ARDS - Not sure what to do?
Discussion
Hi Peeps,
I am planning on taking my one day ARDS course at Silverstone.
The dates are 1st August, 8th October and another in November.
I really want to do the 1st August one but am a complete novice. Im not sure whether to book the October one and get some trackdays in as practise but concerned I may pick up bad habits or grab the bull by the horns and go for the one next week thinking that im going in blind and they can teach me everything I need to know????
What do you think??
I am planning on taking my one day ARDS course at Silverstone.
The dates are 1st August, 8th October and another in November.
I really want to do the 1st August one but am a complete novice. Im not sure whether to book the October one and get some trackdays in as practise but concerned I may pick up bad habits or grab the bull by the horns and go for the one next week thinking that im going in blind and they can teach me everything I need to know????
What do you think??
I've heard that Silverstone have quite high standards and people fail quite a bit. I don't know if that's true or not. That's not a criticism of Silverstone of course if they're keeping nutters out of racing, as it'll benefit all of us! The racing school is generally highly regarded.
It's a chicken and egg situation really, as the ARDS course will teach you a certain amount and is a good place to start, but you do need to be confident on a track to pass your ARDS test. It isn't so much speed that they're after, just confidence, awareness and safety. I probably drove not much faster than I would do on the road on my ARDS test, and I think even that was a bit quicker than the instructor was expecting.
Personally, I think I'd advise reading up on some of the theory, feeling for the balance of your car in the bends and thinking about all these things whilst driving your car on the road at low speed, and then taking that state of mind and those thoughts over onto the track for a trackday or two before going for the ARDS course.
Personally, my ARDS course was my first ever time on a race track and I did fine and passed. However, I'd read up a huge amount of theory beforehand, and whilst I didn't drive unsafely or illegally on the road, I was aware of the balance and the effects of my inputs whilst driving on the road so when I upped the speed on track I had less of a learning curve. Driving fast on the road is not only illegal and dangerous, but it won't actually teach you much - it's understanding the balance of the car and perfecting and understanding your control inputs that makes the difference.
Once you've passed your ARDS test, I'd strongly reccomend at least one or two test days to get comfortable in the car you'll be racing. Racing cars are a totally different kettle of fish to a road car (even those based on road cars) and you'll need to be comfortable with the responses of the car and the extra noise, feedback etc. Test days will also give you some experience with being on track with other cars, but they'll be of a different performance to you so you won't have to worry too much about them being all over you (like in a qualifying session or a race!). Get a lap timer fitted to the car, and start using it during the day so you know if you're competitive or not. It would be very downheartening to enter a race and qualify last by more than a second or so, and may put you off, so practise until you're competitive enough to confidently approach your first race. Needless to say, test at least once on the track you'll be racing on so you can get to know it, both on track and off.
If you get to know people in your championship, you may even be able to test with them and get some advice etc. I'd reccomend a circuit guide as well so you can understand the tracks before you visit them. Getting a good start isn't just about being competitive, it's about your confidence as well.
It's a chicken and egg situation really, as the ARDS course will teach you a certain amount and is a good place to start, but you do need to be confident on a track to pass your ARDS test. It isn't so much speed that they're after, just confidence, awareness and safety. I probably drove not much faster than I would do on the road on my ARDS test, and I think even that was a bit quicker than the instructor was expecting.
Personally, I think I'd advise reading up on some of the theory, feeling for the balance of your car in the bends and thinking about all these things whilst driving your car on the road at low speed, and then taking that state of mind and those thoughts over onto the track for a trackday or two before going for the ARDS course.
Personally, my ARDS course was my first ever time on a race track and I did fine and passed. However, I'd read up a huge amount of theory beforehand, and whilst I didn't drive unsafely or illegally on the road, I was aware of the balance and the effects of my inputs whilst driving on the road so when I upped the speed on track I had less of a learning curve. Driving fast on the road is not only illegal and dangerous, but it won't actually teach you much - it's understanding the balance of the car and perfecting and understanding your control inputs that makes the difference.
Once you've passed your ARDS test, I'd strongly reccomend at least one or two test days to get comfortable in the car you'll be racing. Racing cars are a totally different kettle of fish to a road car (even those based on road cars) and you'll need to be comfortable with the responses of the car and the extra noise, feedback etc. Test days will also give you some experience with being on track with other cars, but they'll be of a different performance to you so you won't have to worry too much about them being all over you (like in a qualifying session or a race!). Get a lap timer fitted to the car, and start using it during the day so you know if you're competitive or not. It would be very downheartening to enter a race and qualify last by more than a second or so, and may put you off, so practise until you're competitive enough to confidently approach your first race. Needless to say, test at least once on the track you'll be racing on so you can get to know it, both on track and off.
If you get to know people in your championship, you may even be able to test with them and get some advice etc. I'd reccomend a circuit guide as well so you can understand the tracks before you visit them. Getting a good start isn't just about being competitive, it's about your confidence as well.
one thing to consider is how you feel under the pressure of a test. An ARDS course has that feeling even the course bit of it. If like me a "driving test" strangely causes disquiet, then I would suggest getting track familiar first. If you have a car suitable to do it, then you could do a track day or two and get some instruction - anything from a single session to the whole day. There are plenty of instructors around to help.
If you have never driven on track before, the ARDS test might be a bit over-aweing! OTOH as the prev poster said he did it ok without any prior track driving.
Bert
If you have never driven on track before, the ARDS test might be a bit over-aweing! OTOH as the prev poster said he did it ok without any prior track driving.
Bert
I like writing! Glad to be of help.If you're doing your ARDS at Silverstone you would definitely benefit from at least 1 hours worth of tuition beforehand.
As mentioned, they're not looking for speed per se, but you should be getting the basics right. They do have a very high standard.
I can highly recommend an hour or two with Simon Mason. He's a very experienced instructor, has been at Silverstone for donkey's years, and he'll immediately settle your nerves.
You can contact him via www.simonmason.com or www.motorsport-tuition.com. If you do an hour or two with him and do all of your homework (flags, etc) then you almost certainly will pass without any problems.
Not affiliated, etc, etc
As mentioned, they're not looking for speed per se, but you should be getting the basics right. They do have a very high standard.
I can highly recommend an hour or two with Simon Mason. He's a very experienced instructor, has been at Silverstone for donkey's years, and he'll immediately settle your nerves.
You can contact him via www.simonmason.com or www.motorsport-tuition.com. If you do an hour or two with him and do all of your homework (flags, etc) then you almost certainly will pass without any problems.
Not affiliated, etc, etc
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