Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSunrise
Haha that reminds me -- a couple of years ago I went to a new track and requested an instructor to learn the lines. The instructor asked that I run with traction control on, which I had never done before but agreed to out of respect to him as a passenger riding in a stranger's car. But then he wouldn't sign me off for solo until I did some "clean" laps where the traction control light didn't flicker at all. OMG.
I could generally drive around the light, but I remember there was one particular off-camber exit with a few small bumps where the light would flash with seemingly no provocation. The whole test was actually a little dangerous because I was used to keeping my eyes up in case I needed to react to oversteer or incidents ahead, and this forced me to drive with my eyes down looking for that annoying TC light. I tried not to say anything and just did what he asked.
I don't know how common this is, but seems like a strange "test" for signing someone off. I also don't know how novices are supposed to learn throttle control or countersteer driving with traction control on. You could seemingly do anything and the car wouldn't let the rear end rotate.
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Generally, novices aren't learning that. They are learning to be aware of flagging stations, traffic and point-bys, the basic line and how to use the whole track, etiquette like pit in/out procedures, understanding how to be smooth on braking (while straight, not trail braking) and being easy on the inputs. All things that can be done without the system interfering.
The guys at the Boston Chapter BMW CCA put together an excellent evaluation form called SLIP (Skill Level Instruction Program) to help gauge in black and white (yes the chart is in color
) a student's level and properly review/analyze where they are and if they are progressing. Here's the old prototype chart to give you an idea:
http://www.drivingevals.com/sites/dr...P%20sample.png
That sucks about your experience, I'm sorry. In the future if you run into the same problem, explain to the instructor how sensitive the system is and they may let you put it in sport mode for the first few laps or even after seeing you have a good handle on the car but that it keeps intervening. You could also opt to have him drive for a few laps to see if he experiences the same issue and will then understand the system better. You also always have the option of requesting another instructor. The CI will do their best to accommodate provided they have the staffing.