Best driving tuition?
Discussion
Never had any proper tuition or gone on any track days. Want to learn from the off to avoid picking up any bad habits.
Before I go for the only option I can find - Silverstone at £199 per hour (!) - what would you recommend for driving tuition? If you recommend a specific tutor who can come along on ride and drive days (i.e. pay him the fee rather than the track), please post his/her details here or PM me.
Any suggestions would be great!
Before I go for the only option I can find - Silverstone at £199 per hour (!) - what would you recommend for driving tuition? If you recommend a specific tutor who can come along on ride and drive days (i.e. pay him the fee rather than the track), please post his/her details here or PM me.
Any suggestions would be great!
batmanbegins said:
Never had any proper tuition or gone on any track days. Want to learn from the off to avoid picking up any bad habits.
Before I go for the only option I can find - Silverstone at £199 per hour (!) - what would you recommend for driving tuition? If you recommend a specific tutor who can come along on ride and drive days (i.e. pay him the fee rather than the track), please post his/her details here or PM me.
Any suggestions would be great!
Loads of very experienced instructors around at £300-£500 for a full day. Give us a bit more info regarding your background/experience, what car you're driving and where you want to be in 5 years time as all of those factors will affect who I'd recommend.Before I go for the only option I can find - Silverstone at £199 per hour (!) - what would you recommend for driving tuition? If you recommend a specific tutor who can come along on ride and drive days (i.e. pay him the fee rather than the track), please post his/her details here or PM me.
Any suggestions would be great!
Jonny
BaT
jonnyleroux said:
Loads of very experienced instructors around at £300-£500 for a full day. Give us a bit more info regarding your background/experience, what car you're driving and where you want to be in 5 years time as all of those factors will affect who I'd recommend.
Jonny
BaT
Not decided on car yet (will get something new), something capable, not too expensive and not turbo charged. No experience other than road driving. No 5 year plan - just learn the basics to start with (heel and toe effectively, following driving lines, learning a circuit, sliding around corners with control, etc). Jonny
BaT
I can imagine a full day being very tiring, so would prefer to start by doing for example a 2 hour session on a week day morning or afternoon.
Any suggestions based on that?
Yes, do a few track days and book up a few 20 minute sessions of tuition with as many different instructors as you can find, then pick the one you get on with the best to progress your learning.
In my experience, for novices it's less about how experienced or expensive the instructor is and more about how well you get on with each other. I've seen entry level instructors make great progress with novices and I've also seen some of the best-rated instructors in the industry fall flat on their face due to personality clashes.
For track day tuition you really want an ARDS Grade 'B' or higher ('A' or 'S' is preferable).
Location is also important, no point choosing a north-based instructor if you're based on the south coast and are going to want to drive brands, goodwood and combe all the time as they're far less likely to be available when you need them.
As mentioned before, there are instructors who specialise in particular marques. It's not so much about them being better at coaching in those cars, but they'll have more experience in terms of setup, tyre choice, specific mods, who to go to for repairs and maintenance etc
Jonny
BaT
In my experience, for novices it's less about how experienced or expensive the instructor is and more about how well you get on with each other. I've seen entry level instructors make great progress with novices and I've also seen some of the best-rated instructors in the industry fall flat on their face due to personality clashes.
For track day tuition you really want an ARDS Grade 'B' or higher ('A' or 'S' is preferable).
Location is also important, no point choosing a north-based instructor if you're based on the south coast and are going to want to drive brands, goodwood and combe all the time as they're far less likely to be available when you need them.
As mentioned before, there are instructors who specialise in particular marques. It's not so much about them being better at coaching in those cars, but they'll have more experience in terms of setup, tyre choice, specific mods, who to go to for repairs and maintenance etc
Jonny
BaT
I Agree with johnny about finding some one you like and trust to get the best out of it.
Personally if you feel your a competent driver road driver then I would do at least one novice track day to get used to it all first. like Johnny says a twenty minute session with one of the on hand tutors to make sure you heading in the right direction. If not I fear you might not take as much away from the first lesson as you will have information over load with learning your own limits, a new car, a driving style and a new track. that's without trying to process someone telling you what to do or the hard part of actually doing it. And if you don't have a plan so much then I'm guessing the main reason is enjoyment, so you might as well enjoy it.
I like your attitude of learning from the off, most people think they are gods gift and then find some one is quicker in a slower car and some inner reflection takes place.
You can also go to Bruntingthorpe or Pro Drive on per hour basis with a instructor. Both are former runways and don't offer much in the way of run off and can be quite stony depending on what your driving. a lot of pro drivers go to Bruntingthorpe to work on finesse.
But I would get some miles under you belt before spending money on serious tuition, but that's just me.
Personally if you feel your a competent driver road driver then I would do at least one novice track day to get used to it all first. like Johnny says a twenty minute session with one of the on hand tutors to make sure you heading in the right direction. If not I fear you might not take as much away from the first lesson as you will have information over load with learning your own limits, a new car, a driving style and a new track. that's without trying to process someone telling you what to do or the hard part of actually doing it. And if you don't have a plan so much then I'm guessing the main reason is enjoyment, so you might as well enjoy it.
I like your attitude of learning from the off, most people think they are gods gift and then find some one is quicker in a slower car and some inner reflection takes place.
You can also go to Bruntingthorpe or Pro Drive on per hour basis with a instructor. Both are former runways and don't offer much in the way of run off and can be quite stony depending on what your driving. a lot of pro drivers go to Bruntingthorpe to work on finesse.
But I would get some miles under you belt before spending money on serious tuition, but that's just me.
I cannot recommend Mike Cooper enough, very experienced and clear direction of how to improve.
http://www.drivertuition.com/mike_cooper.htm
I hve no association with Mike I am just a happy customer who will use him again for further skill improvement.
http://www.drivertuition.com/mike_cooper.htm
I hve no association with Mike I am just a happy customer who will use him again for further skill improvement.
I try and book two 30 minute sessions to each new track I visit. One in the morning to learn the lines and allow me to get up to speed more quickly. One in the afternoon to see how I have progressed and what I should work on.
Normally about £25 per 30 minute slot and if you book as soon as you arrive you can get two slots with the same person. £50 for an hour is well worth it. When broken into two 30 minute sections it is easier to take everything on board without it being over whelming.
Normally about £25 per 30 minute slot and if you book as soon as you arrive you can get two slots with the same person. £50 for an hour is well worth it. When broken into two 30 minute sections it is easier to take everything on board without it being over whelming.
Some very sensible advice being given here
I would endorse the idea of doing a couple or three 20 mins sessions per track day with coaches provided by the TDO when you start and then progressing to doing some more intensive half or full day sessions with a coach who you get on with and who you find communicates well to you
From a cost perspective splitting the cost of a full day with a coach with a mate can work really well because no one does a 3 hour endurance session on a track day so after a 20 min session you can take a break and think about what you need to concentrate upon whilst your mate is out on track and vice versa
I would endorse the idea of doing a couple or three 20 mins sessions per track day with coaches provided by the TDO when you start and then progressing to doing some more intensive half or full day sessions with a coach who you get on with and who you find communicates well to you
From a cost perspective splitting the cost of a full day with a coach with a mate can work really well because no one does a 3 hour endurance session on a track day so after a 20 min session you can take a break and think about what you need to concentrate upon whilst your mate is out on track and vice versa
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