Ron Fellows Driving School Review
01-25-2015, 10:15 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Ron Fellows Driving School Review
I recently attended the 3 day Level 1 Ron Fellows driving school at Spring Mountain. I know that it has been said here many times that this is a first class program, but WOW, until you experience it first hand, you have no idea.
First off, I would like to add that, unfortunately, I am not a C7 owner(YET!). I have a lowly C5 that I thought was a spectacular car until I arrived at Spring Mountain. For all of the members on here that have bought a new C7 and haven't signed up for this wonderful driving course that GM is heavily subsidizing, SHAME ON YOU! I am about as cheap as they come, and the $3500 price tag was very hard to swallow, but having gone through the class, I don't understand how someone can drop the $60,000+++ on a new C7 and not be willing to spend another $1500-$2000 to learn how to drive this spectacular machine.
Also, since I haven't read a review that included a negative about this school(other than maybe the cost), let me be the pessimist here, and tell you that the only negative that I found was that the instructors were TOO nice! They offered nothing but compliments the entire three days, even when you got a little heavy on the right pedal and let the tail end wag coming through the corner, they would reassure you that it was okay, and you'll get it right the next time. I don't remember which instructor it was that did the brief ride along with me on day 3, but as soon as he got in the car, the first words out of his mouth were "Do you trust me?" And I'm thinking in my head, "You just got into this magnificent machine on your own free will, with me behind the wheel, and you are asking me if I trust YOU? I am not even sure that I trust me." But, with his hard to follow instructions (Let off the brake, now, full throttle), I was able to achieve my best lap times, although they were among the scariest(the only laps that were more terrifying were the 2 that I did as the ride along with the instructor driving to give me an idea of what the car was capable of).
So, if I haven't convinced you yet to part with your money, I'll keep trying...
When you arrive at the security gate, you will be greeted by someone who does not even remotely resemble a mall rent-a-cop. The guard that greeted us was a new hire(it was his third day), who seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. He gave both my wife and I a wristband to wear, which I thought was a little tacky for such a first class organization, but after seeing why they require everyone to wear a wristband for the entire school, I am not sure that anything else would work. If you are a driver, it goes in your left wrist, if you are a guest, it goes on your right wrist. This is important because your guest is welcome to attend all of the classroom talks(they are just not allowed to drive any cars), and they are welcome to go for ride alongs with the instructors(the look on my wife's face after her first ride along was almost worth the entire cost of the school, by the time her second ride along came around, she was a little more relaxed). The other reason for the wristband is to keep track of which school you are in. Since all the schools eat lunch in the same clubhouse, the color of the band determines which shuttle van you get into.
Now that you have checked in at the gate, the guard will give you your room key. In our case, he gave us the wrong key, and called us as soon as we got to the room to apologize and tell us that we had to come back to the gate to get the proper key. I was kind of bummed because I thought the room we were in was very nice, and it seldom works out that you end up in a nicer room in one of these instances. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived at our new condo, I wanted to go back down to the gate and give the guard a big hug. WOW, this room was spectacular!
So, the schedule that we were given said breakfast started at 6:45 in the clubhouse, and registration began at 7:30 at the souvenir shop next to the entrance gate. Breakfast was nice, nothing fancy, but something for everyone no matter how picky you are. Registration was pretty straightforward. You had to sign the insurance forms, and either accept or decline the additional insurance to lower your $8,000 deductible to $2,000. I was a little uneasy about the $8,000 deductible, but I was advised when I first signed up for the class that the additional policy was not needed and that in the history of the school, it only benefited 1-2 students. After taking the class, I honestly feel that the extra insurance would have been a waste of $200, unless you are going in to the school with the attitude that "I am going to push this car well beyond my abilities and I have no intention of following the instructor's advice." If that statement describes you, you may want to either buy the extra policy, or better yet, stay home and don't take this class. The instructors are SO good and patient that if you listen to them, it is very unlikely that you would cause any damage to the cars, let alone over $2000. In my class of 20 students, I don't think that anyone even went off track.
Day 1 begins in the classroom. The first thing that happens in the classroom is the head instructor(Rick Malone) goes around the room and personally greets every student, asks them where they are from, and asks them if they have a Stingray. In my class, there were only two of us that didn't own a C7. There were a total of 4 female students(out of 20), and I was either the second or third youngest at 41(I would guess the average age was mid 50's to low 60's). The instructors give you an overview of what is going to happen, what they are going to teach, and after a little bit of basic instructions(how to set your seat position for performance driving, which was totally opposite how I have always positioned my seat), they divided the class into 2 groups of 10, and we were off to the cars for some control exercises. The morning control exercises were a little bit boring, but important nonetheless. We practiced threshold braking and braking while avoiding obstacles so that we would have an idea of how the car would handle in a crash avoidance situation. We also did a serpentine drill to teach us to drive while looking out the side windows(for part of this exercise, they install a sunshade over the windshield so you can only see out the sides). We then proceeded to a straight section of the track to practice heal-toe shifting. Somewhere in the middle of all this they took us to the clubhouse for our included lunch(spouses/guests were able to join at no additional charge). The afternoon exercises were a little more fun as they took us out to the wet figure 8 track so that we could get a feeling for how to control the car if it would start to slide. There is just something about driving someone else's corvette sideways in a parking lot and having the instructor tell you to stay on the gas to keep the slide going that can put a smile on your face. We finished day one doing some slower lead follow laps behind the instructor(we were still going 65-70 mph down the straight) to teach us the proper racing line for the track.
Day 2 begins with a little classroom time, and then it is off to the track for some more shifting exercises, followed by lead follow laps where the speed was gradually increased. There is a good balance of classroom vs track time, and no matter how it sounds, after 20-30 minutes of track time, 30 minutes of unwind time in the classroom is quite welcome. I don't remember how much actual track time we had on day two, but it was enough, unless you chose not to attend day 3, then you are going to feel shorted. There were a couple of students who were upset that they had chosen to not do the third day. My opinion, if you are going to do the 2 day program, just suck it up and pay for the third day...you won't regret it. The only reason that I would recommend not taking day 3, is if you are just scared to death of speeds over 65mph(we had a couple of people in our class that would not have enjoyed day 3, the rest of them were disappointed that they hadn't chosen the 3 day school).
Day 3 began with some additional lead follow laps behind the instructor to refresh our memory of the track and to further practice our heal-toe shifting. We then went back to the classroom for some final rules for open lapping before they turned us loose. I was really dreading the open lapping sessions for fear that I wouldn't be comfortable going as fast as my classmates, that I would be holding them up, or that it would turn into a Nascar race where "bumping is racing". After our first session, although I was still aprenhensive, I began to relax and enjoy the experience, and at no point during any of our open lapping sessions did I fear getting bumped. There were a couple of aggressive drivers in our group that drove fast, but they totally respected the slower drivers, and only passed in the designated passing zones. It was actually during the open sessions that I discovered that I wasn't as slow as I thought I would be. As I mentioned earlier, during the open sessions, the instructors do at least one ride along with every student(they will do more if you need it or want it). It was during my ride along that I felt the most comfortable with my driving. First of all, the instructor would provide instant feedback to your mistake(you turned in early/late, brake harder/ease up on the brakes). Secondly, the instructor was more than willing to coach you to go faster than you are comfortable with(pushing your limits a little). I actually wish they would have done longer ride alongs, but I guess I could have requested a second ride along(I didn't because I was having too much fun on the track to risk loosing my track time going into pit row to pick up the instructor).
I would also like to add that no matter your experience level, the instructors have a way of explaining everything so that no one feels stupid(if you are not getting it) or bored out of their mind(because it is too simple). They also allow spouses/significant others to attend the classroom sessions, and not only do they allow them to attend the classroom, they make them feel welcome in the classroom and will answer their questions as well.
Bottom line, if you have bought a new C7, you owe it to your car to go take this course since GM is subsidizing it for you. If you don't own a C7, or even if you don't own a Corvette at all, you owe it to yourself to go take this course to improve your driving skills for your everyday driving---YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
If I still haven't convinced you that you need to take this class, then you either need to read the other reviews on this site, message me with any questions, or call Spring Mountain yourself!
First off, I would like to add that, unfortunately, I am not a C7 owner(YET!). I have a lowly C5 that I thought was a spectacular car until I arrived at Spring Mountain. For all of the members on here that have bought a new C7 and haven't signed up for this wonderful driving course that GM is heavily subsidizing, SHAME ON YOU! I am about as cheap as they come, and the $3500 price tag was very hard to swallow, but having gone through the class, I don't understand how someone can drop the $60,000+++ on a new C7 and not be willing to spend another $1500-$2000 to learn how to drive this spectacular machine.
Also, since I haven't read a review that included a negative about this school(other than maybe the cost), let me be the pessimist here, and tell you that the only negative that I found was that the instructors were TOO nice! They offered nothing but compliments the entire three days, even when you got a little heavy on the right pedal and let the tail end wag coming through the corner, they would reassure you that it was okay, and you'll get it right the next time. I don't remember which instructor it was that did the brief ride along with me on day 3, but as soon as he got in the car, the first words out of his mouth were "Do you trust me?" And I'm thinking in my head, "You just got into this magnificent machine on your own free will, with me behind the wheel, and you are asking me if I trust YOU? I am not even sure that I trust me." But, with his hard to follow instructions (Let off the brake, now, full throttle), I was able to achieve my best lap times, although they were among the scariest(the only laps that were more terrifying were the 2 that I did as the ride along with the instructor driving to give me an idea of what the car was capable of).
So, if I haven't convinced you yet to part with your money, I'll keep trying...
When you arrive at the security gate, you will be greeted by someone who does not even remotely resemble a mall rent-a-cop. The guard that greeted us was a new hire(it was his third day), who seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. He gave both my wife and I a wristband to wear, which I thought was a little tacky for such a first class organization, but after seeing why they require everyone to wear a wristband for the entire school, I am not sure that anything else would work. If you are a driver, it goes in your left wrist, if you are a guest, it goes on your right wrist. This is important because your guest is welcome to attend all of the classroom talks(they are just not allowed to drive any cars), and they are welcome to go for ride alongs with the instructors(the look on my wife's face after her first ride along was almost worth the entire cost of the school, by the time her second ride along came around, she was a little more relaxed). The other reason for the wristband is to keep track of which school you are in. Since all the schools eat lunch in the same clubhouse, the color of the band determines which shuttle van you get into.
Now that you have checked in at the gate, the guard will give you your room key. In our case, he gave us the wrong key, and called us as soon as we got to the room to apologize and tell us that we had to come back to the gate to get the proper key. I was kind of bummed because I thought the room we were in was very nice, and it seldom works out that you end up in a nicer room in one of these instances. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived at our new condo, I wanted to go back down to the gate and give the guard a big hug. WOW, this room was spectacular!
So, the schedule that we were given said breakfast started at 6:45 in the clubhouse, and registration began at 7:30 at the souvenir shop next to the entrance gate. Breakfast was nice, nothing fancy, but something for everyone no matter how picky you are. Registration was pretty straightforward. You had to sign the insurance forms, and either accept or decline the additional insurance to lower your $8,000 deductible to $2,000. I was a little uneasy about the $8,000 deductible, but I was advised when I first signed up for the class that the additional policy was not needed and that in the history of the school, it only benefited 1-2 students. After taking the class, I honestly feel that the extra insurance would have been a waste of $200, unless you are going in to the school with the attitude that "I am going to push this car well beyond my abilities and I have no intention of following the instructor's advice." If that statement describes you, you may want to either buy the extra policy, or better yet, stay home and don't take this class. The instructors are SO good and patient that if you listen to them, it is very unlikely that you would cause any damage to the cars, let alone over $2000. In my class of 20 students, I don't think that anyone even went off track.
Day 1 begins in the classroom. The first thing that happens in the classroom is the head instructor(Rick Malone) goes around the room and personally greets every student, asks them where they are from, and asks them if they have a Stingray. In my class, there were only two of us that didn't own a C7. There were a total of 4 female students(out of 20), and I was either the second or third youngest at 41(I would guess the average age was mid 50's to low 60's). The instructors give you an overview of what is going to happen, what they are going to teach, and after a little bit of basic instructions(how to set your seat position for performance driving, which was totally opposite how I have always positioned my seat), they divided the class into 2 groups of 10, and we were off to the cars for some control exercises. The morning control exercises were a little bit boring, but important nonetheless. We practiced threshold braking and braking while avoiding obstacles so that we would have an idea of how the car would handle in a crash avoidance situation. We also did a serpentine drill to teach us to drive while looking out the side windows(for part of this exercise, they install a sunshade over the windshield so you can only see out the sides). We then proceeded to a straight section of the track to practice heal-toe shifting. Somewhere in the middle of all this they took us to the clubhouse for our included lunch(spouses/guests were able to join at no additional charge). The afternoon exercises were a little more fun as they took us out to the wet figure 8 track so that we could get a feeling for how to control the car if it would start to slide. There is just something about driving someone else's corvette sideways in a parking lot and having the instructor tell you to stay on the gas to keep the slide going that can put a smile on your face. We finished day one doing some slower lead follow laps behind the instructor(we were still going 65-70 mph down the straight) to teach us the proper racing line for the track.
Day 2 begins with a little classroom time, and then it is off to the track for some more shifting exercises, followed by lead follow laps where the speed was gradually increased. There is a good balance of classroom vs track time, and no matter how it sounds, after 20-30 minutes of track time, 30 minutes of unwind time in the classroom is quite welcome. I don't remember how much actual track time we had on day two, but it was enough, unless you chose not to attend day 3, then you are going to feel shorted. There were a couple of students who were upset that they had chosen to not do the third day. My opinion, if you are going to do the 2 day program, just suck it up and pay for the third day...you won't regret it. The only reason that I would recommend not taking day 3, is if you are just scared to death of speeds over 65mph(we had a couple of people in our class that would not have enjoyed day 3, the rest of them were disappointed that they hadn't chosen the 3 day school).
Day 3 began with some additional lead follow laps behind the instructor to refresh our memory of the track and to further practice our heal-toe shifting. We then went back to the classroom for some final rules for open lapping before they turned us loose. I was really dreading the open lapping sessions for fear that I wouldn't be comfortable going as fast as my classmates, that I would be holding them up, or that it would turn into a Nascar race where "bumping is racing". After our first session, although I was still aprenhensive, I began to relax and enjoy the experience, and at no point during any of our open lapping sessions did I fear getting bumped. There were a couple of aggressive drivers in our group that drove fast, but they totally respected the slower drivers, and only passed in the designated passing zones. It was actually during the open sessions that I discovered that I wasn't as slow as I thought I would be. As I mentioned earlier, during the open sessions, the instructors do at least one ride along with every student(they will do more if you need it or want it). It was during my ride along that I felt the most comfortable with my driving. First of all, the instructor would provide instant feedback to your mistake(you turned in early/late, brake harder/ease up on the brakes). Secondly, the instructor was more than willing to coach you to go faster than you are comfortable with(pushing your limits a little). I actually wish they would have done longer ride alongs, but I guess I could have requested a second ride along(I didn't because I was having too much fun on the track to risk loosing my track time going into pit row to pick up the instructor).
I would also like to add that no matter your experience level, the instructors have a way of explaining everything so that no one feels stupid(if you are not getting it) or bored out of their mind(because it is too simple). They also allow spouses/significant others to attend the classroom sessions, and not only do they allow them to attend the classroom, they make them feel welcome in the classroom and will answer their questions as well.
Bottom line, if you have bought a new C7, you owe it to your car to go take this course since GM is subsidizing it for you. If you don't own a C7, or even if you don't own a Corvette at all, you owe it to yourself to go take this course to improve your driving skills for your everyday driving---YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
If I still haven't convinced you that you need to take this class, then you either need to read the other reviews on this site, message me with any questions, or call Spring Mountain yourself!
The following 3 users liked this post by ChucksGrnH:
01-25-2015, 10:28 PM
#2
Thanks so much for taking the time to do this excellent, detailed review! 
The following users liked this post:
Jeffthunbird (03-10-2020)
01-25-2015, 10:32 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Thanks for the detailed review. Did they break out the folks driving automatic transmissions and have them learn something other than heal-toe?
01-25-2015, 10:38 PM
#4
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Nov 2013
Location: Palm Beach County FL
Posts: 2,048
Likes: 0
Received 27 Likes
on
19 Posts
Awesome review!
I will certainly be doing this. However, probably only the 2 day one as that 3rd day gets a little too $$$ for me. We'll see when the time comes, maybe I can convince the wife (or just tell her it's only $1000 lol)
I'm really looking forward to it. Wife would come too, but she'll either be pregnant with our 2nd one, or someone will need to take care of our newborn lol.
Again, thanks for the review!!!
I will certainly be doing this. However, probably only the 2 day one as that 3rd day gets a little too $$$ for me. We'll see when the time comes, maybe I can convince the wife (or just tell her it's only $1000 lol)
I'm really looking forward to it. Wife would come too, but she'll either be pregnant with our 2nd one, or someone will need to take care of our newborn lol.
Again, thanks for the review!!!
01-25-2015, 11:10 PM
#6
01-25-2015, 11:37 PM
#7
Intermediate
Thread Starter
I believe we only had two people in our class request the autos, and I don't remember what they did during the shifting exercises. Both of them knew how to drive manuals, but since their C7 was an auto, they didn't want to be bothered with the distractions of a manual. On day 3, I think the one guy did try one of he manuals for a session. Afterwards, he was glad that he had tried it because he enjoyed it, but he started questioning whether he should have bought a manual. The instructors actually said that the new 8 speed auto is he best way to go. They claimed that it is smart enough to leave it in drive during the entire track session and it is able to anticipate what gear you need and hold it there(even when you're feathering the brakes during your turns). Unfortunately, they didn't have any of the 8 speeds in yet, so the autos had to be put into paddle shift mode for the track sessions.
01-26-2015, 11:47 AM
#13
Melting Slicks
I see on their site you need a SCCA license or equivalent, that true?
01-26-2015, 01:34 PM
#16
Safety Car
01-26-2015, 02:11 PM
#17
Premium Supporting Vendor
I recently attended the 3 day Level 1 Ron Fellows driving school at Spring Mountain. I know that it has been said here many times that this is a first class program, but WOW, until you experience it first hand, you have no idea.
First off, I would like to add that, unfortunately, I am not a C7 owner(YET!). I have a lowly C5 that I thought was a spectacular car until I arrived at Spring Mountain. For all of the members on here that have bought a new C7 and haven't signed up for this wonderful driving course that GM is heavily subsidizing, SHAME ON YOU! I am about as cheap as they come, and the $3500 price tag was very hard to swallow, but having gone through the class, I don't understand how someone can drop the $60,000+++ on a new C7 and not be willing to spend another $1500-$2000 to learn how to drive this spectacular machine.
Also, since I haven't read a review that included a negative about this school(other than maybe the cost), let me be the pessimist here, and tell you that the only negative that I found was that the instructors were TOO nice! They offered nothing but compliments the entire three days, even when you got a little heavy on the right pedal and let the tail end wag coming through the corner, they would reassure you that it was okay, and you'll get it right the next time. I don't remember which instructor it was that did the brief ride along with me on day 3, but as soon as he got in the car, the first words out of his mouth were "Do you trust me?" And I'm thinking in my head, "You just got into this magnificent machine on your own free will, with me behind the wheel, and you are asking me if I trust YOU? I am not even sure that I trust me." But, with his hard to follow instructions (Let off the brake, now, full throttle), I was able to achieve my best lap times, although they were among the scariest(the only laps that were more terrifying were the 2 that I did as the ride along with the instructor driving to give me an idea of what the car was capable of).
So, if I haven't convinced you yet to part with your money, I'll keep trying...
When you arrive at the security gate, you will be greeted by someone who does not even remotely resemble a mall rent-a-cop. The guard that greeted us was a new hire(it was his third day), who seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. He gave both my wife and I a wristband to wear, which I thought was a little tacky for such a first class organization, but after seeing why they require everyone to wear a wristband for the entire school, I am not sure that anything else would work. If you are a driver, it goes in your left wrist, if you are a guest, it goes on your right wrist. This is important because your guest is welcome to attend all of the classroom talks(they are just not allowed to drive any cars), and they are welcome to go for ride alongs with the instructors(the look on my wife's face after her first ride along was almost worth the entire cost of the school, by the time her second ride along came around, she was a little more relaxed). The other reason for the wristband is to keep track of which school you are in. Since all the schools eat lunch in the same clubhouse, the color of the band determines which shuttle van you get into.
Now that you have checked in at the gate, the guard will give you your room key. In our case, he gave us the wrong key, and called us as soon as we got to the room to apologize and tell us that we had to come back to the gate to get the proper key. I was kind of bummed because I thought the room we were in was very nice, and it seldom works out that you end up in a nicer room in one of these instances. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived at our new condo, I wanted to go back down to the gate and give the guard a big hug. WOW, this room was spectacular!
So, the schedule that we were given said breakfast started at 6:45 in the clubhouse, and registration began at 7:30 at the souvenir shop next to the entrance gate. Breakfast was nice, nothing fancy, but something for everyone no matter how picky you are. Registration was pretty straightforward. You had to sign the insurance forms, and either accept or decline the additional insurance to lower your $8,000 deductible to $2,000. I was a little uneasy about the $8,000 deductible, but I was advised when I first signed up for the class that the additional policy was not needed and that in the history of the school, it only benefited 1-2 students. After taking the class, I honestly feel that the extra insurance would have been a waste of $200, unless you are going in to the school with the attitude that "I am going to push this car well beyond my abilities and I have no intention of following the instructor's advice." If that statement describes you, you may want to either buy the extra policy, or better yet, stay home and don't take this class. The instructors are SO good and patient that if you listen to them, it is very unlikely that you would cause any damage to the cars, let alone over $2000. In my class of 20 students, I don't think that anyone even went off track.
Day 1 begins in the classroom. The first thing that happens in the classroom is the head instructor(Rick Malone) goes around the room and personally greets every student, asks them where they are from, and asks them if they have a Stingray. In my class, there were only two of us that didn't own a C7. There were a total of 4 female students(out of 20), and I was either the second or third youngest at 41(I would guess the average age was mid 50's to low 60's). The instructors give you an overview of what is going to happen, what they are going to teach, and after a little bit of basic instructions(how to set your seat position for performance driving, which was totally opposite how I have always positioned my seat), they divided the class into 2 groups of 10, and we were off to the cars for some control exercises. The morning control exercises were a little bit boring, but important nonetheless. We practiced threshold braking and braking while avoiding obstacles so that we would have an idea of how the car would handle in a crash avoidance situation. We also did a serpentine drill to teach us to drive while looking out the side windows(for part of this exercise, they install a sunshade over the windshield so you can only see out the sides). We then proceeded to a straight section of the track to practice heal-toe shifting. Somewhere in the middle of all this they took us to the clubhouse for our included lunch(spouses/guests were able to join at no additional charge). The afternoon exercises were a little more fun as they took us out to the wet figure 8 track so that we could get a feeling for how to control the car if it would start to slide. There is just something about driving someone else's corvette sideways in a parking lot and having the instructor tell you to stay on the gas to keep the slide going that can put a smile on your face. We finished day one doing some slower lead follow laps behind the instructor(we were still going 65-70 mph down the straight) to teach us the proper racing line for the track.
Day 2 begins with a little classroom time, and then it is off to the track for some more shifting exercises, followed by lead follow laps where the speed was gradually increased. There is a good balance of classroom vs track time, and no matter how it sounds, after 20-30 minutes of track time, 30 minutes of unwind time in the classroom is quite welcome. I don't remember how much actual track time we had on day two, but it was enough, unless you chose not to attend day 3, then you are going to feel shorted. There were a couple of students who were upset that they had chosen to not do the third day. My opinion, if you are going to do the 2 day program, just suck it up and pay for the third day...you won't regret it. The only reason that I would recommend not taking day 3, is if you are just scared to death of speeds over 65mph(we had a couple of people in our class that would not have enjoyed day 3, the rest of them were disappointed that they hadn't chosen the 3 day school).
Day 3 began with some additional lead follow laps behind the instructor to refresh our memory of the track and to further practice our heal-toe shifting. We then went back to the classroom for some final rules for open lapping before they turned us loose. I was really dreading the open lapping sessions for fear that I wouldn't be comfortable going as fast as my classmates, that I would be holding them up, or that it would turn into a Nascar race where "bumping is racing". After our first session, although I was still aprenhensive, I began to relax and enjoy the experience, and at no point during any of our open lapping sessions did I fear getting bumped. There were a couple of aggressive drivers in our group that drove fast, but they totally respected the slower drivers, and only passed in the designated passing zones. It was actually during the open sessions that I discovered that I wasn't as slow as I thought I would be. As I mentioned earlier, during the open sessions, the instructors do at least one ride along with every student(they will do more if you need it or want it). It was during my ride along that I felt the most comfortable with my driving. First of all, the instructor would provide instant feedback to your mistake(you turned in early/late, brake harder/ease up on the brakes). Secondly, the instructor was more than willing to coach you to go faster than you are comfortable with(pushing your limits a little). I actually wish they would have done longer ride alongs, but I guess I could have requested a second ride along(I didn't because I was having too much fun on the track to risk loosing my track time going into pit row to pick up the instructor).
I would also like to add that no matter your experience level, the instructors have a way of explaining everything so that no one feels stupid(if you are not getting it) or bored out of their mind(because it is too simple). They also allow spouses/significant others to attend the classroom sessions, and not only do they allow them to attend the classroom, they make them feel welcome in the classroom and will answer their questions as well.
Bottom line, if you have bought a new C7, you owe it to your car to go take this course since GM is subsidizing it for you. If you don't own a C7, or even if you don't own a Corvette at all, you owe it to yourself to go take this course to improve your driving skills for your everyday driving---YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
If I still haven't convinced you that you need to take this class, then you either need to read the other reviews on this site, message me with any questions, or call Spring Mountain yourself!
First off, I would like to add that, unfortunately, I am not a C7 owner(YET!). I have a lowly C5 that I thought was a spectacular car until I arrived at Spring Mountain. For all of the members on here that have bought a new C7 and haven't signed up for this wonderful driving course that GM is heavily subsidizing, SHAME ON YOU! I am about as cheap as they come, and the $3500 price tag was very hard to swallow, but having gone through the class, I don't understand how someone can drop the $60,000+++ on a new C7 and not be willing to spend another $1500-$2000 to learn how to drive this spectacular machine.
Also, since I haven't read a review that included a negative about this school(other than maybe the cost), let me be the pessimist here, and tell you that the only negative that I found was that the instructors were TOO nice! They offered nothing but compliments the entire three days, even when you got a little heavy on the right pedal and let the tail end wag coming through the corner, they would reassure you that it was okay, and you'll get it right the next time. I don't remember which instructor it was that did the brief ride along with me on day 3, but as soon as he got in the car, the first words out of his mouth were "Do you trust me?" And I'm thinking in my head, "You just got into this magnificent machine on your own free will, with me behind the wheel, and you are asking me if I trust YOU? I am not even sure that I trust me." But, with his hard to follow instructions (Let off the brake, now, full throttle), I was able to achieve my best lap times, although they were among the scariest(the only laps that were more terrifying were the 2 that I did as the ride along with the instructor driving to give me an idea of what the car was capable of).
So, if I haven't convinced you yet to part with your money, I'll keep trying...
When you arrive at the security gate, you will be greeted by someone who does not even remotely resemble a mall rent-a-cop. The guard that greeted us was a new hire(it was his third day), who seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. He gave both my wife and I a wristband to wear, which I thought was a little tacky for such a first class organization, but after seeing why they require everyone to wear a wristband for the entire school, I am not sure that anything else would work. If you are a driver, it goes in your left wrist, if you are a guest, it goes on your right wrist. This is important because your guest is welcome to attend all of the classroom talks(they are just not allowed to drive any cars), and they are welcome to go for ride alongs with the instructors(the look on my wife's face after her first ride along was almost worth the entire cost of the school, by the time her second ride along came around, she was a little more relaxed). The other reason for the wristband is to keep track of which school you are in. Since all the schools eat lunch in the same clubhouse, the color of the band determines which shuttle van you get into.
Now that you have checked in at the gate, the guard will give you your room key. In our case, he gave us the wrong key, and called us as soon as we got to the room to apologize and tell us that we had to come back to the gate to get the proper key. I was kind of bummed because I thought the room we were in was very nice, and it seldom works out that you end up in a nicer room in one of these instances. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived at our new condo, I wanted to go back down to the gate and give the guard a big hug. WOW, this room was spectacular!
So, the schedule that we were given said breakfast started at 6:45 in the clubhouse, and registration began at 7:30 at the souvenir shop next to the entrance gate. Breakfast was nice, nothing fancy, but something for everyone no matter how picky you are. Registration was pretty straightforward. You had to sign the insurance forms, and either accept or decline the additional insurance to lower your $8,000 deductible to $2,000. I was a little uneasy about the $8,000 deductible, but I was advised when I first signed up for the class that the additional policy was not needed and that in the history of the school, it only benefited 1-2 students. After taking the class, I honestly feel that the extra insurance would have been a waste of $200, unless you are going in to the school with the attitude that "I am going to push this car well beyond my abilities and I have no intention of following the instructor's advice." If that statement describes you, you may want to either buy the extra policy, or better yet, stay home and don't take this class. The instructors are SO good and patient that if you listen to them, it is very unlikely that you would cause any damage to the cars, let alone over $2000. In my class of 20 students, I don't think that anyone even went off track.
Day 1 begins in the classroom. The first thing that happens in the classroom is the head instructor(Rick Malone) goes around the room and personally greets every student, asks them where they are from, and asks them if they have a Stingray. In my class, there were only two of us that didn't own a C7. There were a total of 4 female students(out of 20), and I was either the second or third youngest at 41(I would guess the average age was mid 50's to low 60's). The instructors give you an overview of what is going to happen, what they are going to teach, and after a little bit of basic instructions(how to set your seat position for performance driving, which was totally opposite how I have always positioned my seat), they divided the class into 2 groups of 10, and we were off to the cars for some control exercises. The morning control exercises were a little bit boring, but important nonetheless. We practiced threshold braking and braking while avoiding obstacles so that we would have an idea of how the car would handle in a crash avoidance situation. We also did a serpentine drill to teach us to drive while looking out the side windows(for part of this exercise, they install a sunshade over the windshield so you can only see out the sides). We then proceeded to a straight section of the track to practice heal-toe shifting. Somewhere in the middle of all this they took us to the clubhouse for our included lunch(spouses/guests were able to join at no additional charge). The afternoon exercises were a little more fun as they took us out to the wet figure 8 track so that we could get a feeling for how to control the car if it would start to slide. There is just something about driving someone else's corvette sideways in a parking lot and having the instructor tell you to stay on the gas to keep the slide going that can put a smile on your face. We finished day one doing some slower lead follow laps behind the instructor(we were still going 65-70 mph down the straight) to teach us the proper racing line for the track.
Day 2 begins with a little classroom time, and then it is off to the track for some more shifting exercises, followed by lead follow laps where the speed was gradually increased. There is a good balance of classroom vs track time, and no matter how it sounds, after 20-30 minutes of track time, 30 minutes of unwind time in the classroom is quite welcome. I don't remember how much actual track time we had on day two, but it was enough, unless you chose not to attend day 3, then you are going to feel shorted. There were a couple of students who were upset that they had chosen to not do the third day. My opinion, if you are going to do the 2 day program, just suck it up and pay for the third day...you won't regret it. The only reason that I would recommend not taking day 3, is if you are just scared to death of speeds over 65mph(we had a couple of people in our class that would not have enjoyed day 3, the rest of them were disappointed that they hadn't chosen the 3 day school).
Day 3 began with some additional lead follow laps behind the instructor to refresh our memory of the track and to further practice our heal-toe shifting. We then went back to the classroom for some final rules for open lapping before they turned us loose. I was really dreading the open lapping sessions for fear that I wouldn't be comfortable going as fast as my classmates, that I would be holding them up, or that it would turn into a Nascar race where "bumping is racing". After our first session, although I was still aprenhensive, I began to relax and enjoy the experience, and at no point during any of our open lapping sessions did I fear getting bumped. There were a couple of aggressive drivers in our group that drove fast, but they totally respected the slower drivers, and only passed in the designated passing zones. It was actually during the open sessions that I discovered that I wasn't as slow as I thought I would be. As I mentioned earlier, during the open sessions, the instructors do at least one ride along with every student(they will do more if you need it or want it). It was during my ride along that I felt the most comfortable with my driving. First of all, the instructor would provide instant feedback to your mistake(you turned in early/late, brake harder/ease up on the brakes). Secondly, the instructor was more than willing to coach you to go faster than you are comfortable with(pushing your limits a little). I actually wish they would have done longer ride alongs, but I guess I could have requested a second ride along(I didn't because I was having too much fun on the track to risk loosing my track time going into pit row to pick up the instructor).
I would also like to add that no matter your experience level, the instructors have a way of explaining everything so that no one feels stupid(if you are not getting it) or bored out of their mind(because it is too simple). They also allow spouses/significant others to attend the classroom sessions, and not only do they allow them to attend the classroom, they make them feel welcome in the classroom and will answer their questions as well.
Bottom line, if you have bought a new C7, you owe it to your car to go take this course since GM is subsidizing it for you. If you don't own a C7, or even if you don't own a Corvette at all, you owe it to yourself to go take this course to improve your driving skills for your everyday driving---YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
If I still haven't convinced you that you need to take this class, then you either need to read the other reviews on this site, message me with any questions, or call Spring Mountain yourself!
Chuck,
A big thank you for the post and glad you enjoyed your driving experience as well as our facility!
Also great that your wife enjoyed the ride-alongs
cheers!
__________________
Victor Resendiz
Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club
Ron Fellows Performance Driving School
The Official Performance Driving School Of Corvette
www.racespringmountain.com
victor@racespringmountain.com
800-391-6891
Victor Resendiz
Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club
Ron Fellows Performance Driving School
The Official Performance Driving School Of Corvette
www.racespringmountain.com
victor@racespringmountain.com
800-391-6891
01-26-2015, 02:31 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
Thank you in advance. See you in May.
01-26-2015, 03:37 PM
#20
Melting Slicks
Great write up, pretty much mirrors my experience with the school with the exception of the speeds on the lead follow portion. Apparently they go as fast as they think you can safely keep up because I was well over 110 on the track we used. Of course they have several different layouts and I don't know if they use the same one all the time. In any event, it is an awesome school and the instructors are absolutely top notch. Worth every penny.