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HIGHWAY SURVIVAL
THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY
This specially designed "skid
car" spins out of control at a walking pace, giving students
the chance to practice skid control in a dry, safe location.
Understeer or oversteer and fail to correct, and you spin around
and around like a Disneyland teacup ride.
PAGE 2
BY DIXIE JORDAN
Photos by Dixie Jordan
© Copyright
2000 by Parents' Press
THE SURPRISE
I expected something like a hands-on version of traffic school, with instructors telling me to be slower, more cautious, more restrained. Instead, the litany I heard all day was to accelerate . . . brake . . . change lanes more quickly, more aggressively.
"Most people don't know what today's cars are capable of," said my "threshold braking" instructor. (Okay, I think he meant most older drivers, but was too tactful to say so.)
Knowing how to react quickly and decisively in a highway emergency is the core skill taught in the class.
THE RESULTS
As with any type of emergency training, it's hard to know just how much you have learned and will remember until it's put to the test. I've already incorporated some pointers into my driving: a better hand position on the steering wheel, for instance. And I've learned what " steering into a skid" really means - not quite what I thought.
My fellow classmates were uniformly exhilarated at the end of the course, and said they would recommend it to friends. They were a little less certain that they'd remember all their new skills
THE SETTING
The U.S. branch of Russell's is based at Sears Point Raceway just outside Sonoma, California. Out-of-town students often take advantage of the Wine Country setting by spending the night at a local B&B or spa.
The course itself is taught not on the racetrack but next to it, in a large, open paved area decorated with lots and lots of orange highway cones. These represent we students quickly learned everything from a stalled semi to a puppy dashing in front of a car.
Staff members are all current or former Formula racing drivers. Each student is assigned a car for the day, and instruction is virtually one-on-one. Teaching skills range from very good to superb.
Comments about this article? Send us an e-mail and we'll add your remarks to the feedback page.
Russell Racing also offers courses in race driving for amateurs and pros.
There's also a bargain priced, year-long mechanics' course for pit crew wannabes.
www.russellracing.com