I'm daydreaming at the mo.......

After doing the 1st Lotus day I quite fancy learning how to become someone that can train people how to handle a car.

I may do it in my spare time at first

I have no idea where to start. I could make contact with Andy Walsh @ 1st Lotus but I think he is hard to get hold of.

Anyone any ideas where to start/where to look?

I'm guessing if you were learning/doing it full time it'd take at least 4 years??

And cost IRO

 

Don Palmer? he's a coach as well as driving coach, and may be able to help you realise your life dream

 

might send him an e-mail (if nothing comes up here)

I'm guessing..
IAM
ROSPA
Class 1 racing drivers licence

and I think there's a DoT cert you need. Probably driving instructor + another

No doubt other stuff as well

 

Moggy, IMO there is no substitute for experience. I am sure if you had driven cars to their limits all of your life you would really know what it is that we learnt at 1stLotus and how to teach it. How good you will be as an instructuctor, well that is another question altogether.

 

Well I've driven cars past their limits

Ahh yes Rahul, but as you know in this day & age you need a certificate for everything.

I remember Andy saying he needed a 2nd in command but said it was very difficult to find people with the nescessary experience AND qualifications.

 

If you want to become a ski instructor you have to attend certain courses, pass exams etc and then you can teach kiddies. If you want to teach the Olympic team then you have to have a feck load of experience to get the job.

Apply this to car driving:

Anyone with a bit of driving ability can take the necessary lessons, sit exams etc to become a driving instructor. To be a particularly good one you need patience etc.

To become a sports car instructor you need a feck load of ability on top of that. Andy is an ex-Benetton F1 test driver and Don has been a test driver for some big names. They trade on their abilities (although you have to prise Andy's histroy out of him - he's very modest!) . No offence Moggy, but if you were that good Andy would have encouraged you.

There are some superb drivers on this board (MarkB, Noony, LB, Pete Lupton, Scooby etc) but I doubt any of them would put their hand up and say they had the sheer raw talent to do what Andy and Don do. Funny that though, those same guys are on the ones who never say things like "I was powersliding around a roundabout this morning" etc etc....

Not a go at you Moggy, never even see you drive - just playing the statistics game i.e. if you have not got a trophy cupboard yet then perhaps being an advanced driving instructor is about as high as anyone can aim, not that is anything to be ashamed about at all

 

no offence taken

no harm in learning and trying though-even if it's just a hobby

Maybe (forced to) that's the route I should take. Anything extra will then be a bonus

 

Interesting one Craig.

Plenty of top coaches never made it to the top in their sport. If they played seriously at all.

And how about art teachers - not too many Turners and Hockneys down your local college.

I would emphasise the ability to communicate over personal technical ability, but I'm not speaking from experience in driving instruction.

 

Andy or Don, were never on the podium either though gad - TEST drivers Almost but no cigar, however still probably further up the driving chain than many of us

 

Hi Moggy, I'm thinking exactly the same about rally driving at the moment. I marshal at rallys and every time I go, I think I wish I could do this !