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I've been an instructor for Chin for about five years now, and for about the last year I've been instructing my wife. She didn't have any knowledge of track days when we first met, but was an athlete back in the day, so I figured she'd enjoy it. Turned out she enjoyed it a little more than I was expecting, as before lunch on the first Saturday she asked if she could sign up for Sunday!
So over the course of about six weekends we had our ups and downs, but she (mostly) listened to what I was saying, only had red mist once or twice and over the course of that year went from my girlfriend to fiance to wife and she's still here, so we survived! Back when I first got involved in HPDE I didn't have a camera, so I can't reflect (and laugh) at my first time on track, but it sure is fun to do with her as the difference is quite amazing!
Proud of us as a team for getting her to reach her goal of being solo.
You instructed your wife? You also stress tested your marriage! Congrats!
On the topic of proud moments, I still enjoy seeing students who were first timers with me showing up as newly minted instructors at the instructor meeting Saturday morning years later.
I taught my wife to drive when we were 16 (then my girlfriend) and I think she has been trying to teach me how to drive ever since.
Taught my daughter to drive and last year taught her how to drive manual transmission in my '53 MG. Daughters are much easier to teach than wives.
Kudos to you for being able to instruct your wife. I could never do it these days - the chance of getting laid when I was 16 probably made me more patient!
I met my wife in in the late 80's. In the first few months I participated in my first PCA DE at LRP. About a year later (after she she joined me in a move), She joined me as a spectator at 1-2 AX events before finally agreeing to give AX a try in my Porsche. She did okay in the few AX events we did in that city, but she wasn't yet interested in driving on track.
A few years later we moved to Norcal and we started doing some AX here. We both enrolled in a two-day PCA AX school-- by then we had two Porsches. During those two days of intense immersion everything clicked. We have several friends from that AX school in the mid-90's-- one is a couple that met that weekend!
So more AX events, and then a year after the school, a PCA DE.
Each winter during that period we'd watch Going Faster! and discuss "the craft."
After about 5-6 years in an increasingly modified 951, we bought a 911 race car. At the end, the 951 had a cage, ~360 bhp, a racing suspension and big sticky dots. It weighed ~3000 pounds yet was pretty potent. The 911 race car, was 1950 pounds, with very big and sticky slicks... then about 330 bhp.
Very different in many ways from the 951, e.g., weight distribution, slicks, 915 transmission, et cetera.
She adapted pretty quickly. Two or three track days. Then a PCA time trial. She was pretty good. Then a second PCA Time Trial. She got third overall.
Then in her third PCA TT, she got TTOD.
She beat the PCA CDI at that event by about a second. That CDI wrote a great book-- a reference I still use: Secrets of Solo Racing. He had about 2x the BHP of our car (he had a 3.6 TT in a ~2000 pound car on big Hoosier dots). In his defense it was his first weekend in that car and he was still getting used to turbo lag. He was gracious.
She was my best student ever.
She and I have had some great times at track events with our social group with many couples driving. For me, the best times were watching her and the other women extracting a high % from their cars and all having fun.
The best anecdote I remember was when she and a friend in a similar car were in a NASA group 4 at Sears point. At the beginning of their download, someone asked the group instructor "why those two guys in those race cars in our group." The instructor just pointed to them. I was not present but apparently everyone was shocked.
The worst one was June 5, 2009 at a PCA DE when she did not come around. The right rear hub/stub axle failed under heavy load in a 90 mph sweeping left. Wheel/tire took off, brake caliper came off the trailing arm, brake line opened up, and brake rotor disintegrated. When the wheel/tire departed it k nocked the suction line off and several quarts of oil hit the header and started a fire. Fiberglass quarter panel and bumper both ripped in half.
Spun in her own oil and went off into dry grass.
Fire put itself out. And she remember to hit the kill switch!
Going Faster! is a great group or family watch... all about the craft. And the fun. And the family!
Great story EZ99B5. Thank you for sharing and congrats to you and your wife!
My husband (then boyfriend) taught me to drive a stick when I was 16 (high school sweethearts). We started doing DE together (sharing cars) in 2010 and then I pursued instructing (he did not). He asked me to instruct him but I had difficulty being in his right seat. He was a great driver, very fast and aggressive and I preferred instructing newbies to whom I was not married . I did ride right seat a few times but honestly didn’t enjoy it with him.
My favorite students are women. I love seeing other women at the track and always go out of my way to introduce myself. There aren’t too many of us, but a few more each year!
I also bought a dirt bike (Bultaco 250 Alpina) because he and his buddies went dirt biking when we were dating in high school. After one ride on the back of his bike I knew I needed my own. He taught me how to ride that bike and we had many hours of fun in the dirt.
Hubby had to give up track driving after multiple (very invasive) back surgeries. He was advised to never strap into a harness again and for him - it was “all or nothing”. He comes to local events to hang out and enjoy friends, but doesn’t like being at the “away” weekends. I understand.
He has been my biggest cheerleader and encouraged me to continue driving and instructing and having adventures.
I’m a very lucky girl who gets to do what she loves. Celebrating 37 years next month. If I could go back and change one thing, I would have started earlier in life!
Last edited by needmoregarage; 04-16-2021 at 09:54 PM.
I have had a similar experience, although it was not my wife but rather my Dad. Several times in my life I have been the catalyst to a sport that my family followed and got deeply involved with...
It took me almost 15 years to get my dad out to the track in his own car but after spending a full weekend with me at Watkins Glen in 2017 I really think he was hooked and ready to try it for himself.
It was at that point he decided that the old family 944S was going to be his first track car and he decided to get it ready. By this point I had already been instructing for a few years and decided to take him on as my student. Certainly an interesting situation, but as it turns out he was an outstandingly good student and continues to be a very good solo driver.
I still get in the car with him and push him a bit but, he has and does recognize where he can be faster pretty well all on his own.
For what it’s worth, my wife is strictly an A to B type driver who really could care less about what she drives or how it drives. But even with that said, she has taken some of my driving advice and for that I’m thankful.
Last edited by Mike Roblin; 04-16-2021 at 10:37 PM.
04-16-2021, 05:16 PM
Proud Instructor Moment - Student Now Solo
and over the course of that year went from my girlfriend to fiance to wife and she's still here, so we survived! Back when I first got involved in HPDE I didn't have a camera, so I can't reflect (and laugh) at my first time on track, but it sure is fun to do with her as the difference is quite amazing!
Congrats!
