rithsleeper

TL;dr - I'm poor, Nasa schedule doesn't go to daytona, and I need to be able to take a passenger out on track.
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I'm a poor, single school teacher with a lot of tjme and drive but little money. I make up for it with hard work and constantly learning anytime /anything I can. however, I've had some setbacks financially and mechanically for the past year and a half. I race a cheap rx7 (it7) with Scca and worked my way to an instructor for Nasa . Ive instructed for them for multiple years and my students regularly request me multiple times. I drive a heavily modded c4.

I love nasa's formula. It was my ticket to a way to prove my skills to become an instructor without being a top finisher in a competitive race class. It allowed me track time for free and access to lots of tracks. Most importantly it allowed me quality time with my father who I knew i could have him ride along once I was an instructor. He is getting older now and I'm not sure how much longer he can do this with me.

Here is the problem. I'm just about ready to join back up and get in 6-7 track weekends this upcoming year when I look at the Nasa 2017 schedule to plan and it's absolute garbage. No Daytona, no Charlotte ms, no vir, no corvette museum, and worst of all, no events during the summer when I have vacation time. I'm so bummed.

I have requested to instruct with Scca but never received an answer back and it always seems uninviting in every aspect compared to Nasa except the people I meet racing (they are just as nice and down to earth). The race marshals and tech people are always looking for something I've done wrong. Nasa I just show my pink wrist band and they trust me to know what I'm doing. I could go on for days about specifics but the point is, I can't make the break from Scca because they have race days at Charlotte ms, Daytona, etc. They don't have HPDE/pdx at those tracks though.

Thing is, I need HPDE. I do this to spend quality time with my father and love to race but want to have him with me (I also want to take friends to show them and get them involved too). Being a teacher by trade (orchestra, so it is a physical skill) I'm really good at teaching students and they love my demeanor and communication skills. I feel like most organizations would scoff at the idea I wanted to just step in and instruct despite my flawless record and continually proving my prowess to keep new drivers safe. I can't afford to drop $700 for a weekend at Daytona. And don't want to spend another year and $1000's proving myself to another small organization. Yes I can get Nasa to put in a good word for me, but I'm at a loss as to how to proceed.

I need a weekend at Daytona and need it to be affordable being an instructor. I need to be able to responsibly take passengers of my choosing onto the track in a responsible manner. I need access to a variety of tracks not just cmp and rd. Atl. Despite them being great tracks.

What are some options or advice you can lend?

63Corvette

I like Chin, Driver's Edge, Apex, and Edge Addicts. My home track is TWS, but they all run Sebriing, CoTA, etc, etc

Bill Dearborn

I suggest you contact either the Tarheel Chapter of the BMW Club or the PeachTree Chapter. Tarheel is in NC and Peachtree is in GA. The Sandlapper Chapter covers SC but I don't know how active they are in HPDEs. Which ever way you go find out what they will accept as far as your instructor qualifications. If they don't accept them then apply to go to their spring Instructor Training School. Their ITS is usually a little more intense than the typical NASA training but if you are successful that training qualifies you to instruct with other BMW Chapters and a lot of PCA Chapters around the country. If you want to talk to somebody at Tarheel email April Curtis at acurtis995@gmail.com. She is the ITS Classroom Facilitator. Tarheel does their ITS at VIR.

Bill

rithsleeper

Thank you for the reference and I'll email for more information. I wouldn't mind going through a single day/days training for a new organization. Just not a costly multiple weekend or yearly process. Bmw and pca both are pretty active but I can't help think I'd be counted out or discriminated against for not owning a corvette or a Porsche (and will never own either but have driven plenty of them). I also have use the redheadded step child of corvettes (c4 1989 even though it barely has any stock parts).

Once again my primary focus is Daytona. It's actually the whole reason I built this new engine, was to hit 175 on the banking.

FASTFATBOY

Taking passengers that aren't registered event participants is almost always a track insurance go or no go and has little to do with what Org. is running the event.

I have never heard of SCCA running a HPDE event.

All you need is a letter from the head instructor from you local NASA org and submit via e mail whenever you sign up to instruct for PCA, PBOC, CHIN or the like that you have never instructed with, most times head instructor will ring head instructor to confirm you.

I see no issues with you instructing for other Orgs, I got my PCA instructor card and I've instructed with pretty much every Org in the southeast.

FASTFATBOY

I've never, ever seen PCA or BMWCCA(or any other Org.) discriminate based on what car you had(or anything else for that matter) in the southeast. I ran a 99 Z28 for 5 years and pretty much ran with every org there is, I did cause some head scratching but otherwise they enjoyed having me.

IMO you don't need to take any other kind of instructor school, see my post above.

raff

SCCA- Central Florida Region runs several PDX events a year at Daytona
http://www.cfrscca.org/?page_id=4142

Might try contacting one of the PDX officials:
http://www.cfrscca.org/?page_id=87

Also try contacting (Rob) bosco022 on the forum -- he's pretty knowledgeable when it comes to Daytona

Good Luck.

Bill Dearborn

BMW doesn't care if you have a BMW. You just join the club and you are welcomed. Their ITS is usually 2 days. The first day is role playing with a Senior instructor assigned to the student as a mentor. The student is exposed to the World's worst students (Novice through Advanced). There is a fair amount of classroom time as well. On the second day they finish the role playing and then send you out with another Senior instructor who you are supposed to instruct. How well you do in that session determines whether or not you become an instructor. It isn't easy and some people who don't make it are provided added training to the point they can pass the evaluation.

As for taking riders instructors can take anybody who signs the waiver for rides.

Bill

brkntrxn

Create an Instructor and Driver Resume, complete with references from head instructors or event organizers at the organizations with which you have instructed. It goes a long ways to starting off the conversations on the right foot. Shoot me a PM if you want to see an example of mine.


-Kevin

lobsterroboto

SCCA PDX & SCCA Track night in American are more or less HPDE events.

SouthernSon

As suggested, try CHIN, 10/10ths motorsports and the NCM. They all run the NCM MSP track that you mentioned. Personally, I have found the NCM MSP track one of the best to give a passenger some hot laps. TracksUnlimited is a good one for the AMP track in Dawsonville, also. Have you looked at Motorsport Reg. for scheduled events at the various tracks?

BEZ06

Well....there are no freebies at Daytona - even for instructors!! Generally it's $500 for an instructor to register for the 3 or 4 Daytona HPDE's I instruct at with several different groups.

However, I just looked at the Performance Driving Group site and they have the Oct 6-8, 2017 event listed (although I don't think registration is open yet), and instructor registration is listed as $300 for next year to instruct for the 3-day event.

PDG is run by forum member Henry Gilbert (forum ID: sgsvette ) so I recommend you forward him your instructor resume and see if he will let you instruct for his group. He may require previous experience at Daytona, so you should just expect to pay the full $$$ to run an event in just a solo status for a weekend to gain that experience. If you haven't run Daytona before, some of the organizing groups require even experienced track drivers to have a coach ride with you for a few laps just to make sure you know the normal track stuff (how to get on/off the track, flag stations, passing zones, line, track protocol, etc., etc.).

I believe Henry's PDG will allow you to carry a passenger even if you aren't instructing.

Daytona is much more expensive to run than most any other track (except COTA), and has been about $600 for one day this year, $1000 2 days, $1200 for 3 days - and next year will probably be even higher.

SCCA PDX events at Sebring generally only run 1/2 of track, and PDX's at Daytona for a number of years only ran the infield, but this year they ran the full Rolex 24 roadcourse which includes virtually the entire tri-oval and banking - but they limited it to only SCCA PDX solo qualified drivers, so probably didn't even need any instructors.

Same thing for an event coming up in April next year. Check out the thread below for info. In previous years they have run a novice group and I instructed for them (but still had to pay the normal registration fee), but April 2017 will only be advanced solo drivers so no instructors needed. However, it's a 2-day event for a pretty good price of $700. They will let solo drivers take passengers - passengers have to pay $20, sign a waiver, and get a wristband.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-7-2017-a.html


Bottom line - you have to pay to play at Daytona!! And I would suggest you attend an event as just an intermediate or advanced driver to get track experience, which most organizations will like to see to have you instruct there.

.

Bill32

We've been running a Time Trials, Club Trials and PDX for at least 10 years (Reno Region). And we usually run an instructors school in the beginning of the year.

FASTFATBOY

What is PDX and club trials?

PaConehead

PDX is Performance Driving Experience - the SCCA version of HPDE; Club Trials = Time Trials

FASTFATBOY

Gotcha, we dont have that in the southeast.

raff

Wait a sec --- Daytona's in the southeast

SCCA- Central Florida Region runs several PDX events a year at Daytona
http://www.cfrscca.org/?page_id=4142

FASTFATBOY

GA, AL, LA

Barber, Road Atlanta, NOLA...never heard of any SCCA events like this other than TNIA at these tracks.

UrbanKnight

As BEZ06 said- PDG and HOD are the two organizations that are generally "affordable" to instruct at at daytona...

davidfarmer

NASA is running VIR 4x next year, same as always. Mid-Atlantic region. PCA has a great DE program, as does BMWCCA. MUCH better than NASA, and they actually have something you should appreciate....a curriculum.

I love NASA's formula also, DE, TT, W2W, but if your focus is instructing there are better places to hang out.

As mentioned before, build a resume and contact the chief instructor. There are a lot more instructors our there than their used to be, but I regularly get emails from short-handed clubs. You should need to spread yourself out more, so people can find you.