Page 41 - KCRPCA Sept Oct 2019

As a driving enthusiast and a member of the Porsche Club of America, I believe in helping other’s who share that same passion to achieve their goals. In my current role as the Chief Driving Instructor for the Kansas City Region, I have the unique opportunity to facilitate creating the opportunity for fellow driving enthusiasts to experience what it’s like to drive their car on a race track. The Porsche Club of America has developed a very comprehensive Driver’s Education (DE) program with all the requisite rules and regulations necessary to make this experience possible. When we learned Blake wanted to participate in a DE, I knew I had to figure a way out to make it happen. Goal #1 was to ensure Blake was comfortable with what he was about to experience. I wanted Blake to enjoy the experience and leave the event with a smile on his face, a sense of accomplishment. In order to ensure Blake achieved that goal, I had to make sure 2 other things were taken care of explicitly. First off driver safety is obviously extremely important, and in addition, machine safety is critical. In order achieve both of these, it was critical to assign Blake an accomplished Instructor. Nick Wollenman was up to the task. He was comfortable in working with Blake, and was comfortable with the modified controls in the car. Nick was very enthusiastic about helping Blake achieve Goal #1. There were a few technical issues to resolve, such as how Blake was going to indicate a “passing signal” as his left hand was busy operating the accelerator and could not be extended out the driver side window to give a “point by” etc. Nick and Blake worked together to resolve these issues within the confines of the PCA DE Minimum Standards rules and regulations. Once all the parties involved clearly understood the requisite rules and procedures, it was off to the track, so to speak. Dave Stadtmueller Chief Driving Instructor Kansas City Region Porsche Club of America DAVID STADTMUELLER “When we learned Blake wanted to participate in a DE, I knew I had to figure a way out to make it happen.” SEP / OCT 2019 41