3 Day School 3-day school for my son

[angusdad]

signed my 11 year old up for the 3 day school in november in atl! we've been looking forward to starting Skip Barber for the last couple of years. he's got the 'going faster' book and dvd which he's been studying for a while. any other advice for him heading into this? our plans are to then take the 2 day in late winter, and then lapping all spring and summer, and then regional racing hopefully next fall if they let him.

[dlippert]

You might go to another thread and find Michael Edwards (look under "Atlantic Series Heats Up") and send him your question in a private message. Mike's son John came out of karts and went through SBRS at about your son's age, and is now a title contender in Atlantics.

[angusdad]

thanks, i'll look for him!

[StevieDe]

Sounds like Angus is one lucky young dude...
Attending a 3-day school is quite an occasion for kids and childish adults as well.

There have been several threads on this site about maximizing the 3-day experience and most center around keeping an open mind and realistic expectations.

The one aspect that I routinely see frustrating some young participants is the proper use of the clutch and shifting...

If there was someway you could get him some 'stick-shift time' before he sits in a race car it would be a huge help.
Just being able to get the clutch out and lurch the vehicle into motion without killing the engine or reducing the clutch to dust/smoke would ease his his transition into cars and make the entire school more beneficial...

My .02
SD

[Mopar92]

Is he going to do MX5 or Formula cars? As Stevie De said, make sure he's driving a stick shift around in a parking lot somewhere. That WILL be his biggest stunt in growth right there. Understanding how to time the gas/clutch is a great thing to know when entering the school. I look forward to meeting you in Atlanta... Keith W

[Rosso]

Originally Posted by angusdad

signed my 11 year old up for the 3 day school in november in atl! we've been looking forward to starting Skip Barber for the last couple of years. he's got the 'going faster' book and dvd which he's been studying for a while. any other advice for him heading into this? our plans are to then take the 2 day in late winter, and then lapping all spring and summer, and then regional racing hopefully next fall if they let him.

Yikes! Eleven! Please tell me he's big for his age - 5'-10", about 190 lbs? At least he won't contribute to the crowd at the bar...

Originally Posted by Mopar92

Is he going to do MX5 or Formula cars? ... Keith W

Seriously, can he see over the dash in a MX-5?

Originally Posted by StevieDe

...and most center around keeping an open mind and realistic expectations.

The one aspect that I routinely see frustrating some young participants is the proper use of the clutch and shifting...

And many 50 year olds who should know better...

Originally Posted by StevieDe

My .02
SD

Note that .02 in Stevie De Skippy script is about $1,000 in USD at the current exchange rates...

[Slowhands]

Originally Posted by Rosso

Seriously, can he see over the dash in a MX-5?

One of my favorite memories of my first Car Control Clinic will always be seeing a 13-year-old Julia Landauer (who was extremely petite and intensely lovely) wedged into a Viper with tons of seat foam, cushions, and a major pedal adjustment (can't remember if there were any blocks involved). Wish I had taken a picture, that was such a great image-- this tiny little girl wheeling the growling beast around the Lime Rock autocross.

[angusdad]

thanks for all the info! we're heading for formula cars. he's a small 11 year old, only 4'7". i was concerned about him being big enough, but visited SB at road atlanta, and the instructor told me he will be fine. he told me they would make him a seat. also, he told me i could bring angus up there before the school to give him some shifting experience beforehand.

angus comes from motocross and has a working knowledge of shifting, clutching, etc on motocross bikes. he totally gets downshifting, etc in theory coming from that, and i was assuming that would transfer readily. am i thinking correctly? he was really good at shifting, feathering the clutch, etc, and it took him about 30 minutes to master it on a motorcycle at age 8. that is my biggest worry entering the class.

i know he's young, and some have not been supportive of his progress, but the ones who've worked with him have been very supportive. he started racing when he was 4 in mx, factory sponsored at 8, switched to karting at 9 due to so many injuries, and added bandoleros last year. won in everything. i had parents that pushed me in sports, and i can assure you, though, that angus' drive in racing comes totally from him, not me as i don't want to be one of those parents. our deal is i will work only as hard as he does. he's been totally focused on getting to SB, and preparing himself to enter the karting shootout.

i got some really good advice recently from this board to stay out of the way and to even stay at home and send my wife with him to the school. i don't think i can remove myself that much from it, but i will totally stay out of the way at SB, and i appreciated the reminder to back off and let the instructors handle angus. we've been fortunate to have had alot of individual coaching over the years, and so both of us are used to that.

whoever angus meets, he questions them if they are aware of the new USF1 team. he's convinced that's his future.

[cdh]

YES on formula car school!! If nothing else it will be an amazing experience. The formula school car uses a basic H pattern non-synchro box. Stevie is right, perfecting it is one of the bigger challenges at the 3 day. Any manual gearbox driving he can do beforehand would probably help (stick, not paddles ). At my 3 day there was one student with zero manual box experience. It made it more difficult for him but he managed. Took him longer to get the rhythm of proper crash box shifting.

Remember - HAVE FUN - the instructors are a great bunch and help in this regard, good luck.