[S.T.A.R.]

Does anyone hear have any recommendations on a good driving school here in the northeast part of the country? I'm in Pennsylvania, but willing to drive 3-4 hours or so.

[Mr. Wyndham]

You looking for performance/track driving schools, I assume?

There are several, and I don't know them all...

I regularly drive with 3 Balls Racing, and Hooked on Driving. I'm registered with the Genesee Valley Chapter of the BMW Sport Car Club of America this year to try them out at Watkins Glen, too.

There will be a bunch of Camaros participating in this event in eastern PA, Sunday May 20:
http://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=519373

And a group of us are headed to Mid-Ohio on Wednesday June 13, and then to Pittsburg International Race Complex on Monday, August 13th (This one will be real good!)

All of them have classroom time and instructors for novice drivers. You really learn a lot from class, and each other!

[S.T.A.R.]

-Performance driving? Yes, I not a bad driver, but I prefer to get some knowledge between my ears so as not to screw up my car or anyone else's for that matter.

-I would think Watkins would be an absolute blast to drive. That's north of me 3-4 hours on RT81...some day.

-I'm going to look into the Pocono date you mentioned Wyndham, its a 50 minute drive (backyard). I just reached out to Mike Arrigo...

Thanks, Tony

[Inspector 17]

Look into the HPDE events at Summit Point and Dominion Raceway. They both provide you with an instructor and give you some valuable seat time with trained people. There are also events put on by NASA and SCCA that are worth looking into.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by S.T.A.R.

-Performance driving? Yes, I not a bad driver, but I prefer to get some knowledge between my ears so as not to screw up my car or anyone else's for that matter.

-I would think Watkins would be an absolute blast to drive. That's north of me 3-4 hours on RT81...some day.

-I'm going to look into the Pocono date you mentioned Wyndham, its a 50 minute drive (backyard). I just reached out to Mike Arrigo...

Thanks, Tony

Let me know if you need any help with signing up for Pocono - it's going to be a blast!

[Red Devil's Rebel]

What about Lime Rock Park in Connecticut?
It looks like they have a racing school... http://limerock.com/go-racing

[Fred 6528]

Dominion Raceway in Thornburg Va has some

[MoreSpeed]

I liked Evolution Driving School - http://evoschool.com/

I would also highly recommend the HPDE. Great value with quality instructors. You can find events at motorsportReg.com Most clubs at least allow some off-brand cars to attend if there is room.

[Sub]

Skip barber used to have a class at limerock, but I went to it and if you are a confident driver at all, you wont learn a ton. If youre new, give it a go. My money was better spent at comscc - a Mass based club that hits all the NE tracks. Great group of guys and no bumping and grinding or egos like with scca etc.

[S.T.A.R.]

Thanks Sub, I'll pass on Barber for the reason you mentioned. As far as egos go, will the track rules (etiquette) keep this at bay?

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by S.T.A.R.

Thanks Sub, I'll skip Barber for the reason you mentioned. As far as egos go, will the track rules (etiquette) keep this at bay?

I've never seen "bad" examples of egos at a track day. Typically, the worst thing I've seen is a slow driver who signed up for a more advanced class than he should have....slowing everyone down. OR...the driver that never points by (usually because they aren't paying attention) That causes some irritation.

Most people who show up are enthusiastic and helpful as long as you're there to learn and have a good time.

Maybe others have different perspectives?

[S.T.A.R.]

That's what I thought, mirrors and your left hand should be all the friends you need.

Also, the videos on Youtube of Pocono are very helpful...

[Sub]

I've run with a few clubs, porsche, bmw, and comscc. I never went on track with scca because when I went to visit initially I saw stuff on track I wanted no part of - people driving too close, passing without point bys, and in general an attitude of I'm a pro racer vs enthusiast. While there a guy hit my vette with his trailer in the parking lot, and proceeded to drive off claiming "hey you're at the track man, anything goes."

I just wanted to experience my car fully, and as safely as possible. The Porsche club had some nice guys, but like the BMW club, most had something to prove deep down inside, with the additional caveat that the average porsche guy didnt seem to maintain their cars well and the three times I ran with them, every time I saw a car dump oil on the track and create a dangerous situation. At limerock, my friend and I were the only ones to keep on track after a lead 911 dumped oil at the fastest turn. The chevy active handling saved us both, and in our rear view mirrors I saw a pirouetting dance of cars flying towards barriers. Scary! I never drove close to 911's again.

I ran with comscc for 4-5 years and when I retired from club driving, I was class champion, so I knew what was up! Although the club started as a corvette club, most of them drive miatas now, which is great because its hard to have an ego when you're driving a miata. I drove in the SSU class, which has unlimited HP cars, with little to no mods. I ran with ferraris, gt40, corvettes, vipers.. that sort of car. I drove a z06 at the time. I learned a LOT about my car and had a blast every weekend. My favorite track by far is watkins glen, try and hit that event. Second favorites are any of the canadian tracks- worth the trips.

The club focuses on safety and friendship. You would start in a beginner group and they will largely classroom you the first day, then ease you into the course the second. You will have an instructor with you, which is nice peace of mind when starting out.

Before you go, watch youtube vids of the track and learn the course. I used to buy video games with the tracks in them to learn them by heart. Also, find a decent driving basics course - apex, where to look, braking zones, that sort of thing. And lastly, make sure your car is solid, get a temp gauge to gauge tire pressures, and maybe switch to a slightly more aggressive pad. That should be all you need when starting out.

Good luck! You are about to enter a brave new world; its very exciting and rewarding. I may get out to a track in the future, but for now, I take with me many miles of road course experience and enjoy my cars more on the road daily, with the knowledge to do it safer than before. So much fun!

[whiteboyblues2001]

I have been running out at Summit Point, and they have a great HPDE program there. They have a "Friday at the Track" for HPDE's, and you get 4 20-minute sessions on the track with an instructor, two 1 hour classroom sessions, and they take you in their cars to the skid pad and you learn to drift.

There are four run groups plus an instructor group. As you advance, the classroom time gets less, and eventually you can go without an instructor. You can progress at your own pace, and all the instructors have been great.