Driving school

[FETorino]

I've been thinking my past racing experience is pretty rusty and before I get my car running I'd like to go back to school.

I've raced some mountainbike, motocross, streetbike, stand up jetski and karts but never cars. Keith Code school was my only formal training.

What do you guys think of Bonduraunt or another school for one of thier one day courses? I'm looking to keep the cost within reason so don't tell me to fly to Europe to train with the Stig.

[Vegas69]

You're going to need it.

[FETorino]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

You're going to need it.

It's just a big FAT version of my shifter Kart right

[GregWeld]

Bondurant is by far the best technical training school you're going to get....

They have a very proven (boring) base building way of training -- but -- and this is the big butt -- when you get on track and show that you can actually drive and have paid attention to what they're telling you -- THEY WILL HELP YOU GO FASTER... the instructors there TRULY want you to go faster.

Some schools (shall remain nameless around Las Vegas area) are more "pay your money for an adult play school"... so you might get more "seat time" - but they won't help you go faster. HUGE DIFFERENCE. Just huge.

Bondurant WANTS you to go fast and they'll work on you and break it all down and if you're fast enough - the instructors will come out and PUSH you harder. Gotta love that!

[Vegas69]

Originally Posted by FETorino

It's just a big FAT version of my shifter Kart right

You sound like me, experience with a bunch of fast stuff. Your biggest challenge is going to be finding the balance in your chassis and getting the experience under you belt in your car at multiple events. Remember, you aren't jumping on an engineered and tested product. You are the engineer and tuner with a 40 year old boat.

[FETorino]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

You sound like me, experience with a bunch of fast stuff. Your biggest challenge is going to be finding the balance in your chassis and getting the experience under you belt in your car at multiple events. Remember, you aren't jumping on an engineered and tested product. You are the engineer and tuner with a 40 year old boat.

Your dead on on that. But it's not a boat it's a race car just ask Richard Petty

Dialing it in will be more complex than track width adjustment and tire pressure on the shifter. That is a huge reason I think I should get some instruction and track time in an engineered and balanced car before I jump into the unknown.

It's gonna be like Chuck Yeager in the rocket plane. It should work but you really won't know till you strap in and take the ride.

I've got time. Its gonna take me time to finish this thing

[Vegas69]

I get wood on the ball once in a while.

Weights not your friend but balance and driver will make a big difference.

[Matt@BOS]

I've been to driving school twice now (yeah, apparently once wasn't enough for me ). First time I went was before I got my Camaro on the road. I'd never been out on a track before. Over the course of several days, I learned how to drive Corvettes reasonably fast. When I jumped in my Camaro though, all of my new found driving skills got me right into last place at my first event. From there I had to start learning how to tune, and feel my car out. Most driving school classes aren't going to let you play around with out traction and stability control on, and it makes finding the limits of the school's cars a bit more difficult. It is really easy to over drive them without being able to tell when the computer is saving your ass. The reason I went back recently was because I felt like all of the seat time I'd gotten at events had allowed me to be able interpret what my car was actually doing. I'd gotten better at judging corner entry speed, weight transfer, etc. I could kind of tell when I was pushing the limits of traction in my car. So, the second time I went out to Bondurant, I could put all of the instructor's advice into context. Sure, I did everything they told me to do the first time around, but I wasn't necessarily able to tell if I was doing it right. The second time around, if the instructor told me to lift and turn, I could do it with way more finesse than several years before.

Greg is right about Bondurant, the instructors are a wealth of knowledge, not to mention patient. Since you've had experience with fast stuff in the past, I'd recommend getting your car out to an empty parking lot, and/or and autocross, and getting to know it a little bit first. Once you shake off some of the cobwebs, then head out to Bondurant, where you will learn how to react to what you are feeling in the car, and then how to tie all of the individual components of driving together.

Matt

[Flash68]

Originally Posted by Matt.A

I've been to driving school twice now (yeah, apparently once wasn't enough for me )

Matt

Apparently twice wasn't enough either.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Flash68

Apparently twice wasn't enough either.

Ouch.....