[s-cars] RE: Who's in charge?

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

Instructing at any level, our best hope is that being in CHARGE means that
the car is always in CONTROL.  Control, at the limit of adhesion, seems
oxymoronicly ascribed to the right seat without pedals or wheels.  Think of the old
"buddy" system of drivers ed, where there was a steering wheel and a brake on
both sides of the car.  That's the only situation that I can think of where a
loss of control can be faulted to the "charge" in the right seat.  Short of
that, keeping a keen tune to the tightness of the wheel nut is a bit of skill and
a bit of luck.  IMO/E exponentially more of both required as we find higher
HP/skill ratios with the latest of street wheeled arsenals.

Many of the schools below take active measures and approaches to keep the nut
behind the wheel:  Tight.  It doesn't take "Danger Ranger" to go off track or
have a crash, we watch the pros do it every single week on ESPN.  Those are
pros at the limit of adhesion with optimal chassis and skills.  I don't think
you'd find much agreement on your position in any instructional setting, and I
know you won't find it at Barber or Roos.  Cars are balled up all the time,
ask anyone that has been there, credit card charged for that = "you're in charge
and charged, whomever was in the right seat".  After my incident last year, I
just consider it pretty good that I've been pretty lucky for so long.

My .02

Former something
SJ



In a message dated 10/24/2003 12:42:44 AM Central Daylight Time,
steadi at comcast.net writes:

Bullshit,

20 years of racing and instructing for race schools like Skip Barber, Bertil
Roos and Fast company give me the right to say that.

As the instructor YOU are in charge, In charge of the driver and in charge
of the car.  I can Spot a "Danger Ranger" in 2 seconds then it's time to put
on the choke chain.

NEVER ONCE in all those years have I ever had a student get out of control
with me, EVER.