naishou

We were discussing advanced driving courses recently. Well I just did the ultimate advanced driving course. I'd recommend it to anyone who really wants to know how to drive fast and safely. Two days of pretty serious stuff with Peter Finlay's racing school in Sydney. A surprising amount of the course was applicable to road driving - the usual braking exercises and stuff but scaled up to higher speeds and more challenging. Naturally though the best part of the course was learning how to corner, and brake into corners. The instructors are totally awesome drivers. They just jump into your car and take off, and their first lap is faster and smoother than anything you can manage, trust me. At the end of the course though you should be as quick as them if not as consistent. All of them are very experienced racers and great guys. The whole atmosphere of the course was really encouraging and positive.

At the end of the second day there is a mini qualifying session and 5 lap race from a standing start. I was in the WRX (now has R-compounds, Whiteline swaybars and anti-lift kit, but otherwise standard) up against a Porsche GT3, Ferrari F355 F1, Subaru STi, Holden V8s and other pretty serious stuff including 2 purpose build sedan racecars on slicks. Put the WRX on pole and got swallowed up off the line by the GT3 next to me, but passed him under brakes into the final corner of the first lap, then it was all over. Won the race by 10 seconds. Awesome, my little Subie has won its first and probably last race I'm doing the Formula Ford course tomorrow, and that should be awesome. Sorry for the pointless post - just had to gloat.

By the way I know that Caver is doing this course soon. See if you can get the S2000 close to 53.06 seconds on the short course. That was my qualifying lap but it wasn't my best.

Caver

Very interesting.

That sounds fast (is it ) I doubt I can do that, I'm a bit of a newbie.

Do you think my stock pads and fluid will hold up or should I change it?

naishou

If your pads are more than half worn you will be in danger of using them up in the two days. If not, fine (hopefully, but have spares just in case). You may get some fade on stock pads (I did at Wakefield) but you just back off - it's no big deal. You will still outbrake 95% of what is out there. Make sure your fluid is fairly new especially if you drive in the rain. Less than 6 months old DOT-4 should be fine. Change it if in doubt - it's very cheap and easy with a bleeding hose from K-Mart and fluid from same.

Bernie

Naishou

You paddled the butt of a GT3 around a circuit?
Was it because the guy couldn't drive or he was afraid of damaging his beautiful car?

not questioning your driving ability but I've driven an awful lot of fast cars and the GT3 is one of the quickest and most capable cars I've driven

naishou

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bernie
[B]Naishou

You paddled the butt of a GT3 around a circuit?

Bernie

The Formula Fords are awesome. I would have thought they would have had more than a 2 to 3 second advantage over the WRX.

I haven't had the privilege myself. Are they as hard and uncomfortable as people say?

naishou

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bernie
[B]The Formula Fords are awesome. I would have thought they would have had more than a 2 to 3 second advantage over the WRX.

MyYellowHonda

Have you heard anything about the Peter Finlay's car control course?

I've only been driving for afew years and i want to do a defensive driving course very soon. So the basic "car control course" would be more suited for me i think... would you recommend any other defensive driving courses/schools? I'd also want to use my own car, and i live in NSW. The things i'd like to work on mostly are cornering, braking etc, NOT racing

AusS2000

HART (Honda Advanced Roadcraft Training) do their Risk Reduction course up at St Ives (old Police driver training school). You could contact HART directly or join the HSCC and do a course with other S2000/Type R owners.

naishou

I would recommend Peter Finlay's school. The tuition was of a high standard and the instructors were good people to learn from. I've also done good car control courses at the Transport Industries Skills Centre near Queanbeyan which were good value. I haven't done the HART course so can't compare but if Aus says it's good I'm sure it is.