Skip Barber
10-16-2005, 02:22 PM
#31
Burning Brakes
go straight to skip barber, and skip(no pun intended) ALL other schools... as for DE instuctors... well lets just say probably 1 in 5 can instruct....someone who knows how to drive THEIR car at 1 or 2 tracks reletivly well is NOT an instructor... you will not learn the why behind the theory
10-16-2005, 07:33 PM
#32
Instructor
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Europe
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by 1957 356
That's interesting to hear. The guy I spoke with at Barber was really selling me hard on this program rather than a race program having had no prior track experience.
10-17-2005, 01:12 PM
#33
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Consider doing PDE (Porsche Driving Experience) at Barber Motorsports Park. Pricey, but it's their cars you flog.
DO sign up for PDE and in two days you will obtain a great understanding of the right things to do and a solid base to build upon from some of the best drivers (that get paid to drive at the pro level).
On the roster are current GrandAm Rolex and Cup Drivers:
Hurley Haywood
David Murry (#4 Rolex GT Points)
Andrew Davis (#7 Rolex GT Points)
Joe Fox
Owen Trinkler
Not to mention driving one of the most technical as well as beautiful racing facilities in North America.
There is also Panoz at Road Atlanta as well...
DO sign up for PDE and in two days you will obtain a great understanding of the right things to do and a solid base to build upon from some of the best drivers (that get paid to drive at the pro level).
On the roster are current GrandAm Rolex and Cup Drivers:
Hurley Haywood
David Murry (#4 Rolex GT Points)
Andrew Davis (#7 Rolex GT Points)
Joe Fox
Owen Trinkler
Not to mention driving one of the most technical as well as beautiful racing facilities in North America.
There is also Panoz at Road Atlanta as well...
10-27-2005, 11:15 PM
#34
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tampa
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Red: Could you elaborate on your Roos driving school experience? Which school did you attend?
SundayDriver: Could you elaborate on the mid Ohio driving school?
TIA
Jack
SundayDriver: Could you elaborate on the mid Ohio driving school?
TIA
Jack
10-28-2005, 03:58 AM
#35
Drifting
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 2,015
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Does anyoen know if the one day and half day schools are pointless?
they have a $600 half day thing that promises 60 minutes of track time, but i have a feeling its some half speed lead and follwo for people who have never been near a track.
...I wouldnt mind an unrestricted hour in a no liability car at limerock for $600
they have a $600 half day thing that promises 60 minutes of track time, but i have a feeling its some half speed lead and follwo for people who have never been near a track.
...I wouldnt mind an unrestricted hour in a no liability car at limerock for $600
10-28-2005, 07:47 AM
#36
Racer
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: The Absolute Limit of Traction
Posts: 441
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
4 Posts
The introductory Skip Barber Racing programs provide classroom instruction and lead-follow lapping. One has to enroll in the three-day racing school for unrestricted lapping sessions.
10-28-2005, 06:57 PM
#37
Lifetime Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by pedsurg
SundayDriver: Could you elaborate on the mid Ohio driving school?
I feel that every level of the Mid Ohio School is exceptional. I did the intro class after I started racing when a vendor bought a bunch of slots. The thing that I think is great about MO is that the insructors are exceptional and will find a way to stretch you beyond your abilities. Skippy was good, but the class is structured in a way that you can not drive beyond the level they set. I did that after starting to race, and my skills were beyond the level that was set for the first day and a half. At MO, I was stretched to my limit all the time.
MO does threshold braking in the wet, skid car, slalom and a fun team Auto-X in the first class. Second course is working sections of the track. You do part then stop and the small group drives backwards. It is amazing how much you learn doing the same few corners over and over. Lapping days are good too.
But, if you have a race car, then the competition school is something very special. You use your own car and they observe and coach from the corners. It is amazing what they can actually see from outside the car. Most DE only folks say this is worthless, but I can assure you it is far from it. This course can take you far beyond your current limits.
The resumes of the MO instructors are far beyond any other group I have seen. Former F1 driver, euro F3, FF, F2000 champs, Indy drivers, accomplished (up and coming) stock car guys, etc. While Skippy and others have SOME instructors at this level, at MO almost all are there.
I liked Skippy. If you have never been in a purpose built race car, it is a great experience. It is also great to chose a track you want to run like Laguna. It is a very good school, but I personally do not feel it measures up to MO. BUT, the advanced car control at Skippy is great. Wet skid pad in a tail happy pick up where the instructor can add rear brakes along with wet work in the race car (new front tires and bald rears). Some dry Auto-X in the formula cars, etc. That is an exceptional learning experience.
Hope this helps.
10-28-2005, 07:53 PM
#38
Pro
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 664
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree with Mark about the Skippy car control class. Really good especially before a race weekend as a warm up for your skills. Also I recommend the Skippy 2 day advanced racing school. My experience was really good, one of the best classes I've taken and I've taken a lot. Concerning the instructors, this is an issue. It's not so much an issue of their resume, its whether they can teach and how effective they actually are at getting you to improve. Quality in this regard does vary at Skippy, actually it varies at all of the schools, some instructors are just outstanding, others not nearly so good.
10-30-2005, 03:06 PM
#39
Track Day
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did the 3 day racing school after about 15-20 DE days. I found the prior experience of the DE's to be very helpful. Imagine your first DE in a vehicle totally foreign to you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the school, did it at Sebring during the winter, when it was still snowy in my area. We got lots of seat time, so much so that when I went to bed at night I felt like I was still moving!
However, I do not feel that I learned a lot more in the classroom sessions than what I already knew. I believe that this is because I'd read "Going Faster" cover-to-cover, but also due to the excellent education I'd received in the classroom sessions at some DEs. There was an excellent section on racing in the rain, very helpful.
I did the BMWCCA club race school at VIR recently, that was huge fun!!! A great value, I felt. I'm sure PCA has similar schools.
I am looking forward to the advanced car control clinic that I'll be doing tomorrow at Lime Rock with Skip Barber.
I will also look into the Mid-Ohio school since you all are raving about it. Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks. Then again, there is Jim Russell at Mt. Tremblant........What to do, what to do.
To guide the original poster, if you've had a number of DE days, go straight to the racing school. If it's feasible, choose a track in another region that you'd not be likely to drive to for a DE. If getting a regional SCCA license is important, you'll want to avoid the 3 day Bertil Roos, according to my investigations, you need successful completion of their 5 day school to qualify for the SCCA application process.
I thoroughly enjoyed the school, did it at Sebring during the winter, when it was still snowy in my area. We got lots of seat time, so much so that when I went to bed at night I felt like I was still moving!
However, I do not feel that I learned a lot more in the classroom sessions than what I already knew. I believe that this is because I'd read "Going Faster" cover-to-cover, but also due to the excellent education I'd received in the classroom sessions at some DEs. There was an excellent section on racing in the rain, very helpful.
I did the BMWCCA club race school at VIR recently, that was huge fun!!! A great value, I felt. I'm sure PCA has similar schools.
I am looking forward to the advanced car control clinic that I'll be doing tomorrow at Lime Rock with Skip Barber.
I will also look into the Mid-Ohio school since you all are raving about it. Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks. Then again, there is Jim Russell at Mt. Tremblant........What to do, what to do.
To guide the original poster, if you've had a number of DE days, go straight to the racing school. If it's feasible, choose a track in another region that you'd not be likely to drive to for a DE. If getting a regional SCCA license is important, you'll want to avoid the 3 day Bertil Roos, according to my investigations, you need successful completion of their 5 day school to qualify for the SCCA application process.
10-30-2005, 08:04 PM
#40
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tampa
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SundayDriver: Thanks for the mid Ohio info.
tontobird: I'm a member of the BMW CCA but have not received any info re a school at VIR. Can you elaborate?
Thanks
Jack
tontobird: I'm a member of the BMW CCA but have not received any info re a school at VIR. Can you elaborate?
Thanks
Jack
10-30-2005, 08:21 PM
#41
NASA Racer
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by tontobird
I did the 3 day racing school after about 15-20 DE days. I found the prior experience of the DE's to be very helpful. Imagine your first DE in a vehicle totally foreign to you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the school, did it at Sebring during the winter, when it was still snowy in my area. We got lots of seat time, so much so that when I went to bed at night I felt like I was still moving!
However, I do not feel that I learned a lot more in the classroom sessions than what I already knew. I believe that this is because I'd read "Going Faster" cover-to-cover, but also due to the excellent education I'd received in the classroom sessions at some DEs. There was an excellent section on racing in the rain, very helpful.
I did the BMWCCA club race school at VIR recently, that was huge fun!!! A great value, I felt. I'm sure PCA has similar schools.
I am looking forward to the advanced car control clinic that I'll be doing tomorrow at Lime Rock with Skip Barber.
I will also look into the Mid-Ohio school since you all are raving about it. Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks. Then again, there is Jim Russell at Mt. Tremblant........What to do, what to do.
To guide the original poster, if you've had a number of DE days, go straight to the racing school. If it's feasible, choose a track in another region that you'd not be likely to drive to for a DE. If getting a regional SCCA license is important, you'll want to avoid the 3 day Bertil Roos, according to my investigations, you need successful completion of their 5 day school to qualify for the SCCA application process.
I thoroughly enjoyed the school, did it at Sebring during the winter, when it was still snowy in my area. We got lots of seat time, so much so that when I went to bed at night I felt like I was still moving!
However, I do not feel that I learned a lot more in the classroom sessions than what I already knew. I believe that this is because I'd read "Going Faster" cover-to-cover, but also due to the excellent education I'd received in the classroom sessions at some DEs. There was an excellent section on racing in the rain, very helpful.
I did the BMWCCA club race school at VIR recently, that was huge fun!!! A great value, I felt. I'm sure PCA has similar schools.
I am looking forward to the advanced car control clinic that I'll be doing tomorrow at Lime Rock with Skip Barber.
I will also look into the Mid-Ohio school since you all are raving about it. Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks. Then again, there is Jim Russell at Mt. Tremblant........What to do, what to do.
To guide the original poster, if you've had a number of DE days, go straight to the racing school. If it's feasible, choose a track in another region that you'd not be likely to drive to for a DE. If getting a regional SCCA license is important, you'll want to avoid the 3 day Bertil Roos, according to my investigations, you need successful completion of their 5 day school to qualify for the SCCA application process.
11-01-2005, 03:23 PM
#42
Track Day
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
pedsurg, I did the Club Racing school that was held in conjunction with Octoberfest. It seems that there are a few schools each year. Here is a link for the schedule of Club Racing events: http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/events/events.aspx
The car control clinic was a blast! It is normally a one day event with 8 people. They added on this event for a friend and me, and got a couple of other people for a total of 4 participants. So it was scheduled as a half day event.
We had a short classroom session, 3 of us had a decent amount of on track experience and one had only done the Skippy 2 Day Driving School.
Our first exercise was on the skid pad with the trucks. An instructor drove the truck with 2 students, the other 2 were in another truck with an instructor, both on the skid pad at the same time. He demonstrated what we'd be doing out there. By the way, a non-participating friend came with me for the day and was able to ride in the truck with us the whole time.
The truck was on slicks and the instructor had a lever on his side to operate the brake. Our first session involved lifting off of the throttle and the instructor using the brake lever. The second session involved lifting off of the throttle and then punching the throttle. It was a blast! According to my friend I improved tremendously from the first session to the second. Yay! I was laughing the whole time, it was so much fun. We also got lots of time in both sessions.
Then we headed over to the "autocross" course that's up there near the skid pad. A very short, tight course. Took the Neon (on slicks) out on that for a short session, followed by the Viper. Unfortunately, the student that was out on the course with me, had a serious spin in his Viper which necessitated clean up of the track and caused my session to be cut short!
Then we got into the Formula Dodge cars for what had to be over an hour! We practiced TTO and TBO (as termed by the school). I felt like I was in an enduro. I never got out of the car for over an hour, and kept running almost non-stop, except to be called in to discuss a mistake or to be assigned a new task. There is no power steering in these cars and it was exhausting!
I thought we'd have more time in the other cars, the experience of which I feel would be more applicable to my activities. It was a bit loose organiztion-wise, perhaps due to the end of the season, or the fact that it was a half day activity, or maybe it was just the personalities of the instructors. Altogether I would say it was a great experience.
The car control clinic was a blast! It is normally a one day event with 8 people. They added on this event for a friend and me, and got a couple of other people for a total of 4 participants. So it was scheduled as a half day event.
We had a short classroom session, 3 of us had a decent amount of on track experience and one had only done the Skippy 2 Day Driving School.
Our first exercise was on the skid pad with the trucks. An instructor drove the truck with 2 students, the other 2 were in another truck with an instructor, both on the skid pad at the same time. He demonstrated what we'd be doing out there. By the way, a non-participating friend came with me for the day and was able to ride in the truck with us the whole time.
The truck was on slicks and the instructor had a lever on his side to operate the brake. Our first session involved lifting off of the throttle and the instructor using the brake lever. The second session involved lifting off of the throttle and then punching the throttle. It was a blast! According to my friend I improved tremendously from the first session to the second. Yay! I was laughing the whole time, it was so much fun. We also got lots of time in both sessions.
Then we headed over to the "autocross" course that's up there near the skid pad. A very short, tight course. Took the Neon (on slicks) out on that for a short session, followed by the Viper. Unfortunately, the student that was out on the course with me, had a serious spin in his Viper which necessitated clean up of the track and caused my session to be cut short!
Then we got into the Formula Dodge cars for what had to be over an hour! We practiced TTO and TBO (as termed by the school). I felt like I was in an enduro. I never got out of the car for over an hour, and kept running almost non-stop, except to be called in to discuss a mistake or to be assigned a new task. There is no power steering in these cars and it was exhausting!
I thought we'd have more time in the other cars, the experience of which I feel would be more applicable to my activities. It was a bit loose organiztion-wise, perhaps due to the end of the season, or the fact that it was a half day activity, or maybe it was just the personalities of the instructors. Altogether I would say it was a great experience.
