Winter race schools

Myself and 2-3 fellow IT & RX-7 roadracers are looking for a good, 2-3 day advanced racing school to attend between now and end of Feb. We each have 1-3 yrs. racing experience but a serious desire to step up our results (and an equal desire to escape the Canadian winter for a few days).

All of Bondurant, Barber, Russell have winter schools in AZ or CA.
How do their Advanced schools compare for seat time, quality of instruction, car quality/consistency and overall value for buck?

Do you learn better in an openwheeler?

Bondurant seems quite a bit more expensive -- any reasons?

How risky is winter weather at Laguna/Sear's Point compared to Phoenix?

Any comments on other schools (Panoz, Daly, and is there a school at Thunderhill)?
Thanks

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Originally posted by Skid:
...is there a school at Thunderhill)?

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As far as I know, the only school at Thunderhill is SCCA's racing drivers school in March (unless you're interested in Motorcycles).

Skippy has a great rep, and I loved my 3 day. But it might be too basic for you. If i were given the class I would go, but not if I had to pay. Instead, I would research lapping days with them, their driver/coaches and their telemetry.



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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

My group seems to be leaning towards Daly although I still don't have a sense for where you get the most seat time and individual coaching. Any comments on 3 days at Daly? Seems like a day in Z3's and two days in open wheelers.

I hear that Panoz is great if you're interested in racing tin tops, and I have worked with a couple of the coaches and they're TOP shelf.

I personally learned A TON from doing the advanced activities at Skip Barber, but you might be required to do the 3 day first... the car control is basically spent on the skid pad refining your ability to move the car into and out of various slides precisly. Very valuable. The Computer Car (telemety) is AMAZING for learning a track and learning to be more consistent. Basically a pro driver who knows the course goes out and sets target laps, and you try (unsuccessfully) to match that lap.

Eric
NER SM #02

Quote:

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Originally posted by Skid:
We each have 1-3 yrs. racing experience but a serious desire to step up our results (and an equal desire to escape the Canadian winter for a few days).

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Skid,

It's more driving than racing, but if you tell the instructors what you're looking for you can probably get some good tips at the Porsche Driving Experience Masters Program at Sebring. You can't just waltz in off the street, you must have some HPDE or racing experience to get in.

Great instructors, tin tops and Florida weather.

This should be good for car control, but probably not for racing/passing techniques. I did the basic PDE a few years ago and found the instructors willing to give you all you could handle.

Worth checking out.

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Gregg Baker, P.E.
Isaac, LLC
http://www.isaacdirect.com

The Panoz Advanced school from what I have heard is great. I have been to their three day and the instructors are top notch. I'm thinking about this advanced school on March 1 in Sebring. It brings in the telemetry and lets you mix it up on the track with the instructors. Sounds like great practice for someone who is racing with a roof over their head.
www.panozracingschool.com

Skid,

For a totally green racer I'd say that Bondurant and Skippy would both make excellent choices...

Since you have been doing this long enough to be comfortable in the car, but also long enough to probably develop some bad habits I'd lean towards the Daly Academy. The quality of their feedback and Data Aq can be an excellent learning tool.

Weather: Phoenix area and Las Vegas are both desert. Can't really go wrong there. Skippy is on the central California coast, weather there in the summer can't be beat, the winter....? Rain can be a great learning tool.

Be warned, once you get in an open wheel car you won't want to go back.