... for me. And what a truly wonderfull trip it's been.
I bought my FFR Roadster kit 11 years ago. Hard to believe it's been that long.
It took me 3 years to get her on the road. And ever since, she's been in a constant state of development. Always looking for something better, always looking for something new.
8 years ago, I started driving with NASA. I started out learning to drive in HPDE, group 1. Gradually moved my way up to group 4. Learning to drive fast and - most importantly - safely. I can't tell you how much fun it's been.
I eventually moved up to Time trials. Power to weight ratio put me in the race group, TTR. I have 4 season first place trophies in that class. I'm not always the fastest, but I am the most consistent. I'v never been a champion before in my entire life. My Factory Five Roadster has allowed me that honor.
In Jan 2012, my Roadster allowed me another honor. I was asked/allowed/honored with the opportunity to be a driving instructor with NASA. I love to teach, and have been doing it for many years in a variety of subjects; even driving of emergency, tactical, and military vehicles. I really enjoy it, and I'm usually pretty good at it.
By now, I have been teaching HPDE for 2 seasons. And it has been a ton of fun. To see a new driver progress in such a short time really has been great. When the light comes on and they "Get It", is really an exciting moment.
It's been a very busy two seasons, too. Instructing means 8 track sessions per day. That means about 4 hours out of the day you're sitting in a car seat. Not much time for anything else. And if your car needs some work, it's an extremely busy day.
We went to the awards ceremony last night. I knew I was receiving the award for regional champion. I'm definitely not the fastest car in my class (TTR). But I'm there most every day, and the points add up.
I was also given the Instructor of the Year award! That was a surprise. I was so busy having a good time, that I never even thought about it. And I didn't receive much feed back over the course of the year, either.
I am deeply honored by this. We have an excellent group of instructors, and they chose me. I am just blown away by this.
I was also interested to find out that I have a nick name - Iron Man. I'm the last guy off the track on Sunday night. I'm the guy that makes sure no one leaves early. I have been out there all by myself on Sunday afternoon. I'll have to put that on my car somewhere.
A New Chapter
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