What can the first time participant expect?
A kid in the candy store may well describe the first time participant. This is both good and bad. First timers are, by far, the most fun. While the caravans are engaging, the real driving is an unparalleled experience.
The safety lecture the day before is to impress the seriousness of the driving and the consequences for not following the prescribed rules. A certain level of anxiety should be present before setting tire on any of the fun roads.
Driving, like any sport, requires a constant honing of one’s skills. Otherwise, compensation should be allowed until the requisite reflexes begin to return. That, of course, is assuming that they were ever there. Untrained, unskilled drivers can forget about the natural driver theory. In nearly forty years we’ve only come across one, and he would be an exception to almost any rule. We did have another participant who thought he was a natural; he limped his damaged 911 home to Houston with its tail tucked between its legs.
The more forgiving nature of current production sports cars may lull drivers into a false sense of security, but they cannot defy the laws of physics. Those tire contact patches can only do so much. Unless one is intimately familiar with the limits of adhesion, pushing a sports car into the unknown is not recommended. This is certainly no place to explore those limits.
Any doubt should be a catalyst for disciplined and prudent driving. On the other hand, those who are inexperienced and rightfully timid will be amazed at what their car is capable of accomplishing well within the limits of safety.
The overconfident, more experienced driver may be more at risk than a rookie. However, at some point the inexperienced will feel that they have graduated. This usually occurs around day two of the fun driving. Hence the term sophomore, which literally means wise fool. As confidence rises, safety margins decline. No mater how one arrives at this state of mind, confidence can only be described as the overwhelming feeling that one senses just before the screw up.
These roads are terribly unforgiving. Large egos struggle with more prudent driving practices. This is exactly where lack of preparation meets opportunity, otherwise known as bad luck. In any event, it is the first timer who will flirt with disaster more than those who have witnessed some of the potential dangers that lie in wait.
Making it to lunch on the first day of spirited driving is a graduation of sorts. First timers now celebrate their accomplishments as well as their survival. Lively, animated conversation will be dominated by the first timers at lunch. Embellishment is now taken to a new level. Enthusiasm will abound with shared experiences and impressions. Participants celebrate both accomplishment and relief.
Mishaps may also be the result of too little aggression as well as too much. Complacency can lead to lapses of concentration. The more spirited the driving, the more concentration required.
When we least expect it, the pavement can suddenly change sticktion. As absurd as it sounds, an oil slick can appear in the middle of nowhere. We have to be prepared to expect the unexpected. Look for a balance between speed and complacency.
The perfect balance of these forces will result in driving nirvana. Remember, the definition of sophomore is wise fool, what one becomes after their freshman year. Having graduated the freshman experience is no guarantee that smooth sailing lies ahead.
Respect the roads. Respect your car. The rewards for doing it right are worth the challenge.