FF2Skip ... Remember you have to start getting guidence early too LOL

 

A talented driver is able to master an S2000.

An average one drives an M3 with the traction control switched on.

 

Your question needs to be broken down into two parts. What makes a good driver on the track and what makes a good driver on the street. The skills involved are totally different. Often a great track driver is one of the worst street drivers. Track driving is about skills, reflexes, practice and training. Being a great street driver is 99% maturity, something sadly lacking with many drivers today.

 

I have an S2000 that I have not mastered. And an M3 that I mostly drive with TC on now.

Funny, before I started doing track days and autocrosses, I used to turn the TC in my M3 off everytime I got in it. Now after 7 years of attempted high performance driving and some instruction, I leave it on usually except on track or autocross, or when the planets align during street driving. Funny how I lost ability (i'm not very talented as a driver so won't use that term) after being instructed .

Odd also that I drive the S2000 in very heavy rain, with pretty worn tires (>14K miles) yet have never ended with a picture of my car in a "don't drive an S2000 on bald tires in the rain" post.

miniboost2 seems to hit on many good points of a talented driver, the ability to find the limit of any car quickly - not what we *think* is the limit, really our limit, but the car's limit. Also understanding, and being able to work with the balance and controls of a vehicle.

 

Gotta humbly disagree. Especially since you said "Often a great track driver is one of the worst street drivers" instead of 'sometimes'. Truth be told, you typically get a quick understanding of what not to do when tracking a car. While you may drive faster in spots, you will typically understand where to back off. Yes, a track driver may fly true certain turns faster than a non track driver on the street (though some HPDE and especially amateur racers actually drive slower on the street - you just cannot sensibly duplicate driving on the track on the street), they typically have already setup, and are capable of negotiating, an escape plan if something happened in said turn.

...and especially autocrossers, all of whom have off coursed, spun, etc at the limit, respect the dangers of overdoing it way more than someone who's never been in trouble behind the wheel until they are heading for a phone pole.

 

I also disagree that good track drivers make bad street drivers. I think there's a distinct difference between having gone to the track a few times versus being a good driver on the track. Some people take quite a bit of time to get it.

Maybe in that case, those people are more dangerous; the people who THINK they are better drivers than they really are. If you think you're schumacher after 1 HPDE, you're probably more dangerous on the street.

As for "talent", yes, some people are naturally faster on the track or just anything in general. But it still takes alot of practice to get really good, and an "average" driver can drive as well as a talented driver up to certain level, with practice.

A good driver can master not only the S2000, but ANY CAR.

I started HPDE's in a 1991 MR2. You want to talk about driving skill, try driving a rear-heavy, mid-engined car with snap oversteer (no, the S2000 doesn't have snap oversteer, despite what many people say here on the board), and a suspension geometry that toes-out on lift! Even worse, do that while negotiating a turbo. The S2000 is not a hard car to drive.