Questi I’M not sure if the glass is half full, half empty or just the wrong size on this one, but the Graduated Licence Program (GLP) for new drivers has a few leaks. Taking a bold step for- ward, ICBC (which now embodies the Motor Vehicle Branch) is introducing the GLP on May 4 in an effort co pull B.C. bad-driver statistics out of the gutter. Much to the chagrin of teens everywhere, new drivers must now endure a nwo year process of certain driving restrictions and multifarious testing before becoming a full . fledged Class 5 road user. At this point, the onus to better oneself lics solely on the new driver — and his or her ability to pick an ade- quate “co-pilot”. in what has been described as an “ongoing process,” the road tests, both learner stage and advanced, have yet to be upgraded ‘and/or created to fit the new, kinder, gentler B.C. driver. This upgrade will prove ro be a huge undertaking i itself, for as we raise dards of the driver cxam(s),. so too must we upgrade the examiners. The improved Driver Examiner program has yet to be created, which is no big deal when onc considers the 18-monta (plus) grace period incidentally allotted for such a _program’s development. A small stumbling block, . however, arises from the fact that not ail Driver Examiners ~ =the actual people who'll be implementing the improved tests ~~ are created equal. B.C. Motor Licence Examiner’s abilities to judi- ciously judge a new dri abilities range from impecea- ble, accomplished and thor- ough to prejudice, mediocre and arbitrarily vague. Presently there are conscien- tious examiners and there are lackadaisical examiners. Both “currently u he same ‘archaic road test system based on minimal or unreasonable criteria that often have very’ lite tu do with the reality of have been known to fail you on a whim or pass you if you shed a tear, and regardless of your abilitics, Fortunately for us, the North Shore’s Motor Licence WReice workers are a scrupu- lous bunch (last } checked, anyway}, but the slack-assed liters are out there, which means all driver's licences are not carned equally. ~ Advanced testing parame- ters described by the GLP are sure to set drivers of the future on a path of rightcous road use — though said para- meters have yet to be set. More than that, ICBC has to decide exactly what ¢ standards are, let alone how they’il be reached. north shore news (os) ons remain | with new system lor Motor Licence Examiners already baptized in government bureaucracy and Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) red-tape is a project more ambitious than the GLP itself (What do you do with unionized examiners who can’t make the grade? Pur them in the mail room? I don’t think so...). A new and improved Motor Licence Office is com- ing, uM, soon, someday, maybe. Until then, the responsibility remains on new drivers and their co-pilots to get their standards up to par, even though par is as yet intangible. While some may call this a case of putting the cart before the horse, it's really a case of putting the apple before the cart before the horse. Hey, you gotra start somewhere, and, now that we're forcing new drivers to become more adept before letting them loose on the mean streets of Bonchead City, the horse and cart are sure to fall in line eventually, aren’t the Anyway, back to thar leaky, half-full glass metaphor I reterred to earlier. Th GLP thing, while potentiaily of great beneti> to all B.C. road users, is as yet unreal- ized. While the threat of jong term indentur new drivers will at the very least rack up twice as much is fi ng fees ~— nwo tests, three licences, remember?- i may also have the trickle sown effect of improving licensing services, which has been a peeve of mine for some time. How are (were) inexperi- enced, unpractised, inade- quate boncheads getting dri- ver’s licences’in the first place? Ideally, in 18-plus months my question will be moot. Finally, the part of the leaky wrong. d glass Pil address next week involves necessary changes to the dri- ving school industry. The GLP’s Learner Stage requires a six month wait before initial road testing, which can be cut to three months if new drivers take an “approved dri- ver training course”. A diatribe on who's approving whom and when and how to follow Until then, be safe. “Al aldminuni-space. frame. MARC Rovner leads the pack during enening weekend racing at Missicn -.- Gerry Frechette photo Raceway Park. The North Van driver batt!ed changing weather to finish first. Locais tear up the track THE first race weekend of the sea- son saw North Shore drivers on the podium in every race this last week- end at Mission Raceway Park. With weather ranging from sunshine. to hail storms, the conditions were never the same for more than a few laps, bur that didir’t saw down local drivers Marc Rovner, John Beaudoi, Jack Zarowny and [an Lambert. Despite mechanical problems, Rovner piloted the North Shore s/Toyo Tire sponsored Datsun 510 to finish an impressive first, second and third in the three races he entered. “Tnever got 2 chance to practise or qual- ifv far any of the races because we kept chas- ing gremlins in the engine,” the North Vancouver driver said. “St made for a bit of a challenge so I'm delighted with the results.” Beaudoin, in his Penzoil sponsored Datsun 280Z, set the fastest lap of the week- end averaging just over 120 km-h (75 ov.p.h.} on the tight twisty track. He went on to win in the powerful GT] class. Beaudoin also cond place in his second race of the.’ driving his General Paint spon- sored RX7, finished first. and second in ‘his: avo races. After a frustrating season of engine and electrical problems, Zarowny was happy , to finish his nvo races and get back on the podium. The team of Lambert and Steve. Teel claimed first in class and second overall in the .- two hour endurance event that closed out the weekend. While their Uye's sored RX? was not the fastest car on ‘the track, they proved that consistency and good - pit stops wins races. The next rac ission gocs tomorrow and Sunday and will feature the first round of the International Conference Championship, featuring teams from. California to Aiberta. For more information on local racing call 265-9535. returns to the North Shore. Consider This Your Wake-up Cail. It’s a fast paced world and you want to keep up. But for you, luxury cars have had all the appeal of a big yawn. Until now. Audi's back on the North Shore with three of the hottest luxury models. Touring Sedans, Quattro, Tiptronic, Adrenaline. And they’re here at yo r North Shore Audi Dealer. Been there and done that just don’t apply any more. 1 151 Misrine Drive Service spon: