I'm fixing to sign up for March and I'm looking for details about your trip to Spring Mountain and the Ron Fellows School.

As I understand the $1k gets you the night of the first day at the resort and for ~$100 you can book the night before. Where did you stay the night of the second day? Some have mentioned they stayed at a hotel in Las Vegas and dropped off the rental car and walked to the hotel then took the shuttle to the airport the next day, anyone have details on this?

What do you need to bring to the class?
Is the SD card for the PDR provided?
Did you bring a GoPro?

Where did you eat in Pahrump?

Any information is very much appreciated along with tips on what to do, what to not do etc.

JT

 

I went mid-April last year. I had a great time and I learned a lot.. Dress appropriately, as the mornings were in the 30's. High desert. I paid and stayed the extra night. I was exhausted after flying in from east coast. Well worth it. Very nice accommodations. I got into Vegas mid morning so I drove around Red Rock Canyon National Park (beautiful) and then headed to Pahrump. About 1 1/4 hour drive. I went to the gift shop and bot stuff when I got there. There's a small casino in town I ate at one night. Burger, fries and a beer for $11. One night I ate at the resort. Very good but very limited menu. Breakfast and lunch buffets are provided and are very good. I bot a small bottle of bourbon and had brought some cigars for chilling in the evening. For class, I brought a pen, water and light snacks. I-phone for pics. Sunglasses for driving. Not much else needed. The SD card is provided by them and you take home after. The first day, they will put you in a group depending on your track experience, judge you the first day and might move you for the second day. All of the instructors are great. Very patient, helpful and friendly. You pick and will have the same car the whole time. I flew home redeye after second class day. I should have stayed in Vegas to have fun and chill, but ...work.
You will have a blast.

 

@bullmarket Thanks so much for the information, this is the kind of stuff I need. And I'm so looking forward to going.

Thanks
JT

 

I stayed at Spring Mountain the night before class and the next night as well. Left after the second day for Las Vegas, spent the night there and the following day returned the car rental and flew home. Breakfast and lunch provide at the location, dinner is not provided. Think about paying extra insurance and buying the pro pics of you driving on the track. I was there in September, so cant advise as to clothing. SD card provided.
Its a blast, enjoy.

 

For food, we REALLY liked the simply named "The Tamale Place". Family owned with Tamale recipes passed down through 3 generations. Awesome. Also, Nicco's Pizza....great Italian food.

A great time at the RF school...have fun!

 

You already know a lot of information from the April 19 Roll Call Thread, but since you asked for extra tips...

1. Do not speed (>5 mph) on NV-160! It is well enforced by the NHP.
2. They will give you a list of restaurants. The club house is very convenient for dinner - esp. if you get into a condo there. Everyone was raving about El Jefe's.
3. A 32GB SD card is provided. You stay in the same car both days. You will remove it for a classroom PDR session.
4. There is a photographer that will take pictures of your track sessions on day 2. $175 for a USB containing the photos. Yep, I bought it. That is where the pictures came from in the April thread.
5. As stated above, there will be 2 Corvette classes and 1 Cadillac class. The 2 corvette classes use different tracks / different classrooms - 18 students each. Within the class, the 18 students will be separated into 3 groups of 6 (red/green/blue). They do try to adjust them such that there are not slow with fast, etc. Each of the groups and each of the classes run through the same activities (just on different courses for track sessions).
6. Take comfortable clothes - most of the guys were just in t-shirts, shorts and sneakers. Also as stated, the temp range can vary a lot from morning to late afternoon.
7. The pool at the club house is small, but nice to hang out at after the class. There is also a nice jacuzzi. There also locker rooms and showers with nice towels provided.
8. The drinks at the club house are cheaper during happy hour - 5-6pm
9. Plan on spending money at the store, lol! I spent $130 when I checked in and another $30 on the second day for another shirt.
10. Breakfast and lunch are both buffet style and very good. They have coffee, soda, water, etc. - all complimentary.
11. There are snacks at the classroom as well as sodas and a Gatorade concentrate that you can mix into water. They do provide a water bottle to use and take home.

So much fun! I can't wait to go back

 

Good info here. I want to do the class also.
OP, do a search and you will find other threads also which may help you.

 

I was there last weekend and had a blast. Shorts and a tee shirt are fine. Plenty of restaurants around too. To me, the $175 for the USB drive with pictures was not worth it. I was thinking they would be about $75-$100, but $175 is nuts IMO!!! You do get a USB drive with the group picture on it for free. I also don't think you need to buy down the deductible from $8k to $2k for $200, but that's choice. As long as you drive your own drive and listen to the instructors, you will be very safe. We had 16 people in our class. I was fortunate enough to have the fastest time in the Autocross race, 33.59 sec, and received a certificate for that. That was unexpected. I also had the 2nd fastest lap time on the West course of 1:25.5 for the 2 day class. The young guy with the fastest lap was in the 1:21 range. I have no reference if those times are good or not, but according to the instructors they were very good and in the faster tier of most of the students they see go through there. Just don't be an idiot and you'll have a great time!!

 

are you with a instructor the whole time driving??

 

You are always under supervision of at least one instructor... track sessions are "follow the leader (instructor)".

The only time an instructor is in the car with you is on the ride along and with the figure 8's.

 

I’m going in April, so this thread is very helpful.
Have any of your spouses attended?
Did they enjoy the amenities?
Is it customary to tip the instructors?

 

My wife went with me to the C7 school in 2015 then we spent a few nights on the Vegas strip. She didn’t go back with me to the C8 school when I went in June. They have improved the amenities but even I didn’t use them after a day on the track. I was exhausted!

Tipping is by choice but I left a $100 tip. They do a great job.

I also bought the insurance both times and in both of my classes someone went off the track. Be aware that you will be in a class with many people who have never driven on a track much less pushed a car hard on one. Someone mentioned track speeds of 1.25. On my first day I was in a group of three with a guy who obviously had never been on a track and he slowed my track time tremendously off the first straight. The instructor also scolded me for being too close to him when I was following him. By lunch on the second day they had moved me to a faster group. I think it was because I hit a 1.28 in my last morning session on the second day.

 

I am clearly doing something wrong i keep requesting possible dates I would like to attend and getting responses that those dates aren’t available. Trying to cut to the chase I have asked what dates are available to me with no response. Have been going back and forth since I bought the car five months ago. Getting concerned as I would really like to do this.

 

I was in the same boat, till finally when I got the email of new dates available I jumped on line and booked my date. Dont do the back and forth ,just drop everything and click on the link and bood a date. the question to ask ifs what is the weather and what months you should not go

 

Call them. They are very helpful and will book the dates you want if they are open.

 

 

This is the email I got the other day. Then I went to this page to book a date.

JT

 

@TriGuyPNW Thanks so much for the detailed information in addition to the April Roll Call thread. I thought more folks might read it here. With all the information you and others have supplied I know we'll have a great time.

What can the wife do while we are there?

JT

 

May I have the email? I get the error on the web.

 

Yes, ha, maybe I should just add some of that here

As for the wife, here are some of the things that come to mind:

1. Sit in the class sessions and listen and learn with you (most spouses / partners did this).
2. Go on instructor ride alongs - there is an official one each day just after lunch just for the guests. If they don't want to go at track speed, they just need to tell the instructor to not push it.
3. Film / video / take pictures near the track or from the observation towers.
4. Befriend an instructor and get to go out to the exercises for more of #3 above, e.g., braking, figure 8s, autocross, launch control.
5. Hang out at the pool, jacuzzi, club house, gym. There is pool (billiards) in the club house along with a staffed bar.
6. Talk to other spouses / partners / guests.
7. Talk to club members about their radicals and other fun cars they have and run out there.
8. Leave you there to have your fun and go have fun elsewhere.

Mine didn't go, but I wish she would have. I think she would have had a good time talking with instructors and other spouses / partners. It would have been nice to have had her there too. If my Mother-In-Law was still alive, I would have taken her for certain! She would have loved it.