Auto123.com partnered with Mécaglisse, a renowned motorsports park in Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci, Quebec, to help promote their winter driving course.
Here, participants of all ages and experience levels first get theoretical lessons from the training director, M. Franck Kirchhoff. Together, they review basic safety principles and discuss the dynamics of vehicles on the road (weight transfers, steering and braking impacts, cornering, etc.). Driving position also goes under the microscope.
That being said, the winter driving course is more about practice than theory. Behind the wheel, students have to execute a number of practical exercises in order to get familiar with how their car handles on snow and ice. First, they spend time on a skid control area to learn about the effects of understeer and oversteer as well as throttle control. They become aware of their car's reactions and what they have to do to maintain control.
After reviewing their driving position with the training director, participants try their hand at a slalom course so as to learn how to feel and control their vehicle better. Striving to look far ahead and where you want to go is crucial to avoid obstacles. Knowing how to position your hands and manipulate the steering wheel are among the key fundamentals of winter driving.
Then there are braking techniques (with or without electronic aids): drivers learn the optimum ways to brake to get themselves out of danger. By combining these techniques with a good control of the steering wheel, they are able to safely avoid obstacles. Be careful, though: it's not as easy as you may think. It takes practice and some more practice. This training is a golden opportunity to do so.
At the end of these exercises, students are invited to drive on the various tracks of Mécaglisse in order to put their newly-acquired skills to the test. Franck will even make them voluntarily yet safely send their car skidding to allow them to expand their comfort zone and avoid panicking when a loss of control occurs, often unexpectedly. Regaining control will prove easier thanks to the various techniques taught by Mécaglisse instructors.
So, there you have it: this course will give you a lot of useful tips to get more familiar with your car and better tackle winter conditions. You'll become a more confident and more self-assured driver, regardless of your experience. The benefits you will get will surprise you. All participants, even older ones, unanimously and humbly admit to have learned a lot through this course, promising they will strive to keep their good techniques and attitude behind the wheel.
If every car driver did the same, our roads would be much safer come wintertime.
Enjoy the course and have a nice drive.
You can contact Mécaglisse at 819-424-3324 or by e-mail at info@mecaglisse.com
photo:Philippe Champoux
Here, participants of all ages and experience levels first get theoretical lessons from the training director, M. Franck Kirchhoff. Together, they review basic safety principles and discuss the dynamics of vehicles on the road (weight transfers, steering and braking impacts, cornering, etc.). Driving position also goes under the microscope.
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That being said, the winter driving course is more about practice than theory. Behind the wheel, students have to execute a number of practical exercises in order to get familiar with how their car handles on snow and ice. First, they spend time on a skid control area to learn about the effects of understeer and oversteer as well as throttle control. They become aware of their car's reactions and what they have to do to maintain control.
After reviewing their driving position with the training director, participants try their hand at a slalom course so as to learn how to feel and control their vehicle better. Striving to look far ahead and where you want to go is crucial to avoid obstacles. Knowing how to position your hands and manipulate the steering wheel are among the key fundamentals of winter driving.
Then there are braking techniques (with or without electronic aids): drivers learn the optimum ways to brake to get themselves out of danger. By combining these techniques with a good control of the steering wheel, they are able to safely avoid obstacles. Be careful, though: it's not as easy as you may think. It takes practice and some more practice. This training is a golden opportunity to do so.
At the end of these exercises, students are invited to drive on the various tracks of Mécaglisse in order to put their newly-acquired skills to the test. Franck will even make them voluntarily yet safely send their car skidding to allow them to expand their comfort zone and avoid panicking when a loss of control occurs, often unexpectedly. Regaining control will prove easier thanks to the various techniques taught by Mécaglisse instructors.
 |
So, there you have it: this course will give you a lot of useful tips to get more familiar with your car and better tackle winter conditions. You'll become a more confident and more self-assured driver, regardless of your experience. The benefits you will get will surprise you. All participants, even older ones, unanimously and humbly admit to have learned a lot through this course, promising they will strive to keep their good techniques and attitude behind the wheel.
If every car driver did the same, our roads would be much safer come wintertime.
Enjoy the course and have a nice drive.
You can contact Mécaglisse at 819-424-3324 or by e-mail at info@mecaglisse.com
photo:Philippe Champoux
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