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07-30-2008, 02:41 PM
catchacab wrote:
Maybe...More I think we've traditionally been a little more conservative with run group promotions compared to some other clubs. We take the responsibility of promotions very seriously because, for example, if someone gets promoted to white and runs with other groups, they may never see an instructor again. This is also why sometimes you'll see the white run group blitz, where instructors jump in all of the cars -- just to take a checkpoint to make sure everything is going right.
I was at a NASA Northeast/PDA event where the group 2 guys, essentially blue, are mostly non-instructed. It drove me nuts because I only had 1 student in group 1 and I ended up riding with several group 2 guys just to try to help keep them safe, and teaching them very very basic stuff. I saw one guy spin twice without an instructor, and felt a responsibility to ride with him -- I think most PCA instructors would do the same thing.
Each club has their own culture -- NASA is very racing oriented, and many guys that go through that program start racing relatively early in their career. I was a little different -- I didn't do my first race until I had well over 100 days at the track. I think most SCCA/NASA racers have far less experience before their first race. Most PCA racers I know learned to drive in PCA DE.
SCCA can be the same way -- you can get a racing license after doing a 3-day Bertil Roos school. Many people start racing without having the experience of even our blue or white drivers.
Quote:Maybe the problem is we (including me) are too concerned about speed.
Maybe...More I think we've traditionally been a little more conservative with run group promotions compared to some other clubs. We take the responsibility of promotions very seriously because, for example, if someone gets promoted to white and runs with other groups, they may never see an instructor again. This is also why sometimes you'll see the white run group blitz, where instructors jump in all of the cars -- just to take a checkpoint to make sure everything is going right.
I was at a NASA Northeast/PDA event where the group 2 guys, essentially blue, are mostly non-instructed. It drove me nuts because I only had 1 student in group 1 and I ended up riding with several group 2 guys just to try to help keep them safe, and teaching them very very basic stuff. I saw one guy spin twice without an instructor, and felt a responsibility to ride with him -- I think most PCA instructors would do the same thing.
Each club has their own culture -- NASA is very racing oriented, and many guys that go through that program start racing relatively early in their career. I was a little different -- I didn't do my first race until I had well over 100 days at the track. I think most SCCA/NASA racers have far less experience before their first race. Most PCA racers I know learned to drive in PCA DE.
SCCA can be the same way -- you can get a racing license after doing a 3-day Bertil Roos school. Many people start racing without having the experience of even our blue or white drivers.