dmg.med

I've had my S2000 for about a month now and in that time have mostly looked like something like whilst driving.

This was quite an upgrade for me (my previous car was a 1.2 Renault Clio) and considering this the transition to RWD has been relatively natural. However, I can see that with a bit more wet weather and my increasing enthusiam for the car there are going to be a few more moments.

I'd really like some advice on advanced driving courses. I'm in the South-East region but would be prepared to travel. Does it have any influence over your insurance premium and if so roughly how much (I'm 25 and the insurance on this thing bloody hurts)?

I'm sure I've got more questions but I'll wait and see what your collected wisdom throws up.

Cheers

David

wadswoaj

Do a search on Don Palmer...... he does a highly recommended driving course. Also look for Heyford Academy Day..... an airfield day where you can get to feel the limits of the car with risk to life or licence!

MarkB

Hi David, I meant to reply to this yesterday but work is mental at the moment (and driving me mental).

There are two ways you can learn to be a better driver in the S2000, learning to handle the car and learning to read the road.
there are plenty of places you can chuck your car around under the watchful eye of a professional. As a Don Palmer graduate I can highly recommend his tuition, he has helped me on the road and on the racetrack, both with new car control skills but also in mental preperation (important for racing and when the red mist descends on the road).
An Academy day with Motorsport Events is a good starting point if you've never taken the car on the track before, them maybe a track or airfield day with some tuition. Most track day companies do Novice days, but stick to the recommended people (Motorsport Events, Bookatrack, RMA, Goldtrack).

But one thing which I find invaluable in a car which doesn't like sudden driver inputs is the ability to read the road. Prevention is better than cure, and by learning to read the road ahead (and behind) you will avoid getting into a situation where car control (or the lack of it) becomes an issue. There are several ways to learn this, a specialised course, run by ex-police instuctors such as Ride Drive will teach you not only how to read the road situation ahead, but to make faster progress without increasing your speed (you have to do the course to understand, but it really does enable you to cover distance quicker). Alternatively, the Institute of Advanced Motorists or RoSPA do one-to-one coaching for drivers with volunteer coaches (look in the phone book for your nearest centre) - not all their advice is to everyones taste but they do give good tuition in anticipation and awareness.

If you take both routes, improving you car control and your road sense, you'll find owning an S2000 becomes more and more rewarding the more you learn.

Hope this helps.

MarkB

BTW - speaking of Ride Drive, a good place to start with some free 'common sense' driving advice is here.

The airbags section will make you wince......

RichUK

Hi David

Welcome to the world of the S2000.

Why not sign up for the Academy Day on the 24th May? This will be my first track day and I've signed up for reasons similiar to yours. For

W6DAN

I hadn't seen this before - very informative and useful info.
Thanks, Mark.

dmg.med

Thanks for the advice - exactly what I was after.
Initially I want to improve my road driving - I've seen the end result of a few crashes up close and personal due to work and its not pretty. The track day is tempting though . . .

RichUK as for the Oxfordshire Mini-meet - although my home home is Oxford I'm currently working on the South Coast [the day we passed just outside Cheltenham I was visiting my girlfriend]. Last I saw they hadn't decided on a venue - do you have any further info? and is it definitely confirmed for the 31st May now?

Moggy

I am doing advanced driver lessons at the moment. Well worth doing, its only 70 quid or so for 6 lessons (3 hr ish each) and the test

i have done two lessons up to now and feel I am driving better for it. Its more about observation than anything.

I'd advise everyone to do it

Next step after that will be to do the academy day (July one hopefully)

dmg.med

Moggy, who did you arrange your lessons through?

- David

Ade

Hi David, welcome to the board,

if you're interested there are a few of us doing an Academy Day on the 24th of May. It's a good way of getting to know the car better in a safe and friendly environment. You can throw the car around without any fear of damage. It'll set you back only