Performance Driving School Advice

Ever since I got my 348 (having some minor issues right now) last month, I've become more interested in attending some school to learn better car control. I did a few track days with various organizations before, but felt like the learning was limited and I was still too scared to lose control to drive close to my cars' capabilities.

My goal is mainly to be able to explore the performance potential of my current and future cars on track days so that I won't feel like under-utilizing these nice cars.

Based on my research on this site and other places, I'm leaning toward the 4-day Grand Prix Road Racing course at Bondurant and would like to hear your experienced opinions before I commit.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Alas, not familiar with 4-day Grand Prix Road Racing, though the three-day Skip Barber at Lime Rock Park was great. Used their open wheel Dodge cars. Fortunately i had plenty of 'book smarts' by reading various driver books, but applying it is key. Skip Barber allows you to progressively know the car's capabilities, LOTS of seat time, and eventually we were let look on the entire course. It was a blast. As an added benefit, upon completion and satisfying their driving skills, i received a basic competition license and can also get an SCCA license. This allows me access to various tracks as some demand you have a proper license.

Hope this helps.

 

I agree with Steven about Skippy-School at LRP, but I've heard good things about the Bondurant program as well. In a 4 day school, you should definitely get the skills you need to drive the 348 well on the track. Also agree with Steven about the reading end of it. Skip Barber's book is available at major book sellers, and I believe on line at Amazon, and is an excellent resource. Bondurant has a good book as well. The more the merrier.

Read the books, go to school, get on the track, and drive, drive, drive. Nothing like seat time. I'd also highly recommend that you do some of the club events that provide instructors who will ride in the car with you. Do some solo time, then pick up an instructor who can critique what you are doing and give you tips on improving. There's always something new to learn. I've found that different instructors notice different things, so it never hurts to get input from other people.

 

If you are using the school to better your street driving, get a school car as close to the type you are planning to drive. Open wheel formula cars are not it.

 

I have done several bondurant courses. The best one to prepare you for driving high performance street cars is the 3 day high performance/advanced skills course. The 4 day course adds a day in open wheelers which is huge fun, but really concentrates on track driving skills.
Another great seesion at Bondurant is the Superkart course which packs more fun into 4 hours than you can have doing anything else.

 

I did the Skippy course years ago at Limerock, and while I learned quite a bit, it did not translate immediately to my street driving. First, as others here have already said, the open wheel Formula Jr. is huge fun, but does not in any way replicate driving a street car. Second, unless they have improved the technology of communication with the student drivers since I took it, you were pretty much on your own in the car once out on the track; you would get flagged for advice occasionally, but that was it while you were in the car. By comparison, I did a visit to the Porsche Driving Experience over this past summer, and found it easy to learn and refine my skills, given their teaching methods. You are using conventional street cars, so an instructor will ride with you during parts of the training; second, they have the ability to communicate with you through wireless/speakerphone while you are in the car, on the track, so you can get realtime input from your coach while you are in the middle of the task. I actually found the whole experience more useful than the 3 day Skippy course, but having had that under my belt already, and having assimilated some of what was taught there, perhaps I was better equipped to learn when I got to the Porsche program. Ultimately, it's all good....

 

Try the University of VARA Jan 28,29 2006 at Buttonwillow Raceway.

http://www.vararacing.com/Overall1.html

Erich

 

I attended both PDE advanced and the masters. It is awesome. Great instructors, awesome track and... best of all, not your tires and break pads...

 

Here you go

 

Take courses and train with coaches frequently.

The more you know...

 

Hi Lei,

Congratulations!
I guess you went for 348 instead of the TR you were looking at after all.
Let me know how the driving school works out, as I am interested in signing up for one for myself as well. I pulled a trigger on a 360 in Texas a couple of weeks ago and am anxiously waiting for the transporter to pick up the car… :-(

Cheers,

Chris

 

I did one in a 911 w/ the Porsche club that was blast. There were a few Ferraris there. I'd like to do another one in another car. Has anyone here tried a CarGuys school?

 

I do not know if they still do it or not but FoH used to have their Challenge drivers take refresher courses at Bondurant. You want to do at least the three day school. One of the instructors got the chance to drive one of the Calpont 360GT cars at Daytona a few years back. Check out Bondurant. I think you will find it beneficial in real life driving........

 

I say one of the best ways to figure out how to drive a high horsepower car well is to go get a low horsepower car and get lots of experience with it on a track. There are tons of HPDEs that provide instructors in the cars full time while you are out. The best advice you can get is from professionals that are in the car with you.

I personally learned more car control, driving skills, etc when I went out on the track in a Kia Optima then when I did when I went out in a Maserati Coupe...

Momentum cars like Miatas are a great place to start. They don't have horsepower to cover up any mistakes you make, and they are light enough to zip right through the corners...


Plus virtually everything you will learn at these events will be immediately applicable to driving on the road.

 

I have taken the 4 day grand prix course (as well as several others at bondurant) as well as the 3 day and advanced two day at skip barber (among others and the porsche pde advanced as well). Unfortunately all I can say is that they were all outstanding--and somewhat different. I would heartily recommend any of them and always come away impressed by the talent and teaching ability of the staffs. I don't think you will have any regrets about going to bondurant and I think, once you drive with any of these talented professionals, you will want to go racing at some point--regardless of how nice your street car is! I am envious and am sure you will have a blast. PM me is you would like more specific impressions on any of the courses mentioned.

 

I tool the 4 day at Bondurant and it was great. I'm sure the Barber program is fine as well. The big thing is to take the plunge and learn, learn, learn........your car will love you for it and you will enjoy the car even more.

 

Thanks a lot for everyone's helpful input! I'll definitely get a book or two and do some reading before taking a course. I didn't find the HPDE to fit my learning style and that's one reason I'm looking for more focused (and more expensive) courses. Now I just need to do more research and decide on which one to take first.

--Lei