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Have What It Takes To Be An SCCA PDX "Precision Driving Xperience" Instructor?

Our PDX instructor training program isn't for everyone. It is a challenging, multi-modal program that includes classroom and self-study curriculum, written and verbal exams, video "you make the call" exercises, on-track Instructor / Student "role plays" and skills proficiency assessments. To our knowledge, this program will be the most comprehensive training of its type. It won't be for everyone, but if you have the desire, commitment, communication and  car control skills it takes, then let's talk.

Your commitment will require study time to complete written pre-tests, attend a one day classroom-only session on your choice of March 5 (Wed), 15 (Sat), or 19 (Wed), and participate in three, one-day track sessions consisting of role-plays, car control skills assessment and classroom time. These track day sessions will be held on Wednesday's .. April 16, 30 and on May 14. There is no charge for the classroom sessions. Candidates will be required to pay track time fees for the Wednesday events, at a discounted rate of $99 per event.

Those successfully completing all phases of the program will earn a PDX Instructor Hat, Course Certificate, and the right to instruct at upcoming SCCA PDX track day events nationally, with no charge for personal track time. Your greatest reward will be when your Student shakes your hand and says "thanks." If you're a DE/HPDE Instructor certified by another organization, or hold a racing license, then the track portion of the program can be waived, but you would need to pass the pre-tests and attend the March 5, 15 or 19 classroom session. If interested, contact Bob Mondschein, bob.mondschein@gmail.com.

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
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Are there any plans to expand the St. Louis region PDX program to tracks besides Gateway?  There are quite a few nice tracks within 4 hours of St. Louis.  Or.. would it be possible for St. Louis Region SCCA to partner with surrounding regions to develop a Divisional PDX schedule?.. so it could be a combined effort?

Will the classroom sessions and track sessions required to earn instructor certification be conducted at Gateway?
 

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James Elterman
Takata Time Attack > TakataTimeAttack.com
Redline Time Attack , Super Lap Battle , NASA Time Trial, SCCA PDX

JamesE:

Are there any plans to expand the St. Louis region PDX program to tracks besides Gateway?  There are quite a few nice tracks within 4 hours of St. Louis.  Or.. would it be possible for St. Louis Region SCCA to partner with surrounding regions to develop a Divisional PDX schedule?.. so it could be a combined effort?

Will the classroom sessions and track sessions required to earn instructor certification be conducted at Gateway?

Expansion to other tracks is an interesting idea.  SCCA Time Trials Admin Council wants to expand and promote these events to other SCCA regions, so I would think they will grow.  Many now are done within a Club Racing Event in the Mid-West.  Some regions don't want to do stand alone events because they would have to develop an instructors program to get new instructors.  Finding instructors is always a challenge for these events, finding the best ones are our goal.  So the answer is that Yes, I see expansion and I am sure that StL Region PDX group would be more than happy to help others get a PDX program going. 

The classroom sessions are at Spazio's and the Track sessions at GIR. 

We are partnering with GIR to hopefully be able to get enough instructors to bee able to possibly put on a Wed. night PDX program on a regualr basis with them.  In the context of this partnership, please be aware that these events are sanctioned and run by StL region SCCA.  GIR wants a Wed. series to add to their banner of events. It's a good relationship GIR has a road course doing nothing on Wed. evenings, StL SCCA offers the organization and sanction and the Motorsports Comunity gets a fun track event added to the area. 

 

 

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

I like the idea of a regular Wednesday night PDX program.

The Wednesday track day sessions for instructor training; will they be conducted in the evening as well?  An important question for us working folks. 

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James Elterman
Takata Time Attack > TakataTimeAttack.com
Redline Time Attack , Super Lap Battle , NASA Time Trial, SCCA PDX

Janice Rick:

JamesE:

would it be possible for St. Louis Region SCCA to partner with surrounding regions to develop a Divisional PDX schedule?

Some regions don't want to do stand alone events because they would have to develop an instructors program to get new instructors.  Finding instructors is always a challenge for these events, finding the best ones are our goal.  So the answer is that Yes, I see expansion and I am sure that StL Region PDX group would be more than happy to help others get a PDX program going. 

Please don't misinterpret this as me volunteering for anything, I excel at neither teaching nor studenting...  Just brainstorming:

If the St. Louis Region were to develop a tight group of instructors, could those instructors be exported to other regions to run their PDX events for which they  might not have instructors of their own?  Or is this what you were thinking of?

Would free track time be enough of an incentive for our local instructors to travel to another area to participate in one of these events?

Is there any possibility of our region being compensated by another region for subcontracting our instructor group to run their PDX?
 

I'm guessing the 'commitment' also requires a track ready car for the training session?

What about once you are certified?  Will you still be required to use your own car at student session - i.e. future PDX events once you are certified?  Or will that be the students car only?
 

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John P
'05 Suby STi

JamesE:

I like the idea of a regular Wednesday night PDX program.

The Wednesday track day sessions for instructor training; will they be conducted in the evening as well?  An important question for us working folks. 

All Wed. events would be held from 4PM to dark

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

JT191:

Janice Rick:

JamesE:

would it be possible for St. Louis Region SCCA to partner with surrounding regions to develop a Divisional PDX schedule?

Some regions don't want to do stand alone events because they would have to develop an instructors program to get new instructors.  Finding instructors is always a challenge for these events, finding the best ones are our goal.  So the answer is that Yes, I see expansion and I am sure that StL Region PDX group would be more than happy to help others get a PDX program going. 

Please don't misinterpret this as me volunteering for anything, I excel at neither teaching nor studenting...  Just brainstorming:

If the St. Louis Region were to develop a tight group of instructors, could those instructors be exported to other regions to run their PDX events for which they  might not have instructors of their own?  Or is this what you were thinking of?

Would free track time be enough of an incentive for our local instructors to travel to another area to participate in one of these events?

Is there any possibility of our region being compensated by another region for subcontracting our instructor group to run their PDX?
 

I think the idea would be that the StL program would "mentor" another region to get started. As for subcontracting - if the instructors wanted to do this we could talk about it, but most of us are too busy to do that often. 

 We want the group of instructors we want to develop that are first and foremost trained very well, then have enough of them to be able to have them rotoate and work as many or just a few events.

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

JT191:

Janice Rick:

JamesE:

would it be possible for St. Louis Region SCCA to partner with surrounding regions to develop a Divisional PDX schedule?

Some regions don't want to do stand alone events because they would have to develop an instructors program to get new instructors.  Finding instructors is always a challenge for these events, finding the best ones are our goal.  So the answer is that Yes, I see expansion and I am sure that StL Region PDX group would be more than happy to help others get a PDX program going. 

Please don't misinterpret this as me volunteering for anything, I excel at neither teaching nor studenting...  Just brainstorming:

If the St. Louis Region were to develop a tight group of instructors, could those instructors be exported to other regions to run their PDX events for which they  might not have instructors of their own?  Or is this what you were thinking of?

Would free track time be enough of an incentive for our local instructors to travel to another area to participate in one of these events?

Is there any possibility of our region being compensated by another region for subcontracting our instructor group to run their PDX?
 

I think the idea would be that the StL program would "mentor" another region to get started. As for subcontracting - if the instructors wanted to do this we could talk about it, but most of us are too busy to do that often. 

 We want the group of instructors we want to develop that are first and foremost trained very well, then have enough of them to be able to have them rotoate and work as many or just a few events.

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

John P:

I'm guessing the 'commitment' also requires a track ready car for the training session?

What about once you are certified?  Will you still be required to use your own car at student session - i.e. future PDX events once you are certified?  Or will that be the students car only?
 

Yes, you must have a car for the track to drive.  No vehicle are provided.  IF an instructor drives a students car, it MUST be with full permisson of the student/owner of the car.  Instructors are taught that IF they do drive another persons car thet are teaching and should not be driving it anywhere near 100%.

 I hope I answered most of your questions.  Chuck DeProw is the chairman of the PDX Committee and we will have a website soon accessable from the regions website at www.stlscca.org or directly at www.stlpdx.com with more info. 

Want to get involved contact us Bob (see 1st post) for instructor training.  Contact Chuck DeProw cdeprow@charter.net or me for anything else.   

 

 

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

Janice Rick:

Yes, you must have a car for the track to drive. 

Roll bar and other Miata improvements to get it on the track were not in my budget for this year, but this program has me thinking...

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Bryan S.
Autocross semi-sabbitical 2008
'91 Miata (STS2 for 09?)
Co-Course Chief
Novice Autocross School Chairman

I may be ready for this in 1-2 years, seat time at PDX events should help.

Brainstorming her also. I have only driven FWD cars, as an instructor I would expect to only instruct FWD cars, or I'll drive more cars by then. 

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1998 Chevy Metro 84HS
1984 VW Rabbit GTI 84EP

XJDano:

I may be ready for this in 1-2 years, seat time at PDX events should help.

Brainstorming her also. I have only driven FWD cars, as an instructor I would expect to only instruct FWD cars, or I'll drive more cars by then. 

You have more knowlege of FWD but in instructor training you will be given insight to not only how to drive in general on the track, but the lines, and how to convey that info to others.  I suggest that you ask, learn and ride with others at autocross in RWD & AWD, learning more about all types of cars will make you a better autocrosser and when you get ready to do PDX you will have more knowledge for it too. Most people with experience may have driven more of one type but learned the workings of the others as they progressed in the sport. 

And YES seat time at a PDX helps your autocrossing skills - ask Carla Russo who jumped by leaps and bounds after her first PDX. 

It's easy FWD pulls you around a turn, RWD pushed you adn AWD does it faster!

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

XJDano:

I have only driven FWD cars, as an instructor I would expect to only instruct FWD cars, or I'll drive more cars by then. 

Danno, I'm probably going to run my Miata in STS2 this year (weakly prepared for the class fo now). Lets get together at an event. You are welcome to ride along and then maybe give it a try from the left seat sometime.

I'm probably going to have to pass on the PDX this year too as I have a full plate at work and home this spring and don't know how I'd fit the prep time in. BUT IT IS SOOOO TEMPTING.

This program is such a cool idea. Hats off to jan and Chuck and the other who are putting it together. There is a big future for PDX as club racing costs go up and big open parking lots get harder to find on Sunday afternoons.

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Bryan S.
Autocross semi-sabbitical 2008
'91 Miata (STS2 for 09?)
Co-Course Chief
Novice Autocross School Chairman

See - problem solved!

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com

Janice Rick:

I suggest that you ask, learn and ride with others at autocross in RWD & AWD, learning more about all types of cars will make you a better autocrosser and when you get ready to do PDX you will have more knowledge for it too. Most people with experience may have driven more of one type but learned the workings of the others as they progressed in the sport. 

If someone were interested in making a car available for other people to drive at an autocross event, is there an provision or system in place for the club to allow something like a "FN" class car to be driven by two or three different drivers during a heat?

I have been thinking of this for a while as an opportunity to ask others to comment on tuning and improvements, but this might also allow for drivers to build experience in different drivetrain layouts and vehicles with different driving and handling characteristics.
 

very interested! Although I have quite a few "irons in the fire" we'll see what I can work out.

Janice Rick:

And YES seat time at a PDX helps your autocrossing skills - ask Carla Russo who jumped by leaps and bounds after her first PDX. 

 I like to think it had something to do with the cage holding that flexibird together  

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Scott Rhea
It's not what you build...
it's how you build it
Izzy's Custom Cages

Scott, of Izzy's Custom Cages (**SPAM**) you are also correct that the car is much tighter.  I noticed it when I ran it at one of the last autocorsses.  Nice job Scott. 

Scott, I heard you are going to be a sponsor for the PDX program along with SPS and Ackerman.  Is that true?  Will some entrant or maybe even one of the newly trained instructors possible win some free cage work?  Will the details be announced soon by the PDX program? 

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Janice Rick

www.soloperformance.com
We offer the autocross, track day, road racing, rally and rallycross products you need at the best prices on the internet.
SCCA Logo Merchandise now at
www.sccagear.com