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+--- Thread: Skip Barber 3 Day Racing School Feedback (/showthread.php?tid=1598)
- ninjabones - 02-24-2009
Graham and I just returned from West Palm Beach for the Skip Barber 3-Day Racing School held at Palm Beach International Raceway (formerly Moroso). Overall, I was pleased with the program (perhaps a bit more-so than Graham). The Skip Barber “procedure�? does require some patience, as they do hold you on a short leash for the initial phases of the program. There is a lot of repetition of basic exercises: threshold braking drills, downshifting drills, car control drills on an autocross course, off-line passing drills, practice two-by-two and single file racing starts, and very gradual escalation of speed on track (escalating limitations on max RPMs up through the weekend). It was a lot like going to basketball camp and doing layups and free-throws all day long before getting to play in a pick-up game. However, in much the same way, you really need to perfect the basics before moving on to the advanced skills.
I, for one, enjoyed the drills a lot. We got to practice car control at the limit in a safe environment. We got a reasonable (albeit not tremendous) amount of track time on the full PBIR course. The track is very high speed with two long straights (the longer of which is 0.8 miles), lots of flowing high speed sweepers and double-apex corners (felt a lot like thunderbolt). Not much interest in terms of elevation changes, but there was some tricky banking on certain corners (negative camber on exit of 3a which caused a lot of spins and nice banking throughout turn 4 that makes it deceptively fast). They did keep us on a short leash on Friday and Saturday (mandatory stop-box at the mid point of the back-straight and the RPM limitations). By Sunday, we did finally get let off the leash, the stop box was removed, and passing rules were lifted (no point by required). Graham can tell you more about how that went (he got rammed in the rear at the end of the braking zone at the end of the long back straight, much like the end of the back straight at Summit Point, and got sent off track). He’s very lucky he didn’t end up in the guard rail. Overall, the school did appropriately emphasize (or perhaps over-emphasized) safety, and they were quick to step-in when things looked like things could get out of hand.
The classroom sessions were for the most part good (not great). Jack has done an incredible job teaching basic vehicle dynamics in our club, so, much of the classroom stuff was a bit rudimentary; but, reinforcing the basics never hurts. There were a few fantastic sessions, primarily from the pro drivers (especially Gerardo Bonilla) covering insider racing tips, how to race in the rain, setting up passes, tips on starts, preparing for your first race, how to avoid common mistakes (like forgetting to upshift on the start) , vehicle and driver preparation, etc. The best part of the course was really getting one-on-one coaching time with the pro jocks. Unfortunately, there is no right seat in the formula cars, so the only drive-along instruction was during a few hot-lap sessions in Mazda 3s. All of the feedback is given on a walkie talkie in the stop-box or at the end of the session; the instructors were set up around the track at most corners. I would have liked to have seen a bit more one-on-one feedback as typically 4 instructors were evaluating all 8 on-track drivers at the same time.
The formula cars were amazing, just about 10:1 in weight to horse-power, extremely responsive and balanced. Understeer/oversteer could be induced at will with subtle throttle/brake inputs; however, the rotation was lightning fast and required absolute smoothness in your transitions from brake to throttle. The instructors do encourage you to push the limits at times, and most of the students did spin at some point during the weekend. However, you are responsible for damages to the car; if you purchase the optional liability coverage, your out-of-pocket costs for damages are capped at $3,000. The guy that hit Graham had to write a check on the spot to pay for the car damage.
They don't run r-compound tires on the cars, in favor of pretty slippy street rubber, but this did allow for more confident play at the traction limit on these somewhat twitchy cars. It took quite a bit of time to get used to double-clutch downshifts (no synchronizers on these cars). You feel a bit exposed in the cars and sitting so low to the ground the sense of speed is incredible. Even with the crappy tires, we could generate about 1.3 lateral G’s. It was definitely a work-out driving them… no power steering and over 150 lbs of brake pressure required to stop the car, not to mention the cramped cockpit and hard plastic seat. Despite the less than ideal amount of track time, we were both exhausted and popping a lot of ibuprofen at the end of each day.
There was a big mix in experience level in the group, from South American teenage carting prodigies looking for an entry into the professional racing world to father-and-son newbies looking for a bonding weekend. By the end of the weekend, however, even the most inexperienced guys had made incredible progress. The track facilities were less than optimal (too few bathrooms), the classroom was in a temporary courtesy tent, and the food was less than savory (sandwiches and chips for lunch). We were some of the first to get to drive the new PBIR (formerly Moroso) track, and I'm sure they'll have things smoothed out shortly. The facility was impressive. On saturday, there were probably 10,000 people at the drag strip, hundreds of carters and autocrossers at the carting/autorcross facility, and the Skip Barber school all there at the same time. The weather was fantastic and the surrounding area has plenty of stuff to keep you occupied after you leave the track.
The school does qualify you to apply directly for an SCCA regional competition license; however, it costs $220 to get Skippy to sign the Letter of Compliance and then another $80 for the SCCA license application fee. In order to race in the Skip Barber series, you are required to come back for either an advanced two-day school or get signed off at one of their lapping sessions.
In terms of value, Graham and I took advantage of the 30% discount that was offered before year end. The experience was great, but the cost was pretty steep for the amount of seat time. Graham and I both felt that if we had it to do over again, we would have hired Gerardo Bonilla to fly up and spend the weekend with us at NJMP (for probably half the cost).
Overall, I feel a lot more comfortable in my car control skills and driving at the limit. We’ll see if I can translate what I learned to the 993 and use good judgment to keep the car on the black-top this year.
Glen
- AMoore - 02-24-2009
Nicely written. Felt like I was there.
- steveh - 02-24-2009
Great write up, Glen.
My wife and I took the Skippy 3-day at Bridgehampton in 1988 -- your description really brought back memories....
- opus - 02-27-2009
ninjabones wrote:
Quote:[size="2"][/size][size="2"][/size][size="2"]Unfortunately, there is no right seat in the formula cars, so the only drive-along instruction was during a few hot-lap sessions in Mazda 3s. All of the feedback is given on a walkie talkie in the stop-box or at the end of the session; the instructors were set up around the track at most corners. [/size][size="2"][/size]If you had taken the Mazda MX-5 cup racing program, do you know if you would have had an instructor seated by you during one of the drives? Would it be right to assume that the MX-5 cars they run have two seats?
- ninjabones - 02-28-2009
The MX-5's did have passenger seats installed. We (formula car group) were separated from the miata group for most of the weekend so I can't really comment in depth on that program; however, I do believe they did get some ride-along instruction.