Instructor Commands

Published: March 13, 2014

B

  • Both Feet In - press brake and clutch pedals as hard as possible. The intent is to apply maximum deceleration possible to the car and prevent engine damage. In a spinning non-ABS car, the goal is often also to lock up all four tires and make them slide parallel to the track.
  • Brake - get on the brakes right now. When an instructor says "brake", they want you to start braking immediately rather than at some future time. Typically instructors will time their input ahead of the actual braking point, such that by the time you apply the brakes it will be the right time to apply them.

C

  • Careful - you are about to run out of track. Get off the gas if you are accelerating, if not stay off the gas. Look ahead and concentrate on staying on track.

E

L

  • Lift - short for "lift your foot off the gas pedal". Stop accelerating. Lifting transitions a car that is accelerating to one which is off power.

M

  • More Brake or More Brakes - press the brake pedal harder. Driving on a race track demands more braking effort than street driving does. If you have a car with ABS, press the brake pedal harder until you feel the ABS engage, and keep pressing the brake pedal. If you have a car without ABS and you feel that you are applying the maximum braking effort that the tires can handle, say so to your instructor.

T

  • Thumbs Up - when you are working on a specific technique or corner, a thumbs up from the instructor typically indicates that you have done the technique correctly, or you drove the corner correctly. I typically give a thumbs up for a couple of laps for correct execution of whatever I am working on with my student, after that I stop giving the thumbs up for the mastered concept so that I can use it again when the next technique or corner is correctly executed.

W

  • Wait - usually used when approaching a corner, "wait" means "wait to turn". Continue in a straight line, normally on the outside of the track, until the instructor says or signals that it is time to turn. If you think you are going to go off track, reduce your speed but do not turn until the instructor says to.