Car Control-How is it taught?

[catchacab]

I have been watching this thread for a while and there have been many excellent posts. 

I feel the best way to learn car control is to lose control and learn how to regain control in a controlled and safe environment.  I don't feel that this can be done safely at most tracks and can not be done during a normal DE run group.  The place for this is at a very large skid pad.  The skid pad should be large enough that we can be able to get up to a high rate of speed, induce oversteer, understeer, four wheel drifts and have plenty of room to regain control.  For those who have been to Bondauant, their skid pad/autocross/lane change area is what I have in mind.   Here we can learn what our cars feel like at their true limit, without the fear of hitting something.   Summit Point recently completed a new skid pad that is about 500ftx2500ft. 

Personally, I feel most of us just drive fast at DEs.  We learn the basics about how to control our cars, but as was said in a previous post we don't really learn car control at the limit.  There are many in our group that are excellent drivers and have far superior skills and instinct than I will ever have (I will not mention names), who have mastered car control at the limit and can learn at practice it at a DE, but they are the exception and not the rule. 

I am not and will never be the fastest driver.  For me DE is learning how to drive better and faster.  I like to take baby steps in advancing in speed and skill.  The most important thing for me is to come home unhurt, and without a large repair bill.  So, I will move up the run groups slower, and slower cars will pass me. 

It would benefit our club and the region if a facility similar to Boundarant's skid pad areas was developed.  Not only could our club use it, but we could create defensive driving courses, courses in car control, host AX, etc.  We could provide services to local law enforcement, high school based DE programs, MADD, driving schools, and more.

Speaking of Boundarant, with my associate being pregnant this past year, and having to work many more hours, I wasn't able to attend as many DEs as I would have liked to.  I have been suffering from serious DE withdrawal.  So I am planning on going to Boundarant in either March or April.  Anyone want to come?