Driving schools coming up in February and March

[Maniac Mitch]

It's that time of year again. Time for the Porsche Club driving schools. These 3 schools are the best bang for the buck in this area for anyone wanting to learn how to be a higher performance driver. You'll learn things like how to tell which end of your car is sliding, how to tell if your car is about to spin (feel) and how to recover from that spin. The course includes a ton of seat time in your car. It covers skid-pad, salom, and many other elements of Autocrossing. The February 18 and 19th schools are at Pennington field. Saturday is ladies and teens only, then Sunday is open to anyone. The March 4 and 5th school are at Mineral Wells airpark. If you're already into AX, then you won't get much out of the Pennington school. But the AX/TT school (especially Sunday TT) should still be interesting. You get so much seat time it's unreal. You can enter just the Sat or just the Sun schools at Mineral Wells.

See this email announcing the schools:
------------------------------------------
Hello Everybody!

Registration is now open for the MRPCA 2006 Driving schools. The
schools are specifically designed to teach students about the
handling of their car. We especially welcome those who have never
tried an Autocross or Time Trial before. All schools are fully
instructed with safety first, but fun throughout.

Registration and lots more information are available on the MRPCA
web site: http://mav.pca.org/mav/Events/Schools.asp

Saturday 2-18-06 - Ladies/Teens Autocross school at Pennington Field
Sunday 2-19-06 - Autocross 101 school at Pennington Field

Saturday 3-4-06 - Timetrial school at Mineral Wells
Sunday 3-5-05 - Autocross 102 school at Mineral Wells

Each course is $35 as long as you sign up at least 2 weeks in
advance. Sign up for all 4 today!

* Men need not apply for the Ladies Autocross school!

We also need volunteers to help work stations. Please consider
coming out and supporting the club, especially those of you who
have "graduated" from the schools! You will earn the eternal
gratitude of the Driving Schools committee, and a free lunch. Sign
up's are on the web site.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tom Snodgrass
972-939-7967
-----------------------------------------------------

Ok, Mitch again here. There is a url inbedded in the email above that has a description of each school. If interested please read carefully the bullet points about registration. We will have to pay $45 to enter each school, and registration for non-members doesn't open until 2 weeks before the event. HOWEVER, if you want to attend, you need to enter ASAP. Non-members will be put on a waiting list in order of how they registrated. Early entries on the waiting list usually get in.

I am an instructor for these schools and my students always tell me how much they learned and how much they enjoyed the school. I feel strongly that the skill set you can acquire in car control can help you avoid an accident on the open road. You learn just what the limits of your car are and more importantly, what your limits are. The school focuses on improving YOUR limits. It's a well known fact that the greatest improvement in performance driving can be made to the nut behind the steering wheel. The people at these schools do NOT expect you to be much of a driver to start. This is extremely low pressure, no one will make you do anything you don't want to.

If you have a question after reading the web-site, you can email Tom or perhaps me if you wish at: mitchwil @ peoplepc . com (without the spaces). Feel free to request me for an instructor if you like. I drive a 95 Miata...but I'm not the greatest AXer...I'm better at the TT stuff. This group of Porsche club members that put on this school are NOT snobs, they are really good people. Heck, if they let me run with them, they'll let ANYBODY run with them!!

Mitch Williams

[WhiteLightning]

I will have to see if i can find the money to take the class. Thanks for the info

[Maniac Mitch]

To anyone else who's got an issue with funding, here is my definition of each school.

The 2/19 school at Pennington is truely the beginning school. The 3/4 school at Mineral Wells is a continuation of it. However, you do NOT have to attend the 2/19 school to get plenty out of the 3/4. Many of the same elements are covered again. So I'm saying if you want to drop a school drop the 2/19 school.

The 3/5 school is really about their Time-Trial events. It assumes you have some car control skills or took the previous schools. This is much higher speed (near 100mph) so I do not recommend just taking the 3/5 school unless you've done some AX and know how your car feels at the limit. The danger factor is much higher in the 3/5 school simply because of the speed. If you lose control at 85mph there may not be enough runoff room before getting to the weeds. Rocks and posts hide in the weeds.

Glad you're interested...hope to see you there.

Mitch

[POS Racing]

These are great schools! It took 102 two years ago and it really helped me!

[Miatamoto]

Hopefully I'll make it out to at least one of the March schools. Thanks for the heads up!

[blackzx3_13]

Definately going to hit a school this season, I need it.

[Bolix]

Awesome! I really look forward to attending at least one of these schools. I would love to get in on the TT school too! And by March I should have some time in on TMS/TMSR so I should be well prepared for it. I just need to make sure I have the money for it.

Is it $45 for each day, or $45 for the weekend?

[Maniac Mitch]

The $45 is for each day. The March events are really two schools, AX102 and TT103...so they cost $45 each. But for $90 you'll really get a lot of seat time and advice on improving your driving abilities.

Anyone who is interested please register NOW!!! I have been told there are already 13 Mini Coopers registered. Bummer!!! I'd much rather help a Miata driver than a Cooper driver! FYI...I wasn't told which school those Minis registered for...maybe NOT the one you want.

Mitch

[jolberry]

These are great schools! It took 102 two years ago and it really helped me!

What he said...except I was driving a civic then. I need some schooling in the miata. I plan on attending ax102

[Billy Blaze]

I signed up for 102.

[THoward914]

My wife and daughter are signed up for the two schools at Pennington and I plan
to help out ( shag cones ). My wife will run her 944 and I'm thinking of letting the young one drive the Miata. I hope to be back in town to attend the schools in Mineral Wells.

Travis Howard

96 Miata
74 914
86 944
85 911

[Titus]

96 Miata
74 914
86 944
85 911

Nice little stable of cars you've got going there!

[Bolix]

I'm on for 102 as well... looks like there will be a fair amount of us there. I look forward to meeting some of you guys finally.

[Maniac Mitch]

The Driving schools chair told me last night that there were 3 Miatas entered. So I guess that must be Billy, Travis's Daughter, and Bolix. Glad you guys registered. Please remember you're on the waiting list to get in. They will notify you about 12 days before the event if you made it or not.

Travis, did you enter your daughter in the Ladies AX101 on 2/18? That school rarely fills up so she would have a very good chance of getting in. All the other schools always fill up. Anyway I would bet your wife in the '44 get in and hopefully your daughter also. I wish I'd got my daughter to take one of these schools years ago. Travis, be sure to find me and say hi.


I hope you guys make it in the schools.
Mitch

[Darron65]

My calendar's so full, I can only get into AX102 this year. I took all 3 last year and they definitely rock! Maniac Mitch was my instructor too.

[rudedog]

I signed up for the Sunday course at Pennigton.
Hope I get in.
Anyone know the cost of the inspection and must it be done in advance?

[Darron65]

Inspections were free last year. I'd expect the same this year. Must be done in advance unless you live out in the sticks.

[THoward914]

Mitch,

My daughter is registered for both the Ladies/Teen school and autocross 101.
She is sixteen and very excited about the schools. I think the autocross bug is rubbing off on her. My wife and I started autocrossing about a year and a half ago. They both should be able to get into schools, we are PCA members. I got the Miata last summer to do some SCCA and ER autocrosses, it's also my daily driver. I run the 914 in club event to stay in the points running.

I'll see you at the schools.

Travis

[Maniac Mitch]

Guys,
Sorry I haven't checked this thread in so long...can't ever remember.

I need to correct some mis-information I gave out. They reversed the order of the March 4 & 5 schools. They used to always be AX102 on Saturday and TT103 on Sunday. Well I guess they decided to swap them because the TT103 is on Saturday and the AX102 is on Sunday. Actually this follows their normal scheduling where the Time Trials are run on Saturday and the AXs are run on Sunday. However, I believe it was the reverse before because TT103 is best if you have had the other schools or some experience.

Anyway sorry if that messed anyone up when I described which schools I'd take....I suggested the AX102 on Sat (wrong day) and the TT103 on Sun (wrong day). I believe if you registered for the wrong school on either of those days you can email Tom Snodgrass (link on the web-site) and tell him I confused you and get it changed.


Travis, Does you daughter realize the Ladies AX and AX101 are the exact same thing? She'll get the exact same course drills on both days. If that's ok with her, then be sure she gets a different instructor for each day. She should get a female instructor on Saturday. Glad to hear she may have the AX bug. I believe that getting a responsible young person to take courses like these will make them a safer driver. They'll know their and the car's limits and won't get in over their head so easy in an emergency. I couldn't even bribe my daughter to take the AX school...even in the car I had bought her. In retrospect, maybe I should have made taking the school a condition of getting the car.

Maniac Mitch

[juxt3r]

Ugh! I'm in another time zone for both weekends, looks like. I'll keep the ol' browser peeled for related courses later in the year...
...and for job postings that include little or no travel.