Recommendations for a racing school?
Mar 8, 2007, 02:48 PM
#16
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Finally the schools...If you come to come to Jim Russell after June you will have at you disposal the most advanced, fastest, newest school cars in the World, the most advanced curriculums and best instructors by a huge factor (there is not a hint of BS in any of that, though it probably sounds too good to be true).
trust me wait till the Summer and check it out before you make any school decision
trust me wait till the Summer and check it out before you make any school decision
"After June" would be the 12-14 June class. I had hoped to start earlier like
the 26 Mar or 30 Apr class should I go this route instead of BMW CCA.
Paul: any teasers you could offer about what is happening after June?
What kinda "most, advanced, fastest, newest school cars"? What kind
of advanced curriculums, etc.?
redvolution: thanks much for the pointer to "Going Faster"!!!
Mar 8, 2007, 11:15 PM
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Okay... you guys have my little tail wagging over a chance to educate myself at Infineon...
"After June" would be the 12-14 June class. I had hoped to start earlier like
the 26 Mar or 30 Apr class should I go this route instead of BMW CCA.
Paul: any teasers you could offer about what is happening after June?
What kinda "most, advanced, fastest, newest school cars"? What kind
of advanced curriculums, etc.?
redvolution: thanks much for the pointer to "Going Faster"!!!
"After June" would be the 12-14 June class. I had hoped to start earlier like
the 26 Mar or 30 Apr class should I go this route instead of BMW CCA.
Paul: any teasers you could offer about what is happening after June?
What kinda "most, advanced, fastest, newest school cars"? What kind
of advanced curriculums, etc.?
redvolution: thanks much for the pointer to "Going Faster"!!!
Mar 9, 2007, 07:24 AM
#20
For someone just getting started with track driving, the High Performance Driving Education events put on by audiclubna.org and bmwcca.org are the best places to start. You don't have to own an Audi or BMW to join. You will find a local chapter that runs great events at tracks in your area. You get a nice mix of on-track time with an instructor and theory in the classroom. You use your own car. Cost is usually $350 for a weekend.
After a couple weekends with them, then I would recommend nasaproracing.com. NASA is more oriented toward competitive racing.
I took the three-day Skip Barber school driving the Formula Dodge single seaters at Road America four years ago when the cost was "only" $3000. The Skippy instructors were great, the cars handled well but were somewhat underpowered, and there simply wasn't enough track time. If I'm paying $1000 a day I want to drive! They actually took us into town every day on a bus for lunch, using up 90 minutes of precious could-have-been-on-the-track time. I'm at a freaking race track for chrissakes. Just throw me a sandwich and let me back on the track! Of course I know why they do that. Less time on the track means fewer damaged cars and injured people. The other problem with expensive schools like Skip Barber and Jim Russell is they often get filled with corporate team-building groups that know NOTHING about driving on a track, so everything gets dumbed down and super safety strict. "Okay for this session, don't go past third gear or 3500 rpm". When you go to sign up, ask them about the other students, and how full the class is. If you're gonna be stuck sharing the track with 15 corporate accountants, you might want to reschedule.
After a couple weekends with them, then I would recommend nasaproracing.com. NASA is more oriented toward competitive racing.
I took the three-day Skip Barber school driving the Formula Dodge single seaters at Road America four years ago when the cost was "only" $3000. The Skippy instructors were great, the cars handled well but were somewhat underpowered, and there simply wasn't enough track time. If I'm paying $1000 a day I want to drive! They actually took us into town every day on a bus for lunch, using up 90 minutes of precious could-have-been-on-the-track time. I'm at a freaking race track for chrissakes. Just throw me a sandwich and let me back on the track! Of course I know why they do that. Less time on the track means fewer damaged cars and injured people. The other problem with expensive schools like Skip Barber and Jim Russell is they often get filled with corporate team-building groups that know NOTHING about driving on a track, so everything gets dumbed down and super safety strict. "Okay for this session, don't go past third gear or 3500 rpm". When you go to sign up, ask them about the other students, and how full the class is. If you're gonna be stuck sharing the track with 15 corporate accountants, you might want to reschedule.
Mar 9, 2007, 12:12 PM
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The other problem with expensive schools like Skip Barber and Jim Russell is they often get filled with corporate team-building groups that know NOTHING about driving on a track, so everything gets dumbed down and super safety strict. "Okay for this session, don't go past third gear or 3500 rpm". When you go to sign up, ask them about the other students, and how full the class is. If you're gonna be stuck sharing the track with 15 corporate accountants, you might want to reschedule.
Great advice... what a nightmare the above would be after paying $4k + hotels
etc. for race training.
Thanks for the pointer to the Audi club... will check it out.
Mar 9, 2007, 12:19 PM
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Apologies in advance if this has been asked and answered before... I searched
and didn't see anything.
I'm interesting in taking either the 3 day Jim Russell racing school at Infineon (Sears Point) or the 3 day Skip Barber racing school at Leguna Seca.
Both cost the same: $3995.00
Any recommendations for or against any of these programs? (After taking
one of these schools, I'd like to start taking track school at Thunderhill
in my own car.)
Thanks.
and didn't see anything.
I'm interesting in taking either the 3 day Jim Russell racing school at Infineon (Sears Point) or the 3 day Skip Barber racing school at Leguna Seca.
Both cost the same: $3995.00
Any recommendations for or against any of these programs? (After taking
one of these schools, I'd like to start taking track school at Thunderhill
in my own car.)
Thanks.
Mar 9, 2007, 12:32 PM
#24
good and bad
Mar 9, 2007, 06:52 PM
#25
That's the key - nevermind the blanket statements about an entire institution. One can go to an Audi/BMW event and waste $330 as well with a crappy instructor or two - you have to know what you're getting into and having a source (the inside guy) is the secret. With NASA I've run the entire gambit of instructors good and bad
good and bad
Mar 9, 2007, 07:05 PM
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Porsche, Audi, and BMW schools have some great instructors, many of whom are either current pro racers or retired pro racers...I am partial to Porsches ....
....
Mar 10, 2007, 04:59 AM
#27
Having instructed for BMW and Audi for the past three years, I assure you that during our orientation meeting with students, we make it very clear that if a student has a problem with an instructor, all he has to do is request a different instructor and we make the change. Sometimes personalities don't match and people need to switch. That is never a problem. I've only instructed for NASA one time and wasn't overly impressed with their program, so I won't defend them here, but if you had a "crappy" instructor at a BMW or Audi school and didn't request a switch, that was your mistake. We also take very seriously the feedback evaluation forms we get from students. An instructor who gets bad feedback will receive an "intervention" as we call it, and might not be asked back if we don't see improvement.
So in other words, if you get bad feedback about an instructor, you'll trend his or her file for similar feedback - just on one persons feedback?
By the way - congrats on the Evo; were you the one with an RSX looking to buy an Evo a while back?
Mar 10, 2007, 12:47 PM
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For good road racing instruction and lots of track time in your own car on the cheap, I recommend the Buttomwillow Performance Driving Clinic www.buttonwillowraceway.com -- it's $225 for all day Sat. It's run by the CalClub region of SCCA, which owns the track.
They have a similar course at Thunderhill in NorCal, but I haven' taken that one.
They have a similar course at Thunderhill in NorCal, but I haven' taken that one.
Last edited by Richard EVO; Mar 10, 2007 at 02:49 PM.
Mar 10, 2007, 01:16 PM
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For good road racing instruction and lots of track time in your own car on the cheap, I recommend the Buttomwillow Performance Driving Clinic www.buttonwillowraceway.com -- it's $225 for all day Sat. It's run by the CalClub region, which owns the track.
They have a similar course at Thunderhill in NorCal, but I haven' taken that one.
They have a similar course at Thunderhill in NorCal, but I haven' taken that one.
Richard,
that is a great idea. talk about cheap and local.
thanks for the recommendation.
Mar 10, 2007, 03:37 PM
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Just get track time... many folks offer "fun days" or HPDEs or whatever in which you get class time and seat time with an instructor for peanuts! I know BeaveRun outside Pittsburgh offers these and has a two day "One Lap" school at the end of the month (TWO DAYS) with dinner with Brock Yates for 350$.
It's such a good deal I may just pay twice and take two cars!
It's such a good deal I may just pay twice and take two cars!