ProCoach

MUCH newer and better! And they upgraded the tires substantially over the winter.

Matt Romanowski

Lucas has some great instructors too. I was just talking to a few of them at Homestead last weekend. Great guys and school.

ProCoach

Considering most at Lucas were some of the longest tenured and most senior Skip Barber and Mid-Ohio School instructors, they have the brain trust, for sure.

Todd Snyder, Race Series Director, SBRS, now COO of Lucas Oil School
Randy Buck, West Regional Chief Instructor, SBRS Laguna Seca
Gerardo Bonilla, Senior Instructor, SBRS
Phil Lombardi, Senior Instructor, SBRS
Mikel Miller, Senior Instructor, SBRS
Dean DiGiacomo, Senior Instructor, SBRS
Jonatan Jorge, Senior Instructor, SBRS
Brian Till, former Chief Instructor, Mid-Ohio School
Tommy Byrne, former Chief Instructor, Mid-Ohio School

and the list goes on...

hsmith

Very sad to see what has become of Skip Barber. I raced with them from 2006 to 2008 (regional and national series) and have done one off race weekends throughout the years (most recent being 2 years ago). There were some very talented kids I raced with notably Gabby Chaves and Jordan Taylor. I am shocked to see them still using the same Skippy formula cars. When i was racing back in 2008, they were very old. I can't believe they are still using them today.

My younger brother and father completed a 3 day race school last year and were left disappointed with the quality of the program - cars, instruction, lack of structure of the program, etc.

Mike in Chi

Peter

Did Duck finally retire? He was a fixture at Sebring in the winter and Road America in the summer for ages...

ProCoach

Many parallels to your experience. As an "older" instructor, I've always heard about the slow-pay of the meager wage and per diem to the youngest guys, but when many of the newest and youngest (and doing it for the right reasons, besides just filling their work calendar) instructors began to not staff events until they got paid for months-old obligations (most never did get paid), it was pretty clear where this was going.

I had a long, sad discussion with Jim Pace a few ago at my facility at VIR about the incredible passion, knowledge, curriculum and reach the core group of SBRS instructors had. For decades...

From the early Seventies to the heyday of BMW and Pro Saab in the Eighties to Dodge in the Nineties and Mazda in the decade before last, even after Skip sold it in 2001 for awhile, the esprit de corps of the whole group, Race Series and School attendees, ride and drive programs under Don Harple and others was enough to have it run on empty for a LONG time...

But particularly since 2007, the endless rounds of cost cuts and program consolidations, the disbanding of the main office in Canaan that presaged the move to Road Atlanta and the diaspora of high-time SBRS instructors to competitors and the burgeoning professional private coaching industry really signalled a major shift. When RB got hurt at Road Atlanta, that was really bad.

Make no mistake. While I led some vintage training programs and went through SBRS Instructor training to get my coveted name badge and "US" instructor ID code, I was NEVER a frontline 3-day or Performance Driving instructor for SBRS. I came in too late (2008) and my business took off before most others did. But from the first school I took at LRP in 1984, my mentors were all folks like Duck, JP, Terry Lee, Bruce, Mike Rand (and Z), Divi, Watts and others...

GREAT people. Fantastic instructors and the BEST feedback provided to students. Ever.

A shame...

ProCoach

Duck's still around! What a TREASURE! I see him at Road America still at the historic race events in the spring, summer and fall. He taught me more about Road America in a street car drivearound putting out cones, than all the people over two decades did!

Frank 993 C4S

I bet Skip would love to get his name back.

mark kibort

im totally against licensing schools, its like getting a pilots license by taking a lesson. very dumb ! it should be a logged hour of experience , plus a school , or sign off by the organizations instructor system. (plus logged experience)
many of the rookies from weekend schools are problems their first time on the track in race groups! (not all, but many.. and for obvious reasons)

Matt Romanowski

I would guess he wanted it back a long time ago!

ProCoach

Actually, he was paid quite well for that name... He's got his hands full with LRP.

Matt Romanowski

I'm sure he was, but it doesn't mean that he wouldn't want it back after what they've done.

ProCoach

He's been asked many times, and he has no interest... Unless it's free!

tanger

Seems like payment was made? listed again as an accredited school.
https://www.scca.com/pages/driver-s-school-w-table

ProCoach

Yep, they scraped up $4200 or whatever it costs to become accredited.