Generally interested in the experiences you've all had at pcar driving school. Travel to the south will add cost and time. I thought to do a single day at either now and follow-up with a two day class after 90 or so days. The LimeRock site is close enough for the initial class then travel to pcar in Alabama.

 

but I've heard great things about skip barber but i have been on Barber in AL, and it is worth the trip. Its truly world class.

 

Skip Barber is great. Did 17 years of driving school, racing school, race series with them. Excellent instruction and great fun. You will be a better driver over the road and enjoy your car that much more. You'll also become part of a wonderful community of people and may develop some lifelong friends.

Can't comment on pCar as I have no experience with it/them.

 

+1 on Skip Barber. I did the one at Lime Rock a few years ago. Great time, great instructors, great track. The area around there is quite nice, too.

 

If your new to performance driving either would be great starts.

But I suggest you go right to the two day if at all possible. You will start to get comfortable at high speed by the end of the first day and you will then be able to really have some fun on the second.

 

I'm looking into the same. How about the BMW M school as well? Probably also need to fly to SC. Funny, it's even a little more expensive than the 2 day P school.

 

The two-day advanced driving school was great when I did it as a 17-year-old in 1991 with my dad. Probably the greatest experience in my life to that point. We did it in 1st generation M3s (what a sweetheart) and 325s. One of my instructors, Jim Pace, remains my driver coach today (Him: "Turn left!" Me: "I'm turnin' left!").

In 1993, I did the three-day racing school. I'd actually recommend skipping the advanced driving school and doing the racing school. You'll learn all the skills you would in the driving school plus others you wouldn't and get more seat time.

As for venues, Lime Rock is beautiful and challenging but short. Road America is my choice, as I've done 1,000s (no exagertation) of laps there and think the area is wonderful. It's also 100 miles from my house in Madison, so that makes it easy. Finally it has a corner, the Kink, that took me and my dad four years to go flat through. Laguna Seca is a good track surrounded by a brilliant area. Sebring in FL is a classic. You really can't go wrong. Wish they still went to Mt. Tremblant in Quebec, but no dice. PM me if I can provide more information.

By the way, although it may seem like it, I don't work for Skip Barber! They just made me the driver I am today, so I'm grateful.

 

I did the M5 school - the one you get complimentary when you buy an M5 - when I had my e39. That was a bit remedial, but fine for my wife and I since we are far from experts. Great if you own an M5 just to see what the car can do. I think they offer more advanced pay-for classes.

I want to do similar with the 911 - go to B'ham for the Porsche 2-day, as much to learn about the car as DE. Probably depends on your goal as to what is better. If just DE, I'd go for closest - for me, that would be both!

 

I did the skip barber 2 day high-performance school at laguna seca about 6 weeks ago. It was awesome. Learned a lot about car control and the physics of driving a car.

There was a wide variety of cars used during the school... 911s, boxsters, M3s, RX-8s, ISFs, and Lotus'. This could be either a positive or negative.

Depends on if you strictly want to drive 911s or not.

 

nascar and performance race car racing school I've done the Racing School, Racing Schools, Sports Car Driving School, Corvette, it was a good time.

 

I've done the Racing School, Racing Schools, Sports Car Driving School, Corvette, it was a good time.

 

I did Porsche's PERFORMANCE COURSE (2 days) in May of this year. Everything was perfect; I plan to go back for the MASTERS COURSE next year

But I visited Laguna Seca in August and there was Skip Barber's school; I would love to do the 3 day RACING COURSE (not Porsche related, but surely you learn how to drive better)

 

Actually, all depends upon your goal. If it is just to be a more understanding driver when putzing around off track then go with the most convenient; what brand you are training in does not matter. If you want to track your car at introductory events like PCA weekend stuff you might want some guidance in a P-car. If you want to be in the truly competitive venues where you are going to bang up some fenders or worse then you are going to want a good experienced racer as your instructor in your car.

For example, in the Orlando area, a person can contact Alex Job racing or Ron Zitza at Zotz or Troy Motorsports; in your area Farnbacher Loles (before Greg Loles got arrested! ) had a couple of drivers who would work with people at Limerock. I'm sure that with a few questions you can find decent personal instruction in almost any part of the Country.

 

I pulled the trigger, going to the P school on 12/11-12. Looked like the best choice and focused on Porsche, which is a rather unique beast. Having driven an M3 and a 911, not sure how it would go shifting from one to other during a weekend - they are just so different. Took me a good 6 months to really learn how to take advantage of a 911. I'm psyched.

 

Hey - I'm going to the PSDS at the same time - Dec 11,12. See you there.