Driving school

I know I am about to give you an answer that you do not want but, I would suggest that you come to Birmingham Alabama and do the Porsche driving experience at Barbers Motorsport Park. Barbers is a excellent road course and it is a great place to learn to handle a car. I have done the Porsche Driving Experience and loved it.

 

I've done the Porsche school and it was a fun couple of days. That said, I've also done the bondurant school in Phoenix twice and it's in a whole 'nuther league. They offer several courses, but I recommend the 4-day gran prix course as the most value and learning. PHX is a short drive or flight from SoCal. Ask for a discount if you go during a hot month (like now). If you drive or transport your car out there, you can ask to take it on the track for a few sessions...I took the CS out there and had a blast with it...of course so did my instructor and Bob himself (they love driving ferrari's!)


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Nm

 

As a former high performance driving instructor I can say, "Thank you!" You have taken the first step in becoming a better driver by realizing that you could benefit from a high performance school.

After my time as an instructor I spent some time as an automotive journalist and did review quite a few of the driving schools out there. If this is your first school you have done then I would stay away from any open wheel programs. Get seat time in a street car to tune your skills.

Skip Barber operates up at Laguna Seca, which is an amazing track. They have a variety of street cars in their program, so that is nice to be able to experience the difference between a Lexus ISF, BMW M3 and Lotus Evora all at the same time.

Audi offers a nice program up at Infineon using the R8. That is also a great track.

Miller Motorsport, in Salt Lake City, has an amazing track and some great programs.

Bondurant, as previously mentioned, is very nice. I did the advanced road racing school there and was very satisfied.

About 45 minutes west of Vegas is the Spring Mountain Motor Sports facility and they have some programs as well, using the Corvette ZR1 and/or CTS-V.

Basically, there are plenty of programs to choose from, you just have to decide what it is that you are looking for.

If it were me, I would probably start with Skip Barber up at Laguna Seca. You get an amazing program and get to drive one of the best circuits in the country.

 

Me too.

I've done a lot of days in Skip Barber open wheeled cars. They really help you with understanding a car's balance. The Ferrari's computers and raw horsepower can mask a lot of mistakes. Lightweight cars are much better for learning.

Matt

 

Why not keep it in the family?

Ferrari North America - Ferrari Driving Experience

 

Since you have experience, what kind of cost range for a driving school is there? As a simpleton I'd like to attend one to not only learn but have fun.

I made a huge mistake by not signing up for Bondurant's school in high school. I had my parents blessing to attend, but I never looked into it further.

 

If you want a "Super Car" driving experience, then I would say the FDE is the way to go. You can do all your learning and wear and tear with brand new Ferraris that you don't have to maintain. The school is Ferrari specific and a blast to boot, myself and a couple of other Ferrari owners have done the FDE and we all highly recommend it.

If you want to start slowly and use your own car, then contact your local chapter of the Ferrari Club of America. The FCA sponsors track schools all across North America all year long. You can find a track event with instruction by very good instructors at a track near you.

While the FDE is more expensive to do, the FCA track events are relatively inexpensive. You can take your time and work in to the run group that makes you feel the most comfortable. And since you use your own car, you can apply what you learn immediately.

And you will meet like minded Ferrari owners and enjoy lots of other opportunities to get your car out and exercise it. Oh, and as a FCA member you can get 10% off the cost of some of those other driving schools and frankly, any driving school will be good to learn the basics, versus just taking your car out and trying to find your car or your own limits on a public highway, which at the speeds you can attain with a 458 is in most jurisdictions labeled as criminal activity and not learning to drive a super car

 

I can also vouch for both Skip Barber and Bob Bondurant. They have been in the business a long time and know how to instruct.

 

Check with your local Porsche Club of America (PCA) folks! They will have periodic Driver's Education (DE) events that are intended for the uninitiated. They provide qualified instructors that are required to ride with you to help keep you from killing yourself or breaking your car. They don't care if you are a member of the PCA, they just charge a little more. The PCA has WAY more members than any Ferrari club so they would have this kind of event more often. I participated in one a few years ago at the Mid Ohio race track. My instructor had me driving my California in the Comfort Mode the first few sessions until my speed came up enough to make the computers complain a bunch then he allowed the Sport mode. These things are as safe as you can get with the instructors along with you.

PCA also has autocrosses that are run in parking lots and usually setup so you never get out of second gear. You are never going fast enough to hurt your car or yourself. The PCA autocrosses often have instructors that are happy to ride along to offer guidance. SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) also has autocrosses but from what I have seen of them you get FAR more timed runs in a PCA event.

I have seen all kinds of cars at PCA events and they all love the sound of a Ferrari so you will be treated quite well. Get yourself a good full face helmet. The helmet sellers online will sell you one, then if it doesn't fit you can return it for another size. I did that about 8 times before I got one big enough for my fat head. Then I sent it to a painter to put Ferrari stuff on it.

Rick

 

Schools can range from a couple of hundred dollars to nearly $2k for a single day and then they go up from there as you add more days. They aren't cheap, but they are a great way to learn car control in someone else's car.

Rick has brought up a good point. Check out the local car clubs like the PCA and even the BMW CCA. Also, there are national organizations that have regional clubs, like the National Auto Sports Association (NASA). They are who I instructed with along with the BMW CCA.

A typical weekend cost is usually under $300, but it depends on the track. As a novice you will get full instruction with class rooms sessions and also an instructor in the car with you on the track. This is the most reasonable (price wise) way to start, but you will be using your car on the track. [check all of your insurance policies to verify if you have coverage for that before attending].

You can buy a helmet, but most of the local organizations usually have some loaner helmets for beginners.