A friend of mine, who is also going to Johnny O’Connell’s Corvette Camp, sent me this write-up and WOW it looks to be a great day. Thought there maybe some of you who would be interested in attending also. Here is the info I received:

Corvette Racing Champion Johnny O’Connell has set out to bridge the gap between racing schools and track days at Johnny O’Connell’s Corvette Camp with the first event slated for September 17 & 18 at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC. Corvette Camp will offer real world instruction that will allow Corvette owners to experience the thrills of driving their Corvettes on a racetrack and gain understanding of how to handle their cars with more confidence in day to day driving situations.

Corvette Camp will start with Johnny O discussing high performance driving techniques directly related to the characteristics of the Corvette. Each participant will fill out a profile (that will be sent in prior to the event) to determine the level of experience and modifications to their Corvette in order to develop groupings that will be of similar speed.

Morning track sessions will be of the lead/follow format with Johnny or one of the professional drivers in a “pace car” teaching students the proper driving line, car placement on the circuit and building speed at an intelligent pace.

Lunch will catered and offer an opportunity for participants to discuss any issues from the morning session with coaches. Johnny will offer a brief Q & A session prior to covering “global” questions regarding the afternoon sessions.

Afternoon sessions will be solo under the disciplined eyes of Johnny and his guest coaches who will be at various locations throughout the circuit. Participants will be critiqued after each session and be encouraged to build speed at their own pace. Passing will be allowed in a predetermined passing zone.

Memorabilia, Awards and fabled “Stories from Johnny O” will conclude Corvette Camp.

Johnny O’Connell’s Corvette Camp will be expanding in 2006 to other racetracks throughout the country.

Further information:
Contact: Rick Swarts
Phone: (704) 806-2920
Fax: (704) 541-6674
Email: info@corvettecamp.com
Visit: www.corvettecamp.com and www.johnnyoconnell.com

 

Looking forward to September!!!

 

Does sound like a fun event. Too bad it is not closer.

 

It would make for a nice Fall Corvette Road Trip. Get a few Corvette friends together and Corvette Caravan.

 

Just received word from a friend that Johnny O'Connell's Corvette Camp is going to be involved with our forum in some way !

 

 

stankiller,stu,max and everyone else lets go!

 

[QUOTE=DigitalMan]Just did the High Performance Driving Event with the Northern Virginia Corvette Club at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia and all I can say is, if your thinking about doing this, do it.

The capabilities of the C6 platform are amazing. As a beginner I learned something on every lap. Nothing quite like going as fast as your capable with no fear of legal issues or civilian traffic. Just you, the track and your C6.... priceless! /[QUOTE]

So, so true! Will you make it to Johnny O's?

 

That Johnny O'Connell has one heck of a resume in racecars
Found this on the C6 General Discussions page.

corvettecamp writes: " I have done plenty of track days at Willow Springs in CA. What is missing is Johnny and his twenty two years of experience on the racetracks of the world. Current ALMS GTS Champion, 1994 IMSA Driver of the Year, Winner of the Daytona 24 Hours, Twelve Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Petit Le Mans, Formula Atlantic Champion and raced in the Indy 500! It's hard to imagine how you can knock that level of experience.

That kind of experience along with his connection to Corvette Racing and the fact he was a lead instructor for the Bondurant School for nearly a decade builds value into the event. I have a tremendous amount of respect for guys that can drive (I consider myself fairly good), I am in awe of good instructors and find it rare to find someone who can relate their experience in a way average people can understand.

Quickly I want to point out that our price is $400 per day and each day is the same. Our expenses are higher than you illustrate as the "rentals" I spoke of are for tents, tables, chairs etc... You can run both days.

I started racing in 1983 (with Johnny) and in all the years I raced formula cars, I never had an instructor in the car with me and I won a few races in my day. Good instructors can tell you what you're doing wrong from almost any angle... It's a skill I admire greatly and wish I had! Your 2-1 ratio is ideal but again, I have never seen anyone do a 2-1 in a professional school. In 1993 I had to pay an additional $500 to Bondurant so I could have Johnny as my instructor with 5 guys and I raced with Johnny for four years previously!

I assure you we will have a solid curriculum designed by Johnny specifically for novice drivers and if you have an advanced driver comes in, he can pick Johnny's brain for information. (I am one of two guys planning this thing, the other is Johnny!)

I appreciate where you're coming from and understand the "why is it $250 more" question. I think it boils down to having the name instructor(s) to learn from and socialize with and we're doing a nice set up with the tent, tables, chairs etc... It's going to be more like a Corvette Country Club when you're off the track, we're catering to race fans who own Vettes and want to learn what their car is capable of from the best in the business.

Happy 4th RBL!
Rick Swarts

 

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to put it out there that any questions you might have about Johnny O'Connell's Corvette Camp can be answered by myself or visit www.corvettecamp.com I am available here on the forum or via email at info@corvettecamp.com.

I hope to see you guys at the track, it promises to be a great opportunity to learn from the best and have a fabulous day in the process!

Happy 4th of July Everyone

Rick Swarts
Johnny O'Connell's Corvette Camp

 

For those attending, I have done something like this several times & it is a great way to learn more about your car & develop your skills. Unfortunately, No Convertibles without Rollbars, so I will not be going to this one...

 

Hey Sully,

I hate insurance regulations! You're absolutely right though, having an instructor like Johnny O will make you a better driver for the rest of your life! Not to mention going fast with no fear of the law, grandma in the Park Avenue or the dreaded squirell (aka Young Olympians).

If you're inclined MTI Racing in Atlanta has roll bars... I know you're not drilling your baby!

Happy 4th of July!
Rick Swarts

 

Yes...I know Reese.

BTW we do run road courses in our modified Vert.

 

Bring the mod car! We're going to group drivers and cars by experience and mods... By all means bring the hot rod!
Rick

 

Happy 4th to all you Corvette Campers and remember Corvette Racing is at Lime Rock (Speed Channel 3PM MONDAY)

 

Man! I want to do this! Rick, is it true this will be coming to other tracks across the country?

 

I think that is correct. I'm going to his first one and am sure I will go to others to sample various tracks!