Mikkel
15-05-2003, 18:45
BY LARRY T. MANCH
----------------------------
Many GPL enthusiasts seem to have a natural ability to understand the physics of driving a simulated race car and don't need any sort of instruction. Those people understand how to make the car do what they want it to do, and further understand the limits of the cars better than most.
Some GPL drivers though - myself included - may require outside
assistance in order to improve our driving skills. Forums such as <A HREF=
http://www.racesimcentral.com/>Race Sim Central</A> exist where questions may be posed and answers received. Many of us have learned a lot about driving and setup techniques from these forums, but many of us were missing an important element - the help of a driving instructor in a structured
'classroom' environment.
I had reached a plateau in my driving - stuck at +42 GPL Rank handicap. I was losing interest in GPL because I seemed to have little prospect for improvement. I had exhausted all of my available skill, and had no idea how to progress further. In short, I was driving my butt off, but not getting any faster. I know that some drivers are inherently better than others and destined to be faster, but I wasn't ready to admit that I had gone as far as
I could.
Then I discovered Peter O'Connor's <A HREF=
http://gplwds.speed-city.com/>GPL:W! Driving School</A>. Pete had put together a group of instructors and a course curriculum designed to accept drivers like me who need specialized driving instruction. This sounded like a great idea - a chance to improve my driving and perhaps better my lap times enough to join that special group that had seemed so elusive - those fast enough to have a negative <A HREF=
http://gplrank.schuerkamp.de/php-pub/gplrank.php >GPL Rank </A>.
I signed up for the school, but classes were already full for the first session. Pete promised me a spot in the second session and a couple of months later, I was in. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but my instructor was ready for my classmate and me and he got us started on the road to a better rank.
Every week, the three of us got together in a VROC chatroom. We discussed any questions that may have come up while working on laps during the week. Then we headed off to a track to work on something new. We began the track sessions by running several laps with our instructor sitting 'in car' or watching from one of the exterior views. He would comment on technique and give us the good and bad points of our driving.
Quite often, we would reverse that and watch from the incar shot as my instructor demonstrated proper and sometimes our improper techniques. It was helpful to me to watch him show me what I was doing, and then show me what I should be doing.
After the track session, it was back to the VROC chatroom to discuss what we had covered. My instructor worked hard to help me to eliminate the flaws in my driving style and replace them with sound technique. Most of the ideas were surprisingly simple, and I was a bit embarrassed that I had not discovered them on my own.
One of the areas where I needed help the most was setups - my instructor offered considerable advice on the subject. He encouraged us to download the <A HREF= http://www.racesimcentral.com/downloads/gpl/other.shtml>Roland Ehnstrom </A> setups that proved to be quite stable and conducive to helping me to achieve my goal - new Personal Bests and lower GPL Rank handicap.
The classroom instruction was valuable and fun, but the school doesn't end there. The GPL:W! <A HREF= http://gplwds.speed-city.com/>web site</A> offers a wealth of material to assist the students. It ranges from replays by instructors showing proper technique, to papers written by them to accompany the lessons. There is a full course list, with descriptions, objectives and resources. The other area of the school site that I visited
often is the forum. This area is open only to registered students and instructors and is a lively place to discuss GPL and the school.
Did it work? During the ten-week course, my GPL Rank dropped from +42 to just over +23. (I know that with more time to practice what I was taught, I will improve further.) My classmate began about the same place as me: +42.
Just after the end of the course he achieved a negative rank, and at last check, he was at nearly -9. It's not just the students who benefit though. Our instructor was at -29 when the school season began, and now he stands
at -71.
The stated goal of Pete O'Connor and the school is to assist all students to improve their techniques and 'go negative.' More often than not, the desired result is achieved with an added bonus - most of the students and instructors thoroughly enjoy themselves in the process.
© 2003 Laurence T. Manch
----------------------------
Many GPL enthusiasts seem to have a natural ability to understand the physics of driving a simulated race car and don't need any sort of instruction. Those people understand how to make the car do what they want it to do, and further understand the limits of the cars better than most.
Some GPL drivers though - myself included - may require outside
assistance in order to improve our driving skills. Forums such as <A HREF=
http://www.racesimcentral.com/>Race Sim Central</A> exist where questions may be posed and answers received. Many of us have learned a lot about driving and setup techniques from these forums, but many of us were missing an important element - the help of a driving instructor in a structured
'classroom' environment.
I had reached a plateau in my driving - stuck at +42 GPL Rank handicap. I was losing interest in GPL because I seemed to have little prospect for improvement. I had exhausted all of my available skill, and had no idea how to progress further. In short, I was driving my butt off, but not getting any faster. I know that some drivers are inherently better than others and destined to be faster, but I wasn't ready to admit that I had gone as far as
I could.
Then I discovered Peter O'Connor's <A HREF=
http://gplwds.speed-city.com/>GPL:W! Driving School</A>. Pete had put together a group of instructors and a course curriculum designed to accept drivers like me who need specialized driving instruction. This sounded like a great idea - a chance to improve my driving and perhaps better my lap times enough to join that special group that had seemed so elusive - those fast enough to have a negative <A HREF=
http://gplrank.schuerkamp.de/php-pub/gplrank.php >GPL Rank </A>.
I signed up for the school, but classes were already full for the first session. Pete promised me a spot in the second session and a couple of months later, I was in. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but my instructor was ready for my classmate and me and he got us started on the road to a better rank.
Every week, the three of us got together in a VROC chatroom. We discussed any questions that may have come up while working on laps during the week. Then we headed off to a track to work on something new. We began the track sessions by running several laps with our instructor sitting 'in car' or watching from one of the exterior views. He would comment on technique and give us the good and bad points of our driving.
Quite often, we would reverse that and watch from the incar shot as my instructor demonstrated proper and sometimes our improper techniques. It was helpful to me to watch him show me what I was doing, and then show me what I should be doing.
After the track session, it was back to the VROC chatroom to discuss what we had covered. My instructor worked hard to help me to eliminate the flaws in my driving style and replace them with sound technique. Most of the ideas were surprisingly simple, and I was a bit embarrassed that I had not discovered them on my own.
One of the areas where I needed help the most was setups - my instructor offered considerable advice on the subject. He encouraged us to download the <A HREF= http://www.racesimcentral.com/downloads/gpl/other.shtml>Roland Ehnstrom </A> setups that proved to be quite stable and conducive to helping me to achieve my goal - new Personal Bests and lower GPL Rank handicap.
The classroom instruction was valuable and fun, but the school doesn't end there. The GPL:W! <A HREF= http://gplwds.speed-city.com/>web site</A> offers a wealth of material to assist the students. It ranges from replays by instructors showing proper technique, to papers written by them to accompany the lessons. There is a full course list, with descriptions, objectives and resources. The other area of the school site that I visited
often is the forum. This area is open only to registered students and instructors and is a lively place to discuss GPL and the school.
Did it work? During the ten-week course, my GPL Rank dropped from +42 to just over +23. (I know that with more time to practice what I was taught, I will improve further.) My classmate began about the same place as me: +42.
Just after the end of the course he achieved a negative rank, and at last check, he was at nearly -9. It's not just the students who benefit though. Our instructor was at -29 when the school season began, and now he stands
at -71.
The stated goal of Pete O'Connor and the school is to assist all students to improve their techniques and 'go negative.' More often than not, the desired result is achieved with an added bonus - most of the students and instructors thoroughly enjoy themselves in the process.
© 2003 Laurence T. Manch