I have a fairly set routine and “curriculum” I use anytime I instruct a student. I follow this routine because I feel it quickly establishes a positive rapport and keeps the student positive, excited and, most importantly, safe. Many clubs advocate a similar approach, with the understanding (hopefully) that racing instructors need some leeway in how they approach each student - there is simply too much going on at 130mph to be able to definitely apply a laundry list of “tips” to every student every time. I think it is beneficial for a student to know what their instructor is thinking, as that can help them make the most of out of their instructor as well.

Establish a Good Rapport
This is the most crucial step. Nobody wants to listen to somebody they don’t like, and that can be a problem if a student keeps entering a corner to fast and early apexing. I use a typical business approach - introduce myself, ask them about their car, ask them about their driving experience, and then go over the basics of what I want them to do and not do. In my experience, most of the people at track days tend to be pretty pleasant to deal with, as we all can bond over our love of cars and going fast.

Many instructors feel that any breakdown in communication leading to an accident or other incident usually has its roots right when you first meet a student. I would agree. Obviously, anything can happen interpersonally as the day develops, but things are always smoother if that good rapport is started right from the get go.

Assess the Student and the Student’s Car
This is the next most important step, as it will directly influence all of the decisions I make and advice that I give. The brand new student with no experience whatsoever gets much different advice than an intermediate student with 15 days under his belt.

Assessing the car is equally as important. I will show the driver of a high horsepower car a power line, and the driver of a Miata a momentum line. It can provide good insight into what to expect from a student. A middle aged man with a stock RX-8 will probably be a little bit more conservative than a 20 year old with a 900 hp Supra. Profiling can have its uses sometimes. I will also ask whether the car is stock, and if not, what modifications have been done. I want to know NOW if there is a gigantic rear sway bar that will make the car tail happy, not when the student goes into a turn too hot. I always ask about brakes too, regardless of the car. If the brakes are stock or not particularly aggressive, I ask the student to tell me IMMEDIATELY if the brakes feel off in any way. I don’t want my student to go for the brakes only to find they aren’t there.

Initial Instructions
I tell every student that there are 3 things I want them to do: 1) brake in a straight line, 2) shift in a straight line, 3) be SMOOTH with all their inputs. I always explain that braking and shifting MUST be done in a straight line, because if you mess up either while turning, the car can spin. I also explain that all a car driver is doing is just dancing the weight of the car around the track - smoothly shifting this weight around is the key, and speed will flow naturally from smoothness and the Line. For new students, I have them stay in a single gear, as appropriate, until they learn the line.

The First Lap
I still remember the disorientation I felt when I went out for my very first lap ever on a racetrack. It felt very open and foreign, and a little disconcerting. I bear that in mind everytime I take a new student out, and I seek to quickly get them acquainted with the track.

I point out every corner worker on the first lap, and have my student give them each a thank-you wave. This serves both to thank the corner workers for standing at their corner for 8 hours, and also to show the student where the corner workers are located.

If the student brand new and amenable, I will usually drive their car for them for 1 or 2 laps to show them the line. This is at about 4/10, and is literally to show them where to drive on the course. I don’t really push their car enough to find any quirks, and rely more on my initial chat with them to get that feel for the car.

Finding the Line
The whole first day is really just about find the line and being able to drive it consistently, and this is always my primary focus. I verify that the student understands the basics of turn-in, apex, and track-out, and the effects of early apexing. After a few laps, I can get a good handle on which corners the student is doing well, and which need more work. Where a student does a good job, I will tell them such, as this feedback is just as important as what they are doing wrong.

If I think it is appropriate, I may show a student several lines through a corner and let them choose the line they are most comfortable with. This happens a lot at NHMS, where different cars may prefer different lines. If the student is still working on the very basics, obviously I will just have them perfect 1 line. But as they progress, I find it beneficial to see a different line, and to see how that line affects things like turn-in, track-out point, and other aspects beyond that corner. That is a good first step towards tying all of the corners together.

Ignoring the Car in Front of You
I always tell students to ignore the car in front of them. They are all learning, and the car in front of them could be driving a terrible line. Or they could be driving a momentum line where my student is driving a power line.

Passing
I ingrain it in my students that passing and getting passed are completely fine. But, I always have them wait for a point-by before passing. Novice drivers are unpredictable, since they don’t always know where the line is or what inputs are required when. Passing without a point-by is asking for trouble, as you don’t know if the driver knows you are even there.

Shifting
Shifting is always an issue. Rare is the brand new student that can rip off a flawless double clutch in every corner, so I adjust accordingly. At least at first, I have the student stay in 1 gear throughout a course, possibly shifting on a long straight or in a tight hairpin. Even if they run out of revs or bog, I’d rather they focus on their braking zone and on the corner, rather than on their shifting.

Finding the Limits
For the first day, I’m really just concerned with my student finding the Line. Indeed, the limits of the car don’t really mean anything anyways without a solid, consistent Line. Once their Line is consistent, I will start having the brake harder, starting very far back and working up in the most appropriate braking zone. At NHMS, I like to use Turn 1 because there is the oval as runoff in case things get out of hand.

Many new students have no appreciation for what their cars are capable of, particularly those that have hopped into race-prepped cars with R compounds. Other than pushing their speed up REALLY slowly, the best way for them, and indeed for any student, to get a feel of what a proper hot lap feels like is to take them for a ride in my own car. Logistically, this doesn’t always work out during the day, but I will always take a student out that specifically requests it.

Silence Can Be Golden
Driving on a racetrack is very hard - it requires extreme concentration. Focusing on driving while focusing on someone blathering next to you can become very overwhelming very fast. Once we’re through a corner, if I have anything else to say on that corner, I’ll simply say “I’ll tell you later,” as getting through the next corner and what is ahead is more important than what already happened.

In the last session of the day, once the student is warmed up, I usually tell them that I’m going to shutup for the session and let them focus on what they’ve learned throughout the day - but that if they want more input, to let me know. I still give subtle hints and positive thumbs up to let the student know I haven’t dozed off, but like to back off quite a bit if possible. This lets the student focus more on their driving, and begins the process of self assessment.

I also want the student to get used to being alone on track, and to not be afraid of it. I remember the first time I took a car out by myself after getting my license - it was quite the experience, as I really felt alone and like no one was there to ensure I wouldn’t mess anything up. The same applies going out on a track alone, only the stakes are even higher. With me next to them, I can speak up if necessary, and I can see what they’ve done throughout the session. Then, back in the pits, I can give them a more thorough assessment.

Any Instructor for Any Car
I’ve often heard that you should be instructed by someone who drives the same car as you. Until you get very proficient and are trying to extract every last bit out of your car, I would respectfully disagree. Instructors are instructors because they know how speed changes things, and what should be done to keep the student and everyone else safe (and if they don’t, they shouldn’t be an instructor). I drive a Miata, but I’ve instructed students in M5s and even an Audi R8 with excellent results.

Other than adjusting for a power/momentum line, there is very little practical difference in instructing a student in different cars. Cornering forces and braking forces are pretty similar for the most part, and the limiting factor is usually the student’s comfort level anyways for their first few days. The biggest issue is just making sure that fast cars are brought back down to proper speed for the corners, which you just do by braking early and moving the braking point up accordingly - a process the student should quickly become familiar with anyways.

Another major issue for very fast cars is ensuring that a student doesn’t inadvertently commit to a line-of-no-return when they shouldn’t. My student in the R8 could absolutely rocket out of the Bowl at NHMS, to the point where if he had to brake suddenly, he would spin. A few times I had to preemptively tell him to back off when there was a slow car in front of us. I explained that if he went to fast and had to brake, he would have no safety net. This situation can happen in any car, but obviously more so with a fast car, particularly for novices.