RickBetterley

Thinking about all the good things I read about Racing schools and how much I have learned from the coaches that have worked with me, I bet I’d enjoy and benefit from a Racing school.
No plans to race, but adding to my driving skills and getting a taste of Racing skills during the winter could be fun.
Any thoughts and suggestions about Racing schools at bucket list tracks in the US during the January - March period?
Thanks

ProCoach

Rick, I know you would enjoy and benefit from this experience. I will add that a "destination track" is not always the best for teaching the fundamentals...

In NO particular order, Bertil Roos (Dennis Macchio runs a great program) in Savannah and Palm Beach (neither are destination tracks, but nice places to be in the winter), Lucas Oil School of Motor Racing in Sebring and in Palm Beach (nice cars, data and video, ex-SBRS and Mid-Ohio instructors with decades of experience) and for "door cars," LevelUp Racing School, with a two-day coming up at AMP (again, not a destination track, but a hell of a program and one of the most experienced instructor corps). The latter is my pick, for the entertainment value alone of the corps, plus the addition of Todd Lamb's MX-5 Cup cars to this engagement of the program.

These three are not "experiences," but tried and tested curriculums developed over decades, presented by incredibly knowledgeable AND experienced instructors. I like SimRaceWay, Allen Berg, Spring Mountain and Bondurant, but the three above are all good choices.

Stay on for Advanced lapping, if offered. THAT is where you'll get really good one-on-one feedback.

mpruden

Bondurant in AZ should have good weather. I did their 4 day school earlier this year. The trail braking drills on the oval were especially helpful.

LuigiVampa

Not that Peter needs me to second anything, but in my experience working with an instructor on a track you are already familiar with has yielded me the best experience.

Instead of learning the track you can concentrate on the instructor's input.

Just curious why you would want to work with a racing school, instead of a coach, if you have no plans to go racing?

RickBetterley

Hi Peter
Your recent posts about Racing schools was a big inspiration leading to this post.
Thanks - as always!

ProCoach

That’s a damned good question, on the outside, and one best best answered by RB. But let me give you my take.

After working for schools for nearly thirty years, and working “under the tent” with coaching greats like Jim Pace, Grant Maiman, Simon Kirkby, Rob Slonaker and Peter Argetsinger, among others, for more than twenty years, the aim of each approach are different... Each has their own pros and cons.

First off, I’m not one who makes a distinction between optimum driving technique practiced at DE/Track days or race weekends, at whatever level. The deal is the same, to conduct the car around the track with the most rapidity, efficiency, lack of unplanned drama and with the maximum AND proper dynamic use of the tires, at ALL times.

The purpose of the best, most proven schools is to, through a painstakingly complete curriculum, present a well-supported and substantially proven foundation that serves as the BASE layer upon which to build and progress forward.

The purpose of an individual, one on one coach or instructor is to answer questions, evaluate the driver, determine where the lowest hanging fruit is and address those particular deficits through bolstering knowledge, specific and targeted drills and detailed review of that driver’s performance. Rinse, lather, repeat.

In my experience, not an inconsiderable time spent by the best coaches and instructors is inordinately taken up with education and illustrations of specific, BASIC skills covered by the best pro schools, skills learned by these pro coaches and the best instructors FROM and through teaching these skills AT these pro schools.

It’s worth every serious drivers time to experience firsthand, if they haven’t already, these concepts, drills and practice of the best execution of fundamental skills, if only to KNOW them and fall back on them, once they run into plateaus.

The awareness, strategy and fundamental tenets of “working traffic” taught in the best pro schools will certainly help. My .02, YMMV

Frank 993 C4S

Rick - with your experience and skill level I think you would get the most out of racing your own car in PCA at tracks you are familiar with. Just saying....

RickBetterley

Thanks Frank; good thoughts and appreciated.
I’m thinking it would be fun as a different experience and an opportunity to do some driving on different track during the off-season.
And also a school environment as a change from my usual and many track days.
Of course, an advanced Driving school might be an option (is there such a thing - just focusing on advancing the skills of an advanced driver?).

93 FireHawk 968

I've done the Bondurant Viper 3 day advanced racing school twice and believe it's a great refresher for advanced drivers. They call it a racing school but there's no real racing and more like an advanced drivers program. Tons of seat time and plenty of opportunity to practice all the basics that most get sloppy with when not working with a coach. I've been told some of the top instructors are no longer there but found the ones I worked with very experienced, highly engaged and committed to making sure everyone leaves a better driver. The Vipers were well maintained and tracks okay, longer road course is very warn and grip is limited. Easy drive from Phoenix International, 15 minutes and plenty of hotels nearby.

93 FireHawk 968

I've done the Bondurant Viper 3 day advanced racing school twice and believe it's a great refresher for advanced drivers. They call it a racing school but there's no real racing and more like an advanced drivers program. Tons of seat time and plenty of opportunity to practice all the basics that most get sloppy with when not working with a coach. I've been told some of the top instructors are no longer there but found the ones I worked with very experienced, highly engaged and committed to making sure everyone leaves a better driver. The Vipers were well maintained and tracks okay, longer road course is very warn and grip is limited. Easy drive from Phoenix International, 15 minutes and plenty of hotels nearby.

38D

i also did the Viper ACR 3 day school there. Though the track is really tight, it was still quite good. Unfortunately they don’t have the Vipers any longer, so you’d have to do the the open wheel Mazda’s or drive a sedan (hellcat or SRT).

jayzbird

Check out SCCA regional race licensing schools. They generally do them in early spring. Though I have no "private" school experience to compare with, I had a blast and learned a ton doing the San Francisco region school a few years back. Plus you'll learn the lay of the land so to speak and make a ton of contacts should you decide to pursue it.

LuigiVampa

In my opinion, if you ever really want to drive your car at the absolute limit you are never going to do that unless you race. If you go on Rennpoints and look up track records the vast majority of lap records are DURING a race, not during practice. Racing squeezes that last little bit out of your lap which I personally believe just can't be replicated during a DE - or at least it is really hard to do so.

During DE or practice you can slow down and look for a clean track so you have the optimum line, but not so during a race, yet you find the faster times DURING a race. Why? What you get in a race is a sense of chasing the rabbit in front of you, combined with close drafting which might be deemed unacceptable in DE. Most people I know clock their personal best laps during races - myself included.

Racing is a personal choice. For me, DE was always going to be about the path to racing. I know plenty of really good heads-up drivers who make the decision not to race - whether it is due to time, money, fear of wrecking their car, etc., it is a personal choice - I believe a deeply personal choice. While I advocate that people should race I would never push someone beyond their comfort zone and try to make them feel like they are less of a driver because they don't race. That's BS! I know some DE guys that could beat me if they chose to race.

That being said, there is something about a race which I believe you can't replicate during DE. Going to a race school, where they have some "fun races", may bring you that little bit more of speed and skill you are looking for.

991carreradriver

I went through the Bertil Roos 5 day racing program this May. Dennis runs a very good program with plenty of seat time. I plan on repeating the two day advanced program next year as a refresher. Invaluable!
This is where I felt the program helped me:
Confidence
Technique
Concentration
Overcoming the normal fears of wheel to wheel driving around corners.
Anticipation of driver actions

Highly recommend but its not cheap.

TXE36

+1.

While I'm in the DE and instructing only camp I can see the value of chasing rabbits. I also think the extended awareness required to pass/be passed in traffic anywhere on the track without point bys adds to ones skill level.

-Mike