Thursday, April 19, 2018
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Race Driving Tuition

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Mike Gorton has been a Race Driving Instructor since 1999. Mike has a very impressive CV which proves his ability to provide tuition to any level of driver. One of Mike's customers, Ian Flynn, improved from the middle of the grid to a front runner and Championship winner after receiving tuition from Mike (see Ian's Testimonial in "About MGA" for clarification). 

1999 - Started instructing at Three Sisters and for Brands Hatch Leisure, mainly at Oulton Park. Provided tuition for two racing teams.

2000 -  Undertook corporate days for Honda.  Started instruction for the Rally School at Oulton Park.  

2001 to 2004 - Instructing for Three Sisters and Oulton Park (Grade A).  In 2004 I also did driver tuition for competitiors in the Mini Cooper cup. 

2005 - Assessed and became an Instructor for Lotus on their test track at Hethel. 

2006 - Upgraded to Deputy Chief Instructor at Oulton Park and ran track days for Motorsport Vision at Oulton Park and Cadwell Park. 

2007 - Deputy Chief Instructor at Oulton Park.  Senior Instructor at Three Sisters, Rockingham and Donington. Awarded an S Grade ARDS Instructors license. 

2008 to 2010 - Instructor at Oulton Park, Three Sisters, Rockingham, Donington and Prestwold.

Ring Mike on 07836 605065 for further details and prices.

Paul Follett

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Paul FollettI started racing quite late in life and soon after I began was very lucky to meet Mike and race in the team he managed for the 2008 Britcar 24hr event.  He seems to know everyone in the pit lane, has a proven record as a driver & motorsport engineer, finally add to that a wealth of experience in coaching at all levels mainly through his work with Motorsport Vision.
 
So I thought no better person to help raise my racing performance.  First time out we went to Oulton Park in my Porsche 968 and as luck would have it alternator failure struck us down at 9.00am before we even got on track.  This was not a problem as Mike had a former life as an auto electrician, some accurate diagnosis, then one or two calls and a trip down the road and we were up and running with an exchange unit in under an hour!
 
Onto track and with all his coaching experience he quickly worked out the best way for me to learn.  I would mention that I have had other people do a bit of coaching with me in the last two years, frankly they might be good drivers but they do not always have the best understanding of driver psychology.  Mike is a student of life as well as racing and knows intuitively what will work.
 
His approach with me centred on three stages starting with learning the track lines at three quarter pace. He was quite demanding but, especially on a circuit like Oulton, that pays great dividends later.  Then we added in power and speed through and out of each corner, not being at all concerned with anything to do with straightline speed or late braking.  Finally, onto stage three quite late in the day when I added in greater speed down the straights and explored the braking limits whilst doing all the other things I had learnt earlier.
 
In hindsight what MIke understands is that drivers have what I call 'a spare brain capacity' whilst driving under instruction.  His trick is to calculate how big that space might be and then work out what would suit the pupil best.   
 
In writing this I have just realised that my 2 best results since starting racing occurred at circuits where Mike had coached me, ie Oulton Park & Snetterton.  What more can I say in a testimonial! 
 
Paul Follett  - September 2010
Racing in the Porsche Club Championship with a 968

 

Mike Gorton
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