Track day instructors:

[CP]

Is instructor contact with a student's steering wheel widely taught? I've heard some instructors say that they practice this technique quite frequently. Personally I've never had an instructor even ask to steer my car, much less suddenly grab the wheel in a slide. It would totally freak me out if someone grabbed my steering wheel as I was trying to concentrate to steer out of a potential spin, most likely resulting in a crash that could have been avoided if I am left alone to correct the car myself. What's the SOP as far as club training programs are concerned for instructor intervention?

[pt4kq]

If you spend hours with a student on track, and they still wont use the whole thing,
I'll ask if I can help! But I would NEVER grab the wheel if I thought we are on the
edge of a spin. You can only tell them to track-out so much.
The reason this probably has not happened to you is you get it, some don't and need assistance.
The SOP is "in a spin, both feet in"

[Rally_nutcase_1982]

If a student by all means doesn't get the point of any associated exercise then it's time to re-think the strategy and perhaps take a different approach or go back to the drawing board.
Physical intervention like moving the steering wheel or trying to control any elements of the car is IMHO not appropriate and could lead to devastating results.
What happens if the student gets into a similar daily driving situation by himself w/o an instructor riding shotgun - then what?

Only practice, more practice and lots of seat time may help to achieve a goal, but there is no guaranty that the student will ever get there, some talents may be required.

The development of "psychomotor skills" to react on sometimes contra-intuitive motions can not be thought by jerking the steering wheel, it must be learned and experienced in a controlled environment - slowly.
Only when the instructor works with patience and time to observe a student very closely while using analytical skills from a comprehensive pool of knowledge and own experience then there is a good chance of being successful. The result of the analyzes should determine exactly the training program and step by step instruction/goals for the student.
That means putting him/her into a situation in a controlled and safe environment like a skid pad an old airstrip for example.

And what most people seem to forget: for anything you do in life - Speed is a by-product and will only be achieved through practice and developing excellent skills.

So the only thing I'd physically move in your car is clicking in the seatbelt ;-)

[Press]

if a student is having difficulty with a particular turn or turn in point i will ask them if i can gently assist them by placing my hand on the wheel through that turn....most of my students have had no issues with it....for example, my student at ra last year was having an issue with turn 3, he wasn't waiting long enough, once i showed him what i wanted him to do it was a non-issue....if a student says no that's fine also, i'll try something else

[nord1899]

turn 6 at Miller, which is about 160 degree, right hand, decreasing radius turn. Car in front of me was going off about 2/3 of the way through the turn. I observed the car straighten out, go off track in a controlled manner, and come to a stop well off the track surface (lots of run off room). Thought the driver had done a good job at controlling it.

Found out later the instructor had reached over to straighten out the wheel to prevent a potential spin.

This was an ACNA event btw.

[Rally_nutcase_1982]

That's exactly my point, what would he have done w/o the instructor?
If you can't make a turn then most likely because the car is going too fast; so instead of being forced to intervene during the incident perhaps an earlier intervention like "slow down!" would have helped to avoid the entire scenario.....just a thought ;-)

Now he has a little more edgy and slight nervous student on his hands who may have lost some confidence, not a good scenario IMHO because it could have been avoided, don't you think?

[nord1899]

the concern there is to keep everyone and their cars safe. So the student had a set back, so long as they improved the rest of the day it was all for the better.

[NoahD]

[s4wood]

I have touched a wheel once...I dont plan to ever do it in the future.

[Press]