RACE CAR DRIVING SCHOOLS --- WORTH THE $$$?
IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME ---
RACE CAR DRIVING SCHOOL, THAT IS
Written July, 2002 for ALASKA AIRLINES' in-flight magazine.
In the past few years, commensurate with the phenomenal rise in the interest in auto racing, there’s been huge growth in the number of performance driving schools.
Originally oriented exclusively towards training race car drivers, many of these schools, and their students, discovered that picking up some basic race track skills also created much better drivers for everyday situations. (Photo --- "Bench racing", where the discussion often begins with "And there I was ..." with lots of hand motions. But bench racing with a professional driver giving a student tips on his or her track and street abilities can be a highlight of one's driving life).
And one other thing: Besides being a cool learning experience, the schools are also pure fun!
If you’ve never driven a car on a race track, where you don’t have to worry about on-coming traffic and other drivers, it’s an experience not to be missed.
Learning new skills, pushing a car (and yourself) to new limits, overcoming fears, learning to work with a pit crew (your instructor) as a team, overcoming that ego and taking direction in what is really a life-and-death undertaking --- it’s a real thrill for man or woman, youngster or mature adult. (Photo -- Attending a driving school might be the only time in someone's driving life they get to pilot an open-wheel, or "Formula", car ... In the school environment, the cars can be "de-tuned" for beginners, so the engine can not achieve its full power).
Funny thing about men, in particular --- never question their
sexual or driving skills unless you want an argument. But unless you’re Mario Andretti, it’s guaranteed there’s a few things about driving you could stand to learn. As far as that other stuff, that’s not my department (better to ask your partner about that subject).
The manufacturers have gotten into the act. BMW, Porsche, Audi and others sponsor “traveling” driving and racing schools. These schools fit into a few tractor-trailers and travel to race tracks around the country, offering their courses to owners of their particular brand of cars.
Other car-makers (one being Aston-Martin) will send buyers to a school after they purchase their new car so they can experience the vehicle at high speeds, under the direction of skilled instructors.
Land Rover has been building small off-road tracks at their sales locations so potential buyers can take one of these very capable vehicles into a real dirt and rock environment and test its mettle.
Jeep has organized owner trips down the famed Rubicon Trail near Sacramento, CA for many years, one of off-roading’s toughest challenges, and the experience has grown into a national program of off-road driving schools throughout the nation.
Yes, even off-road driving skills can translate into enhanced on-road abilities.
The manufacturers have also found that these high-speed experiences fit well into the new notion of “affinity” programs for owners and potential buyers, helping bring new members into the “flock”, and keeping them there for many years. (Photo -- Driving school students will encounter many of the same challenges and problems they'll find on the street while going through the training, but in an open-wheel car, the action happens a lot faster and the overall experience is much more intense, adding to the fun, but also making the lessons learned more memorable for the more common street environment).
Consider: Buying a Porsche is one thing. Sitting in a classroom for a day learning the fundamentals of safe high-speed driving from a world-famous racer, then taking the car on a race track for another day or two and practicing what you’ve learned, is quite another.
While cars and trucks are safer than ever, virtually nothing has been done on a government level to improve the skills of American drivers. In fact, with budget cutbacks at local school districts forcing the end of most “driver’s ed” programs, the average driver getting his or her license today is probably less skilled and less experienced than at almost anytime in the recent past.
It’s true that deaths from auto accidents have gone down the past few years, and that’s mostly attributable to the improved safety of the vehicles themselves. Things like higher-quality and longer-lasting tires (when was the last time you had a blow-out?), anti-lock brakes, traction control systems and, especially, airbags, have helped reduce traffic fatalities.
But there has been no drop in the number of accidents. As car and truck sales rise, so do the incidents of accidents, which tells us that we drivers are not getting any better at our jobs.
A real “driving school” should not be confused with one of the many “driving experiences” which are sprouting up across the nation. (Photo -- Notice how the car's wheels are turned to the driver's 'right', yet the corner is a left-hander ... Students can learn how to take advantage of "sliding" a car through a corner).
At these businesses, participants can “ride along” in
race cars equipped with passenger seats, offering a race fan the reality of what it’s like to go around an oval track at speeds over 150 miles per hour, or the excitement of taking-on one of the world’s great road courses, such as Watkins Glen in upstate New York or Sears Point in northern California.
For a momentary thrill and a new appreciation of what racing is all about, these “experiences” fit the bill. But there’s no learning involved, nothing the participant can take home with them to make them better, safer drivers.
True driving schools range in length from several hours to several days; in price from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. At some schools, the students learn and practice in their own cars, at others, students use the school’s vehicles (which are often race cars or highly-modified street cars).
Some schools provide driving suits and helmets, some insist the student bring their own. A fire-resistant suit (made out of a material called Nomex) can cost around $1,000. Full-coverage helmets (the only ones we recommend) range from $200 to over $500. (Photos -- TrackTime Driving Schools are located throughout the USA, and offer diving lessons in everything from Formula cars to NASCAR-like stockers).
How to find the right school for you? Enthusiast publications such as AutoWeek and Road & Track regularly list some of the top schools in the nation. The Internet is also a great source of information.
Call the schools, examine their websites, and ask questions. Is the school oriented more towards the professional race driver or the daily commuter who wants improved overall skills? Ask for some phone numbers so you can speak with some alumni and get a third-party opinion of the school’s value.
Ask about the ratio of class time to track time. Sure, track time is the most fun, but without the classroom instruction, much of the track time will be a waste.
Learning the theories before you try them out on the track makes all the difference between just having some fun and learning new skills, experiencing them first-hand, and finally committing them to memory for your future everyday use.
Query the school on their facilities. Will you be spending time on an oval course, which emphasizes top speed control and concentration, or a road racing track, where left and right turns and braking and acceleration sections more accurately reflect real-world driving? Do they offer courses for new or younger drivers? (A trip to driving school is one of the best gifts you could ever give your kids to teach them motoring skills and responsibility).
On my wall is a certificate from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Vehicles Operations Center (EVOC), certifying compliance in “pursuit driving”.
Modeled after the FBI’s fabled driving school in Quantico, VA, EVOC features oval and road courses, as well as a huge skid pad which can be flooded to simulate driving on ice --- all this in the desert of southern California!
However, besides teaching very specific, and sometimes secret, law enforcement driving skills, EVOC is also open to the public, and specializes in courses for teen and newer drivers. This amazing public facility, one of the few of its kind in the world, is paying back to the community by offering low-cost instruction with some of the most highly-skilled drivers in the country serving as instructors.
Before you pick any driving school, check and see if 
something like EVOC exists in your local area. Also talk to friends who are racing enthusiasts and check the website of groups like the Sports Car Club of America (www.scca.org) to search for nearby schools of which you might not be aware.
Once you’re satisfied as to your choice of school, what are some of the classroom topics you can expect to be covered? Robust health and physical and mental fitness is a top one.
Professional race drivers, at least the best ones, are in highly-polished physical condition. Most of the top drivers in everything from CART to IRL to F1 and NASCAR have chefs, physical therapists and exercise specialists which travel worldwide with their team.
Danny McKeever, 61, has been running the FastLane driving school at Willow Springs Raceway in the Upper Desert of southern California for the past 25 years.
Being physically fit is a key element of McKeever's curriculum.
"If people think racing is not strenuous, consider that the average competitive racer loses 5 to 10 pounds of weight during the average race, just in water," says McKeever.
"That's why staying properly hydrated, for instance, is a key factor in driving any car. Dehydration can first show itself as lightheadedness, and other symptoms include cramps and severe pain in your legs. These are things which can turn a routine car trip around town into a disaster.”
McKeever points out that while driving a modern car "doesn't take brute strength, for a man or woman", there are areas of your body to work on which will help anyone be a better driver.
"It's important for your hands to be flexible, but very sensitive at the same time, able to translate feedback from the steering wheel into information you can really use to help control the vehicle", he told us.
This is the kind of information which your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles probably doesn’t have in their handbooks for new drivers, but typical of the small though important tips a driving instructor offers at a serious school.
Many countries around the world have driving standards so tough that most of us Americans would not be able to get a license on the first attempt.
Germany and the northern European nations in particular are places where driving skills are highly revered and respected. There are still sections of the fabled Autobahn where speed limits are an afterthought, and drivers traveling along at 120 miles per hour are “blinked” with high beam lights to the slow lane by overtaking cars.
In Japan, also, driving instruction is a serious and 
Not that drivers in all other “first world” nations are experts compared to us. Anyone who has ever driven in England or Italy, for instance, can attest to the absolute lunacy which takes place on the roadways in those countries. (Photo -- Lay-out of a law enforcement driving school in Michigan. Note the huge skid pad in the center and the "wet track" in the upper right, along with straightaways and road course- and freeway-like curves).
Whether you decide to investigate driving schools for yourself or as a gift, or your company takes advantage of a corporate course which larger schools offer at reduced rates, or want to send your teenager onto the world’s highways with the best possible chance of survival, a top-flight driving school is an experience which can benefit any driver for the rest of their lives.
(Steve Parker is a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist based in Palm Springs, CA, who specializes in the auto industry. Check out www.SteveParker.com for more.)
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We recently attending the teen driving safety summit in Rochester Hills, MI. The Kyle Petty driving experience was a huge hit. The kids had fun while at the same time learned to control a car in different types of situations. We as adults also learned a few things and it was FUN! These schools are a great way to teach your kids how to handle a car. Nothing can replace experience when it comes to driving.
Posted by: Corinne | September 04, 2007 at 06:36 AM