2 Day High Perf Driving School

GTI-Guy · Post by **GTI-Guy** » Tue May 13, 2008 1:16 pm

A 2 day school is a great way to learn high perf driving

1 day schools are fun, and cheaper, but the first day for most is spent learning the line, gaining confidence

Day 2 you can really put the skills to work, get more aggressive, feel like a race car driver

Cost is $300 ... Uncle Sam gave you what you need to cover that

Official details below

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Registration for the June, 2008 High Performance Driving School is open and there are spots still open. The school will be held at Gateway International Raceway on June 6-8, 2008.

BMW CCA driving schools offer an unequaled opportunity to test yourself in your BMW, or other car, in a controlled environment. All students receive both in-car and classroom instruction to establish and improve your driving skills. The skills you learn on the track will help you on the street. The best reason for attending, however, is the huge smile you will have when you go home and the you can tell your friends what you did this weekend!

Yokohama Tires and Shell VPower will be our major sponsors for the Driving School. Yokohama will provide a variety of gifts to be raffled to attendees. Among these gifts are two sets of Yokohama tires to be chosen from their entire line of products. Shell will be offering a pre-paid gas card to all participants. Yokohama is also sponsoring a post event get together on Saturday evening.

Ed Yeppez, club member and local orthodontist is also a sponsor of our school.

Registration is done on line at http://www.motorsportreg.com/calendar/e ... 7D92E90AF7.

Cost is $300 for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). Those who are instructors and approved advanced students can also participate in the Friday track familiarization day. The cost for Friday is an additional $125 if you are attending Saturday and Sunday, $200 if you plan on only driving on Friday. Registration fees go up $25 on May 26 and registration closes on June 1st. All participants must be a current member of the St. Louis BMW Club ($40 per year dues).

You don’t have to drive a BMW. Any brand of car is fine for our driving schools, but we don’t allow convertibles, SUV’s or motorcycles. Your vehicle must be inspected by a mechanic before the school and you can do that at the service shop of your choice or for free at the club tech inspection night at Reid Vann on May 22. Autotire in the Chesterfield Valley will also do a free inspection by appointment.

Additional information, contact information and all necessary forms are available on the club’s Driving School web page:

http://www.stlbmwcca.org/drivingschool.shtml

We look forward to seeing you on June 6-8.

Sign up quickly, these schools are always a sell-out.

Peter Rossato
Vice President
Driving Events Coordinator
St. Louis BMW Club
vp@stlbmwcca.org

tmarsh · Post by **tmarsh** » Tue May 13, 2008 2:01 pm

Hmm, I spent a little more, and drove someone else's cars.

GTI-Guy · Post by **GTI-Guy** » Tue May 13, 2008 5:15 pm

tmarsh;114672 wrote:Hmm, I spent a little more, and drove someone else's cars.

Bondurant or Skip Barber school?

The beauty of this is you learn high perf driving in YOUR car, not something that has twice the grip & handling

What event did you do?

typer1112 · Post by **typer1112** » Tue May 13, 2008 7:46 pm

Good info and would love to come, but I will be on my way out to VIR

GTI-Guy · Post by **GTI-Guy** » Tue May 13, 2008 9:28 pm

typer1112;114728 wrote:Good info and would love to come, but I will be on my way out to VIR

I want to go to that track!!!

What type of event are you doing? Also, how long of a drive is it to get out there?

tmarsh · Post by **tmarsh** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:10 am

I did Skip Barber, which was a blast. I don't think my vehicle qualifies to participate in a "high performance" driving school. Add to the fact that the majority of our activities would have been pointless using a front wheel drive car, and I really wanted to get a feel for a bunch of different types of cars (FR,MR,RR,etc.).

Moral of the story: the Porsche 911 is a flaming deathtrap.

typer1112 · Post by **typer1112** » Wed May 14, 2008 12:38 pm

GTI-Guy;114744 wrote:I want to go to that track!!!

What type of event are you doing? Also, how long of a drive is it to get out there?

It's the ITR expo, basically just an HPDE that's open to all cars, 2 days about 5-6 sessions a day, the drive out there is roughly 850 miles

GTI-Guy · Post by **GTI-Guy** » Wed May 14, 2008 10:03 pm

Some questions and thoughts for ya'

tmarsh;114875 wrote:I did Skip Barber, which was a blast..

I'm jealous, which program?

tmarsh;114875 wrote:II don't think my vehicle qualifies to participate in a "high performance" driving school. ..

The best way to learn how to drive the line smoothly is in a POS with no grip. We have all types of cars at these events. It never hurts when a guy in a base Civic can earn a pass on a M3 through the twisty stuff. Said another way, a skilled race driver driving a Camry can put us to shame when the road gets curvy

tmarsh;114875 wrote:Add to the fact that the majority of our activities would have been pointless using a front wheel drive car, and I really wanted to get a feel for a bunch of different types of cars (FR,MR,RR,etc.)..

I understand about experiencing the different platforms, but for FWD ... Blasphemy! For very high HP cars, no FWD is not the way to go, but look at how competitive the Integra's, Focus, older GTI's etc still are. And how about Randy Probst driving the Acura TSX's in the GT Speed World Challenge ... he's put BMW's, Audi's etc to shame driving a FWD car

tmarsh;114875 wrote:Moral of the story: the Porsche 911 is a flaming deathtrap.

Agree with you there, have seen a lot of them totalled on the track over the years, and yes, two go up in flames

tmarsh · Post by **tmarsh** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:55 am

I did the two day High Performance Driving School at Laguna Seca (pics and video to come in the future). I mostly wanted to get some seat time in something other than FWD so that I had some idea what a future car might have in store for me (3 months with a broke ass Porsche 924 did not teach me much in years past).

I didn't mean that a FWD car has no place on a racetrack. Personally, I get a kick out of reading about GM High Performance Division's Cobalt SS running circles around the often-worshipped JDM Time Attack cars.

...Just got an email from Skip Barber school saying that their future sessions will include seat time in the IS-F. Sum-bitch.

Alikat · Post by **Alikat** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:54 pm

Now that we've deciced not to go to Montreal for the Canadian GP, I've registered and paid for this event already! Soooo excited!

tmarsh;114875 wrote: I don't think my vehicle qualifies to participate in a "high performance" driving school.

Just to add to what Bob said, I don't think there is any such thing as a vehicle that doesn't qualify to particpate (well, unless it's not safe to drive, then it wouldn't pass tech and wouldn't qualify). FWD makes no difference.....you have no idea the great accomplishment I feel when I'm passing a 911, ferrari, and M3 out there....in a HONDA!!! It's not about who else is out there though, it's about YOU and gaining experience in your car. I feel like a better driver overall (street and track) after participating in all these HPDE's.

You just gotta give it a chance and see what it really is all about.

Remember, this isn't a "racing" event