Bondurant Racing School
03-12-2009, 08:44 AM
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St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Bondurant Racing School
Last Year Doug@ECS and I had the opportunity to go to Bondurant Racing School to participate in their 4 day Grand Prix class.
We arrived early the first day of classes and had the normal check in that you would expect. As we waited we could see the racing heritage that comes with Bob Bondurant throughout the entire location. Bob, one of the great drivers of our era, unfortunately had to end his racing career early due to an accident at Watkins Glen, but as the 4 days passed us by, you could see that even if he is not racing anymore his racing influence and his life dreams continue each day at the school.
I realize that this post is about the school, but without knowing the man behind the school you will not completely appreciate the school. Bob happen to be between travels and at the school for 2 days while we were there. He (and we cannot forget his dog) came in during our break and he personally shook hands with everyone there. He thanked all of us for coming to his school and he listened to our comments. Maybe this doesn’t mean much to most people, but beyond the fact that I was shaking hands with an American Racer who started car racing in a Corvette and eventually drove for Ferrari in F1, the OWNER of the school took time out of his day to make sure everything was what we expected.
I did capitalize owner on purpose. The reason I did was because I found out that Ford requested Bob to basically give them his racing school and they would continue to use his name. Bob personally felt that if his name was going to be on the school that he was going to continue to control the school which required him to own the school. Ford did try to leverage Bob into selling by saying they were not going to supply Fords anymore (yes Bondurant Racing School was all Fords at one time), but Bob worked out a 1 year deal with Ford and eventually got GM to become the sponsor. BTW – GM as a sponsor is a good deal for the students. All the cars were new and were stock except for seats with a harness (Bob felt that you are more connected with the car with a race seat and harness and that is why his cars have them), brake pads and I believe the tires. Otherwise it is basically what you are buying off the showroom floor. Twice per day (lunch and at night) the cars were inspected and tested to ensure everything was in working condition.
Anyway back to the school. Each day at the school is a building block for the next day so after 3 days you should have a good foundation to take with you and continue to build your skills.
The instructors all have some sort of racing experience and the Chief Instructor Mike McGovern you might have seen on Speed this year racing the Miller Cup Mustang Challenge. Each instructor has 2 or 3 of their own students. The activities are done as a group, but you have an assigned instructor which I like because that instructor stays with you the full time you are there so by the end of day 1 he knows your strengths and weaknesses.
The course is 20% class time and 80% in car time. Having 80% in car time you would think you would get tired of the same track in 3 days, but Bondurant has many different variations of the track which keep you on your toes and keeps it new all the time. You learn heel/toe techniques, crash avoidance, trail braking, car balance, skid control, and the list continues. Personally I learned more about car balance and trail braking in 2 days than I have in 3 years on the track. This knowledge I quickly applied to my car when I came back to NJ and found myself much more confident coming into turns at higher speeds.
All this builds you up for day 3 which is the day you qualify for your SCCA regional competition license. I have been on the race track for a few years now, but the adrenaline rush of green flag starts and yellow flag starts is intense even if it is not a real race.
After day 3 some people left and were completely happy, but Doug and myself stayed for the Bondurant Open wheel cars. There was a quick classroom review of the cars and what to expect. We then all went out to see the cars and continue our discussion. After that we were on the track. We started with the small track and eventually moved to the middle track and then the long track. There were hours of track time only broken up by lunch and you needing to take a break. I can say without a doubt you must stay and drive these cars. They are unbelievable fun. They are nothing like a vette since they weigh little and handle like a go cart. Doug said to me dont brake prior to one of the turns and just stay in it. I was like that is crazy, but of course I was going to do it. Halfway through the turn I was thinking Doug better be right because I am now committed. WOW the car just stuck to the ground.
At the end of the day we meet for the last time in the classroom. We were handed a very nice plague with our names, the date and the class we took. We were also handed a log book showing our improvements throughout the week and our overall score. The log book is what is used to get your regional competition license.
After we left Doug and I had time to reflect and realized just how much we learned and how the little things that Bondurant does makes it all worth it. We all consider how much track time and the quality of the instruction as the major decision factor when picking a school, but many times we overlook the small things that for the money we pay for training should not be overlooked. The custom plague is a nice touch over a paper certificate. Lunch was free at a restaurant where you could pick anything you wanted and a bonus the food was very good – lol. There were always towels soaking in ice water for you to grab and wipe your face off. There were plenty of fresh water dispensers throughout the area and Gatorade mix was available. There was a locker room with showers that we could use. The grounds were always spotless and the cars were always clean and ready to go. All of the staff were very nice and helpful. These little things to me are as important as the major items because it shows the school goes beyond just training and realizes that you paid good money you should be treated as such.
Instruction, car time, the little things and Bob Bondurant's influence in every detail make Bondurant the complete package.
Bob
We arrived early the first day of classes and had the normal check in that you would expect. As we waited we could see the racing heritage that comes with Bob Bondurant throughout the entire location. Bob, one of the great drivers of our era, unfortunately had to end his racing career early due to an accident at Watkins Glen, but as the 4 days passed us by, you could see that even if he is not racing anymore his racing influence and his life dreams continue each day at the school.
I realize that this post is about the school, but without knowing the man behind the school you will not completely appreciate the school. Bob happen to be between travels and at the school for 2 days while we were there. He (and we cannot forget his dog) came in during our break and he personally shook hands with everyone there. He thanked all of us for coming to his school and he listened to our comments. Maybe this doesn’t mean much to most people, but beyond the fact that I was shaking hands with an American Racer who started car racing in a Corvette and eventually drove for Ferrari in F1, the OWNER of the school took time out of his day to make sure everything was what we expected.
I did capitalize owner on purpose. The reason I did was because I found out that Ford requested Bob to basically give them his racing school and they would continue to use his name. Bob personally felt that if his name was going to be on the school that he was going to continue to control the school which required him to own the school. Ford did try to leverage Bob into selling by saying they were not going to supply Fords anymore (yes Bondurant Racing School was all Fords at one time), but Bob worked out a 1 year deal with Ford and eventually got GM to become the sponsor. BTW – GM as a sponsor is a good deal for the students. All the cars were new and were stock except for seats with a harness (Bob felt that you are more connected with the car with a race seat and harness and that is why his cars have them), brake pads and I believe the tires. Otherwise it is basically what you are buying off the showroom floor. Twice per day (lunch and at night) the cars were inspected and tested to ensure everything was in working condition.
Anyway back to the school. Each day at the school is a building block for the next day so after 3 days you should have a good foundation to take with you and continue to build your skills.
The instructors all have some sort of racing experience and the Chief Instructor Mike McGovern you might have seen on Speed this year racing the Miller Cup Mustang Challenge. Each instructor has 2 or 3 of their own students. The activities are done as a group, but you have an assigned instructor which I like because that instructor stays with you the full time you are there so by the end of day 1 he knows your strengths and weaknesses.
The course is 20% class time and 80% in car time. Having 80% in car time you would think you would get tired of the same track in 3 days, but Bondurant has many different variations of the track which keep you on your toes and keeps it new all the time. You learn heel/toe techniques, crash avoidance, trail braking, car balance, skid control, and the list continues. Personally I learned more about car balance and trail braking in 2 days than I have in 3 years on the track. This knowledge I quickly applied to my car when I came back to NJ and found myself much more confident coming into turns at higher speeds.
All this builds you up for day 3 which is the day you qualify for your SCCA regional competition license. I have been on the race track for a few years now, but the adrenaline rush of green flag starts and yellow flag starts is intense even if it is not a real race.
After day 3 some people left and were completely happy, but Doug and myself stayed for the Bondurant Open wheel cars. There was a quick classroom review of the cars and what to expect. We then all went out to see the cars and continue our discussion. After that we were on the track. We started with the small track and eventually moved to the middle track and then the long track. There were hours of track time only broken up by lunch and you needing to take a break. I can say without a doubt you must stay and drive these cars. They are unbelievable fun. They are nothing like a vette since they weigh little and handle like a go cart. Doug said to me dont brake prior to one of the turns and just stay in it. I was like that is crazy, but of course I was going to do it. Halfway through the turn I was thinking Doug better be right because I am now committed. WOW the car just stuck to the ground.
At the end of the day we meet for the last time in the classroom. We were handed a very nice plague with our names, the date and the class we took. We were also handed a log book showing our improvements throughout the week and our overall score. The log book is what is used to get your regional competition license.
After we left Doug and I had time to reflect and realized just how much we learned and how the little things that Bondurant does makes it all worth it. We all consider how much track time and the quality of the instruction as the major decision factor when picking a school, but many times we overlook the small things that for the money we pay for training should not be overlooked. The custom plague is a nice touch over a paper certificate. Lunch was free at a restaurant where you could pick anything you wanted and a bonus the food was very good – lol. There were always towels soaking in ice water for you to grab and wipe your face off. There were plenty of fresh water dispensers throughout the area and Gatorade mix was available. There was a locker room with showers that we could use. The grounds were always spotless and the cars were always clean and ready to go. All of the staff were very nice and helpful. These little things to me are as important as the major items because it shows the school goes beyond just training and realizes that you paid good money you should be treated as such.
Instruction, car time, the little things and Bob Bondurant's influence in every detail make Bondurant the complete package.
Bob
Last edited by Wicked Weasel; 03-14-2009 at 09:43 AM.
03-12-2009, 02:21 PM
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St. Jude Donor '05-'08
No matter what people say it is hard to get out of 4x25 min hpde sessions what you get out of all day school.
And think about it why do professionals go to school? Even if you are top in your field there are always flaws that you can work on. Heck Tiger Woods even goes to a golf clinic.
03-13-2009, 08:46 AM
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St. Jude Donor '05-'08
I have to add there is one thing that bondurant does that I really like. If you make a mistake (go 4 wheeling, spin, etc) during a track session your instructor will call you in and not the entire group. At another school everyone was brought in and everyone lost that track session which was really unfair imho.
03-14-2009, 06:45 PM
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03-15-2009, 11:03 AM
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Nice write up Bob,
The only thing I could possible add is to spend the extra bucks to stay the extra day and drive the open wheel cars. A few people in our group left early and I think they really missed out. Driving them really gives you a whole new meaning to how important weight distribution is, let alone the fun factor!
The only thing I could possible add is to spend the extra bucks to stay the extra day and drive the open wheel cars. A few people in our group left early and I think they really missed out. Driving them really gives you a whole new meaning to how important weight distribution is, let alone the fun factor!