Skill Level Instruction Program™ reference chart

Instructors choose the description that best describes the student's performance of each skill. SLIP is for use with Driving Evals only.

SLIP Level	L1: Novice	L2: Lower intermediate	L3: Upper intermediate	L4: Experienced	L5: Advanced	L6: Expert	L7: Über
Looks ahead / widescreen vision	Focuses immediately ahead of the car.	Intently watches the next upcoming reference without regard to the rest of the turn.	Focuses on the upcoming reference point. Doesn’t scan with widescreen vision.	Beginning to look past the upcoming reference point. Beginning to see with widescreen (simultaneous central & peripheral) vision.	Looks through corners and well ahead. Anticipates problems ahead. Sees combination turns as one.	Scans track sections with widescreen vision. Attention solidly ½ step ahead of approaching reference point.	Simultaneously watches deeply ahead, with widescreen (simultaneous central & peripheral) vision, even in heavy traffic, while keenly aware of car’s position and cars in immediate proximity.
Situational awareness	Doesn’t know the flag stations. Focuses on the car ahead. Surprised by obstacles.	Sees flags and understands them. Solid pit-in and pit-out.	Sees flags and problems ahead. May not anticipate foreseeable problems.	Anticipates problems ahead, even in distance.	Anticipates problems ahead. Mentally keeps track of other cars in close proximity.	Keenly aware of potential or hypothetical dangers. Never surprised by cars in the mirror or at the side.	A racer’s vision and instinct to anticipate problems before they occur.
Knows & drives the line	Still learning the track layout and where to position the car for corner entry.	Drives a basic safe line. Needs continuous instruction to be consistent and precise.	Solid, basic line. Understands early/late apex. Uses all the track width. Flustered when off-line.	Drives the school line and experiments with alternatives. Always drives own line. Has driven off-line intentionally, but conservatively.	Comfortable on traditional lines. Drives off-line well below the car’s limit.	Drives school and alternative lines. Comfortable and fast off-line.	Enters turns faster and earlier than a typical instructor.
Brakes at proper time & intensity	Abrupt, too soft, very early. Unintentionally trail-brakes. Brakes when frightened.	Consistent but conservative.	Relatively smooth.	Hard, steady, timely. Developing trail-braking.	Proficient trail-braking. Uses release to control rotation. Optional left-foot braking. May slightly over-slow the car. Can brake right to the apex if needed.	Expert trail-braking. Skillfully times brake release to rotate the car without over-slowing.	Later and less than a typical instructor, expertly initiating rotation.
Apexes tightly & consistently	Wide and inconsistent. Doesn’t understand early/late yet.	Generally late, but when early may not realize it. Inconsistent.	Fairly consistent, but conservative.	Consistent and tight to benign curbs.	Consistent and tight even to intimidating curbs.	Pushes for that last inch, kissing all benign curbs.	Uses as much curb as the car’s suspension will allow.
Uses track width	Crabs in. Doesn’t track out fully.	Crabs in when tense. Tracks out, but leaves excess room.	Doesn’t crab in. Tracks out, but leaves excess room to a wall or curb.	Initiates turn from the very edge of the track. Tracks out comfortably, even to walls and curbs.	Positions car precisely at turn-in. Tracks out comfortably. Unconsciously unwinds to prevent scrub.	Aware of track surface, elevation, and geometry. Consistently throttle steers to the very edge of track.	Skillfully places the car anywhere on the track without over-slowing.
Corner balance & throttle steering	N/A. Insufficient speed to require balance.	Delays throttle application to avoid understeer.	Crude balance with the throttle.	Experimenting with using brake release to control rotation. Aggressive but not greedy with the throttle.	Balances the car proficiently with their feet. Feels for grip with hands at peak of slip angle curve.	Expert at balancing the car with feet and hands throughout the turn.	Applies full throttle earlier than a typical instructor.
Makes smooth up and down shifts (Use N/A for auto/SMG)	No heel-and-toe. May be rushed or awkward.	Smooth upshifts. No heel-and-toe but smoothly slips the clutch.	Smooth, unhurried shifts. Attempts heel-and-toe with at least marginal success.	Quick but not rushed. Solid heel-and-toe.	Quick. Heel-and-toe with little brake pressure release.	Extremely fast & smooth. Seamless heel-and-toe. No brake pressure release.	Second nature and automatic.
Throttle	Abrupt and/or tentative.	Squeezes the throttle, but with little feel or knowledge of the effect on car balance.	Understands the effect of throttle on balance. Starting to develop sensitivity.	Sensitive and controlled but occasionally too greedy.	Consistently uses throttle to steer. Can use an abrupt lift for mid-turn rotation when needed.	Analyzes the turn for optimal throttle application. Always searching for the last few RPM of exit speed.	Aggressively uses the throttle in corners.
Steering	Nervous, jerky, inconsistent. Hands not at 9 & 3.	Smooth but inconsistent turn-in. Saws a bit at the wheel. May require reminders for hand position.	Relatively smooth and consistent, but may correct course later than optimal due to a lack of foresight. Solid 9 & 3. No shuffling unless appropriate.	No shuffling unless appropriate. Few unneeded corrections. Quick countersteer when needed.	Precise and refined. Relaxed and sensitive grip.	Analyzes turn geometry and surface for slight optimizations.	Master at car control.
Consistent lap-to-lap	Learning the track. No two laps alike.	Relatively inconsistent. May make the same mistake lap after lap.	A bit inconsistent. Mistakes vary in each lap.	Fairly consistent. Focuses attention on specific corners for improvement.	Highly consistent when trying. May experiment and push in certain corners.	Capable of stringing together a series of fast consistent laps.	Capable of pushing hard without sacrificing consistency.
Pace	Slow and tentative.	Full throttle on the straights. May lift early when approaching challenging turns.	Full throttle to the braking zone. Corner speed just starting to exhibit slip angles.	Able to flow with advanced and instructor traffic, perhaps as a slower car.	Solid instructor pace. Uses good slip angles.	High instructor pace.	Exceeds instructor pace.
Poise	Anxious, as expected.	Anxious in turns and traffic, otherwise reasonably calm.	Anxious in heavy traffic.	Fairly poised and comfortable in heavy traffic at speed. Gives and takes late point-bys.	Very poised and comfortable in heavy traffic. May be anxious side-by-side in corners or braking zones.	Very poised and comfortable, even in side-by-side situations.	Highly alert, poised and comfortable. Keenly focused when required.
Understanding / self-diagnosis	None yet.	Limited. May not know when a corner is entered too fast or when turn-in is too early.	Some self-diagnosis (e.g. knows when they are early or too hot).	Moderate self-analysis. Understands not just what happened, but why (root cause) and knows this before the corner is completed.	Advanced self-analysis. Understands the event and considers all possible root causes.	Highly developed self-analysis. Can develop and test strategies for improvement.	Highly knowledgeable and perceptive. Routinely challenges assumptions and tests alternatives.
Student's overall performance	Novice	Lower intermediate	Upper intermediate	Experienced	Advanced	Expert	Über