MAC Course with Chris Ellis Today
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:58 pm
I'm embarassed to say that after a period of nigh on 20 years this was to be the first serious piece of driver training undertaken. As the date for the course drew closer I became increasingly nervous at the thought of my driving craft coming under close scrutiny, I knew I had bad habits I just was unsure of how many 
. Its worth saying at the outset that I found Chris extremely professional in his attitude, his presentation and his instruction. This in turn allowed me to develop confidence in his direction and therefore get the most out of the day. I learned so much today but in the interest of finger typing I'll summarise it into a few bullets;
- Overtaking positioning and preparation, the real sense of satisfaction from reading the road, selecting an appropriate gear, selecting the spot for the action and then executing in a safe and somewhat stealthy manner that did not raise attention to the event and nor intimidate other road users
- Reading corners and understanding when to come off the gas and when to begin smooth acceleration to maximise exit velocity
- Selecting a gear, if not two, lower than I would normally to maximise the flexibility of control should a situation require it, quite often I can be in fifth when in a 30 zone, after today i can see the real benefit of being in third which at 3000rpm puts my nicely into an esculating torque zone giving me options
- Braking superseeded through anticipatory vision wherever possible, reading the hazards early and backing off so that when you arrive at them you are already in a suitable speed / gear combination as opposed to braking at the spot and then trying to find an appropriate gear to overcome the momentum loss
I learned so much more and will no doubt add to this when my brain has a good nights sleep but today I really had a complete mindset change to the way I drive as a core skill and also in the way I drive the CTR to maximise the investment in this little rocket. If you haven't booked your MAC course yet I'd strongly recommend getting your name down and being prepared for some quality tuition.
regards, from one very tired driver, Kevin.
. Its worth saying at the outset that I found Chris extremely professional in his attitude, his presentation and his instruction. This in turn allowed me to develop confidence in his direction and therefore get the most out of the day. I learned so much today but in the interest of finger typing I'll summarise it into a few bullets;- Overtaking positioning and preparation, the real sense of satisfaction from reading the road, selecting an appropriate gear, selecting the spot for the action and then executing in a safe and somewhat stealthy manner that did not raise attention to the event and nor intimidate other road users
- Reading corners and understanding when to come off the gas and when to begin smooth acceleration to maximise exit velocity
- Selecting a gear, if not two, lower than I would normally to maximise the flexibility of control should a situation require it, quite often I can be in fifth when in a 30 zone, after today i can see the real benefit of being in third which at 3000rpm puts my nicely into an esculating torque zone giving me options
- Braking superseeded through anticipatory vision wherever possible, reading the hazards early and backing off so that when you arrive at them you are already in a suitable speed / gear combination as opposed to braking at the spot and then trying to find an appropriate gear to overcome the momentum loss
I learned so much more and will no doubt add to this when my brain has a good nights sleep but today I really had a complete mindset change to the way I drive as a core skill and also in the way I drive the CTR to maximise the investment in this little rocket. If you haven't booked your MAC course yet I'd strongly recommend getting your name down and being prepared for some quality tuition.
regards, from one very tired driver, Kevin.
