  - approaching a radius circle ideally the closer you are to the inner circle the quicker you will come out. Driving outside results in a higher speed, but it takes that much more time as you have that much more distance to cover.
    - Slow in – quick out
- Your instructions did not make sense
- You tried to belittle me until I asked you what current trophy’s you have in comparison to me
  - Had, I known you were a bigger ass to my friend who was green to the sport I would have mad it a point to talk to the head instructor immediately instead of telling him at the end of Day 2. You really are not a nice person.
  - Update: The only good thing out of all this is that your competition license has been revoked – karma’s a bitch!

Instructor 2

The quicker line through the rough patches and pot holes that are breaking up is really not a quicker line
- Purposely damaging the car for a fast line is really not the best method
  - I was a little more upset at Instructor 1 give confusing statements. There is no reason for me to damage the suspension or flat spot the R tires on the car. It maybe a “race” car but that doesn’t mean you purposely damage the car
  - Grabbing my wheel also is a big no no – WTF dude?!?
    - Rightly so I kicked you out of the car