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Ron Fellows Spring Mountain Driving School

4K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  robert63 
#1 ·
As a new 2016 ZO6 owner I have been advised that I can attend the Ron Fellows Spring Mountain Corvette School for $1,000 and GM is paying the balance. I must complete the school within 1 year of my purchase and I am guaranteed to drive a ZO6 in the school. I would fly to Las Vegas and rent a car to drive out to Spring Mountain for the 2 day school. Have any of you done this? Is it worth doing? Any suggestions from those of you who have gone through this? I am not a racer; I am not a Motorcross guy; I just like to drive my car, most of the time a little faster than everyone else around me. I think it would be a good idea to learn how to handle 650 hp as my C6 ZO6 (only) had 500hp. I would appreciate any suggestions or information any of you have.
 
#2 ·
I did it back in 2003 when it was Bragg-Smith. I'm sure with the facility improvements and the jump from 405 HP to 650 HP it is even more important now to go to the school. I did 3 days at a time I didn't even yet own and had never owned a Vette. Scared the hell out of me. However the things you learn will make you a better and safer driver. Also, you will learn what the car can do and how you can make it do it on a track in a safe environment rather than doing something stupid on a public road. The instructors are great. They have been at the Black Hills Corvette Rally the last two years. Do not pass this opportunity. It is a must do. You will be happy you did it.:yeadog:
 
#3 ·
I have never been to Ron Fellows school, however I did do Bob Bondurant twice, and as said above it is worth every dollar. I had to pay for mine so a subsidized deal like what GM offers is the way to go. I also sent my son, when he turned 18 out to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, for a 3 day school when I bought him a Mustang GT. The confidence it installs in you is great, and it seems to really let you know that the street is not the place to push one of these cars so that you end up being that guy that gets posted in a YouTube video doing something stupid and having the whole world cheer because you are a dumb ass.

:yeadog:
 
#5 ·
I've done Bondurant, Bragg-Smith, and Spring Mountain. It is the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on. Besides having a blast you will become a MUCH BETTER driver - even in just day-to-day driving.
 
#6 ·
I did the class last year and it was great. I held a SCCA license many years ago and didn't expect the class to be challenging , I was wrong. It is a high performance driving school taught by the best. This is not a driver's ed course, so be prepared . Take the opportunity and take the class, it is a fantastic facility , go to the symphony restaurant for dinner, just down the road at the winery .
Good luck
 
#7 ·
Just got the invitation packet from the Ron Fellows school today and am considering going this year also. Let us know how your trip turns out.

:cheers:
 
#11 ·
The restaurant at the winery is the best in town.
There are also (at least there used to be) a few family-owned Mexican places that are pretty good.
 
#12 ·
So, I went last week to the Ron Fellows Driving School at Spring Mountain. Neat trip; took my wife, stayed in the rental units at the facility. The trip includes one night in the facility (which was very nice), breakfast and lunch for the two days, and pool and/or hot tub for the wife. She also signed up and rode with an instructor and really enjoyed that. The Symphony Restaurant in town was an excellent referral and was great food. We learned about the amazing car and how it handles in wet and unusual conditions by attempting to stay straight in all slippery conditions. The many onboard computers work really hard to eliminate wheel slip and apply brakes as needed in the traction management of the wheels, especially the rears. Having so many choices in performance traction management (5 After you turn off traction control) in the differential is amazing. Go to track, then push the center knob twice, then turn the knob thru all the 5 choices even to all systems off (not recommended) gives a different control to the diff. Driving at speed over 100 and braking, balancing the car, and always using the rev match in downshifting to put the power where it needs to be while using the throttle and brake to steer is just amazing. Very little turning of the steering wheel while using the brake and throttle to steer doesn't come to play much in daily driving but learning to control the car under unusual conditions was extremely useful. If you own a ZO6 that's what you drive; if a stick that's what you drive. If a Stingray, that's what you drive. Over 100 cars at the facility. The instructors are talented drivers and very patient with all. We drove behind a lead car that went faster as we pushed him while he was talking to the ones in his group by radio. Usually 3 or 4 cars in each group, 20 people in each class, two classes at a time on the two different tracks they had there for the class. Lots of individual instruction and plenty of time for explanations. I have no intentions of being any sort of a racer and was not sure that I could keep up, but I found many of us in the same boat of wanting to learn all we could about the car. Most everyone there was over 60 (as I am); one woman who did okay. A few guys much more into racing than most of us, but a great group of people wanting to learn all we could about our car. I would recommend this school to anyone who has a new Corvette, especially a ZO6.
 
#14 ·
:smile2: No sh!t ! Same boat here.
 
#15 ·
I just completed the Spring Mountain two-day course for new Corvette owners. I would give the experience an A+. They did a good job of sorting out the comfort/skill level of the drivers after the first day, and grouping us for day two. The exercises were great, all leading to improving your skills and understanding of the car. The instructors match you with a "like" car. In my case it was a Z06 with an automatic. All of their Z cars had the Z07 option but were run with Pilot Sport 2 tires as they last longer. They also had the competition seats which did an excellent job of hold one in place. We ran in Track mode/Sport 1. The automatic was run in manual mode and shifted with the paddles. As a person who roadraced a stick shift car in my past I can tell you I LOVE the automatic. The upshifts were quick and the downshifts were rev-matched. There was no overheating problems but I short shifted (so much torque there was no need to rev the snot out of the car) at about 5500 and the outside temperature was in the high 40s. I have a short video of following the instructor and some pictures on my FB page, Wes Burmark. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about the school. The C7 Z06 is an amazing car. IMHO there is no better and safer way to explore the potential of this car than in a driving school situation. PS We got two hot laps in the passenger seat with a pro driver behind the wheel. I was able to compare his speeds recorded on the PDR with my speed... humbling!
 
#16 ·
Wes--I knew you'd enjoy it; I really did, too. First class folks with great expertise and a great car!! This C7 ZO6 is such an amazing car and most people will not get to experience all of it's capabilities; from race car to taking my Mother to Church at 95.

BTW, the instructors took my wife on a ride the last day and now she's hooked. I have to hide the key fob.

I would recommend the Ron fellows School to every new Corvette owner. Definitely worth it.
 
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