Had a very good experience. Two drivers. Two Instructors. Two days.
Five hours of seat time per day. Just left one as a wet noodle by the end of each track day, as in hit the sack at 7:30pm from sheer exhaustion.

It was car control, 10/10ths type driving, with major testing of control from sliding, both understeer and oversteer, on the full Bondurant track at Firebird. Learned a lot, and very humbling. This was a good place to go to just hammer it as hard as you can and find out what you do not know. I am so pooped out at the moment it is hard to be expansive. Got some fab video.

 

Do they have a Boundurant racing school in CA,or did you goto the one in Phoenix AZ?

 

Jeezzz Ed, sounds like you had fun, and typing this at almost 1AM Wow!! Interested in seeing how your times pick up after all this recent track experience/learning.......

 

The course was given at Bondurant's facility in Chandler at the Firebird motorsports park. They were using Corvettes and Mustang Cobra GT cars, the classic front engine rwd American V-8 beasties.

Scott, we have driven enough together that you know I need all the instruction I can get to go faster!

One of the best lessons was not all of the high speed, intermediate speed, low speed "steer with your feet" technique and practice, although that was very good, or making sure that your heel and toe downshifting is polished, because if you cannot do that you are leaving several seconds a lap out there, but being instructed by fellows who have driven all manner of really fast cars, like Formula Atlantic and even Indy Lights. If you aren't shown what it is to go fast by somebody who knows....you don't really appreciate how much faster it is that you can go, and why, and of course HOW.

It may seem so basic and something that I already knew....or more accurately THOUGHT that I knew...and that was VISION. Look ahead..........way way farther ahead than you think you should be. You will steer and drive to the target way better and your line improves as does your overall speed and smoothness. Another is avoiding TARGET FIXATION. When you are dialed in to your brake point, turn in point etc., use peripheral vision from there on in, and get your head swiveled like an owl to your turn apex. BEFORE you even get to your turn in point. This is not an easy thing to do at real speed, but you absolutely have to do it. Develop and trust your peripheral vision. Once you are on your mark to make the apex, get your eyes off it and to your next target, and that is not track out point....you look through to mark it, but go right to your next corner and the line. It makes you FLOW through the turns much more smoothly, and thus faster, and you do not get caught suddenly in a position where things are coming at you too quickly and instead of commanding the car well in advance you are reacting.....and once you are so far behind as to be reacting you either slow way down, or go off the track eventually, and probably much sooner than later.

It isn't magic, indeed it is the farthest thing from it. It is a mastery of fundamentals and then very subtle refinements of rougher edged technique.

The big key is not just faster.........but SAFER. You can go faster when you know how to be safer because you have the car control skills. Otherwise, you are just marking for a time and a place to become a statistic.

 

Terrific review Ed...thanks for sharing. A good performance driving school is on my to-do list.

 

Thank you Sharif. When I can learn to drive them as well as you build them, I will be a happy man indeed!

 

Where is the school? And how much?

I live 5 min away from Pasadena. Lemme know!

 

Sharif-after watching your recent video on a different thread, and seeing how smoothly you seemed to handle that much HP, I think this school might be lower on your to-do list than mine. That was a terriffic video. Still, and from all reports, the school will teach us that the greatest limitations are not the Z's, but ours as drivers. Thanks to the OP--let's hear more.

 

Ed, I am glad that you had a great time...I was looking forward to hearing about this. I hope to be able to do something like this someday!! Just got back from Willow Springs and I know I need to learn a lot more.....however I have come a long way, MrA was following me today and I spun coming out of turn 5.....I was able however to correct and keep the car moving and on the track.

Only problem was there was a TON of smoke coming from my car.....luckily it was just a dollar hose that blew.

Ed, I would love for you to ride with me next time we are at a track event together and give me a little feedback! Congrats on the the course and I am sure you just shaved some time off your lap times!!

 

The school is in Chandler, Arizona, just south of Phoenix off exit 162. Driving time from Pasadena is about 6 hours. (380 miles). The costs of the schools vary depending on which one, and if you go to their website you can survey the options. Other schools to consider of course are Skip Barber and Russell.

 

Damn...that's far...

 

Yes it is. Skip Barber is at laguna Seca, which is about 315 miles from you, and Russell is at Sears Point...not sure how far that is but I think it is about 415 miles. Long slow drive to learn how to go fast.