Quote:
Originally Posted by denverizzles
(Post 272634)
Can anyone recommend a good driving school located in the Chicago area? Obviously, with this car I'm looking to learn how to drift properly, but would like to start at ground zero, just to ensure I have no developed any bad habits.
thanks,
D
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of course you already have bad driving habits, they started teaching you them before you even got into a car. 10 and 2 :)?
i haven't done any private schools, have done private track days (there's a link to an autobahn south one hosted by ams already posted on this board) and have done bmw club days. in chicagoland the clubs do a lot of autocrosses (bmw, audi, vw, miata, salt creek) and also a fair amount of hpde (high performance driving experience) days. these typically cost more than a normal track day. bmw has a great reputation for them. audi has really held a lot more in recent years. dunno if vw or miata do nearly as much among them.
bmw will have you go to class for a session, drive for a session, then rest. in class you talk about how to do things. in the car you'll (always) have an instructor, and you'll be both plugged into something so you can talk easily to eachother. it's a really good way to do your first on-track event. there are novice, intermediate and advanced classes and i think they do a good job about slotting people.
mvp track time and i think some others are private schools out there. never done but are probably pretty good.
open track days (like the ams one) don't do the class thing. there will be an intro thing for novice but it's not nearly the same. instructors are available, but at bmw club you probably get a guy who has been instructing for a decade and has a race history record. at private days like this it seems more likely you're getting someone that has just tracked a decent amount. they are not as plentiful and they certainly aren't required to be with you each session, although i think it is good to have one for a novice. the classing is self selection so it can be a bit choppy, ie. guy who has never driven on a track before says i think i'm pretty fast, i've modded my evo too - intermediate! then they go up there and range from being a roadblock to being a danger for themselves and others.
gingerman is easy to get on with their weekday 6-9 test and tune. i will probably take my brz there after i pick it up soon enough. i haven't been on the new layout or tracked much in recent years. i believe this track was originally designed for motorcycles? it's fun and known as being pretty novice safe. it's a fun track.
i believe the same guy designed autobahn, which is divided into south and north loops and can be combined for full. the upcoming day is for the south - most private organizations seem to get south. i think it's more fun so that's cool. occasionally you can get on full. it's a wider track and also pretty novice safe too.
