Driver training and seat time

[Aged17]

This thread has been officially named useless

[Dsenechal]

100 mph?

[nickmpower]

I would bet you can find out by asking them

[Auerbach]

One of the best ways to anger the upperclassmen is to nearly destroy (or completely destroy) the car they put their blood, sweat and tears into, especially after they just told you to take it easy. That being said, FSAE people are usually very happy to pass on their knowledge to beginners, mostly because it makes them look even more awesome. On your next driving day, be very sincere about taking it easy and don't push the limits until someone tells you to go faster.

I taught many freshmen how to drive our cars for the first time at Texas and I always like the guys that start slow and take a little encouragement to go faster, something like "how about using the skinny pedal on the right!" The hot shots who try to out pace the experienced drivers usually flat spot tires, remove multiple cones, and then complain about the handling. Those guys get put on important tasks such as cleaning out the mini fridge or polishing the wheels.

[BilletB]

First of all, it's pretty funny how typical and ignorant you sound of young ones that get a first run in an fsae car. I can promise you that you were NOT fast. I am sure you THOUGHT you were fast. What you think is pushing the limit is very far from it. I promise.

Sitting in the car and watching from outside the car are so massively different it's almost hard to believe. This is proven by the fact you think you were going anywhere near 100 mph. Do you even have a clue how an fsae car is designed to perform? To even think upperclassmen would setup a course for first time drivers to near this speed is equally ridiculous.

My advice to you. Swallow your pride and remain very humble. Work hard on getting a REALISTIC view of what the car is and what it can do. Show the upperclassmen you have a desire to learn to drive. Do not tell them you know you're fast. Unfortunately, you may never be. Finally, realize if you were as fast as you think, someone would have told you. Until you spend time in the car and truly realize the limit and limitations you have no chance of being fast. As it stands now, you're not educated enough to realize how slow you are.

[A Richards]

Originally posted by BilletB:
First of all, it's pretty funny how typical and ignorant you sound of young ones that get a first run in an fsae car. I can promise you that you were NOT fast. I am sure you THOUGHT you were fast. What you think is pushing the limit is very far from it. I promise.

Sitting in the car and watching from outside the car are so massively different it's almost hard to believe. This is proven by the fact you think you were going anywhere near 100 mph. Do you even have a clue how an fsae car is designed to perform? To even think upperclassmen would setup a course for first time drivers to near this speed is equally ridiculous.

My advice to you. Swallow your pride and remain very humble. Work hard on getting a REALISTIC view of what the car is and what it can do. Show the upperclassmen you have a desire to learn to drive. Do not tell them you know you're fast. Unfortunately, you may never be. Finally, realize if you were as fast as you think, someone would have told you. Until you spend time in the car and truly realize the limit and limitations you have no chance of being fast. As it stands now, you're not educated enough to realize how slow you are.


These are the words of a wise man that’s been there and see it all before like quite a few of us have. I always find that it’s the modest people that are the fastest. Having been in FSAE for 4 years I’ve heard a lot of people talk themselves up and it never really amounts to anything. This doesn’t necessary limit itself to driving either. The reason that you think the car is fast is because you’ve never driven anything that fast before. The reason that you didn’t complain about the handling is that you aren’t good enough and don’t have the experience to find anything to complain about. In my opinion “fast” is just a perception, what you perceive as fast is going to be very different in someone else’s opinion.

I will give you some advice though. Act interested in the project and the older members around you will have little hesitation investing time in you and sharing a massive amount of knowledge and experience. If you truly are the ‘best driver in the world’ then this will become apparent in due time. DONT BREAK YOUR TEAMS CAR TRYING TO PROVE HOW GOOD YOU THINK YOU ARE!! One day perhaps you will be team leader and you will look back the days when you thought that you knew everything and laugh.

[woodsy96]

Your team clearly runs quite differently to ours.

Only a small percentage of the team even gets to drive our car (probably because our team is resonably large ~40), but if someone got a chance to drive the car, and the first thing they did after being told to start slowly was floor it they would be kicked out of the car and probably not allowed back in it.

Formula SAE is still a form of motorsport (though we don't pitch it to sponsors that way http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ),and therefore safety is paramount. If someone can't follow specific instructions about driving the car then they jeopardise the safety of the other people there, not to mention your personal safety and potential damage to the car/ other property which then makes it more difficult for the team to use that facility in the future. Lots of teams have problems because of the liability involved with using venues.

[TacoPete]

I'd suggest investing in some other form of go fast like a shifter kart. While I was still in formula we had one and it allowed a lot of the team to gain seat time and insight into who might be worth developing into a driver. However, team members have to realize that drivers are part of the formula equation and should not get discouraged when they are not the "chosen ones."

[Wesley]

"More than modest?" Don't you think that's bragging a little?

:P

[D Collins Jr]

1. How come you don't sign a name or a school? It makes it awfully inconvenient when I’m replying to you to not know where you’re from.
2. I respectfully disagree that “I have never talked myself up here on the forums.” A little snooping on my end shows that you’ve made 7 posts within 2 threads, both of which you started. Both of those threads are along the lines of “I’d like to be a better driver” and “How can I be a great FSAE driver?” In fact, in the first thread, you specifically stated “I think I am the best street car (regular car) driver out of these freshmen.” That sounds an awful lot like you’re talking yourself up.
3. I’ve read that there are basically two kinds of racecar drivers. One wants to race for the competitiveness of it, respects the competition, and is out to challenge themselves. The other is out to brag about how fast they are, and are typically the guys who will run down a class to get more wins, even though it’s against weaker competition (or go to Texas and race, when all the great drivers are in Oklahoma that week). I’m tempted to say that you’re in that second group, from what I’ve seen you post. Everyone here wants to be a better driver. That’s the fun part of FSAE. But you don’t notice too many other threads on here that are asking for driving advice after they almost wrecked the team’s car.
4. A little tip, from someone who has been in this situation (more than I care to admit). Work hard. Don’t talk about it. Wait for your teammates to make it a joke, and then laugh about it. DON’T be looking for your next chance to get in a car, let the team invite you back in. If you stick to working hard, and don’t go posting things on the forums where everyone can see it, the team should respect you enough to let you back in. And when they do, don’t do something so utterly stupid again.
Oh, and a #5 as a PS. If you only hit 1 or 2 cones over another 30 laps like you claimed, in your first seat time, I highly doubt that you were any level of fast.