Best Driver School

Any of you who have gone through a drivers' school recently to get licensed, can you recommend it? My husband would love his SCCA license (and me eventually) but I am not sure which school is best. Anywhere in the US is fine. We are not restricted by travel dates or location. He is not overly interested in open wheel. He prefers GT racing.

I appreciate any information you have!

 

pick one of these:

Driver's School - Sports Car Club of America

if his emphasis is on GT racing I'd recommend the Porsche school at Barber.

I don't see it on the list but Miller used to have a Mustang based licensing school. not sure if it's still around given all the turmoil with that track.

most of the others on that list are open wheel or sports racer/Radical based. but they'd all teach you what you want to know, and you'd leave with a provisional SCCA license.

 

the Ford school still exists (although 2016 dates aren't announced yet), but it's NASA provisional not SCCA. do some research to make sure your region will honor the NASA license.

Performance Driving School | Race Licensing School

 

Thanks! I will check those out.

 

While I may be considered biased, as I am a Skip grad, I'd look very hard at Skip. It's a highly experienced outfit, with excellent instructors, offering courses all around the country (and, virtually all year round). So, you can find a course that suits your schedule and teaches as some of the most interesting, significant and historic tracks in North America. They have it down to a "science", and if you do the 3-day course plus two lapping days (usually offered the same week), you can get all the seat time you need to qualify for most, if not all, competition licenses. Also, make sure the program has adequate support to keep the cars running, and, if needed, spare cars. Offs do happen, and there's nothing worse than missing out on seat time while the car is being repaired (or is a total write-off).

I don't honestly think you can go wrong, likely, with any of the courses, but I really enjoyed learning at the Bridge (the now-gone Bridgehampton) 20+ years ago. But, maybe Laguna Seca, Sebring, or Lime Rock are more to your liking. Some/most of the other schools are offered at relatively limited locations (for example, I think Bondurant only teaches in AZ), but do your homework.

Anyway, enjoy taking the plunge. Just know that once you've been bitten, it's hard to quit...

CW

 

Getting an SCCA competition license is not that difficult, but why is that a goal? Do you and/or your husband intend to race and is there a particular class you have in mind? I hold an SCCA competition license, have completed various Skippy programs (3-day race school, lapping days, and race weekend) and the SCCA race school. I have no hesitation recommending them, but that doesn't mean they are right for everyone.

 

I too am biased.....did Skip in May,2014 (at Laguna) on their three day and was able to get a full SCCA competition license as a result....IMO, in all of the tracks I have been on....Laguna is one great thrill ride....it got me hooked!

But yes, take the plunge and enjoy yourself....other posts here have great suggestions as well..

 

Here's a question:

Why the Skip Barber 3 Day school over $1500 more expensive at Laguna Seca than what they offer at other tracks? Is it just the track fee or is it a better experience, i.e. better cars, instructors, etc.?

 

Simple supply/demand, different track rental rates, and maybe different days of the week vs other schools. Cars, track program, insurance coverage are the same and instructors generally comparable from one Skippy location to another.

 

I looked at the Porsche school website....the problem with theirs is you have to be a graduate of their 2 day Masters course before you can attend the full 3 day License course. Oh, and to attend that Masters course you have to first graduate the 2 day Performance course. The total for all three courses is $13,200. Unless you are a Birmingham local, to make three separate trips for 7 total days of instruction would make the Porsche school probably not the best option. Great cars and fantastic track though, and folks I know who have done classes there loved it.

 

hmmm, I thought there was a "fast track" program for a racing license, but I don't see it on their website. OK then. either I'm mistaken, or they dropped that program (IIRC it was a 5 day advanced course that was ~$10k)

 

Just got back from a Skip 3 day racing course at Road Atlanta. Great instructors, great experience!

 

Assuming business remains as good as it's been, yes, the intention is to race.

 

Thanks for all the information! We would prefer a fast-track sort of program. The cost is not really the issue, but all the travel would become exhausting if we had to do 4+ sessions to finish up, especially when they're not offered in succession.

I will do some more research on the Skip Barber school. It sounds like that may be the most efficient route. And Languna Seca is totally worth the extra $$$.

 

That's awesome, Mark! Congratulations!

 

Cool! For SCCA regional racing, you need either a Full Competition license, or a Novice Permit. A 3-day Skippy race school is sufficient to earn you a Novice Permit; after you successfully compete in two regional races, you will then earn a Full Competition license and can enter SCCA Majors races, which require a higher degree of commitment ($, support and skills) because the level of competition is much higher.

Another avenue is to enroll in a nearby SCCA race school weekend driving your own car. Two school weekends are normally required for a Novice Permit, but if you already have extensive track experience, ask for a waiver after completing the one SCCA school. Along with evaluating your driving skills (not necessarily how quick you are) and simulating a start and race, the key question the instructors and school officials will be asking is "Will I feel comfortable racing side by side with this candidate?". Even if you complete the Skippy (or other private race) school, I would highly recommend an SCCA school for no other reason than to meet and get to know in a non-competition environment those you will likely come across many times as you begin racing.

Good luck and post your experiences. Don't be surprised if you find that racing changes how you look and think about race cars ... rather than being an object to admire and enjoy, they become a weapon/tool to achieve an end, winning!

P.S. Skippy has a Black Friday offering, here it is:

30% Off 3 Day Racing School
Gift Certificates
We are offering 3 Day Racing School Gift Certicates at 30% Off!
Use Code: 30ThreeDayBFW
Offer Expires November 25, 2015 at 5 p.m.
800.221.1131 or skipbarber.com

 

Skip Barber has MX-5 Cup programs, too. You are not limited to formula cars.

 

Awesome!!!! Thanks so much for the information. I'll check back in as soon as he gets going. He's going first. I'm sorta an open wheel girl, so not sure how we'd work that.

 

Just an FYI about Skippy schools. The entire school, their programs, their instructors have all changed since the days we took our courses.

IMO it USED to be a great place. Today it is a shadow of its former self. The instructors I had are all long gone, the program details have changed, their mission has changed and in most peoples opinions for the worse.

 

Good to know. I wonder if anyone has stepped up to the plate and taken their place i quality?

 

If you want to take a basic 2-3 day school and get a regional SCCA license, I am sure it is fine. If you want to do what I did back in the day and go take a 2 day intro followed by a 4 day race school, followed by 2 years of amazing racing in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series, Skip Barber is the wrong place.

Back in the 1990s and 2000s, it was THE step ladder for drivers young and old to go racing on a budget. I raced with everyone from Townsend Bell, Derek Hill, Memo Rojas, and Alex Gurney to Lorenzo Lamas and Sean Patrick Flanery. Not any more....

 

I recall that Skip was bought out a while back by a PE fund. So, something that big could have entirely changed the ethos, feel and operations since I/we went through it. Too bad if that's the case.

CW

 

Yeah it's sad. Run into several old Skippy instructors in the last couple of years with the magazine business. Sad tales were told.

 

What is your level of experience? My school Apex Driving Academy does have the ability to get you a novice permit, but I'm picky. I require both situational awareness and safety (e.g. Flags) and pace (if you can't get around within about 4% of pole time I am not inclined to believe you are ready to race). We do our schools at MotorSport ranch in the DFW area. Fast track is not our deal, as absent being a racing savant, seat time is invaluable.

 

Wow. That was in 2001 and the exodus of the decade-two decade old instructor corps didn't really occur until the school was moved from CT to GA a few years ago.

I't's not quite as bad as CW makes it out. There are still a good number of the Skippy "old guard" at Road Atlanta and at Sebring. RB, Cassius, Casey, Argetsinger, MacInnes and a few others still put on a good program. Yes, it's not what it used to be, but it's still a good place to get the basics. And without that foundation, you'll flail your whole career in this avocation (or vocation...),

I work nearly every week with individuals seeking to improve their "best execution of fundamental skills" and their race craft. As in any sport, proper comprehension and practice of these fundamental skills are key. The people I work with that have NOT attended some of the better programs really struggle and we spend a LOT of time "unlearning" folk tales...

Bertil Roos, SimRaceWay, SBRS, The New Racing School, Bondurant and the Corvette school at Pahrump in Nevada run by Ron Fellows are the few places where people get that information, presented well and by instructors who are students of the craft themselves.

Your first school(s) are important. As an SCCA Chief Instructor for two and half decades, I can't recommend that as your first interaction because of the spotty nature of the curriculum and volunteer instructors. As a former SBRS instructor, I am familiar with the curriculum and it is what almost everyone needs as a base. Also true for the above mentioned schools.

Good luck.