n8dogg

Last week I attended the Corvette Owners School at Spring Mountain Motorsports and had such a good time, I thought I would write a review and hopefully help encourage people to go. So here it is:

Spring Mountain Motorsports is located in Pahrump, NV. Pahrump is located about 1 hour west from downtown Las Vegas. The drive from Las Vegas is absolutely gorgeous. I have never been out west, so the desert and mountains was a new sight for me. I'd love to write about my time in Vegas, but it is not important. Long story short, Vegas is an experience that everyone should do. We spent 3 days in Vegas before the school and loved every minute of it. Anyhow, Pahrump rhymes with "a dump", for a reason (no offense to those who live in or near Pahrump). I am sure there are some things to do or see in Pahrump, but from my experience it is a very poor area, with very little worth seeing or doing. If you don't mind driving an hour to Vegas to get dinner, you may want to consider it. 1 night we ventured to Walmart to get some drinks and snacks, talk about site seeing! The next night we ate at the finest dining establishment in Pahrump, the Pahrump Valley Winery. Now, imagine a nice dining room filled with an elderly crowd. Everyone is dressed up and sitting proper. Then an oversized man wearing a sideways baseball cap comes walking in with not 1 but 2 "companions" from one of the area brothels. 1 of the females was wearing a skirt that did not fully cover her rear. Hopefully this will help paint the picture of Puhrump. Thank god security is tight at the track!

In short, the facility and staff are nothing short of magnificent. The facility is impressive, it is modern and clean. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Every instructor was kind and eager to help and answer questions. What throws everyone off is how young the instructors are, some only 21 years old. But they all were extremely knowledgeable and talented behind the wheel. One of the instructors, named Rich, had something like 7 Indy 500 starts. The chief instructor, Rick Malone, once raced professionally and appears to be the rolling force behind the staff's enthusiasm. There isn't anything that I wished different about the facility and the staff.

Each day you will spend about 4 hours behind the wheel of a Z51 Stingray or Z06 (depending on what you own at home). Classroom sessions are kept short and are fast paced. On day 1, the morning is spent doing some parking lot training, like navigating around cones and experiencing ABS on wet pavement. The afternoon was spent learning more technical things like braking, downshifting, turn in, apex, etc... One of the last track sessions on day 1 was a lead/follow. This is where you follow an instructor and the instructors then get a feel for your skill level to pair you up with the right group on day 2. We were on the 2.1 mile east course, it is easy but fun/fast. Not many people know, but I learned that on day 1 you will get a C7 with well worn tires on it. This is to encourage you to make a mistake and learn from it.

Day 2 consisted of some more classroom talks and all track sessions were lead/follow. So basically 4 hours of track time behind an instructor. Fortunately I was part of the fastest group, so we had some laps that were basically open track time. The instructors give everyone rides right before lunch, only 2 laps, to help show you the fast line around the track. The cars on day 2 all had good tires on it and felt faster around the track.

If you have not done a track school or if you have only done HPDE events, I highly recommend going to Spring Mountain. Especially if you bought your C7 new, the fact that GM covers 60% of the cost, take advantage of this!! HPDE events are fun but you will not get the education you get in a real track school like Ron Fellows. Besides, in HPDE events you typically only get 4 20 minute track sessions per day. You get 8 hours of track sessions at Spring Mountain and get to beat up someone else's car.

Here are some pictures:

Picture of some of the Vettes


Me tearing up a turn


Another turn


Pick this car, white 01, it was noticeably faster!


Group shot


PDR clip during one of the faster lead/follow sessions

http://vid224.photobucket.com/albums...ps57q5rgz1.mp4


CliffNotes and quick tips:

- Visit Vegas (Bellagio or Aria if you enjoy gorgeous and classy, best places to stay in my opinion).

- Consider driving back to Vegas after class for dinner.

- Drive through the Red Rock Canyon on your way to Pahrump via route 159 (the long way) from central Vegas heading west. The site seeing is unbelievable and we saw wild burrows aka donkeys.

- Bring bottles of water with you to Vegas and carry it around. Places charge $5 for a bottle and you will walk a lot.

- Driving in Vegas is easier than you think, there are 3 turning lanes to enter each hotel and parking is easy and free everywhere.

- Very easy drive to Pahrump/Spring Mountain Motorsports from Vegas.

- Take Dramamine less drowsy the night before and the mornings of each class days. I don't normally get motion sickness but towards the end of the day I started to feel it. If you've never been on a track or have never been a passenger on a track, I highly recommend it.

- Bring an SD card for the PDR. Each car has PDR. I bought a 64gb and it is way too big for the 2 days. A 32gb should be plenty. Besides, anything above a 32gb has to be reformatted. The track does sell SD cards, but you can save a few bucks by getting one prior to.

- You will want to drive from your condo to the clubhouse to the classroom. If you have a guest and only 1 car then I recommend they drive you and drop you off that way they can use the car during the day.

- You are provided breakfast and lunch, both days, and it's pretty good.

- Snacks, soda, and water are available in the classroom.

- Don't eat a heavy lunch. You will be back in the car shortly after and a heavy lunch will encourage motion sickness.

- Rev match works better than heal-toe, it's more consistent than any human could ever be and highly accurate.

- Your guest(s) can sit in the classroom with you and get ride alongs with the instructors. Don't be afraid to bring guest(s).

- Bring extra $. The portraits start at $175, in my opinion it is worth it because this is an experience worth capturing. The registration building has merchandise that is high quality and worth picking up. I bought one of the jacket/hoodies and find it to be very comfortable and very warm. Same one that the instructors all wear.

- Tip the instructors at the end. They don't ask for it, but they deserve it. Exceptional service is a very hard thing to find today. These guys are young, they drive an hour + to work every day and are there for you. They are the poster children of customer service. Tip them!

- Vegas in general is an excellent example of customer service. Every waiter/waitress/clerk/desk person is very accommodating (tip them well!).

- The C7 is an amazing machine. The Z51 is a better balanced car than the Z06 and in general is a better choice for road course use.

- Definitely go do the Corvette Owners School!!

Chip E.

Thanks for this great review. I've done a lot of HPDE in my M3, probably a dozen days just at Road America. But...I'm really hesitant to put the C7 on the track. Beating up on someone else's car first, with a top rated instructor...well, sounds like the ticket to me.

dino333

I went to Spring Mountain In November. If you like sight seeing go to Death Valley Park. Some of the westerns were filmed there. Wouldn't recommend in the summer! Spring Mountain is something I would do again.

n8dogg

Having done an HPDE event in the past as well, it doesn't compare to the training you'll get at a real school. You may want to ask if you can bump up to the intermediate class. If not, you will still gain something in the COS.

glava2876

Thanks for the great heads up review!
I'm pretty much a track virgin. The only other track time I've had was last year at the Audi one day Drivers experience at Sonoma -it was great and I got to do laps in an R8.
I'm going with my wife the first week in February. We are at Spring Mountain the first part of the week and going to a couple of shows in Las Vegas the second part, booked the Bellagio.

Cosmo Kramer

n8dogg..............My son and I were in the same class as you (third and fourth from the left in the group picture.) Excellent experience for my son and I. Remember: "Keep the shiny side up."

n8dogg

The R8 is one car I really want to drive. I have heard amazing things about it. Lucky you! You'll really enjoy Spring Mountain. I am sure February is a good time of the year. If it's like December, you should see 60 degrees. We really wanted to see "O" since we stayed at the Bellagio. The night we were planning to see it we had left for dinner right as that crazy women drove through 3 dozen people on the sidewalk. The strip was closed off and we were late getting back in time for the show. We ended up seeing Mystere at Treasure Island. Mystere was great, and I am not a guy who cares much for shows.

When we checked into the Bellagio, I asked if there was any rooms available with a better view of the fountains. We were upgraded to a premium fountain view room at no extra charge.

Here are some restaurant recommendations:

Cut- Wolfgang Puck's Steakery, located in The Palazzo, one of the very few restaurants in the country to offer Japanese Waygu. I got the sampler which included 4oz of dry aged strip, 4oz of American Waygu and 2oz of Japanese Waygu. The American Waygu steak is amazing, the best steak I have ever had. It literally melts in your mouth. The Japanese Waygu will make you sick if you can't stomach heavy fat, it's basically 75% fat and 25% meat. If you wanna spend the coin on a really nice meal, this is a great bet.

Any of the hotel buffets, we ate at the Bellagio buffet, it was nothing short of amazing. Everyone I've talked to says every hotel has an amazing buffet.

Mon Ami Gabi- located across from the Bellagio at Paris. This is an excellent restaurant, excellent food and surprisingly cheap. They give you a whole loaf of french bread in a bag. I had the ham and cheese crepe, they suggested an egg on top and I'm glad I got it. We also had cappuccinos which were excellent and authentic. I'd love to come back and try this place again.

Tom's Urban- located in front of NY, NY. Great place if you want an afternoon snack or appetizers. Steak Nachos were huge and delicious.

Jean Philippe Patisserie- located in Bellagio and Aria, great place for dessert, coffee, bagels, crepes, muffins, sticky buns, etc... We'd venture here for a morning coffee and bagel.

Alibi Ultra Lounge- located in Aria, great place to hang out and drink cocktails.

And then there are the hundreds of other restaurants that I am sure are awesome. I wish I could try them all!





I am sure that was a great experience for you two! Ha ha, yes, shiny side up!

cheapthrills

1 more tip, don't speed into Pahrump, I brought a radar detector, I swear the cops just go back and forth on the main drag running radar 24 hrs a day.

Thunder22

I have 3 big tips for anyone who bought a new C7:

1) Go to Spring Mountain
2) Listen to the instructors, they know more than you do
3) Try to wipe the smile off of your face 2 days after you're done. Go ahead, try

Vetteman Jack

Thanks for the great review. Going to the Ron Fellows school is definitely on my bucket list.

bd377103

What trim car do you get to drive? Z51 ? Mag ride? and do you get to choose what transmission you drive? I own an A8 but would prefer to take the class with the M7....

Thunder22

If you own a Z51 you get a z51, if you own a Z06, you get a z06.

When you register you sign up for auto or manual.

AllFlash

Heading up there on 4-5 Jan and thanks for posting this. Plus plus on the food in Las Vegas as we bring our team in their every year to cover the Consumer Electronic Show (same time as my Spring Mountain visit this year). As for meals, if anyone needs a restaurant recommendation for a buffet, the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan is definitely one of Vegas's most encompassing and best priced buffets. I take my team there every year and this will be no different.

Oh... and my first time enjoying Kobe Wagyu (and fois gras) was at STK and, if you are a steak lover....trying this is a must some time in your life.

Can anyone emphasize a bit more what type of vids/piks are taken and hopw many are available? Likewise, I have a second going as well to help us cover this event, are picture taking opportunities available for the guest as well? We are covering this trip as an article.

LisaVette98

Really enjoyed your review...a lot of good information! My dad, husband and I are attending the school Feb 8-9 and CAN'T WAIT!!! Staying after at the Cosmopolitan based on recommendations from a friend and she also said not to miss the Wicked Spoon for buffet.

VetteGirlMA

Thanks for the excellent writeup! I have been thinking about doing this next year sometime.

n8dogg

They are all Z51 Stingrays or Z06s. Like mentioned, ask for a manual if that's what you want. Some of the cars have mag ride, some do not. You only get to pick from a handful of cars, even fewer if you choose automatic. Out of the 3 cars I picked, only 1 had mag ride/PTM. The car with PTM seemed noticeably smoother on the track.

I doubt there will be any issues if you have a guest taking pictures on day 1. The track photographer is only there on day 2. I would definitely check with the track ahead of time to make sure it is OK to take pictures. Kinda like walking into a bar with a beer in hand, while harmless, you don't want to upset anyone. The track photographer will get pictures of every student in multiple spots on the track. He will also take pictures of the student's guests when they get ride-alongs with instructors. I received about 40 pictures total, they include pictures of me on the track, my guest getting rides and 2 group photos.

Have fun! The Cosmo is all about glamour and glitter. If that's what you like, then you will love it. The very front, north/east corner is a cool bar that really wakes up at night. If you've never been to Vegas and want to see the whole city, cheap, then check out the high roller ferris wheel. For $20 you take a 30 minute ride and can see the whole city, go at night or sundown. If you are with a group that likes to party, for about $15 more you can ride in a capsule with an open bar.

Strake

Great review !!! While I've been to Vegas, I've not been beyond the strip area and this was very informative regarding the location and it's local info, besides a great write up on the track/school.

SK360

Great post, Thanks. I was worried about being bored in the Owners School since I have been AutoCrossing for a while and I ran an HPDE in my C7 already but it sounds like they break it out nicely.

We are going April 4th & 5th then staying at the Flamingo until Friday. We really like staying there as it's location is perfect, right across the street from Caesars and the Bellagio and couldn't argue with $33/n that week. Pool is fantastic as well.

VistaVette

Nice review; thanks for posting. I live in Las Vegas and regularly pass the track on my way to Death Valley (I do a lot of motorcycle riding there in the winter). When I purchase my C7 I'll for sure sign up for this.

Being so close I've spent quite a bit of time in Pahrump over the 20 plus years I've lived in Vegas. Good description. I've often referred to it as the wart on the worlds ***. Years ago I was out there in a bar and someone yelled: "Everyone outside - Chicken poop contest (but they didn't say poop) I was like - what is that??? I found out. It's when they put a chicken in a cage with numbers on the floor and bet on which one the chicken will "poop" on....I'm not kidding. You can find a version on YouTube -
Here's a picture for you that sums up the average Pahrump resident:

LGn

Thanks for the great review -- heading for class on January 6 & 7, before catching the balance of CES.


And thanks for the heads up about bringing extra cash for the gift shop and instructors.