Matt Romanowski

Skip Barber Racing School is no longer accredited by the SCCA. It's a shame that the school is going downhill the way it is. My understanding is that it's completely an ownership problem.

https://www.scca.com/pages/driver-s-school-w-table

HoBoJoe

Tagging to see if anyone with more info chimes in.

ProCoach

SCCA requires a payment to them to be accredited. Guess Michael doesn't feel the need to do that...

This decline is not new... Skip sold in 2001, and by the time they moved the HQ from Canaan to Braselton and left Laguna Seca, many of the most senior instructors were gone. Some of the stalwarts, like Todd Snyder and Randy Buck have surfaced at Lucas Oil Schools.

There are still some GREAT folks that BLEED Skippy red and teach at schools held at Sebring and elsewhere. Folks like the great Bruce MacInnes, Terry Earwood, Divina Galica, Keith Watts and others.

But when the Road Atlanta facility (and their HQ after Connecticut) was closed and they headed over to AMP, that was the end for a lot of folks. Even if the CEO doesn't know it...

A shame...

Bully67

Where should I look now for a good/accredited race school? I had planned to attend Skip Barber in the fall to finish my prep for possible PCA racing in Spec Boxster.

ProCoach

If you can find out who the instructor rosters are for Skippy schools that are still scheduled, that can help, but the market is MUCH more competitive now. Like I said, there are some great, veteran Skippy instructors who still staff schools at Sebring and did at LRP...

I recommend the Bertil Roos School of Motor Racing and the Lucas Oil School of Racing in the East and the Allen Berg School and SimRaceway in the West.

For GT cars, Bondurant and Ron Fellows, as well as the Mid-Ohio School, are good choices. Danny McKeever's Fast Lane School in California, Go4It in Colorado are good, too.

zedcat

Anyone have experience / opinions about the Ford Performance Racing School? (I see the registration receipt is from The McKeever Group.)

ProCoach

The latter is a good sign...

Simon Tibbett

I rarely post here but wanted to chime in. It is sad indeed, I started instructing with Skip Barber late 2015 and things were on a decline, I was just excited to have been given my "dream job" so put up with some of it.

That said there's still some good instructors there that do it for the love of it. I've sort of backed away now and have done some other similar work. I hope someone can fix SBRS down the road because the name is just synonymous with "racing school." With the Lucas Oil school and others, they're going to have to catch up some though and update equipment.

Frank 993 C4S

Peter made some good recommendations above. I can also recommend the Porsche Sport Driving School in Birmingham, AL as an alternative. It's expensive though to get to the Masters Plus program.

The other (more typical) alternative is to talk to your local PCA Chapter Lead Instructor and go through the PCA DE process and get signed off by him for PCA Club Racing. Any questions, just send me a PM.

ProCoach

Simon, I'm glad you finally got your name badge and instructor name code (mine is/was US), because you're the kind of young, caring and enthusiastic guy that really made the job fun.

I went to my first SBRS school in 1985 at Lime Rock and the incredible experience and presentation of a well-proven curriculum was a revelation. Obviously, many of my closest friends then and now were members of the instructor corps and the pride was evident. This school touched the lives of tens of thousands of people over the last forty-five years and the institutional equity is unbelievable. So sad...

Quite a few up and coming as well as current pros have cycled through their program, to the benefit of many. No one ever got rich, the pay was notoriously frugal, but the mission was a great one...

Bully67

Thanks for the help. I've contacted PCA, doing DEs for 4 years, did a couple of chump races last year. Also managed a day with a coach last year. My plan is in place for this year with PCA DEs and a few more chump races (local PCA instructor signed off). PCA Masters Plus just a huge hit and had hoped that a Skip Barber school would be the final push.

zedcat

I thought the BMW CCA race school was good. You drive your own car and cost is similar to a DE. Classroom sessions and track exercises including passing, qualifying, practice starts, simulated race, etc. There is a school at MSR Cresson Tx May 5,6. It's on Motorsportreg.

Frank 993 C4S

Sounds like a great plan.

924RACR

A little late, but you are in Michigan... have you considered just going to the Waterford school??? Get you a straight-up SCCA license...

Classroom portion was last weekend, but that can be tested through; on-track is April 29-30th, and I'm fairly sure there's still room:
http://www.waterfordhills.com/driver...l.shtml?v=2017

(and yes, SCCA-accredited, as noted on the SCCA link previously posted)

MSR Racer

I drove skippy at road Atlanta about a year ago. Cars were old and falling apart. Instructors were not great. I didn't fee safe in that car. I will not return.

Friends tell me that Lucas oil cars, also tube frame, are obviouslynewer and better.