A One–to–One With Derek Wilson

Derek Wilson is a high mileage driver and uses his car, a Honda NSX, in connection with his work, and is a key player within a team of I.T. consultants working for an established company. Both he and his employers had become very much aware that Derek was an important link in a smooth–running team of people, and should he be unable to perform his job–role for any reason, the effect that would have upon the company would be something if a disaster.

Whilst he was working in an office Derek would be safe enough, but an area within his daily activities where he was certainly at risk was driving his car on the road. Not only was he covering a very high mileage each year, for work–related journey’s, but he also had a fair way to drive each day to get from his home to work, and had to do that in all weathers.

The consequences for his employer, even if they were to lose Derek even for a few weeks, would indeed be almost catastrophic.

"This is something that people don’t think about," says Derek. "If a key player within any commercial organisation is out of action, even for a few days, the knock–on effect it can have is tremendous.

There is the risk of missed appointments, resulting in lost business, the hassle of making arrangements for someone else to carry the workload and all the general disruption to the normal running of things. It would actually be a nightmare.

Companies are quite happy to spend a few thousand on enhancing an employee’s computer skills, but can sometimes not be so keen to spend few hundred quid on something that may just keep that person coming to work each day. People don’t die from crashes with a computer, they die from crashes on the road."

During a meeting with his line–manager, Derek put forward this argument and it was agreed that providing he could find the right company that would provide a good value quality service within the stipulated budget, Derek would be allowed to go on an advanced driving course to develop his driving skills; counting it as part of his personal career development plan.

Three and a Half Day High Performance Car Driving Course

Early on in the year 2001, Derek approached Ride Drive, having found the company on the Internet. Working within the budget perimeters, Ride Drive built a package for Derek’s company that kept well within the quoted amount, and which delivered the required training elements.

Derek would be getting a three and half day advanced road driver training course, which included the provision of a comprehensive and concise four–page written health and safety assessment report, for his employer to put on Derek’s personal file, and all for less than a Grand.

The format of the course would be that Derek would initially complete three dates of driver training in his Honda NSX, including the car limits handling session, and then, after a period of a few weeks, he would come back again for a half–day for a driving skills assessment and to tidy up any loose ends. He would also complete a small amoutn of motorway work, so as to fit in with his specific training request.

In the following May, and at 9 o’clock in the morning, Derek arrived at the agreed meeting point for his first day of driver training, feeling perhaps a little apprehensive as to what was going to happen. He had, whilst working for a previous employer some years before, been given a little input with regard to defensive driving techniques, some features of which he found he had retained and still used to good effect.

The Opportunity to Explore The Performance of The Car

The three whole days of the course consisted of on–road driver training and skills development. The training involved periods of intense practical driving work, and on day–three, there was a section of the day that involved training in car control and handling techniques, these more extreme driving activities being carried out on a disused aerodrome.

Here, Derek had the opportunity, not only to explore the limits of the handling characteristics of his car, but to also understand the factors that caused the vehicle to become unstable, and then cause control loss. Here, he would explore the limits of his car, as well as find his own limitations as a driver.

This course was not a cruise in the country, as Derek was to find out, but actually a programme of sheer hard work. "I am experienced enough to realise that you don’t get results by sitting back for the ride," says Derek. "You have to work hard at these things, because you only ever get out of it the value of what you put in."

Following the first 3–day phase, Derek was invited to comment on his experience with Ride Drive so far.

RD – "Did the pre–course written material you received from Ride Drive contain sufficient information to help you to understand what it was you were going to be doing?"

DW – "It was very informative and well presented. The thing that struck me most was that if I emailed the Ride Drive office I would always get a very prompt reply. There was never any hanging around waiting for things."

RD – "Did the description of the driving course make you feel that your driving ability was being questioned?"

DW – "No not at all. The way Ride Drive talk about their driving sessions makes it all sound as though what they are offering is something that is fun to do – which actually they are."

RD – "During the session itself, were you made to feel inadequate, or that your ability as a driver was being undermined in any way?"

DW – "No, definitely not. The emphasis is always on building on your existing strengths and enhancing your overall driving ability. Any comment made was always constructive and aimed at removing factors that can detract from the quality of a drive."

RD – "Do you feel this experience has boosted your overall ability?"

DW – "Oh yes, without doubt. Driving is something that we can all take for granted and is something we all like to think we are good at, but when you are given the techniques these guys give you, you realise that beforehand you really knew very little."

RD – "Did the session represent good value for money?"

DW – "Excellent value for money. When I think what companies normally charge for consultancy work, even within the organisation I work for, this really is very cost effective."

RD – "Is there any way in which you believe the session could have been changed or improved?"

DW – "The session was well structured, giving a solid foundation of the individual elements before putting it all together in longer and more challenging drives. I found it was ideal for what I wanted."

RD – "Which particular element of the session did you find most useful?"

DW – "It is difficult to pinpoint one particular element that was most beneficial, as it is the application of all the elements together that produces the biggest improvements. Having said that, the areas where I feel I made the biggest improvement were, speed management, overtaking and road positioning, where I was encouraged to make full use of the available road."

RD – "Is there any subject matter you would like covered in the session that wasn’t included?"

DW – "I do a lot of motorway driving. This is less challenging and perhaps less interesting the A and B–class roads. I feel that a short period of motorway driving techniques would have helped."

RD – "That’s a fair comment, and if we were not prepared to accept criticism we would not be having this conversation. The most important areas that need to be covered are ones that require the most intense input. It is therefore difficult to determine whether to sacrifice some of this time for motorway work. There were a number of occasions when the route of the day covered dual carriageways, some of which were three lanes wide, but nonetheless not a motorway as such. Maybe this is something that can be covered in the remaining half–day later in the year?"

RD – "If asked to sum up your whole experience with a few frank and honest words, what would you have to say?"

DW – "I would say I gained a great many new skills as a driver from the three–days, and learned an awful lot about myself, whilst enjoying it all at the same time. All comments made to me were constructive and helpful, with an emphasis on gaining real life experience. It is true I found this to be an intense experience, being constantly encouraged to incorporate all the new skills into my drive. This is tiring over a full day, but very rewarding when all comes together – a real buzz when you get it just right. It will be interesting when I come back later in the year for the remaining half a day to see how much of it I have retained."

There Were No Highway Code Quizzes – Just Fun

"I was also pleased to find that the session was not conducted as a test; there were no Highway Code quizzes, for example. Also, the attitude taken was one of enjoying driving and enjoying the performance and capabilities of the car, rather than a preaching session."

"Lastly, the handling session, which is completed on a disused aerodrome, really gets the adrenaline flowing and provides an opportunity to learn very quickly all about your car and its behaviour under stress, but doing so whilst in a safe and controlled environment."

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Thursday, 09-Dec-2010

A One–to–One With Derek Wilson