Driver Training Days in Scotland??

Post by ed » Fri Dec 09, 2005 5:15 pm

GregR wrote:
I would need a bit of notice to get out of the other half's shedule of planned weekends for the next decade!

I know that feeling!! Think most of us do

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 11:07 pm

That's me sold on the Walshy training trip. Definately worth an outing!

The dvd is really impresive and if the training day has you practising stuff like that, it can't do anything but help

Totally agree thought that the KH effort is great for learning the lines.

Has anyone got a date in mind for the trip South??

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:57 am

It has to be a friday, so we can have a big drink afterwards.

it is also a good idea to combine it witha trackday somewhere to practise everything you learn before you forget it. haha.

let me get back to you with some possible dates.

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:20 am

gordon wrote:
mckeann wrote: As mac, gordon and shug will find out next year when they get blasted into the weeds. by me who's had eons of track time and spent hundreads on one to one proffesional driver training, has 160bhp, close ratio box, sticky tyres, nitrons, uprated rollbar, plans motorsport set up, belled disks and fancy pads blah blah blah, but needs all this to just pull away from a poor little standard S1 being hussled round by a selftaught/learns by his mistakes driver.

Get the neovas on, put on the standard head and get your ass out on track. Then it's a semi fair playin field. Till then. . . . . am no playin

no, it was exactly the same when i started and had to chase tut in his much better car. nuthin stopping you from doing the same if you want

so stop

and get on with it, loser

gordon · Post by **gordon** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:49 am

Naaaaa,

I dont want, just you get on with it big yin and prove whatever point your trying to make.

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:53 pm

gordon wrote: Naaaaa, I dont want, just you get on with it big yin and prove whatever point your trying to make.

you can be soooo mean sometimes gordon. glad you phoned up to apologise earlier you big poof. haha

now, about that hug

Zippy · Post by **Zippy** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 2:52 pm

Just a thought but one of the things you'll learn from a Walshy day is why things happen and how to deal with them once thay happen. The type of thing discussed in the thread below happened to me last week.

http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... isheliseso

Having done a lot of Walshy time I reacted and came out unscathed and relatively unperturbed. When I thought about how I'd handled it I realised I'd just automatically applied the techniques I'd learned with Walshy - pre Walshy I had a similar thing happen, didn't know what to do and my pride & joy needed two new clams.

tut · Post by **tut** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 3:54 pm

Before he started his Driver Training School, Walshy ran a Renault Touring Car Race team, and was up at the top. He was offererd the position as Benettons F1 test driver, but turned it down as he wanted to win the Champioship. Shortly after, his two co-drivers, cousin and best friend, were killed within a week of each other in their Porsches on the road. Andrew was devastated, especially as he put it down to them not appreciating the road conditions at the time.

He stopped racing and started a Driving School with Novas, using ex Police drivers as instructors. He also bought an Elise, Azure blue with horrible yellow wheels, and started doing road and advanced instruction, especially aimed at teaching owners to drive quickly but safely, with the empassis on reading road conditions and the road ahead.

I discovered him by chance on the Net in '99, and was around the first Elise driver to do his road course. He lived in Swansea then, so I went down for the weekend and had two full days on the road with him. He started with town and dual carriagway driving to assess you, then took you through your bad habits putting them right, and only then did you get to progress to the fast back road driving if he thought you were capable of it. I had an upgraded 180hp K engine then, suspension, tyres etc, so after the first morning, we changed from his car to mine to make the most of the Welsh roads. I of course thought that I could drive quickly, but with Andrew in the drivers seat, I thought that we were into the hedgerow at every corner. One of the reasons that I try not to cut corners, and maybe brake less, is because I asked him why he did not straight line double bends, and brake more. His reply was that is more fun driving the bends, and braking slows you down.

We did two eight hour days, and I think that he enjoyed himself as much as I did, but I of course learnt a lot more. Many of you know Andrews laid back laconic Welsh attitude to instruction, and also his unflappability. On one empty road that he drove twice, he slowed down as we came to a crest, which I thought spoilt the next section. So know it all kept the foot down, hit the hidden ridge followed by a right bend, and somehow managed to turn in the air with all four wheels off before we thundered down on to the road again. Looked accross at Andrew who said "that was interesting wasn't it" accompanied by a smile.

Did two more road courses with him when he came up for tut towers, and also Crails and KH's, which is probably why I can still remain competitive as an old codger with a bit of a knackered body. He stopped doing the road courses about three years ago as he was now fully booked with track training, and I think that he sold on the driving school.

If next years version of tt goes ahead, and he can get a Crail booking that coincides with it, then hopefully we will get him up again. As you know, he is also a fun guy whose drinking can rival his driving.

However remember that he is at Michael Hippersons Garden Party for the weekend of May 19th, and though I would love to go down for it, the driving would be too much.

tut

Post by **Shug** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 3:59 pm

Tut, you know fine well that you'd be welcome in any pax seat that goes down for the Garden party. I'd love to, but don't know the guy and am unlikely to be on the list.

tut · Post by **tut** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:04 pm

Thanks Shug, unfortuanetrly paxing is as bad or worse than actually driving, it is the pure time in the seat that is the problem, plus of course I hate Motorway driving.

You would have met Michael at tt in May but may not have realised it, he has a red S2, and also a silver Ferrari 360. His event is invite only, a bit upmarket compared to tt, but without the road runs and track action. He does though get some interesting cars there, and people to, but probably is more a Garden Party event than the sort of thing that we want to get up to.

tut

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:17 pm

but there'll be drink involved, so whats the problem??

tut · Post by **tut** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:38 pm

Michael does not drink, so not sure about that. They have had a short run the past two years, about 60 miles but with four routes so as not to upset the locals, but I believe it went badly last year, some hooligans got up to 60tuts, so it has now been scrubbed.

tut

Post by **Shug** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:40 pm

Tut,

Yeah, I'd tried to make a point of introducing myself, but got sidetracked until I was too pi$$ed to remember...

I'd really fancied the idea of it, as I do do the respectable thing too, occasionally, and really like a good chinwag. I'll get nattering to the guy some day, one gets the impression he's got a lot more stories packed away that he won't go telling everyone

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:47 pm

so where is it and how do i get an invite??

tut · Post by **tut** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:52 pm

Who is this comedian?

I thoight that I empasised that it was upmarket?<BG>

tut

Scottish Elises

Driver Training Days in Scotland??

Walshy's CV