Heading to Ron Fellows in October
06-03-2014, 10:49 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Heading to Ron Fellows in October
Just confirmed my trip to Ron Fellows on October 2-3rd. Already pushed my C7 hard in the hill country of Texas but I'm sure these guys will teach me a thing or two. Thanks to Chevrolet for subsidizing this awesome opportunity!!
06-03-2014, 10:57 PM
#2
Drifting
You're coming in just after another member of a club I'm in and myself finish up the three day course the end of September. It's high on my anticipation list 
.
.
06-03-2014, 11:56 PM
#3
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Should be one heck of a fun time as well as a great learning experience.
06-04-2014, 07:04 AM
#4
Pro
Been to Spring Mountain on two prior occassions, Corvette Level 1 & 2. Going back for 'StingRay School" in November. If the C7 is as tuff as the C6s we drove (and I have no reason to believe they are not, based on my experience with my C7), you will be amazed how hard you can drive these cars, and they never overheat - never break - just perform and ask for more. As a driver, I get worn out before the car gives up!
Have fun... you'll come away with a great respect for the car, the instructors and you will be a better driver!
Have fun... you'll come away with a great respect for the car, the instructors and you will be a better driver!
06-04-2014, 09:40 PM
#6
Drifting
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We just missed. I am October 6-7 maybe add day 3 on Oct 8. Been 23 years since a Corvette course at Mosport so I will be very rusty! Looking forward to it. Have fun!
06-05-2014, 01:02 AM
#8
Safety Car
You folks are going to have a blast. I was there in October of 2012 for the 3-day school. I went along as an observer and photographer but got a lot of passenger seat time in all the Corvettes (ZR1, ZO6 & GS models) there. I also attended all the classes. It was fantastic and I learned quite a bit. Enjoy the track time. 
06-05-2014, 02:13 PM
#9
Melting Slicks
You are going to enjoy your experience there. We just returned from the two day school on May 28th and 29th.
Earlier this year I had read on the Forum about the special offer for new C7 Corvette Owners. While I've had some track experience at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen I had never attended a formal school and this offer was just too good to pass up. With Chevrolet covering 60% of the cost the savings paid for our flights and three night condo stay.
We had two primary objectives in mind: first, to learn everything about the capabilities of the C7 and, second, to learn current driving techniques from a formal driving school. In both respects our expectations were exceeded.
The driving school was extremely well done. Just the right balance of classroom, exercises and plenty of on-track driving. The school begins at 8am and ends around 4:30 each day. The instructors were all superb. Maybe the most impressive part of the instruction was that they kept control of their cars while looking out their rear-view mirrors to give you instruction on the correct entry, braking and shifting points all while speaking to you on their in-car radio's. My wife, Barb, attended all the classes and also rode with one instructor so she got to experience most everything in person. Riding with the instructor is open to anyone accompanying you who wants to experience the track. The school Director is really energetic and enthusiastic and that followed to all the instructors. There were thirteen drivers in our group and everyone was really friendly and all there for the same reasons - especially to have fun. Everyone came away with a great experience and had nothing but good things to say about every facet of the school and the facility.
The first day was a mix of classroom instruction on braking, cornering, understanding under-steer and over-steer, hitting the apex's correctly, exit speed and quite a bit of time on heel and toeing. We also did wet skid pad runs along with full force braking to give us a feel of the car at its limits. After each classroom session it was onto the track for practical experience and a debrief afterwards. We did several heel and toeing practice sessions even though the C7 has the Rev Match - which works great by the way. In the afternoon of the first day we had group sessions of three to four cars on the track following one of the instructors. Each driver rotated their position to be directly behind the instructor so he could give you tips on the correct line, when to brake, when to downshift, what to look for on the apex and when to "balance" the car entering a turn as well as when to accelerate out of the turn. Their emphasis is on exit speed and not barreling into the corners. The second day was spent with many on-track sessions. They moved the drivers into smaller groups depending on your lap speeds which provided more laps at greater speeds. Interestingly, the instructors used Camaro's for most of the early sessions (I believe because of better rear visibility) but for the last two sessions our instructor used a Vette so we could really get going. Those sessions were the most fun!
They have several track configurations and we used the 1.5 mile track which was designed for the driving school with plenty of variations of left and right turns, some slightly banked turns, decreasing radius turns, tight 180 degree turns, one small downhill section and two straights.
The C7 is really impressive as a track car: great engine torque, extremely well balanced, great brakes, unreal cornering capability and fast. All of the cars used are C7 Z51's with the 7 speed transmission although they have just ordered ten C7's with automatic transmissions if you want to use those. I was impressed by how hard the cars could be run with not a single car having any issues. If these things can be flogged as hard as we were using them they should really hold up well in regular street driving. We made every run with the A/C on which was nice to keep things cool even in those cars which had the transparent roof. By the way, they use the stock tires, brake pads and alignment settings but they do use the front brake cooling rings.
We stayed in the condo's at the track which were really well designed, superbly furnished, spotlessly clean and decorated by someone who had great taste. We had a balcony on the rear of the room which looked out onto the track. The condo's are the most convenient place to stay and reasonably priced as they have a discounted rate for school participants.
The locale in Pahrump, Nevada is right in the desert as you would expect and seems pretty sparsely populated. For places to eat we tried Symphony at the local winery which was a really good higher end restaurant and the local casino also has a good restaurant as well as a café. The Clubhouse at the track serves breakfast ($8 which is very reasonable), lunch (included for the students and $15 for others) and, on at least two nights (Monday and Tuesday), they also serve dinner. All their meals were good and reasonably priced.
The weather was great even at 95-97 degrees since there was always a strong breeze blowing. They have plenty of shaded areas and Barb found the tower to be cool and offer great views. She took many of the pictures from that tower - a total of 149 pictures but unfortunately many were of the barren desert as she seemed to miss the cars speeding by……….
While we were out there we added two extra days after the school to visit Red Rock Canyon, the Hoover Dam, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and tour downtown Las Vegas which made it a great trip.
It was certainly an experience well worth the time and expense. We would highly recommend their school to anyone looking for a great experience.
Rich
Earlier this year I had read on the Forum about the special offer for new C7 Corvette Owners. While I've had some track experience at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen I had never attended a formal school and this offer was just too good to pass up. With Chevrolet covering 60% of the cost the savings paid for our flights and three night condo stay.
We had two primary objectives in mind: first, to learn everything about the capabilities of the C7 and, second, to learn current driving techniques from a formal driving school. In both respects our expectations were exceeded.
The driving school was extremely well done. Just the right balance of classroom, exercises and plenty of on-track driving. The school begins at 8am and ends around 4:30 each day. The instructors were all superb. Maybe the most impressive part of the instruction was that they kept control of their cars while looking out their rear-view mirrors to give you instruction on the correct entry, braking and shifting points all while speaking to you on their in-car radio's. My wife, Barb, attended all the classes and also rode with one instructor so she got to experience most everything in person. Riding with the instructor is open to anyone accompanying you who wants to experience the track. The school Director is really energetic and enthusiastic and that followed to all the instructors. There were thirteen drivers in our group and everyone was really friendly and all there for the same reasons - especially to have fun. Everyone came away with a great experience and had nothing but good things to say about every facet of the school and the facility.
The first day was a mix of classroom instruction on braking, cornering, understanding under-steer and over-steer, hitting the apex's correctly, exit speed and quite a bit of time on heel and toeing. We also did wet skid pad runs along with full force braking to give us a feel of the car at its limits. After each classroom session it was onto the track for practical experience and a debrief afterwards. We did several heel and toeing practice sessions even though the C7 has the Rev Match - which works great by the way. In the afternoon of the first day we had group sessions of three to four cars on the track following one of the instructors. Each driver rotated their position to be directly behind the instructor so he could give you tips on the correct line, when to brake, when to downshift, what to look for on the apex and when to "balance" the car entering a turn as well as when to accelerate out of the turn. Their emphasis is on exit speed and not barreling into the corners. The second day was spent with many on-track sessions. They moved the drivers into smaller groups depending on your lap speeds which provided more laps at greater speeds. Interestingly, the instructors used Camaro's for most of the early sessions (I believe because of better rear visibility) but for the last two sessions our instructor used a Vette so we could really get going. Those sessions were the most fun!
They have several track configurations and we used the 1.5 mile track which was designed for the driving school with plenty of variations of left and right turns, some slightly banked turns, decreasing radius turns, tight 180 degree turns, one small downhill section and two straights.
The C7 is really impressive as a track car: great engine torque, extremely well balanced, great brakes, unreal cornering capability and fast. All of the cars used are C7 Z51's with the 7 speed transmission although they have just ordered ten C7's with automatic transmissions if you want to use those. I was impressed by how hard the cars could be run with not a single car having any issues. If these things can be flogged as hard as we were using them they should really hold up well in regular street driving. We made every run with the A/C on which was nice to keep things cool even in those cars which had the transparent roof. By the way, they use the stock tires, brake pads and alignment settings but they do use the front brake cooling rings.
We stayed in the condo's at the track which were really well designed, superbly furnished, spotlessly clean and decorated by someone who had great taste. We had a balcony on the rear of the room which looked out onto the track. The condo's are the most convenient place to stay and reasonably priced as they have a discounted rate for school participants.
The locale in Pahrump, Nevada is right in the desert as you would expect and seems pretty sparsely populated. For places to eat we tried Symphony at the local winery which was a really good higher end restaurant and the local casino also has a good restaurant as well as a café. The Clubhouse at the track serves breakfast ($8 which is very reasonable), lunch (included for the students and $15 for others) and, on at least two nights (Monday and Tuesday), they also serve dinner. All their meals were good and reasonably priced.
The weather was great even at 95-97 degrees since there was always a strong breeze blowing. They have plenty of shaded areas and Barb found the tower to be cool and offer great views. She took many of the pictures from that tower - a total of 149 pictures but unfortunately many were of the barren desert as she seemed to miss the cars speeding by……….
While we were out there we added two extra days after the school to visit Red Rock Canyon, the Hoover Dam, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and tour downtown Las Vegas which made it a great trip.
It was certainly an experience well worth the time and expense. We would highly recommend their school to anyone looking for a great experience.
Rich
06-05-2014, 08:35 PM
#10
Melting Slicks
Rich,
Thanks for the great review. You are one of the first to also include a review of the Condo and the on site breakfast, lunch and availability of dinner.
I am so looking forward to attending this Oct with my wife. We did opt for on site condo, with balcony. We will also then stay in Vegas after the class for three nights.
Thanks for the great review. You are one of the first to also include a review of the Condo and the on site breakfast, lunch and availability of dinner.
I am so looking forward to attending this Oct with my wife. We did opt for on site condo, with balcony. We will also then stay in Vegas after the class for three nights.
06-05-2014, 09:40 PM
#11
Pro
06-05-2014, 09:58 PM
#12
Safety Car
Enjoy your time out there, I'm so jealous. I hope I can figure out a way to make the time to get out there, it sounds like a blast from everything I've read on here. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on the school.
06-05-2014, 10:23 PM
#13
I am at my first day back to work after attending the Level 1 class, June 2 - 4.
I have done a number of track days, but this was my first formal school.
Everything about the school was great.
The instructors, condos, and of course the C7 are all top notch.
I could go on for several pages about the details, but Rich covered them very well above.
For me, the basic car control exercises were a great way to learn the capability of the car, as well as refine several techniques that I had never fully developed on my own.
The other students were all extremely nice, and I really admired how much passion many of them had for the Corvette (of all generations).
Really looking forward to someday going back for the level 2 class.
-T
I have done a number of track days, but this was my first formal school.
Everything about the school was great.
The instructors, condos, and of course the C7 are all top notch.
I could go on for several pages about the details, but Rich covered them very well above.
For me, the basic car control exercises were a great way to learn the capability of the car, as well as refine several techniques that I had never fully developed on my own.
The other students were all extremely nice, and I really admired how much passion many of them had for the Corvette (of all generations).
Really looking forward to someday going back for the level 2 class.
-T
06-05-2014, 10:42 PM
#14
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Today I signed up for the 2 Day Class on August 25th & 26th.
06-06-2014, 06:32 AM
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06-06-2014, 08:34 AM
#16
Pro
I did a level 2 class on the 8th & 9th of May. I can't say enough about Spring Mtn. Everything about the place is top notch. The track, the instructor's, the admin people, the condo's. Even the weather was great.
I received a call from them about a week after I arrived home. The offered me a discount price for the level 3. I had to turn it down. I'm rapidly approaching 70, and as Clint Eastwood said in one of those "Dirty Harry" movies, "A man has to know is limits". I think I've reached mine, even though it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
I received a call from them about a week after I arrived home. The offered me a discount price for the level 3. I had to turn it down. I'm rapidly approaching 70, and as Clint Eastwood said in one of those "Dirty Harry" movies, "A man has to know is limits". I think I've reached mine, even though it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
06-06-2014, 09:50 AM
#17
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To the OP..... I would be curious for you after October to compare "pushing your car hard in the Texas hill country" to the Spring Mountain experience!>?!>
I'm sure you were street hammering your car but that will seem like a sunday drive compared to the road course experience!!!
I'm sure you were street hammering your car but that will seem like a sunday drive compared to the road course experience!!!
06-08-2014, 08:06 PM
#18
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Hi, My name is Tom. Was at the three day school in the C 6 in Nov. 2006. I will be there also on OCT 6,7,8. this year, for the three day C7 course. Being 73, it's going to be a little tuff. Sure did love it the last time. Great school. great instructors great cars. My wife is again comming with me a couple of days early. Intend to roam around prior to the school.
06-08-2014, 08:18 PM
#19
I just returned from the 3 day course June 4th - 6th. I have done a lot of speed events with some instruction, but nothing to this level and detail. To the people that are going for 2 days, I would suggest that you do everything you can to add the 3rd day. This is the day with the most track time and is also the day when most of what you work on in days 1 and 2 really come together for you. I know the people that have done the 2 day session in the past will not be able to relate to this, but I think you will get similar comments from the people that have done all 3 days. So, if at all possible, add the 3rd day. You won't be sorry that you did!
The most fun you can have with your close on!
The most fun you can have with your close on!