Haven't heard much about it... anyone have any experience?

Thinking of going there this December....

http://www.bondurant.com/courses_pri...index.htm#intt

 

Pros go there regularly for refreshers . . . that should tell you something.

 

http://www.bondurant.com/graduates/celebrities.htm

And so did Jason Priestley.....

 

Jason Priestly:

Proof that if you have money you can go VERY far in racing - no talent required.


Drew - Who has seen Priestly drive on several occasions and was never impressed

 

Skip Barber Racing School is much much better, Bondurant doesn't even come close. In December, you can do the 3-day Racing School in Laguna Seca, Daytona or Sebring. Much better tracks than the "Club" Track Bondurant rans in called Firebird in Phoenix. Also much better Instructors, all former or current racers.

http://www.skipbarber.com

BTW, Real Racers go to Skip Barber, as well as Celebrities. Check out Skip Barber's Alumni list on their website.

http://www.skipbarber.com/company/graduates.htm

 

those are god damn expensive. 3-5000$ for a good 3-4 day school.

 

Umm...just curious if you had first hand experience with both that you could use to back any of this up. I personally have only been to Bondurant.

"Better Instructors:" Mine was a guy named Buddy Rice. He was (is?) under contract with Team Rahal. I believe he won the Toyota Atlantic championship in 200. I would say that qualified him as an instructor who is a current racer.

Better tracks: perhaps. I guess it depends on what you want. Bondurant's track was nice in that it was easily cut up into smaller sections. It's not Laguna (which I have walked, not driven) but for educational purposes it's quite good. I certainly learned a lot there.

"Real Racers go to Skip Barber:" I'm sure they do.

--Karl, "Real Racer" (who actually owns and races a race car) and Bondurant class of 1996

 

Yes, my opinions is from personal experience and I know others on this board who have too. Some serious racers may have done a Bondurant course, but all of them end up in Skip Barber because that's where the best racers are. Bondurant does not have their own races unlike Skip Barber, so its most Advanced activity is the 4 day Advanced Racing School.

Check out CART's website to see what Racing School they recommend. Also, Al Unser, III (Al jr's son) and soon Marco Andretti (Micheal's son) are racing in the Skip Barber races. Don't you think, they would want their kids going through the best racing school.

http://www.cart.com

Bondurant is mainly for Enthusiasts and Corporate Events. Some Bondurant students like Buddy Rice have been quite successful, but it is not really where they learned. Buddy had two career International Karting Federation (IKF) Championships and seven Regional Championships before he went to Bondurant. He went there because he was from Phoenix. Then moved on to the USF2000.

Go compare programs and prices, ask people who race seriously, they will all tell you Skip Barber is the best without a doubt. If you had a choice, Skip Barber is a much better option.

 

Bondurant has his own cars. They use a bunch of Ford products, including some Formula Fords.

 

I'm sure they're sending their kids to more than just one school, and both Bondurant and Skip Barber probably make the list.

 

I suspect that this is a contractual thing - much like Cocoa Puffs is the official cereal of the PGA golf tour or Budweiser is the official beer of NASSCAR.

Let me be clear - I don't disagree at all. Just didn't feel it was appropriate to paint a picture of Bondurant school as something for those who are not "serious." Perhaps my definition of serious is incorrect. Obviously Barber is more for nurturing racers along the road to a career in motorsport.

So then, a question to the original poster: what exactly are you trying to get out of the school? And how advanced are you currently?

If it's learning technique and gaining experience, I think Bondurant is a fine school. I was a COMPLETE newbie when I did Bondurant - it was my first performance driving experience ever. It was an excellent way to get the basics right the first time. Does Barber offer more entry-level stuff? Do they have a skid car? Only asking 'cause I don't know.

--Karl, who is not being a dick, but rather, wants the original poster to get the right product for his few thousand dollars

 

Thanks everyone for your input. If it was up to me I would be doing a Skip Barber class as I hear nothing but great things about that program.

However, I have the opportunity to attend the Bondurant program for free (to me anyways) in December. Being the broke college student that I am, I would love jump on this opportunity especially when it's all paid for. Four years ago back in high school, Mom didn't like the idea of me racing at all, much less paying for me to goto a race school (I didn't have that kind of money). Now that my sister is on the verge of attaining her drivers lisence (very scary), it was thought to be a good idea to send her off to a defensive driving/car control class (One of Bondurant several programs). Well apparently they've decided it would be fun for the whole family. Now as painful as a family vacation is, I'm thinking that the Bondurant 3 day Road Racing program should make the whole thing very worthwhile.

It's free, and fullfills part of the requirements for an SCCA lisence, ya know?





[Modified by sackdz, 12:58 PM 8/12/2002]

 

It just became the best driver's school in the whole wide world then.

 

If it's free, then that's good. I'm not saying that Bondurant is bad. It's okay as basic courses go, but Skip Barber has all these basic courses and more, plus it is about the same price or cheaper. Bondurant used to be famous in the past, but it's past its prime and just living off its reputation.

You should ask your parents to check out the Skip Barber website and talk to the school or even drop by a course if you are near any of their tracks. Skip Barber has "Driving" courses too, which is done in the Autocross track, Skid Pad, and other parts of the track. You get to drive the Neons & Vipers & Formula cars.

The comparison of tracks from Firebird to Laguna Seca, Daytona, Sebring, VIR, etc is a big difference on track and off track activities. Monterey, Daytona or Florida is a much nicer place to visit than Phoenix in Dec. Phoenix could get real cold in Dec. like 40's F as the high temp.

"Serious Racers" are pro racers or career oriented racers. Club racing is considered "fun" racing since you do it for fun, not as a career. There is a big difference there. Skip Barber caters to both, the serious racers and "gentleman" racers. If you discover you have some talent, then there are many programs to take you further. If not, their are programs for "fun" racers too, but the benefit is that you get to see how you stack up against the best.

Skip Barber being the Official School of CART is not a "contractual' thing that they paid to get that title. CART approached Skip Barber and since it was the best and CART wanted a "Driver Development Ladder" for young Americans. Skip Barber has the best programs and CART works closely with them to bring up new talent.
No money is exchanged here, just mutual respect for the same goals which is to keep "Road Racing" alive and bring up the next generation. Otherwise, all the racing in this country will be only "turning left" like in Nascar & the IRL.

BTW, Al Unser, III has been to Jim Russell Racing School in Sears Point (better than Bondurant too) because he gets it for free since his AL Jr is a Spokesperson for Jim Russell, but Al III has been in all Skip Barber programs and has been racing in the Western Region & National Championships since he turned 18 in 2000, even if they have to pay big bucks for him. Marco Andretti will be turning 18 soon and has announced to be competing in Skip Barber next season, like all the Andretti's have in the past. Marco currently is competing in karts.

Again, I'm not saying Bondurant is bad, but their is no comparison to Skip Barber. Even Jim Russell would be second choice.