Another driving school question

[AJT]

I just bought my first Viper a couple of months ago ( Bill .P)
& I am smart enough to know I need to take some lessons before this beast gets away from me. I did a search and there seems to be 3 main ones
Skip Barber
Bragg-Smith
Kinder

I would like to go to a 2-3 day school (Level 1 amateur)
Las Vegas would be nice ( give the wife something to do- Gamble)
I would like to drive a viper, or something close I can associate the lessons to.
I do not want to use my car.

Can anyone make any suggestions?

Thanks
Andy T

 

[Wild Bill]

Thsnks Andy!

I was going to ask the exact same question after Bill P found me one. Only difference is my wife wants to take lessons also

Bill
(soon to be wildbill again but in a really cool car)

 

[monnieh]

"so if you are thinking about joining the (Bobby Archer) driving clinic, please give me a call. We have also scheduled a clinic for Wednesday, February 5. So give me a call and let me know when you want to come.

Nancy Martyn
817-877-1772"

I am planning on going to this one.

 

[Bernard]

Bragg-Smith level 1 & 2 were great, as is Viper Days. I attended Bragg-Smith with my 16 year old son and had a blast and we attend all West Coast Viper Days events.

 

[pdmracing]

I reccomend skip barber highly. Lime rock is an awsome track & a nice vaction destination for the family too.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Viper Days. Comparable instruction, learn in your own Viper and much more affordable.

 

[ntmatter]

I would strongly recommend Viper Days, since the instruction will be specifically geared towards Vipers and you'll be able to meet other Viper enthusiasts at the same time.

 

[NCVCA]

Viper Days is the only way to go. I could write 1000 words on this but my posting signature says it all. And no, I do not work for Viper Days!

Contact Skip or Courtney at (847)594-VIPR (8477)

You will love the event and the people!!

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Start by reading this topic:
http://vca1.viperclub.org/ubb/Forum14/HTML/016122.html

Consider:
1. Skip Barber uses Vipers in the 2 day School
2. Skip Barber uses Vipers in their Car Control Clinic.
3. Skip Barber 2 Day school is discounted 25% to VCA members
4. All other Skip Barber programs are discounted 10% to VCA members.

In my opinion it is important to have developed performance driving skills before putting your Viper on a Road course.

"Viper Days" is a Great Open Track opportunity.

 

[AJT]

I appreciate all the response, without sounding stupid....
What is Viper Days??

Andy

Fred, I read that thread, that is definately NOT what I want to do.
Dad said " Just because you got a race car, does'nt make you a race car driver."

 

[Tusc]

And let me just chime in here... I've never "officially" (cough cough) been out on Lime Rock. ESPECIALLY not at night in the passenger seat of a friend's Corvette with dealer plates by sneaking down a maintenance road through dirt/grass. And I was never let down by the fact that after all that work we found out that the track had a whole section coned off in the back undergoing construction. D'oh!

LOL.

The track is very scenic. From a driving standpoint, I would say it could teach a Viper driver a lot. Its not a very straight or high speed track. There are plenty of turns and elevated turns with one "straight" down past the paddocks and pits before the S-curves. I would think you'd get a good workout there.

And hey! I never knew about the VCA price cut. Excellent!

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the Viper Nation and soon to be a Viperholic.

Ken A. emphasis on "Car Control" is what you will get from the Skip Barber 2 day class and as the name would apply Car Control Clinic.

I suggest you keep an eye on the Northern California Web site as we have a Viper Specific school every year at Laguna Seca. It is a combo of the 2 day and Car Control in a one day program with a lot of Viper Seat time. This program is for our region but we will be happy to sneak you in, just do not tell anyone.

For "Viper Days" go to http://www.viperdays.com/

 

[kverges]

There are many driving school options, depending on what you want to do, what you want to spend, and so on. And did you know you live near the MotorSport Ranch, a club track open to members on a regular basis and Bobby Archer's "home" track?

At the low end of the spectrum, instruction in your car is available for about $250 or so per weekend in Texas at either the MotorSport Ranch or Texas World Speedway from The Drivers Edge, NASA, or the Porsche Club - I have attended all three and they are great venues for the price.

Next up is Viper Days, but the expense is about double and there are very few (if any)in Texas - you will have to travel elsewhere and add the expense or time of getting your car there to the mix (there is a rental program, I understand, but I don't know the cost).

Then Bobby Archer offers a one-day driving clinic at MSR in your car for $600 per day or so - I have not done this, but heard good things about it.

Then quantum leap is for a formal, arrive & drive school, which includes Skip Barber, Bondurant, Jim Russell, Bertil Roos, Panoz, Bragg-Smith, and more. Autoweek may have info at their web site and they publish a directory of driving schools at least once a year. These typically run about $2500 or so for 3 days and are the most intensive instruction you can start with. Venues include Laguna Seca (near Monterrey) and Sears Point (near Napa) in California, great vacation spots.

I will say that going to school in your Viper or any Viper is not necessary to learn transferable skills. So don't be wedded to using your own car and in fact if you think you might be ******* the equipment during the learning curve, perhaps drive something else.

Feel free to email me privately, this is one of my passions and I can fill you in on many details.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Lots of good info and valid points of view.

Being conservative (and not interested in body work to myself or car), starting with a Driving school using the schools cars allows you to learn with their cars. And will provide a solid foundation in vehicle dynamics and they will provude hands on experience.

In your car autocross events are great to get a feel for your car and your limits in a relatively safe venue for you and your car.

That Said, Auto Sport is a dangerous activity!

 

[monnieh]

Hey Keith, why don't you come with me on the 5th for Bobby's class?

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

AJT,

Youz got pmail !

 

[Achilles99]

The main reason I didn't choose Skip Barber is because I wanted to use a full body car (I believe their 3 day requires the open wheel format). I ended up going to the Panoz 3 day school. It was GREAT. The cars you use (a racing version of the Esperante, pretty much...) are naturally aspirated V-8's, and I found them to be very similar to the feel of a Viper (including the difficulty of looking over parts of the front hood).

It was excellent. Taking the school allowed me to skip my novice license and go directly to regional license. So, if you ever thought about competing in SCCA, I'd highly recommend this option.

Cost was high, but worth every penny. Email me if you want further details.

Did I mention that Road Atlanta is a VERY fun track to drive?

 

[K Adelberg]

I think many of the major schools are good. I have done Bondurant and Bragg-Smith. I would choose Bondurant over Bragg-Smith. One important recommendation I would make is, be sure they have a rear wheel drive "Skid-car" in the program you are interested in. This is the car with the funky looking outriggers. This allows you to be exposed to oversteer and understeer at very low speeds and is a great tool for learning car control. Seat time is your best tool. Go for as many days as you can, then get the Viper to the track! Viper Days is a great club to run with.

 

[AJT]

This board allows you to gather so much information in such a short amount of time, thanks for all the input! I hope to meet some of you at a school in the future, definately at VOI8.

Andy

 

[GTS Dean]

I ***STRONGLY*** recommend Bob Bondurant's school. Like Barber's, you will learn the fundamentals of car control, the basic performance differences between front, rear and mid engine cars, along with the differences between front and rear wheel drive.

Go for the 3 or 4 day schools, even if it's a financial stretch. The more you're exposed to, the more you'll retain later on. These weekend driving clinics and Porsche/BMW/Track Time/Viper Days "Schools" are certainly far better than nothing, but they are woefully short of what you can get with the established big name courses. Most importantly, they teach: throttle steer, trail braking, heel & toe downshifting, skid control, panic maneuvering/accident avoidance, etc. These are the fine points that will take you several years worth of track weekends & mini clinics to master.