TO SCHEDULE STEP 1:
Email events@autointerests.com ahead of time to schedule this at an event you will be attending. We prefer and highly recommend scheduling this in advance so we can guarantee a time slot for this to happen. If not pre-scheduled, please visit Hospitality to inquire if possible same day.
STEP 1: We will set up a mock "meet your student" and in-car setup for Instructor Candidates as STEP 1 to becoming an instructor. Your "student" will be someone who is role-playing a student and giving you a realistic personality and situation that could happen to you while instructing.
The following instruction process is an excerpt from our Instructor Manual and is what we expect our Instructors to do during their initial meet and greet and prior to their student's first on-track session.
Introduce yourself to your student(s) for the day, we encourage you to meet with them immediately following the first classroom session and establish a rapport to facilitate comfortable and open communication.
- Get the student to talk about him/herself, what is their occupation/background
- Understand their goals for the day and things they want to learn – if they have not added any skills to their Hotlist in the learning system, help them to choose 2-3 items (the skills in all driver hotlists will be utilized in the classroom to tailor lessons based on what drivers are actually working on today!)
- Get a feeling for the student’s attitude, instill humility if needed
- Find out their knowledge and skill level (any previous car control, autocross or motorsports experience)
- Listen carefully and use the information gathered to tailor your approach in working with the student
- Use humor to relax the situation or break the ice if needed
- Setup a ride-along for them in your vehicle or another instructor’s
- Show interest in the student’s vehicle and understand as much as you can about it
The following items are covered in the first classroom session:
- Flags and signals
- Passing zones
- Mental preparation, removing distractions, focusing on what you are here to learn and experience
- Seating position, mirrors, safety restraints/equipment
- Reiteration that there are no timed laps, podium, etc. and that this is a learning environment where each driver will go at the pace they are comfortable with
- Advising the drivers to use the first lap of each session to verify corner worker stations, evaluate track conditions and warm up
- Setting expectations for the first in-car session as described below
Before beginning the first in-car session with your student, be sure to cover these items:
- Review safety restraints and ensure proper use
- Confirm helmet is Snell SA2010 or newer and chin strap secured
- Ensure student has proper seating position to reach the steering wheel and pedals effectively
- Ensure all distractions are removed from the vehicle, Bluetooth phone disconnected, no lap timers, loose items removed, etc.