Originally Posted by OC3
Yea, I think how much it helps varies on the person.
For me, it helped in that, after a while, the car going sideways felt kind of natural. Also, (not that the instructors in those beginner classes fully discusses this, but) it helped me to (for example) understand what causes cars to tank slap and, once you understand that, you can actually use that principle to drift thru S-turns (i.e. gain better under standing of weight transfers, vehicle dynamics, etc).
You don't want to bring a new set of track tires for that type of events. May be bring 2 sets of sh*tty Federal or Kelly tires? lulz. Seriously, though, you might consider paying more and using the organizer's car. They often have S14's available for rent and the price includes car, tires, fuel, etc. You just show up, hop in their car and, with their instructions & guidance, learn how to do donuts, figure-8's (those 2 starting from standstill in 1st gear), and eventually, do J-turns in 2nd & 3rd gear (this obviously while at speed).
Re: whether I felt more confident immediately thereafter at the tracks, in my case, I did the drift events well before I started tracking, so can't answer that, other than, I'm sure it does/would. But, probably not by all that much. I mean, nothing beats seat-time, and lots of it. And, one day of beginner drift lesson isn't going to fully prepare a driver for big oversteers at 70 mph on the tracks. Car control, quick steering corrections, etc, on the track need to be done instinctively and that's only gained from lots of seat time.
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