I have done novice instruction at our autocrosses, most recently a little more than a week ago.
I enjoy it.
My main goals:
Make them feel welcome.
Show them how to buckle a helmet.
Cover the operational basics–how to grid, line up for start, find the course, drive smoothly, etc.
Not overwhelm them.
Make sure they're having fun.
Make sure they know that more help is waiting for them.
Let them know how to find the next event.
In reply to bobzilla :
For me it's swapping wheels/tires. Everything else I do at home before the event, so empty out the car, put on the numbers, mount for the garmin catalyst etc. So minimal really but I still need some time for the wheels/tires...
It's been a while, but I really liked seeing the "aha" moment for those students where it finally clicked and they could string the corners together in some semblance of a good lap, and seeing the anxiety wash away when they realized that they were doing OK.
My best student was a woman who had been accompanying her boyfriend to the track for years and finally decided to drive herself. She had a GTI with an automatic. Smooth, in control, and got faster every session. Not phased at all when it started to rain. Huge smiles at the end of the day!
Scariest moment was a "young" kid with a supercharged(!) E46 M3. Had done one previous HPDE at Watkins Glen. At a tight track like NHMS, though, that car was too fast and you could barely get a word out about car placement for the next corner, when the next corner arrived. Student kept talking to himself, too. I was ready to bail out if I heard a third voice on my intercom thingy.
Hoping to get back into instructing through the Teen Street Survival program, especially since my own kid turns 16 later this month and will be getting his permit.
It's been a while, but I have instructed at Street Survival a few times and found it very rewarding.
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