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Bondurant Racing School

8K views 32 replies 17 participants last post by  Mike S. 
#1 · (Edited)
Sam and I just finished our first day of Bondurant Racing School in Chandler, Arizona. Absolutely the most fun one can have with one's clothes on! The first day consisted of heel toe exercises, braking and avoidance exercises, then enough hots laps around an oval to have the proper line etched permanently into memory. All in a recent vintage Corvette. Man, those things rotate!! Power oversteer is no problem! In any event, three more days to go in the hot Arizona sun! With any luck, we will wind up with our provisional SCCA racing licenses!

Pics, starting with the departure from RVA:
 

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#4 ·
Oh so jealous! A friend of mine did the Bondurant school in preparation of not pranging his new Nissan GTR. Spoke very highly of it.
 
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#6 ·
His personal valet, of course.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Very cool Peter! Welcome to Arizona where it never rains lol. I did the Bmw 2 day M school last fall and that was a lot of fun. I really warmed up to the F10 M5 when it was on the track. I was amazed by its abilities to tolerate long sessions on the track without overheating and without brake fade (carbon ceramic brakes). I bet the corvettes are a lot of fun. Enjoy and have a safe time, I am looking forward to more pictures and personal accounts.

James
 
#9 ·
Have a great time!

Make sure to have them cover how to put an automatic transmission into "D" so that you can use your skills on the new BMWs that are coming.
 
#12 ·
I would change the sound track on the Corvettes so that you are not offended by their lack of sophistication. Oh wait, the Corvette doesn't have fake exhaust sounds :(
 
#15 ·
Looks like a lot of fun, Peter!



I hate to break it to you but GM has now added the engine soundtrack feature to the Gen 6 camaros; I assume Corvette will soon follow. Of course, as expected GM, took the less sophisticated approach by poking holes into the firewall to direct the induction noise into the cabin. I believe the holes also allow exhaust fumes and the smell of burning oil into the cabin for a more realistic experience.

GM said:
Both the 3.6L V-6 and 6.2L V-8 feature mechanical sound enhancers – resonators that direct induction noise from the engine bay into the cabin. Both engines are available with a dual-mode exhaust, which features electronically controlled valves that bypass the mufflers under acceleration, delivering improved performance and greater sound levels. With the dual-mode exhaust, drivers can personalize the exhaust sound, from a “stealth” mode to the most aggressive “track” mode.
 
#13 ·
So the bug has bitten?:hihi: Bondurant is legit, enjoy!
 
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#17 ·
Man, you guys need to schedule these classes in January! Oh well, at least it is pretty cool here right now.

I did Bondurant about 13 years ago when they still utilized Mustangs and Marauders with some Corvettes and CTS's sprinkled-in. Very good instructors and a lot of fun.

How long are you guys here for? It would be nice to get together, if you've got some free time. Though, I probably shouldn't since we are on baby alert right now. Perhaps a quick lunch one day.
 
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#19 ·
Today we started with skid car exercises. It was an absolute blast to have the instructors induce spins through oversteer or understeer from which you had to learn to extricate yourself without going outside the oval. My big issue was laying off the brake during oversteer induced skids because, of course, that just transfers weight off the rear wheels that already lack traction! Steering and controlled throttle really does the trick.

Next we did braking and evasive braking maneuvers. Basically, these are 65mph stops over an increasingly short distance, then combining the shortest of this distances with steering into a particular slot. The idea is to teach you to panick stop and use the ability to continue steering the car that ABS affords. A little harrowing!

Finally, we had about three hours of "lead and follow" on the advanced track, followed by open lapping. Pure fun. Sam is faster than I am. Probably the fastest here. Two other crazy young guys are faster as well, followed by me and the rest of the pack. I found that as I fatigued, I was less aggressive into the corners such that my braking was more conservative, transferring less weight to the front of the car and ending in understeer. Heel and toe rev matching is also quite a chore in the Vettes.

Two more days of this should make a big difference!

--Peter
 
#20 · (Edited)
Today, Day 3, consisted of approximately five hours of on-track time in the vette, periodically with an instructor, but mostly solo. It was immensely satisfying to see my abilities and confidence and hence, speed through the corners, improve dramatically. Just having the instructor identify braking zones and rumble strips to use and how much brake pressure where and when to stomp on the accelerator was invaluable. Sam did 1:09 on a course where the instructor usually runs 1:02 to 1:06 and whose record is :59--not bad for a rookie! I don't know my time, but I suspect I was a good five seconds off Sam's pace, but improving throughout the day until I fatigued and had to stop.

We also practiced race starts and restarts with a pace car and flags. Wholly moly was that fun!!! My first real taste of wheel to wheel racing! The bug has bitten Sam and me badly (as if we didn't expect it to do so!)

On to Indy-like open cockpit single-seater cars tomorrow! Nothing but track time again. Man, this is GREAT!

--Peter
 

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#22 · (Edited)
Our final day, Day 4, was today. We spent it entirely on the track in the Mazda Formula cars. These are true racecars with R-comps, open cockpits, dogbox trannys, very hard clutches, and very little room, especially for a slightly larger guy (ahem). And man do they fly! 100 mph with the wind so hard it is pushing your helmet back--what a rush! Went agricultural on turn 1 once today and churned up a huge dust cloud, but car was no worse for the wear.

So...(drum roll please)... Sam and I graduated with some of the highest grades in the class. 5 point scale, Sam with a 3.8 and me with a 3.7, with 2.5 being the average. Thus, we qualified for our SCCA provisional racing licenses!

Here is a final pic of Sam and me with one of the Mazda Formula cars! I highly recommend Bondurant to anyone who wants to club race. The amount of seat time and the quality of the instructors is just awesome.

--Peter
 

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#23 ·
Congrats! I think there are a lot of envious people right now.
 
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#24 ·
Absolutely awesome! Congrats! Let the time-sucking, money-leaching racing hobby begin! :) This is on my bucket list...has been since the 70s...it's about time to do it I'm thinking.
 
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#25 ·
Absolutely awesome! Congrats! Let the time-sucking, money-leaching racing hobby begin! :) This is on my bucket list...has been since the 70s...it's about time to do it I'm thinking.
I did the Skippy School at Sebring a million years ago. After driving one of the formula cars, our cars are easy to drive (feels like everything happens in slow motion, plenty of time to react). And since you have track experience, I think you will get more out of the school.

You have some great tracks nearby, not sure whether Bondurant, Skippy or one of the others has a setup nearby. But as Nike ad says, "Just do it"!

Regards,
Jerry
 
#26 ·
Amazing! I will be doing this soon. What did the 4 day class cost if you don't mind me asking? What was the name of the class exactly you guys took?
 
#30 ·
Hertz Gold Choice. Sticker was a ridiculous $1k per day. I got it for $200 per day. Car is fast as it can be, especially 60-130. And it handles well, especially for its size, which is behemoth! It is more luxury than sports car, perfect for what we needed, comfortably shuttling three people around in 100 degree plus heat with great AC, comfortable ride, and the ability to blow the doors off almost anything else on the road. It is very disconnected from the road, however, which is really my only gripe.

--Peter
 
#33 ·
Looks like a lot of fun, my friend. Thou knowest no money pit like the racing money pit. I road raced motorcycles with WERA for a time when I was younger. And just like you said above, it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
 
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