Ross Bentley School in Denver in March!!!

[LoCore]

Attention Club Time Trials Instructors and *experienced* drivers!

The Rocky Mountain Chapter BMW CCA is bringing in performance driving instructor and author Ross Bentley to Denver for two days of instructor and advanced driver training for the track.

Due to the unique nature of this event, and a desire of the BMW club to broadly grow the performance driving instructor base in the local motorsports community, we are opening up this event to *all* car clubs. As an organizer of this event, I've asked that our CTT instructors and experienced drivers be able to access this opportunity--and we got it!

NOTE: THIS SCHOOL IS NOT APPLICABLE TO AUTOCROSS/SOLO. IT WILL FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON TRACK DRIVING (e.g., PDX, CTT, Road Racing).

Club Time Trialers Instructors: I STRONGLY encourage you to attend this event if you plan on teaching (and getting the corresponding event discounts) this season. Instructors that take this class will have priority when I'm scheduling instructor/student pairings.

Early registration for this event opened Sunday Jan 11th to instructors and advanced students. After they have had a chance to regsiter, the school will be opened to *everyone* if space permits.

IF YOU ARE AN INSTRUCTOR OR EXPERIENCED TIME TRIALER AND WANT TO EARLY REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT contact me immediately at djobusch at comcast dot net. I'll forward registration information if you meet the early regsitration criteria.

I'll post registration info for everyone once the early registration has completed.

[LoCore]

This is the announcement sent out to the RMC instructors by Chief Instructor Chris Roth:


On March 14 and 15 RMC BMW CCA will be hosting a two day instructor/advanced student seminar by Ross Bentley. Ross is a very accomplished racer, having run in series from Trans-AM to Indy Car. He has won championships and major races including the 24 Hrs of Daytona. He also is very highly regarded for his series of books on hpd/race driving and instructing called Speed Secrets.

The seminar will be held at the Le May Museum which is part of the Colorado Auto Club in Lakewood. You won't believe this place and all the exotic street, race, collectible cars on display in this modern facility. It's all carpeted with good lighting, lots of displays, excellent sound quality - a very cozy and classy place.

This seminar is something we have wanted to do for our instructors for awhile, especially since I spoke with several instructors around the country who have attended one or more of Ross' seminars. Feedback is unanimously very positive. He has looked carefully at our driving schools, what we teach, format etc. and is very impressed. He has developed a curriculum which is tailored to US.

Ross also knows about HPR and has looked at the simulations. He plans on talking about this new track on the block and how he expects it will drive. There will also be a simulator at the event so we can drive a few laps ourselves.

It is HIGHLY encouraged that you, our instructors, attend this seminar. The chapter has gone to great lengths to arrange this and is subsidizing much of the cost of bringing Ross here. Our price for the event is $50 for the two day seminar and it will include lunch both days. Registration opened today for us, our ITS candidates, our A students and instructors from other clubs. Later next week it will be made available to general memberships. Space is limited so............. PLEASE REGISTER NOW. Let's have a great turnout for this. It will be a lot of fun, we'll all learn a lot and it will be a good chance to
visit with Ross and some instructors from other clubs.

[LoCore]

Day 1:

Workshop Outline

Day 1 - Saturday March 14, 2009 8:00AM - 5:00PM

INTRODUCTION
---------------
Objectives of workshop -
As a driver
As an instructor
How workshop will benefit you as a driver and/or instructor
Workshop outline
The importance of strategies/deliberate practice

HOW THE DRIVER’S MIND WORKS
-------------------------------
The importance of mental skills to high performance driving
The Performance Model – how humans perform any task
Sensory input
Brain integration – mental processing speed
Mental programming
State of mind
Psychomotor skills & multi-tasking
Belief system

WORKING WITH THE DRIVER’S MIND
----------------------------------
The 3 keys to improving mental performance


VEHICLE DYNAMICS
-------------------
Weight transfer and traction
Handling characteristics
Balance
Working with your tires
Slip angle
What the Friction Circle is really telling us

THE TRACK
-----------
Corner priorities
Reading a track
How to learn a new track

[LoCore]

Day 2 - Sunday March 15, 2009 8:00AM - 5:00PM

ADVANCED DRIVING TECHNIQUES
--------------------------------
Shifting
Trail braking
End-of-braking points
Brake release
“Crisp” versus “bend in” turn-ins
Sensing the traction limits
Momentum – entry speed versus exit speed

LEARNING
----------
Why it’s important to understand how you/drivers learn
Learning styles
Learning stages
The Learning Formula


INSTRUCTING TECHNIQUES
--------------------------
The basics
Instructing versus coaching
Instructing tips & techniques (in-car)
Working with beginner, intermediate and advanced drivers

THE MOST COMMON ERRORS DRIVERS MAKE – AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn-in errors
Line errors
Balance errors
Control errors
Lack of sensitivity to the limit
Vision errors

Q&A/DISCUSSION
-----------------

[LoCore]

The cost of this event will be $50. That covers student cost for both days of the school and provides lunch.

RMC BMW CCA is subsidizing a significant portion of the cost of this event for students. No way that you do this school for $50 *anywhere* unless someone else is helping foot the bill!

[LoCore]

Who is Ross Bentley?

Ross is a successful entrepreneur, business-owner, professional championship-winning race car driver, author of a best-selling series of performance driving books, engaging speaker, and one of the most sought-after coaches in North America. Ross’s strength is in bringing out the best in individuals and teams, no matter what environment they perform in, and developing systems to ensure ongoing sustainability of consistent performance.

Since watching his first auto race at the age of five, Ross has dedicated his life to driving. He began his racing career in oval track sprint cars, then turned to road racing, and winning, in Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, Trans-Am, Showroom Stock and Can-Am type racers. From 1990 to 1995, Ross competed at the highest level of auto racing in North America, the CART Indy Car Series. Since then he has become one of the top sports car drivers in the world, winning the 1998 United States Road Racing GT-3 Championship for the factory BMW M3 team, and the 2003 Daytona 24-Hour race.

"In addition to racing, I get the biggest thrill from helping others learn to be better drivers, and to perform better in whatever it is they choose," says Ross. He has taught thousands of drivers to improve their skills and attitudes through his books, articles, driving schools and personal coaching. His driver training goals are to make the public roads a safer place to drive, help people learn to enjoy driving more, and to find and coach future racing champions.

Ross is currently one of the most sought-after and respected race and performance driver coaches in North America, if not the world. He expands traditional instructional methods by focusing on what is really driving the car… the driver’s mind.

Ross coaches drivers of all ages, types of cars, and levels of the sport. He’s worked with 8 year-olds in karting, amateur racers in their 60’s, autocrossers, Indy 500 winners, flat track motorcycle racers, and top fuel drag racers. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, he has coached in Australia, England and Korea. His protégé, Colin Braun, (who he has been coaching in and out of the race car since Colin was 13), was recently signed to a long-term contract to drive for Roush-Fenway Racing in NASCAR.

Ross has literally written the book on driving. He put his experience and knowledge of racing and human performance into the Speed Secrets books. Speed Secrets 1 through 7 represent the best-selling race driving technique books and his Bob Bondurant on Kart Racing is popular in the karting world.

This combination and variety of driving and coaching at the highest levels, gives Ross a perspective on driving that is perhaps unique to him alone. Who else has driven, instructed and coached at the levels he has, and in the variety of disciplines? In one day he can be developing a training program for police officers or firefighters, training instructors to teach a teen new driver, coach a professional race driver, and conduct a seminar on enhancing mental performance for any driver. His love of driving is only matched by his passion for training and motivating people to achieve peak performance in their lives.

Read more about Speed Secrets at www.speedsecrets.com

[John Scheier]

Registered last night.

[LoCore]

Registered as of 12 Jan 1PM:

Jobusch, Barclay (Grant and Carol), van der Heidi, Valdez, Nguyen, Jobusch, Scheier, Goodman, Critchley, Young, Hadler, Foust, Dixon, Turner

(Geremy--you registered after I got the report)

Great start guys. We've got 55 signed up for the event already.

[BoulderG]

It's gonna be great! Thanks for letting us know about it, Dave.

[LoCore]

Just a reminder--this is open only to SCCA Club Time Trials instructors and instructor-candidates at this time.

I'll post a note once (if) general registration opens.

[kablammo]

I'm registered for Sunday only, can't make Saturday :(

Really looking forward to it - thanks for organizing this event!

K

[John Scheier]

I'm registered for Sunday only, can't make Saturday :(
K

Whipped :D

[LoCore]

The Good News: Registration has been opened up broadly for the Speed Secrets School

The "Bad" News: The school is full, but is collecting a wait list.

RMC BMW CCA is currently working with CAC to see if we can accomodate additional people and still put on an effective school.

As with any event, there are *always* cancellations. If you are interested in attending this event, please go to the following web page for instructions on how to get on the wait list.

http://www.rmcbmwcca.org/UpcomingEvents/RossBentley.htm

I'll post to this thread one I know the status of the space issue. But for now, the school is full.

[ianacole]

Wait list requested :) Thanks David!!