Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Require Driving School? Yes or No?

[Fellippe Galletta (fellippe.galletta]

On Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 3:52 PM, Steve Cook <stevec [at] cheatcodes.com> wrote:

> Here's a rhetorical question I thought of after my first _unintentional_
> power oversteer in the 355.
>
>
>
> Yesterday afternoon, midway through a left hand turn, I put on a bit too
> much power and the backend broke loose. I caught it easily and corrected
> without a problem (even with a grin on my face). But that's because I've
> gone through numerous Driving Schools, auto-crossed for many years and
> did a couple SCCA open-wheel races.
>
>
>
> I thought, gee, I hope that doesn't happen to my wife if she's midway
> through a corner, she would have lost it and spun.  It doesn't take much
> to get the back end loose without traction control.
>
>
>
> That's where my question came from - what about all the inexperienced
> drivers buying super/high-performance vehicles with little or no
> experience driving them - (like pro-footballers in the UK ;).  Cars are
> getting more and more powerful, and there's only so much a computer can
> do to control your traction at 100+mph.
>
>
>
> So now, the question: Should Ferrari _REQUIRE_ new buyers to take high
> performance driving lessons before selling them a supercar?
>
>
>
> I think yes, unless the buyer can show necessary skills, they should
> require buyers to take performance driving lessons. Although they would
> legally need to say it's not responsible for giving them
> over-confidence...
>
>
>
> Discuss...
>
> -steve


Great topic....surprised this hasn't come up before.

I think either a special upgraded license could be sought, or maybe some
kind of "test" given either by the manufacturer or some sanctioned racing
group. Somehow, someway there would need to be evidence that the driver is
"minimally competent" at certain driving exercises.

I use the term "minimally competent" because that's the term licensing
boards use to judge whether those who pass licensing exams in engineering
(and I'm assuming medicine, legal, as well etc.) are good enough to a degree
to merit being a practitioner of that profession. So if you pass the exam,
you are minimally competent, but by no means are you necessarily a full
fledged authority who can do no wrong. ;)

If you made it too hard in either case, you won't get any practitioners of
these professions, and on the automotive side, no exotics could be sold.

I've always pushed for the US to have a driver's licensing program as
stringent as that of Germany but it just seems like that will never fly in
this country because it would infringe on the freedoms of so many, lol. If
anything, maybe a "super license" could be created.

I could have sworn I thought I heard that Chevrolet was supposed to require
attendance of a high performance driving school for those who buy the new
ZR1? If you can't require the skills outright, then at least attending the
class is making some progress.

Make it required, and part of the cost of the car. There, problem solved for
now. :)

FG