Driving Schools (long)

[geo3@earthlink.net]

Brady Dohrmann <prelude_2@hotmail.com> wrote:

>1.  You will learn more about driving, car control, racing etc in a few
>days  with a decent driver's school; than you will in racing for several
>months.

I will agree with the part about learning about car control, but not racing.
Commercial racing schools don't teach dick about racing.  DE events will hone
your driving to a degree, but they are still a far cry from racing.  Why?
Because it's totally different when you are driving by yourself or only have
to worry about being passed when you point someone by than when you are in a
crowd diving into a turn and giving and getting racing room, but just enough,
thank you very much.  DE events and commercial driving schools will *not*
prepare you for that.

>Most people I've met who have been to Skip Barber, Bondurant, will tell you
>that their money was better spent on driving schools than on car mods.

And how.

>2.  Who knows if you even like driving?!

Actually, you mean racing.  I know what you mean, but it's important to make
the distinction.  It is the very reason I decided to race karts before going
to racing school.  Without telling the whole long story, I was being nudged to
go to Bondurant after reading his book.  I made a concious decision to race
karts instead.  The cost was the same, but if by chance I decided I didn't
like racing wheel to wheel with folks, I could still sell the equipment
(always buy used the first year) and recoup the lion's share of my money.

>I don't know whatthe situation is in this case, but A LOT of people make a
>huge initial investment to get into racing and then realize they don't even
>like racing, or that form of racing.

Exactly right.

>People always say "yeah, well how is it possible that I won't like it??",
>but it's 90% work and 10% driving and some forms aren't for everyone.

Also quite correct.

Racing can be a *lot* of work.  I've known people who did nothing to their
kart from race to race (and the same applies to cars as well).  That's fine if
all you want to do is drive around.  I know some folks like that and that's
pefectly OK.  But, most people want to actually be competitive against others
and that involves preparation, testing, and tuning.  Even karts take a fair
amount of time to be competitive and cars are an order of magnitude higher
usually.

>I personally have been to Bondurant in Arizona and it was the best $3600
>I've ever spent.  Considering you could probably get an entire beginner
>kart setup or a starter race car for that much, I'd still take the driver's
>school.

I think that depends.  Have you actually raced cars or karts?  Have you done
so *before* going to Bondurant?  At my school, I was one of two people who had
raced karts and we were a fair bit faster than anyone else in the school (I
wasn't the fastest).  If you read one or more of the books I listed and apply
the theory, you should learn significantly more in one season of karting that
any 3 or 4 day commercial school.  The only thing you won't learn in karting
is heel/toe.

>IMO, *good* driving schools are the best
>way to spend your money first, if you want to get into racing.

IMHO...  vs cars, yes, vs karts, no.  Hell, go kart racing for a year or two
and then sell the karting gear and use the money to pay for a racing school.

>I've been through one of the NASA 1-day schools for $150 and I really
>didn't learn much, and a lot of my friends who have never been on a track
>before say the same thing.

Not much can be taught in a day.  There is not enough time for classrooom
sessions, consultation, and seat time.  Instructing at the convention this
year made that only too evident.  That is one of the reasons that half or
nearly half of your time at a commercial school is spent in classroom and
consultation.

Now, one could argue that you could do 20 1-day schools or DE events for the
cost of a commercial school.  That is true.  But, you might not learn as much
or you could learn more.  You certainly wouldn't learn more quicly.  Karting
is useful since a season can easily consist of 15 or more events for club
racing.  But then, some folks are overwhelmed by racing schools as well
because they get so much information so quickly.

Karting is the only subject under discussion that will actually teach you
about racing and let you know if you really like racing or not.  It will also
teach you about set-up, preparation, and what good handling is, and what it
isn't, as well as what you like and don't like.  At a commercial racing
school, you can forget about adapting the set-up to your liking

When I went to my two SCCA schools I was very much at home.  I was completely
comfortable "racing" wheel-to-wheel with the folks I was sharing the track
with and that came *totally* from karting.  I relied more on my karting
experience than anything else there.  It also helped me avoid the squirrels,
like the dumb SOB who spun twice on a caution lap. :-P

Please don't get me wrong.  I'm not slamming commercial racing schools in the
least.  You could give me a check today for the amount it cost me (even
adjusted for inflation), but would wipe my memory of the experience and I
would turn it down in a nano second.  I recommend them highly.  Just don't
expect them to turn you into the next Ayrton Senna or even be recognized as
one if you even are.  It just is not likely to happen.  You will have a really
cool experience and be much better equipped to be on a race track than many
folks who actually have a competition license.  That's a fact.

George Roffe

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