Driving Fast

Yesterday I spent the day at PIR (Portland International Raceway) teaching a High Performance Driving School put on by Prodrive.  Check out their website at www.prodrive.net  We had 30 students that we split up into 3 groups of 10.  Each student gets 5 sessions on track with an instructor.  The types of cars we get for these classes cover the full spectrum…from exotic sports cars to muscle cars and normal daily drivers all the way to the occasional SUV. 

Yesterday we had 2 Lamborghini Gallardo’s, a Ferrari 355, 2 Lotus Exige’s, several Porsche’s (including a 996 turbo and a GT3), a couple of Corvette’s, Mustang’s, 2 of the spectacular new Nissan GTR’s and even a Saab 993 and a Honda Civic.  Fun day!  It’s really fun to bring your car to a racetrack and see what you are capable of doing (and not capable of doing) in it.  Prodrive is the BEST when it comes to having experienced race driver instrutors who really help the students get the most out of their cars and the day. 

The day started out wet, which makes driving a high powered car on the track a real challenge.  We had our share of slides and skids, but no incidents.  As the day wore on, the track dried out and the speeds increased.  Then brake-fade and tire wear became an issue for a few of the students, but nothing that we couldn’t handle.  If you have never been in or around a Ferrari or Lamborghini when it’s engine is screaming at full song, you don’t know what you’re missing.

My wife brought our kids out to watch for a while and have lunch with us.  Alex really likes to see and hear the fast cars going around the track (as do I). 

When I got seriously involved in racing, back in 1999, I really changed as a street driver.  I became much more aware of my surroundings, other drivers and my own cars limitations.  I also slowed down to the speed limit.  I got my need for speed satisfied on the track, not the street.  Having taught skid-car classes and racing schools for 8 years now, I highly recommend you take some driver training yourself and send your kids through as well.  The overall lack of knowledge and driving skill in the general population is shocking.  Most people get away with poor habits most of their lives, only to have those habits bite them when the conditions or situation is just right.  In my opinion, people don’t take driving seriously enough.  Millions of accidents each year in the U.S. alone proves me right.  The number one cause of accidents?  Inattention.  People just don’t pay much attention to what they are doing, and because they get away with it most of the time, they don’t care to change.  I drive around the Portland Metro area a lot, and not a single day goes by that I am not completely appalled by some drivers lack of attention to what’s going on.

I am asking you to be an ACTIVE driver.  Pay attention.  Live’s really do depend on you at least being aware of what you are doing.  You don’t have to become a race car driver and work on your skills for years, but you do owe it to yourself and your family to at least be an ACTIVE driver, NOT a passive one.  It doesn’t take much attention or skill to get from point A to point B, so most people don’t give it much thought.  Learn to drive a race car or motorcycle, and you will be forced to pay better attention and learn  some things. 

As a parent, my own opinions opinions about driving now are much stonger than they were before I had kids.  I want to teach them properly, and I want them to be safe on the road.  Teenagers get into the most accidents of any age group.  The reason is because teens are emotional, impulsive, aggressive, apt to show-off to their buddies, and lack experience and judgement skills compared to older and more accomplished drivers. 

Not that all adults are accomplished drivers themselves, most are not.  I am often amazed at how some adults get through their daily commutes when I really see their behind-the-wheel skills.  Driving, really driving well like in a high performance situation does not come naturally.  It takes skills which require learning, practice, feedback and more practice.  Racing drivers practice all the time, working on minute details of braking, cornering, vision, anticipation, car control, set up, feel, etc.  It takes years of training to become a competitive racing driver, yet amazingly nearly all adults (most of whom have little or NO real training) consider themselves to be excellent drivers.  I am not going to let my own children live in such delusion.  They are going to learn how to drive right, and spend a lot of time in classes and at the track honing their skills.  There is too much at stake to leave it to chance and luck.

Whether you want to get that serious or not, there is a driver training class that will make you a better driver.  Check out Prodrive’s website and look at the classes they offer.  www.prodrive.net  Maybe I will see you at the track sometime!