Track day student/instructor stories

ABenLauda · 12-13-2020, 08:58 PM

Track peeps,

Any interesting (oh shite/wtf/cringe/facepalm/roll eyes/smh/funny/crazy moments) student/instructor stories?

Suds · 12-18-2020, 06:41 PM

My first track day as a student driving a C6 Vette.
In 4th gear I would reach 150 mph on the front straight at Texas World Speedway at redline.
On one lap I shifted into 5th and was well over 160, my instructor said, just stay in 4th.

MaynardZed · 12-22-2020, 07:15 PM

I instructed a new driver in a 600hp Viper.

He had one leg.

All Vipers are manual.

True story.

NYG · 12-23-2020, 01:30 AM

How about a C6Z flat through the esses @ VIR with no aero and 3Rs?

Luckily no one got injured.

AustinTrkJunkie · 12-23-2020, 07:49 PM

Many, my instructing favs include:

1) TWS CW, student mentioned before we rolled that he had a heart condition. Coming up over the hill (remember, CW, not CCW) he basically let go of the wheel. First and only time I've ever grabbed a students wheel. All ended well.

2) Pantera race car with with NASCAR motor. Net, no one else - Sam looking at you - would take him as a student. Full race car, but the passenger seat had the cage halfway between the door and my balls. Outlap, get to turn 4 there's an explosion, student brings the car to a stop at the inside of T4 with smoke filling the cabin. If there was ever a race to get the fock out of a car, that was it!

Those are my favs as an instructor, COTA has a different take, speed without consequence. TWS was totally unforgiving...sort of miss that level of fear

FormulaMMM · 12-28-2020, 07:04 AM

Sent a buddy out for a first solo session after instructing. he fired up some recently downloaded lap timer apparently requiring calibration or a better signal.

Walked up triumphantly after the session with a set of lap times maybe 10 seconds faster than reality.

Had to kindly explain that no, he was not 3-4 seconds off the Viper ACR track record on day 1 solo session 1, with nannies fully engaged, on P Zeros.

Took some convincing, too...

"Are you sure?? Because here's the list of times and I feel like..."

"Dude, I'm sure. Sorry."

bimmerboyE92 · 01-06-2021, 09:16 AM

You guys are lucky... usually all I say to my students is the gas is on the right. Gas, gas, gas, gas, gas. And let's give this car (or entire train of cars) behind us a point by.

PS - I accept tips! LOL

FaRKle! · 01-06-2021, 11:23 AM

I had an elderly gentlemen (65-75) as an instructor at Laguna Seca once. Went through the day normally, nothing remarkable, and I liked that he'd push me to be faster in certain areas to improve.

Last session of the day he had me pit because something "felt off" about him, to him. I was asking if I wasn't being smooth enough here or there, ect., but he said my driving was fine and he just felt weird. After a bit we went back out, did one lap, and on the lap after that right after coming out of T4 he yells "STOP THE CAR!"

I'm going through my OODA loop at this point thinking, "Do I really stop on this straight between T4/T5? Do I take the emergency exit at T5 entry? Do I feel anything wrong with the car?" And right as I decide that there isn't some gross mechanical failure or other emergency that really warrants me stopping or pulling off the track early versus just cruising the rest of the way around and pitting the instructor throws up all over my car! That wasn't fun to clean up the dash/door/seat in the parking lot. Thank God I had weathertech floor liners at least.

This instructor had also forgotten to put on his seatbelt twice in the day and the car caught it while exiting the pits with its beeping. I always check my passengers' belts now.

Elizabethhaynes · 04-18-2022, 01:02 PM

I have an interesting story; when I was doing classes, I stopped for the instructor to buy water, I didn't notice how the instructor didn't get on with me, and I left; after 20 minutes of driving, I realized I had left the instructor at the shed, and my phone went dead. To see the instructor's face waiting for me was very irritated.

DavidBain · 08-15-2022, 10:35 AM

I didn't pass my driving class on my first attempt and when I had my second attempt I made an unfortunate "let's do it live" joke. Needless to say, I passed on my third attempt... I even wrote about this funny case in an article about helping othershttps://samplius.com/free-essay-exam...elping-others/ on a student free essay samples resource. It's important to understand that everyone has their own sense of humor.

khcoaching · 08-25-2022, 11:37 AM

This may have been me in the right seat a few times.....

Jeff80 · 08-29-2022, 10:58 AM

Coming over the blind hill at 8 into "The Bitch" CCW at Hallett. Student has been great all day and we're in the last session. Just decides to take a hard left while coming over the hill. Passenger side right into the wall. Says.... "woopsie daisy".

RiceJames · 05-19-2023, 06:35 AM

It's better not to tell anyone about my first day as a student on the track, it was just awful, I can remember all the red, but the others did quite well. Student share, in general, showed such a level at the first lesson that I thought it was the instructors who went to the track, to be honest, when I found out that it was still students, I generally fell on the spot ashamed of my level. It's good that the next lessons improved my level, so I felt more confident than the first time.

12-13-2020, 08:58 PM	#1
ABenLauda Second Lieutenant 371 Rep 280 Posts Drives: 2020 M4 CS Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Dallas, TX iTrader: (0)	Track day student/instructor stories Track peeps, Any interesting (oh shite/wtf/cringe/facepalm/roll eyes/smh/funny/crazy moments) student/instructor stories? __________________ [SOLD] 2020 ///M4 CS Last edited by ABenLauda; 12-13-2020 at 09:14 PM..
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12-18-2020, 06:41 PM	#2
Suds /M Enthusiast 1599 Rep 1,618 Posts Drives: Responsiblish Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lone Star State iTrader: (1)	My first track day as a student driving a C6 Vette. In 4th gear I would reach 150 mph on the front straight at Texas World Speedway at redline. On one lap I shifted into 5th and was well over 160, my instructor said, just stay in 4th. __________________ 2019 M2 Comp, Alpine White, DCT, track car build, 1/2 cage, AP Racing Brakes & Nitron Coilovers, BM3 Stage 1 93 Oct. 2018 Porsche Cayman GTS, Night Blue Metalic, PDK, COBB tuned 93 Oct. 2004 Audi A4 Avant USP 6mt, RS4 clutch, built motor, Garrett GT3071r "Big Ass Turbo" Motoza Tune
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12-22-2020, 07:15 PM	#3
MaynardZed Lieutenant Colonel 1231 Rep 1,789 Posts Drives: wife crazy Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Phoenix iTrader: (0) Garage List 2019 Ford Raptor [0.00] 2016 Porsche 991.1 ... [0.00] 1987 Chevy Camaro I ... [0.00] 1972 Chevy Corvette [0.00] 1999 BMW M3 race car [0.00]	I instructed a new driver in a 600hp Viper. He had one leg. All Vipers are manual. True story. __________________ Road course laptimes for BMW M4 2015 6MT WHP East Track: 1:04.880, Arizona Motorsports Park: 1:54.352 Road course laptimes for Porsche 911 991.1 GTS 7MT WHP East Track: 1:02.770, Arizona Motorsports Park: 1:48.889 Last edited by MaynardZed; 12-22-2020 at 09:09 PM..
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12-23-2020, 01:30 AM	#4
NYG Brigadier General 10731 Rep 3,686 Posts Drives: Audi R8 Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Brooklyn, NY iTrader: (0)	How about a C6Z flat through the esses @ VIR with no aero and 3Rs? Luckily no one got injured.
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12-23-2020, 07:49 PM	#5
AustinTrkJunkie Lieutenant 336 Rep 591 Posts Drives: '22 M340i Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Round Rock, TX iTrader: (6)	Many, my instructing favs include: 1) TWS CW, student mentioned before we rolled that he had a heart condition. Coming up over the hill (remember, CW, not CCW) he basically let go of the wheel. First and only time I've ever grabbed a students wheel. All ended well. 2) Pantera race car with with NASCAR motor. Net, no one else - Sam looking at you - would take him as a student. Full race car, but the passenger seat had the cage halfway between the door and my balls. Outlap, get to turn 4 there's an explosion, student brings the car to a stop at the inside of T4 with smoke filling the cabin. If there was ever a race to get the fock out of a car, that was it! Those are my favs as an instructor, COTA has a different take, speed without consequence. TWS was totally unforgiving...sort of miss that level of fear
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12-28-2020, 07:04 AM	#6
FormulaMMM Brigadier General 3663 Rep 3,422 Posts Drives: E90 M3 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Midwest iTrader: (2)	Sent a buddy out for a first solo session after instructing. he fired up some recently downloaded lap timer apparently requiring calibration or a better signal. Walked up triumphantly after the session with a set of lap times maybe 10 seconds faster than reality. Had to kindly explain that no, he was not 3-4 seconds off the Viper ACR track record on day 1 solo session 1, with nannies fully engaged, on P Zeros. Took some convincing, too... "Are you sure?? Because here's the list of times and I feel like..." "Dude, I'm sure. Sorry." __________________ M4 GTS, GT3, C63 S \| E90 M3s, E39 M5
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01-06-2021, 09:16 AM	#7
bimmerboyE92 Captain 412 Rep 737 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Louisville, KY iTrader: (4) Garage List 2001 Miata NB K24Z3 [0.00] 1990 Miata NA 1.8 VVT [0.00] 1995 BMW M3 [0.00] 2016 BMW M3 [0.00]	You guys are lucky... usually all I say to my students is the gas is on the right. Gas, gas, gas, gas, gas. And let's give this car (or entire train of cars) behind us a point by. PS - I accept tips! LOL __________________ F80 build journal E36 build journal Miata NB K24Z3 build Miata NA 1.8VVT build
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01-06-2021, 11:23 AM	#8
FaRKle! Brigadier General 4016 Rep 3,539 Posts Drives: 328d Wagon, M2 Comp, i4 eD35 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2023 BMW i4 eDrive 35 [0.00] 2017 BMW 328dx Wagon [0.00] 2021 BMW M2 Competi ... [0.00]	I had an elderly gentlemen (65-75) as an instructor at Laguna Seca once. Went through the day normally, nothing remarkable, and I liked that he'd push me to be faster in certain areas to improve. Last session of the day he had me pit because something "felt off" about him, to him. I was asking if I wasn't being smooth enough here or there, ect., but he said my driving was fine and he just felt weird. After a bit we went back out, did one lap, and on the lap after that right after coming out of T4 he yells "STOP THE CAR!" I'm going through my OODA loop at this point thinking, "Do I really stop on this straight between T4/T5? Do I take the emergency exit at T5 entry? Do I feel anything wrong with the car?" And right as I decide that there isn't some gross mechanical failure or other emergency that really warrants me stopping or pulling off the track early versus just cruising the rest of the way around and pitting the instructor throws up all over my car! That wasn't fun to clean up the dash/door/seat in the parking lot. Thank God I had weathertech floor liners at least. This instructor had also forgotten to put on his seatbelt twice in the day and the car caught it while exiting the pits with its beeping. I always check my passengers' belts now. __________________ -328d Wagon Build Log (with helpful reference links) -My YouTube Channel for some of the best DIYs and in depth information Please don't PM me for suspension recommendations unless interested in paid private consultations.
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04-18-2022, 01:02 PM	#9
Elizabethhaynes Banned 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: M5 Join Date: Apr 2022 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	I have an interesting story; when I was doing classes, I stopped for the instructor to buy water, I didn't notice how the instructor didn't get on with me, and I left; after 20 minutes of driving, I realized I had left the instructor at the shed, and my phone went dead. To see the instructor's face waiting for me was very irritated.
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08-15-2022, 10:35 AM	#10
DavidBain Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: now I driving a WV Golf VII Join Date: Aug 2022 Location: LA iTrader: (0)	I didn't pass my driving class on my first attempt and when I had my second attempt I made an unfortunate "let's do it live" joke. Needless to say, I passed on my third attempt... I even wrote about this funny case in an article about helping othershttps://samplius.com/free-essay-exam...elping-others/ on a student free essay samples resource. It's important to understand that everyone has their own sense of humor. Last edited by DavidBain; 08-22-2022 at 04:23 PM..
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08-25-2022, 11:37 AM	#11
khcoaching Private 84 Rep 69 Posts Drives: 2021 Camaro SS 1LE Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Wa iTrader: (0)	This may have been me in the right seat a few times..... Attached Images
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08-29-2022, 10:58 AM	#12
Jeff80 New Member 20 Rep 25 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: May 2021 Location: Gnarkansas iTrader: (0)	Coming over the blind hill at 8 into "The Bitch" CCW at Hallett. Student has been great all day and we're in the last session. Just decides to take a hard left while coming over the hill. Passenger side right into the wall. Says.... "woopsie daisy".
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05-19-2023, 06:35 AM	#13
RiceJames Registered 2 Rep 2 Posts Drives: BMW(M5) Join Date: May 2023 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	It's better not to tell anyone about my first day as a student on the track, it was just awful, I can remember all the red, but the others did quite well. Student share, in general, showed such a level at the first lesson that I thought it was the instructors who went to the track, to be honest, when I found out that it was still students, I generally fell on the spot ashamed of my level. It's good that the next lessons improved my level, so I felt more confident than the first time.
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