MAKING THE GRADE: High-performance driving schools will transform you into an ace on the road

October 2, 2018
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Barbara Toombs

The smell of burning rubber, the squeal of the tires, the feel of the steering wheel as you negotiate a tight corner at high speed. The adrenaline-pumping rush of driving fast has lured many to a career in racing – but in today’s world even the everyday driver has a lot to gain by investing in a class at one of the many high-performance driving schools available around the country.

Interestingly, it was Carroll Shelby who pioneered the idea of a school for drivers, opening the Carroll Shelby School of High-Performance Driving at a young Riverside International Raceway in 1961, after he retired from racing. He called upon his friend Pete Brock to manage the operation. The school later became the Bob Bondurant School in 1968 at a SoCal drag strip and small road course called Orange County Raceway.

Today, schools like these exist at racetracks around the country, featuring curricula designed to help you master car control on a road course, including turning, braking, throttle application and mental training.

“If you drive a car, a high-performance driving class is something you should at least think about taking,” says Joe Monitto, COO of Skip Barber Racing School, which operates a fully integrated system of racing school, driving schools, corporate events and special projects across North America. “Experiencing how a vehicle reacts when the traction goes away in a safe and controlled environment is the only way to be prepared for when these scenarios happen on the road.”

In Monitto’s opinion, programs like these should be mandatory for new driver education, as the skills learned can and do save lives. To that end, Skip Barber even offers a Teen Safety & Survival School in addition to its 1-Day Driving School, which emphasizes greater “street awareness,” survival skills and a thorough review of road etiquette. Drivers young and old experience a combination of classroom and behind-the wheel instruction in a variety of passenger vehicles, learning techniques that include emergency lane changes, slide recovery and skid control. “The same skill that helps our students brake into a turn on the racetracks can be used to perform a panic lane change on the highway,” Monitto points out.

From its home in Pahrump, Nevada, not far from Las Vegas, Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club is another fine facility offering a variety of driving-related schools, including the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, the Cadillac V-Performance Academy, an SCCA licensing program, and private, customized instruction to suit individual needs.

“We have all types of people attending our Performance Driving Schools, from the daily driver to the track enthusiast to the professional driver,” says Corvette racing legend Ron Fellows, developer of the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School. “The daily driver is looking to build their confidence and understand and learn the dynamics of car control and the vehicle itself, while the track enthusiast wants to know all the basics of driving and generally is brushing up on the skills they already have. Finally, the professional driver is looking to fine-tune their skill sets.”

Many schools will offer the option of training in the facility’s high-performance current-model vehicles or driving your own. “Drivers have an added level of comfort in the car they will ultimately be operating,” says Skip Barber’s Monitto. Over at Spring Mountain, students can drive their own cars in the Private Instruction program, although there are stringent guidelines that must be followed: the car must have brand-new brakes, tires with at least 70 percent of tread left, a securely fastened battery, torqued lug nuts, cannot be leaking oil and must have the wheel bearings checked.

When choosing a high-performance driving school, car condition and instructors are key factors to consider. Fellows says perspective students should find out how new the cars are and what kind of condition they are in, and also whether there is radio communication in the vehicles. At Spring Mountain, current-model vehicles that are maintained daily. Instructor-to-student ratio and past driving experience of instructors is also important. “Our performance driving schools run at a 1 to 3 instructor-to-student ratio,” says Fellows, “which may increase to 1 to 2 or even 1 to 1 in other programs.”

Skip Barber’s Monitto agrees that instructors are a key component of any driving school. “They do not only need to be outstanding drivers themselves, they need to be able to teach and convey the topics in a way that everyone in the room can understand,” he says. “Skip Barber Racing School’s Chief Instructor, Terry Earwood, has more than 40 years of experience teaching everyone from new drivers up to Indy 500-winning racers and has a keen eye for the blend of talent we look for in our instructors.”

Rick Malone, Chief Driving Instructor at Spring Mountain, stresses one other thing to consider when attending a high-performance driving school. “No matter what experience level you may be at, having an open mind is key,” he says. “And remember to take a lot of notes and ask questions.”

For more information, visit SkipBarber.com and RaceSpringMountain.com.