[Drivencrazy]

As many people in this thread have said, I believe a student coach can be as good as a mentor coach as long as they have the required skills. In my experience as an operator for one year and the driver for another, student coaches do not feel as comfortable directing the actions of others as many mentors do.

I also don't believe that teams are losing out on inspiring students by using a mentor coach. I feel that all students at the competition can be inspired not just the three or four on the field. Lots of work goes on at the competitions not just driving. If you feel that your students will lose out on inspiration by not having a student coach then by all means use one.

The OP's team has a "hands off" mentor policy. If they feel that carrying that over to the competition will help inspire their students then they should do that. But I have seen many great students be inspired by mentor drivers and by mentors in the pit and scouting.