C2C6Z06

It is time to seriously look into taking a HP driving course with the Z and have looked into both Spring Mountain and Bondurant. Both have great reputations from what I know and many have spoken about SM here on the forums.

I will be driving 90% street and 10% track (more for fun than hard comp). My goal is to know the car and be safe in each envrionment.

In a nutshell, what are the pro's and con's of each school?

Thanks.

H1ghlndr

Bondurant hands down. They train professional drivers every week. The list of pros is a mile long that come back to Bondurant each year for instruction and refreshing. Most of the NASCAR drivers make a stop there before Sonoma and the Glen. The IRL folks stop there too. Enough said.

I personally took the 3 day Grand Prix and it was a tremendous help. Lots of 1:1 driving and mucho skills. Well worth it.

They run new C6 Z51s with upgraded pads and corbeau seats and harnesses. I personally have a c6z and these were great. They offer Z06 classes, but not on the road courses. All cars are leased directly from GM so they are all new each 6-9 months.

Datawiz

I've been to Spring Mountain 3 times. It was excellent. It used to be, haven't checked lately, quite a bit less expensive than Bondurant.

corvette-pilot

I did SM and loved it.
One thing they do is maintain the cars as STOCK. Bondurant are set up a little more for racing. So if you want to know what your car can do as built SP for sure.

WNeal

And you are STILL a slow azz dog

Datawiz

I only have to be faster than you.

wmk32

I've done SM and it was certainly a lot of fun, however in retrospect it was a waste of money as far as learning goes. I learned so much more having instructors stuck in a car with me, and the three grand would certainly pay for a lot of event registrations, consumables, etc.

StArrow68

I don't know how you could go through SM and not learn, something. I've been to both
the basic and advanced SM classes and since they address the class differently, picked
up much from both classes. I've also been through the Russell Racing, Advanced class 4
times as well and the SM instructors compare favorably with that group. On one of my
visits at Infineon/Sears Point the lead instructor was giving a lunch time lesson to K. Kayne
in a show room stock Viper, about 2 months before he ran his first NASCAR race at Infineon.
As for the approach at SM with lead follow, it may not work for some but I was favorably
impressed at how much solid info the instructor could provide, while negotiating the
course, watching rear view and staying ahead of Z06's while driving a Camaro. SM is
worth the price, IMHO.
Randy

kentz06

How about one of the National Corvette Museum events?????

I have seen plenty of satisfied customers after two days and the price is reasonable. You do have to supply your own car. Fresh fluids, tires and brake pads is the most your car should need.

Dean

sundiego

I just got back from my third time at Bondurant. I've been to Spring Mountain twice. They are both good. Spring Mountain is cheaper, near Vegas and near Sheri's. (no, I didn't utilize Sheri's)

Bondurant gives you more track time and better instruction.

If it's a dead heat call Bob. If you are going to Vegas or Phoenix already, it's easier to go to the school that's there.

I'm a slow learner so I have to keep trying.

dvandentop

spring mt was a blast i was there last week

otherwise if you want to track your own car try a ncm even it has alot of excellent instructors

ajderzie

I've done both multiple times and I recommend.... BOTH! At some point in your life you will do both so don't get so fixated on which one.

Track: Advantage SM - Its longer and faster with elevation changes. Bondo is flat, quick, fun and technical as well but misses by a hair.

Location: Advantage SM - 1 hour from vegas makes it a perfect vacation. Sheri's (one of Parhump's legal brothels) isn't bad either

Instruction: Advantage Tie - Both schools instructors were top notch and I'm tempted to give it to Bondo but in reality the curriculum was the same. The teaching was equally good. The instructors at Bondo had better pedigree with more in car one on one time. The instructors at SM had in-car radios and timers (loved both). You would get real time feedback, via radio after every corner at times from an instructor following you or standing at the apex. At the end of the day, both systems work great and have their merits. Tie.

Nostalgia, Star appeal and Bragging rights: Advantage - Bondo hands down

Ride Alongs: Advantage Bondo. Van rides, Caddys, Vettes, and even Bob himself driving you around in his Smart Car (yes you read that correctly). Ride alongs really let you see how its done in both the car you are driving as well as "lesser cars". Watch a caddy with an instructor blow by a student vette and you will stop modding your car immediately.

Overall: Tie

So this is what I would do. I think SM is great to start. Bigger track and less to hit. (not that you will hit anything but there is a little bit of a pucker factor at bondo). Great place to take a vacation and learn something new. Cheaper but lots of car time. More lead follows with critique at every turn sometimes. Bondo is great for your second trip. Insane access to your instructor really helps you refine your driving to another level. Its like taking an advanced course with private instruction. Add the extra day for the open wheel (should not be missed!!!!) and SCCA qualification. The real gems of the experience.

I hope this helps!

jordan@pfadtracing

Spring Mountain is GREAT!

They have great staff and the facility is beautiful! I ran there Advanced school in late January and I learned a lot!

BrianCunningham

SCDA1.com has great instructors Gary (Hardbar) Hoffman being on of them.

Great bang for the buck, same as registering for any HPDE event.

abc 123

That is the benefit of going to a school. Your car breaks, you get out and step into a new one and you are off again. No down time sulking because your latest mod did not hold up. No wasted money because you paid for a three day event and only got half of the first day done.

Mark VerMurlen

I went to Bondurant about 4 years ago and took their 3 day Grand Prix class. I had a great time and I think it was well worth it. I wrote a 6 page article on my experiences for my Corvette Club's newsletter. If anyone would like a copy, PM me with your email and I'll send you a PDF of the article. The instructor I had was really a good teacher and a great driver.

Over lunch one day, I went into their maintance garages and asked about the brake pads they use. I told them I owned a Corvette and was wanting a set of pads that could stand up to track days. I wanted the brand and model of the pads they were using since I liked them. The mechanic said he wasn't sure, so he went over to their supply room, pulled a set of front pads off their shelf and gave them to me to take home! I've been running that brand/model of pad ever since for HPDE days.

A friend of mine went to Spring Mountain and we compared our experiences. They both teach a lot of the same stuff. I'd like to go to Sprint Mountain some time in the future. I don't think you can go wrong with either school.

- Mark

Cloaked323

SM is great been there 2X level 1 and Radical learned a lot more than I expected dunno anything about BB except it's a lot more.

Rogue Wave

SM is a qualtiy school and gets my vote also.

Wicked Weasel

here is my writeup for Bondurant...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...ng-school.html

socalspringmountain

C2C6Z06, it's good to hear your considering a driving school. I hope I can help make your decision to choose Spring Mountain a bit easier.

As you may know, our Corvette School is now the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School. If your not familiar with Ron Fellows he is an icon in Corvette Racing.

Ron has not just lent his name to our school. He is committed to improving an already superb experience. He actually comes out to the track as often as his schedule permits.

Here is an Interview we recently did with Ron (about 3 minutes long).

Ron has made many improvements and has recently made a couple that I think are significant.

First, the skid car is no longer part of the program. In it's place, Ron has developed some special exercises that help teach you car control in a Corvette. After all, that is the type of car you drive.

Second, he has directed the school to turn off Traction Control. Some may be taken aback by this, but Ron believes that the TC interferes with the learning process. I know the first thing I do before heading out on the track is turn off TC. TC is a great thing for the street, but not the track and not in a school where you want to learn car control.

I don't intend to offend anyone, but I believe our instructors are second to none. And being taught by the likes of Ron Fellows certainly doesn't hurt.

We teach the course on our 2.2 mile loop. It's a fantastic track that combines fast straights with sweeping corners, fast esses, technical turns and elevation changes. Turns 1 and 8 are high speed turns specifically designed to help teach braking to balance (AKA trail braking). It's a very exciting track, you will learn something new on every lap.

Our facilities are second to none. In addition to one of the finest tracks in North America, Spring Mountain is home to the premier motorsports country club, Club Spring Mountain. While a student, you are treated as a member. You have access to our resort-style clubhouse that includes plush seating, locker rooms, fitness center, pool, jacuzzi, business center, 9 plasma TVs with feeds from the track, pool table, indoor racquet ball court and indoor gun range just to name a few. We also have a massage therapy room with on call therapist. If you plan on bringing family, you won't find a more comfortable and inviting environment.

We are located just 45 minutes from Las Vegas in the town of Pahrump, NV. It looks like your in Upland, CA so it will take you 2.5 to 3 hours if you drive. I live near Mission Viejo and it take me 3.5 to 4 hours.

Oh and if you do drive, we have an on-site dyno, just in case your curious about your cars HP

I hope this helps. Feel free to PM or email me if you have any questions.

Also, thanks to everyone for your kind words about Spring Mountain.

Ken

Here are a few images: