Driving schools?

[EVOclipse]

I was wondering. where would my money be best spent...i want to save up to goto a driving school where at the end i can be SCCA licensed/qualified so i can enter some events or atleast try and make my way up someone's ladder so to speak, so i was wondering whats one of the best schools to attend for handling/racing learning and still helps me get my license?

just to add,yes i know it was already asked, but i was just wondering what a good circuit type school and the liscense part is important to me. something i can learn alot that i can apply to all types of racing. mostly i want to get into formula D when i get a car to do it in, maybe rally and other circuit track type racing...circles dont appeal to me and neither do straight lines.

[drdisque]

why don't you start with Autocross and see if this is something you want to do in the first place. Its also a good way to network and find out about track days in your area and good instructors in your area that could help you during those track days. Autocross is very reasonable ($20-$30) while track days are not (at least $100 for a morning/afternoon, $150 for a day)

[Stack240z]

Originally Posted by EVOclipse

I was wondering. where would my money be best spent...i want to save up to goto a driving school where at the end i can be SCCA licensed/qualified so i can enter some events or atleast try and make my way up someone's ladder so to speak, so i was wondering whats one of the best schools to attend for handling/racing learning and still helps me get my license?

EVO... the only schools that I know of that 'include' an SCCA license would be (obviously) the SCCA schools, and I think the skip barber schools... another option is NASA... would not be SCCA, but an alternative - they have their own events and classes, and are definately more 'lax' when it come to requirements and partcipants (if that's your thing).

Someone else mentioned Auto-crossing - which is definately the cheap way to go in terms of actual competition... but it gets expensive quick since the forces on your car and tires can sometimes be more intense than actualy on-track driving... especially if you do it two or three times a month like the hard-core autocrossers...

The next option, and the one that I will personally tout... is the Club HPDE or High-performance driving school. This lets you take your street car, with standard safety equipment, out on a road course at speed, with a seasoned instructor in your passenger seat. Its the best way to get a feel for on-track driving and protocol without the pressures of trying to earn a license... you won't do it if you've never been on track before, that is for sure. These events let you get comfortable with driving your car at speed, without most of the risks of head-to-head competition... and oh yeah... you get a couple more hours of seat time with these events as well.

NASA and SCCA both also provide HPDE schools, and I'm pretty sure thats where you'd have to start anyway. Depending on where you are, there are probably numerous clubs that run events near you... if you are east of the Mississippi, go to www.trackschedule.com for an extensive list of HPDEs. Also a good idea to create an ID on www.motorsportreg.com as many clubs and organizations are using that site for registrations (including my club, Triangle Z Club/Tarheel Sports Car Club). There is a calendar of events there as well, mostly west coast stuff, but the east coast is catching on to that site as well.

As far as competition... many clubs are offering it in the form of time trials - where, like autocrossing, you are competing for the best lap time in a given class - a GREAT way to get the competitive juices flowing without the cost and risks of head-to-head racing. We use SCCA classing for ours, and only require a 4-pt roll bar, 5-pt safety harness, and a fire extinguisher in addition to the normal safety requirements at our events. For 2006 we will be upgrading to an AMB timing and scoring system to allow more participants as well.

Feel free to PM or email me if you have any questions, and ESPECIALLY if you are in the South-east or Mid-Atlantic area - we do 5-6 events per year.

[Stack240z]

Originally Posted by drdisque

Autocross is very reasonable ($20-$30) while track days are not (at least $100 for a morning/afternoon, $150 for a day)

I'm not trying to discourage Autocrossing... but if you consider the amount of seat time you get at an HPDE... I think you'll see its a much better value...

Autocross... at best 10 runs @ 1:00 minute each - in between you are either standing on the course picking up cones, or standing in the paddock for an hour or more waiting for your next session

HPDE... at WORST 3 on-track sessions @ 25:00 minutes each with an instructor riding with you teaching you the proper line so you can fully enjoy your event - in between sessions you will probably be in an air-conditioned classroom being able to discuss your sessions and/or learning new techniques with your peers and seasoned track junkies. Any HPDE worth its weight will be a two-day event totalling at least three hours of seat time ON track. Most events for two full days are less than $300 if you know where to look (cough www.timetrials.net cough)

Sure, you don't get the competition you would at an autocross, but if you're there to learn, you can't beat an HPDE.