Phil: It's all a matter of attitude and being able to see reality for what it is. I've never pretended nor assumed that I was the best racer out there. We've got some serious talent in Canada and Quebec. I realized early enough that I wasn't going to make a huge career out of racing. I managed to combine my love for cars, racing and my passion for teaching and carved out a little niche for myself. I always explain and compare my path to an NHL coach. Most have played in a pro league, but few have ever made it to the NHL as players. These guys combined their experience with their abilities to teach and became amazing coaches.
Matt: How important or, in other words, what is the value of a course such as the one offered by the Jim Russell Racing School? Should anyone/everyone do it once in their life?
Phil: Regardless of what type of driving school someone wants to do, the basics are always the same: driving position, vision, laws of physics, braking distances, and everything else. The experiences are the same just at different levels.
Matt: In all these years as an instructor, what have been some of your biggest challenges?
Phil: Ha, Canada's Worst Driver! In my normal classes, my students want to be there, they want to learn how to go fast so I have their full attention. At CWD, I need so much more patience. I need to change and modify my approach because their mindset is completely different. In a way, I become a psychologist and an instructor.
Matt: Depending on the event in which you are the instructor, do you change your approach? From say, a group of MINIs versus owners of 600hp+ Ferraris?
Phil: Real pain can come from 620hp. The walls come at you much faster and things can go wrong much faster. I teach the same technique, the basics like I said before, but in this case I work a lot on mental preparations. These cars can fly, and things happen at much higher speeds.
Matt: On a lighter note, tell me the craziest thing you witnessed on CWD.
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| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com |
Matt: How important or, in other words, what is the value of a course such as the one offered by the Jim Russell Racing School? Should anyone/everyone do it once in their life?
Phil: Regardless of what type of driving school someone wants to do, the basics are always the same: driving position, vision, laws of physics, braking distances, and everything else. The experiences are the same just at different levels.
Matt: In all these years as an instructor, what have been some of your biggest challenges?
Phil: Ha, Canada's Worst Driver! In my normal classes, my students want to be there, they want to learn how to go fast so I have their full attention. At CWD, I need so much more patience. I need to change and modify my approach because their mindset is completely different. In a way, I become a psychologist and an instructor.
Matt: Depending on the event in which you are the instructor, do you change your approach? From say, a group of MINIs versus owners of 600hp+ Ferraris?
Phil: Real pain can come from 620hp. The walls come at you much faster and things can go wrong much faster. I teach the same technique, the basics like I said before, but in this case I work a lot on mental preparations. These cars can fly, and things happen at much higher speeds.
Matt: On a lighter note, tell me the craziest thing you witnessed on CWD.
 |
| Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com |