Just returned from the 2 day Ron Fellows Driving School outside of Las Vegas. What an experience!
The school is a very impressive operation with a lot of track time following the instructors and then having class then back out on the track. The instructors are patient, very friendly, very skilled. and aggravatingly young. Watching the instructors coach the student behind them using the Corvette's radio and do all that while driving with one hand and using the walkie talkie is amazing.
The facilities were all top notch. The meals were excellent. The wives were treated great.
My wife enjoyed attending the classes and she hitched a ride in the instructors cars for almost every single session - she loved it! By the end of the two days I was much smoother, and so so much quicker and I could not believe how much faster I was around the track.
Even though you go already knowing the C7 is great, it is such a rare opportunity to be able to explore the car's full capabilities and to use the track settings etc. The performance that you experience just further confirms what a remarkable car GM has made for us.

In closing I have to thank GM and Michelin for their support of this program that allows us to attend at such an attractive cost. I think it will bring dividends to GM because only in the track environment you can really see the full extent of how terrific the C7 engineering and design are now.
Those cars are totally stock and are being thrashed around every day in hot temperatures and they just keep on performing at the highest levels.

I also want to thank the folks at the Ron Fellows school. The school is really a top notch, well organized program with great personnel.
They all seem to love their job ( who wouldn't) but their enthusiasm was real and very evident throughout the two days.
I plan to go back for another round at some point -probably to the NCM track program.

 

Hope they have a course for those of us who will be purchasing the Z06.

 

Are they all automatic transmission or can you choose manual too?

 

Thank you!

One item just added to my bucket list

 

They are almost all manuals, only a few automatics were available.

 

They have approx. 3-4 autos, I've heard different numbers as far as total cars (somewhere between 40-70). The autos need to be reserved in advance, don't plan on showing up and getting an auto because they are limited and most likely reserved.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience and opinion.

I plan on going next spring.

 

Very interesting that the wives are kept busy too! I would have guessed this was a guys weekend....easier to sell the wife when she is included in it.

 

I thought my bucket list was covered just getting the C7...now there is more to shoot for!

 

As the OP said, it's an awesome experience. I did the three day and highly recommend doing the third day. That's when you get to see the track without a lead car. Adrenalin is really pumping then. I hope they get the same program going at the NCM track. I will definitely do it again.

Steve

 

I agree, if you can work in the third day, you won't be disappointed. I joked with Frieda that the three day trip was the second most fun I've ever had. It is a first class establishment.

 

Our class had 4 automatics available, all were requested early , two others would have preferred an auto but there were no more available. We were told they do not advertise having any autos because they expected almost all stick requests. That has not proven to be true - they are getting auto requests often. Just a note, the autos all performed flawlessly however, it was said that GM has addressed the overheating by increasing the fan size is the 2015's and No--- no one knows yet if it will retrofit the 14's.

One thing on helmets, several of us including me, really needed a larger helmet than their 2x's which were a very very snug fit. If you need a bigger one , you had better bring it yourself.

We were told that they had about 100 corvettes in the school inventory. Some are school owned and some are GM owned. We heard that they are later sold with full disclosure through some outlet in California. One of my instructors said the cars are better cared for than privately owned cars - I am sure thats true but private cars are not run so hard, continuously for so long. I am not sure I would want a used school car unless the price was very very attractive.

 

I just returned from the September 24/25 class. AWESOME experience. I had not driven a manual in many years, but, it came back to me. Lots of downshifting exercises. Can not say enough about the Staff, Facility, or class

 

Awesome and had to be most thrilling to bang through the gears and not worry about the police

 

Those pictures bring back good memories.

 

I emailed the director of operations at NCM motor park with that question.

Sep 23, 2014, at 9:20 AM, (I) wrote:

Hi,
I have several question about the driving school offered to C-7 owners.

I understand historically, the course has been run at the Ron Fellows facility at Spring Mtn, and the invitation I received when I purchased my C7 was Spring Mtn specific. But that was before the NCM park was open.

With the opening of the NCM motorsports park and partnership with Ron Fellows, I would like to know if the same course will be (or already is) offered at the NCM facility?

===

9/23/14 10.31am


As of right now no. Stay tuned as the details are still being ironed out for the partnership. Keep an eye on Facebook and our website.

Matt Busby
Track Operations Manager
NCM Motorsports Park
350 Corvette Dr
Bowling Green, KY

 

I will be attending the class Oct 27,28 and 29. My wife is taking the class also but at this point just the two day. She was told, she can if she has fun and likes the first two days take the third day.

I am really looking forward to this.

 

I was there for the two day session on September 18-19. Taking Museum Delivery on my C7 last November was my 2013 bucket list item and the Ron Fellows school is my 2014 bucket list item, closely followed by the Corvette Caravan. Spring Mountain is a first class operation and the Ron Fellows school is everything that I had been told and read, plus more! Every new C7 owner should take advantage of the discounted opportunity if at all possible, you will not be disappointed. Thanks to all the instructors, I came in as a poor track driver and learned more than I expected, actually not a bad driver in two days. I hope to come back soon.