HPDE instructors
 

I am attending my 1st HPDE at Homestead Motorsports and I am wondering is it customary to tip the instructor? Or is just a handshake & thank you enough?

I haven't seen any reference to this one way or the other.

A nice "good game" is customary.

I've never seen or heard of one being tipped around here. I've seen people buy their instructor lunch and such but that's about it.

The instructors are getting free track time for their instruction of HPDE1/2 ... They also are a bunch of guys with a ton of racing experience that just love driving ...

I've bought lunch before for my instructor, but I wouldn't tip.

In the Central Region NASA provides a dinner on Saturday night for free before they hand out the rewards for the day.

Don't be afraid to ask your instructor the most simple of questions if you don't know something or are curious. Having an experienced instructor in your car is one of the best things about doing NASA HPDE, if not the best. The amount of tracks time you get and the knowledge you gain from instructors makes NASA HPDE an amazing experience.

No tips. The free/discounted track time and rewarding experience to see a student improve and move up to a more advanced run group is enough.

I volunteer as an instructor for one organization (that is a volunteer organization) and I get paid to instruct for another "for-profit" organization. I've only heard of someone getting a tip once but I have heard of a Ferrari owner letting the instructor drive his car for half a day "as he wished".


As an instructor, some students can make your day, others can scare you out of doing it ever again. The best "tip" you can give to an instructor is; don't try to impress them and don't scare them.

As someone who ran their first track event this past weekend I actually did tip my instructor $20 for going above and beyond to make my experience a memorable one. All I registered for was group lead/follow instruction but after 2 sessions he basically gave me private one on one lessons. I rode with him in his car during his run group and he rode with me during my session. To me it was invaluable experience and $20 was a small token of my appreciation. I also made quite sure my driving did not jeopardize the safety or comfort of my instructor as I understood my goal for the day was to gain track experience not set track records.

as a person in dire need of instruction, i can say i have observed this. in every single track day the thanks were mutually being handed out. i think if you are just a good student, the instructor gains an appreciation for the experience as well. it likely must further their understanding of the principles as teaching requires the highest level of understanding.

I've seen both, but I suppose it may be a bit different, since most of my instruction is being paid for.

A volunteer instructor is typically not tipped, but a paid instructor may get a tip if the student felt that the instructor was exceptional. The best tip you can give an exceptional instructor is a referral to another student interested in coaching. That being said, when I was doing volunteer instruction, it wasn't uncommon for me to get $20-$100 tips. Do keep in mind that even as a volunteer, I've always made an effort to make sure that my instruction was the best that I could give.

My last instructor was a neurosurgeon, I couldn't throw enough money his way for it to be noticed. Tell them thanks, offer to buy them lunch and keep the car on the track.

I do alot of instructing (50+ days per year) and I only got a tip once, he drove a 12C. I didn't want anything since he let me flog his car on track, but I didn't want to be rude. Seeing people "get it" at the end of the day is payment enough for me.

On a side note, I think a lot of the tips are more of a "cover his expense" type of thing, since I take students out in my own car. Consumables are my biggest expense.

I like this idea of buying instructors lunch. I've had an awesome time with instructors in the past (two in particular), just laughing and having fun on the track. In hindsight, I wish I had bought them lunch.

Most important thing you can do for your instructor is to listen to what they say and bring them back alive.