When I got home, everyone wanted to go for a ride. Chris was first. It was just “around the block” – where we live, that’s 4 miles. While taking the third turn, I got on the accelerator a little too much and spun out.
YIKES!
This car was a lot to handle.
It was then that I decided that I needed some instruction to help me not wreck my new car.
I sent an email to the person who ran the group (we'll call them TrackFanatics - TF for short) that I had recently attended, and he invited me to join future events in the beginner group. As a beginner, they pair you with an instructor, who coaches you on how to drive on the track at speed. There are many things that are different from driving on the street, and you need good, solid coaching to learn how to drive on track with other cars safely.
The emphasis is totally on safety, so as you are learning, there is no passing except in approved zones (like the front and back straightaways) and only then with the person being passed doing a “point-by” – acknowledging that they see you and pointing to which side you should pass on No point by equals no passing. Period.
After a few days in the beginner group, my instructor said that I was ready to move up to the intermediate group. The advantage here was that you don’t need to have an instructor, and the passing rules are a little more liberal. So, I entered the 2013 season in the intermediate group, and I continued to gain experience and confidence. Oh yeah, and have a blast!