bgames

Has anyone been to the BMW Club's driving school at Road America? If so, could you summarize the two day event for me? The description talks about speed limits through the Kink, assigned instructors and car control exercises, so I am concerned that my actual time on the track will be limited.

Any insights would be appreciated.

Thank you.

JAson

96CollectorSport

They stopped limiting speed at the kink, they run the kink bypass (typiclly only used by the motorcycles). There are plenty of opportunities to run RA with other clubs that allow you to run the track in it's traditional fashion. They are just trying to make the track a little safer. I personally don't run with them, but here are some events that I will.

Midwest F-body Association April 14-15
Milwaukee PCA May 5-6
NASA Midwest Aug 3-5
Northwoods Shelby Club Aug 17-19
Badger Bimmers Sept 7-9
Badger Audi Club Sept 17-18
Chicago Alfa Club Oct 6-7
Midwest F-body Association Oct 13-14
NASA Midwest Oct 20-21

Just to give you an idea.

Aardwolf

I'll be at Road America as well, spring and fall with MFBA. Here is a link:

http://roadamerica.fbody.us/

redvetracr

hey Joel...other than NASA/AUG any of those clubs have "open passing"??
...redvetracr

Z06 Whisperer

Can I ask which BMW club it is? I'm assuming it's Windy City? I did their event twice, two and three years back, and didn't enjoy them all that much. When I did it, they had the chicane in place to slow speeds through the kink instead of the speed limit and they still had incidents. I don't know if this is still true too, but I think they also had a 40 minute session--pretty hard on your car. I would reccomend the Badger Bimmers event in the fall over the two (I've done that event for 3 yrs). Maybe look into some of the other events Joel and Aardwolf have listed too. Just my .02

Z06 Whisperer

It's funny, but fbody used to allow open passing the first two yrs I ran with them in the assertive group, but then the past two the drivers in that group wanted (I think actually voted at one event) to have people signal passes. So I wouldn't count on open passing with them, but it could be worth asking. That was a lot of help (and I know I'm not Joel) SORRY !! LOL

xsiveone

Run with the Badger Bimmer's (Wisconsin) and not the Windy City (Chicago) chapter. They are the ones that limited the speed in the Kink and that are now running the Kink Bypass.

redvetracr

sounds like a medical term....

xsiveone

It does, doesn't it. What RA actually calls it is the "Bend".

Here's the track map. It's right before T11.

Z06 Whisperer

It does you're right! Sorry I don't mean to pick on you xsivone! Thanks for the clarification about the "Bend". For me it's like surgery gone bad when they use it. Makes poor RA into a sort poorly stitched together Franken-track.

bgames

Yes, it is a Windy City BMW event. Z06Whisperer, can you tell me anymore about the car control exercises and the mandatory instructors?

Closer_2001

Slightly off topic...

I have a friend who wants he and his wife to do a car control course...more for accident avoidance, skid control.

He lives in Chicago. Any suggestions appreciated.

Z06 Whisperer

I wanted to actually dig out the paperwork from the most current event I attended (2005), so I can get things as correct as possible. I don't trust my memory LOL. Anyway, on the 2005 event schedule I found everything to be 35 minutes, not one that was 40, at least for that year, as I said earlier-sorry.

I'll start with the actual scheduling: Looks like it starts out with an hour manditory driver's meeting each morning (for all groups), then the schedule alternates between "exercises", "class", "track", and "rest". The experienced group did not have exercises. The classroom sessions were mandatory (attendence was taken somehow), but I don't believe they took attendence in any way for the exercises. (There would be this guy who rode around in a cart who would encourage you to go and gnerally check out things you were doing.) These would be all 35 minute blocks of time: For the novices, there 5 blocks of exercise, 3 blocks of classroom (two on Sunday), 3 blocks of track and 1 of rest (2 on Sun). The intermediate had 4 exercise, 2 class, 3 track and 3 rest. The experienced group consisted of 2 class, 3 track and 7 rest.

The exercises were set up at the far end of the pits, and if I remember right consisted of various braking and turning situations, this and that around cones, and maybe some wet versions of the above. You queue up with your car and take your turn. Sort of like basic things you might learn on a closed course at a beginning driving school.

The instructors were preassigned prior to arrival and I think that Windy City keeps its own records so as to determine when you can advance groups or drive solo. I don't think they let any novices go solo, but you should check on that. Intermediates require a sign off to do so and I think they would not allow anyone to drive solo the last session. Because of weather concerns the club had, we had an instructor all the time as an experienced students even, the last year I went. That was rather ironic because with the many other clubs I'd been driving with, I'd been solo for awhile. I had one good instructor and one bad instructor.

Overall the event seemed very well attended the two years I went, but personally the rigid style of running things was not to my liking.

I wanted to ask you too, if you had ever done driving events before or had been to Road America--this could influence if you went with this club or not also.

Hope this answered a few of your concerns! Maybe others will chime in too! I'll try to think of anything else I forgot also. Hope you make it out to the track no matter what!

bgames

Thanks for the information, Z06 Whisperer. To answer your questions, I've never been to a Windy City BMW event or Road America.

Z06 Whisperer

Jason,
I'm going to now torture you with some more questions/personal opinions :

Would you be wanting to have an instructor?

Since you have never been to RA, I think having a decent instructor is one way to short cut the learning process of a new track and all the little tips and quirks. You can also ride along with other drivers with similar cars/driving styles to yours (to the best of my knowledge only fbody and NASA in HPDE4/TT allow this if you are not an instructor yourself), or arrange to follow another driver on the track to watch where they turn in etc.(it's good to let that driver know what you're doing and to not follow too closely so that person's not always getting the passing flag waved at them).

The BMW clubs I believe are the only ones I driven with (I've done 2 BMW clubs, 2 PCA clubs and a 3rd who only allows non P cars/members at RA, fbody, NASA, Northwoods Shelby) who will assign instructors in a routine fashion, but nearly all, if not all, of the groups I have driven with offer instructors. However, if you go with another group, I would make the request for an instructor ahead of time, although I have seen instructors assigned last minute at drivers' meetings.

Do you want to participate in exercises?

Badger Bimmers also sets up exercises similar to those of Windy City. And I have to confess I actually enjoy doing them, although not every year 'till the end of time or something.

Is your goal to spend the most time on the track as possible?

I can look through and see who gave the most time out there in the past.

And if you're wondering why the heck I did Windy City the second year, it was because I had some friends who were new to the track coming up so I came with. So it sort of depends on what you are looking for--more structure/less structure/instructors/classroom/track time, etc. And yes you're needs probably will change if you continue doing events. So I've found I constantly find new things to be working on out there on the track.

Good luck and enjoy no matter which "course" you take

bgames

I definitely would like an instructor the first few times out at Road America, but I would also like the opportunity to go it alone if/when I felt comfortable.

I also have absolutely no interest in car control exercises, and for $450would prefer to maximize my time on the track. I am contemplating going to Road America with the F Body Association on April 14-15, but the guys I go to these events with are already signed up for Gingerman that weekend and are also already signed up for RA with Windy City BMW, so I am torn.

Thanks for all of the information. It has been helpful.

Jason

UstaB-GS549

Two tips for your first time at RA:

1. Going up the hill from turn 5 to 6 you have to brake just before the Toyota bridge. Turn 6 is blind and you won't make it if you brake after you see the corner. Very important on your first lap.

2. Brake for the kink. Most people are intimidated by this corner, and rightly so. Don't believe anyone who says they don't lift going in (unless they drive a Honda). You can tell by all the paint marks on both sides, how many hero drivers this corner has bit.

Have fun.

rudyarias

Whatever you do, brake in a straight line. I normally tap the brakes before going into the kink. As for turn six, brake before the crest.

rudyarias

If you come to MFBA event, you can request a ride with an instructor or to go out with you for a session. I will be there as one of the (NASA) Instructors the MFBA has available to those seeking feedback/instruction.

xsiveone

There's a crown in the road coming into T5, so it's best to get your braking done in the middle and then dive to the outside before turning in.