Skip Barber Racing School
On a national scale, Skip Barber Racing holds a great reputation for driver education and just plain fun. I've read many reviews from those who've been and enjoyed it and am making my own plans to attend. Racers, drivers, enthusiasts, thrill seekers - there's something for all at Skip Barber!
Why do I care about Skip Barber Driving School?
Beyond just my track addiction
I have been track driving for a couple of years now and love the experience. Lately, I've been pondering attending a Skip Barber school to improve my driving skill and the rumor is that they might be adding classes to a new track opening this fall in North Texas. So I've been looking more seriously into attending and invited a representative from the school to come over to TrackAddict.Net to chat about the school and their upcoming plans. (Chat was held September 20, 2007. Transcript available in post #22 of this thread.)After having my own skid out at the track last year, I'm even more interested in attending a school to try out their skidpad to get practice with slide recovery. There's only so much you can learn from reading about how to do things, so I'd love the opportunity to try it more for real so I can be safer at the track.
UPDATE: I attended a Skip Barber school in May. More about my experiences are on the TrackAddict.Net forum!
Driving School vs. Racing School
Which should you choose for your Skip Barber experience?
Not to be flip, but at the core of the decision is why you want to attend. Go to the driving school if you're just looking to be a better driver - on the road or on the track. Go to the racing school if you actually participate in races, plan a professional career in racing or want to be part of the Skip Barber Race Series. Or maybe just want to have some fun. My understanding is that there are lots of people who sign up for the racing school just for the experience with absolutely no long term plan to drive race cars.
Skip Barber Videos
Reviews of Skip Barber
First-hand experiences from other drivers.
- John Stecher's Blog
- John's review of the Three-Day Racing School with good detail, lists of pluses and minuses and pictures
- Dave Drive
- Dave shares his experiences at the two-day driving school in Laguna Seca
- The Car Connection
- Conor Twomey drops his bravado and skepticism at the driving school at Laguna Seca
- Automotive Rhythms
- Tamara Warren shares about her experience in a one-day driving course at Lime Rock.
- Winding Road
- Review by Tom Martin of the racing school (registration required)
- Racing School Review
- An incredibly detailed review of the three-day racing school at Laguna Seca including tons of pictures from a driver planning to go pro.
Driving School Options at Skip Barber
- Two Day High Performance School
The Two-Day includes even more of what premium sports cars are all about: exercising their incredible capabilities on the race track. Drive different premium sports cars over the course of two days; Porsche 911 and Boxster and BMW M3 and 330i (not all cars are available at all locations). A must program for prospective sports car purchasers. - One Day High Performance School
A high performance driving course using a stable of powerful sports cars and sport sedans. The time-proven Skip Barber formula applied to - and experienced behind the wheel of - Porsche 911 and Boxster, BMW M3 and 330i (not all cars are available at all locations). Students learn in a high-octane mix of environments, including classroom, autocross and purpose-built exercise areas. Finish the day experiencing the thrill and excitement of driving a high-performance sports car on the race track. - One or Two Day Driving School
Professional driving instructors will teach you the foundations of safe, fun motoring, including:
* understanding vehicle dynamics & behavior
* slides & recoveries
* threshold ("panic") braking
* lane-toss exercises & accident avoidance
* applying your new-found skills in the Mazda RX-8, MX-5 & MAZDA3s
The Two-Day program includes more practice time, more and different skills -- including "racing" skills that make you a better, safer "street" driver:
* heel-and-toe downshifting
* emergency lane changes
* additional street awareness training
* etiquette & road manners - One-Day Combo
Hone your skills and boost your confidence with the full-day program that combines popular elements from our driving and racing programs, including:
* threshold braking
* slide and recovery techniques
* practice time in the Mazda RX-8, MX-5 & MAZDA3s "seat time" on the race track in the Formula Skip Barber race car - New Driving Program
Begin your life on the road learning the driving techniques critical to true defensive driving, including:
* emergency braking and emergency lane changes
* car control skills practiced on the autocross and skid pad
* standard transmission operation
* enhanced street awareness & road etiquette
* parallel parking and reversing
Skip Barber Stuff on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Some of the Racing School Options at Skip Barber
- Introduction to Racing
Do speed limits annoy you? Get a taste of open-wheel racing! Drive a Formula Skip Barber, a race car with braking, cornering and accelerating capabilities beyond that of even the most powerful sports cars. Here's what you'll get:
* 60 minutes of lap time
* an understanding of vehicle dynamics
* race-style downshifting
* "competition" braking & cornering techniques - MX-5 Cup Racing School
The first and only racing school in North America in which students - no experience needed - are learning the art and science of racecar driving in the very same car as is used in a professional racing series: The SCCA Pro Racing Sirius Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup.
In addition, because the MX-5 Cup car is a two-seater, our instructors can ride 'right-seat' for specific on-track exercises where instantaneous feedback will be of huge value to the student.
Like the successful formula-car three day school, the MX-5 Cup Racing School emphasizes track time combined with the best, most experienced instructor corps in the industry. Each day begins with a short classroom "chalk talk," then you're on the race track. - Three Day Racing School
Experience the "serious fun" of the most prestigious racing school in the world. Each day begins with a short classroom "chalk talk," then you're on the race track. Learn and practice the same techniques taught to Jeff Gordon, Michael Andretti and hundreds of other famous drivers. - Advanced Two-Day Racing School
Whether your intent is to continue the process that will get you on the starting grid, or simply drive a more sophisticated race car, the "ADV2" is your next step.
* All exercises in the more sophisticated Race Series car, the Formula Skip Barber 2000 with sequential 5-speed transmission
* More practice of "rotation" (see Advance Car Control )
* More threshold braking practice
* More start-and restart practice
* More lapping sessions
* "Lead/follow" exercises (instructor in one car, you in another) - Advanced Car Control
Get comfortable in the corners. The advanced handling techniques taught in the Advanced Car Control will boost your performance when you take to the track:
* Sliding, drifting & "rotating" a vehicle
* Obstacle-free skid pad and autocross instruction
* Vehicles: Formula Skip Barber race car, Mazda RX-8, MX-5 & MAZDA3s - Lapping
"Seat time" is the single most important element in becoming a safe, quick race car driver. And that's what "lapping" is all about, whether your goal is to go racing or not.
* Approximately 100 miles of track time
* Individual feedback from coaching staff
* Passing allowed (in specific zones) - Lead-Follow
You get your own personal coach for a 30-minute on-track session. You're in one Skip Barber Formula 2000, the coach in another - and both cars have two-way radios. On the race track, follow the instructor nose-to-tail and learn precisely where to brake, turn-in, apex and track-out. You get instant feedback via the radios, plus sit-down time after the session. Guaranteed to take big chunks off your lap times.
Skip Barber Books
Learn from Skip even when you're not at the track
Who is Skip Barber?
John "Skip" Barber, one of a select few Americans to compete in the Formula One World Championship, started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard University, where he earned a degree in English.
In the mid-1960s, he won three SCCA National Championships in a row and finished third in the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship. Later, Barber went on to win consecutive Formula Ford National Championships (1969 and 1970), a record tied only recently.
When his racing career ended, Barber's belief that auto racing was "coachable" in the same manner as any other sport -- at the time, a distinctly minority position -- led him to create the eponymously named Racing School, and a year later, the equal-car Race Series.
In 1975, with two borrowed Lola Formula Fords and four eager students, Barber started the Skip Barber School of High Performance Driving. In 1976, it was renamed the Skip Barber Racing School and that same year, he created the Skip Barber Race Series.
Skip Barber Videos
Great way to pick up tips if you can't make it to the school
What Bloggers are Saying about Skip Barber
- Skip Barber: Daly crowned 2008 champion
- The 2008 edition of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda concluded over the weekend (October 4-5) with Rounds 13-14 taking place at Virginia International Raceway. Conor Daly, thanks to a win in race one and runner-up ...
- Victory the Greatest Motivation for Tafel Racing; San Jose's ...
- He began racing karts at age 12, moving to the Skip Barber Series in 2002 where he won the 2003-04 Western Series title with nine victories and nine pole positions. Brix moved to sports car racing in 2004, earning his first victory in ...
- LUCZO DRAGON RACING NAMES RAPHAEL MATOS AS NEW DRIVER; JOINS ...
- He came to the United States in 2002 to compete in the Formula Dodge and Skip Barber Race Series. He was Skip Barber Rookie of the Year and followed that by winning the Formula Dodge National Championship a year later. ...
- Skip Barber's Fendered Adventures
- The opening season of the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Challenge has delivered on its promise of wide-open, free-for-all competition.
Base Locations for Skip Barber Schools
Regular home camps for schools throughout the year
Skip Barber has six "home" locations around the country where schools are taught year round. The below links will take you directly to the home pages of the tracks where you can get info on the tracks, directions, videos and hotels.
- Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
- Tremendous elevation changes, the famous Corkscrew complex, 2.24 sinewy miles... One of the world's great circuits, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is located in one of North America's best destination locations -- the Monterey Peninsula.
Upcoming events at Laguna Seca
- Lime Rock Park
- Few tracks are as well known and loved. This classic 1.53-mile, 7-turn course, nestled in the stunning Berkshire Mountains of northwest Connecticut, has challenged some of the world's best drivers since 1957. Only about two hours from New York and Boston, Lime Rock Park's setting in picturesque Northwest Connecticut is classic New England. The track has dramatic elevation changes in its justly famous 1.5-mile, 7-turn layout, while the driving school facilities are the best in the business.
Upcoming events at Lime Rock Park
- Road Atlanta
- Located less than an hour northeast of Atlanta in Braselton, Ga, Road Atlanta is universally regarded as one of America's best racing and driving facilities. Beautiful, challenging, historic and justifiably famous.
Upcoming events at Road Atlanta
- Road America
- One of the world's great race tracks, Road America is often compared to Europe's best tracks. Its 14 famous corners are encompassed in a 4.0-mile natural terrain layout. About an hour north of Milwaukee, in the heartland of Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine vacation and resort destinations, Road America's three most noteworthy corners come at you consecutively: The Carousel, The Kink and "Canada."
Upcoming events at Road America
- Sebring International Raceway
- Famous the world over, Sebring's airport runways and permanent road course are utilized by Skip Barber Racing in three different circuit layouts, including the classic 17-turn, 3.7 mile "12 Hours of Sebring" configuration.
Upcoming events at Sebring
- Other Locations
- Skip Barber hits about 20 other raceways around the country with its schools. The link above takes you to the complete list.
Travel to Skip Barber Schools
How to get to one of their locations
Package Deals to Atlanta
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$466 from Charlotte: flight + 2 nights hotel
- $483 from Fort Lauderdale: flight + 2 nights hotel
- $505 from Jacksonville: flight + 2 nights hotel
- $525 from St Louis: flight + 2 nights hotel
- $545 from Chicago: flight + 2 nights hotel
- $483 from Fort Lauderdale: flight + 2 nights hotel
Auto Racing Gear from CafePress
Have you been to Skip Barber?
Tell us about your experiences!
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SemperFidelis
Blessed, 5-starred, and favorited by a Squid Angel today! :) Posted September 03, 2008 |
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mulberry
My hubby did this years ago, really loved it and won a couple of races. Nice lens. Posted July 31, 2008 |
Merlin
I completed the 2-day Advanced Racing School this summer at Watkins Glen. No other course offers more seat time! The instructors had us confidently racing at speeds far faster than we ever expected. The in-car video of your track runs for $100 is a bargain!
Posted October 04, 2007
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