Quote:
Originally Posted by The HACK
Yes you can control those around you in the DS setting. Certain organizers are safer than others. We've known to kick students off track and give their full refund if they do not adhere to our very stringent rules. While that often creates the "BMW CCA is no fun" perception, it is an excellent environment to learn in. And there's a good reason why there has not been a single car to car incident on track in our region, like EVER, until last year (and that was a freak thing that happened that the offending party paid full in cash for). And I fully expect to never witness another car to car incident for as long as I live and attend these events.
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In my experience, BMW CCA is indeed a safe environment to learn how to drive on the track. Quality of instruction is usually rather high (Of course, there are some instructors who don't really cut it for various reasons like in any club, but they are fairly rare.) My main issue has been how run groups are structured. When I drove in the advance groups of several different chapters, there were simply too many drivers on the track who shouldn't have been in those groups for various reasons. On a long track, that is not a major issue although sometimes they make you sit on their bumpers for 1-2 laps. On a short track, it becomes a real issue (slow driving and partially not letting people by), and I remember several events where I drove back home thinking, why did I spend my time and pay for that?
Now, driving 7/10ths is of course safer, and when I drive 9/10ths of my ability, I realize I have a higher chance of making a mistake I might not be able to recover from. So, when everyone drives at 7/10ths, it is indeed safer for everyone. One can argue that that is what a drivers education event really is, and that driving at 9/10ths or 10/10ths of one's ability is a silly thing to do in that environment is a sound position. But the other extereme, where several people are driving really slow (and looking very confused and unable in the process) in the most advanced run groups raises some questions.
In comparison, NASA feels much more "open." It is not trivial to drive in the advanced run group. There is open passing to begin with in most events. Mostly, you are trying to get out of the way of full blow race cars who are testing if you are in a street car--especially if there is no racing that weekend. But that teaches one invaluable skills. The drivers are more skilled in general and the pace is much higher, but then you get a few loose cannons. I try to figure out who they are quickly and stay away from them on the track. That situation also teaches you to be really on top of what is happening around you. The risk does go up, but so does the potential to learn advanced skills.
It was shocking to find out how different it was to try to take that turn I took 100 times through an apex on the outside for a change when trying to go around someone, or diving into turn 1 at speed at LRP 3 cars side by side and people negotiating the way in and around. Sure, if someone makes a mistake, all 3 cars are out with contact, but you will never learn how to handle it unless you put yourself in that situation. Fortunately, I have not seen any car to car contact even in that environment, but it could certainly happen.
Perhaps, my point is that BMW CCA does not seem to offer a smooth transition to CR through its DE program whereas other clubs might/do. I know DEs are not supposed to be competition oriented and CR is a different ball game, but let's face it, even though DEs are not supposed to competitive environments, just about everyone I have ever met in a DE (including the instructors) is trying to catch the next car at some level. If that's not competition, I don't know what is...