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Racing School

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Looking for recommendations about racing schools to get an scca competition license. My top choice so far would be Skip Barber at COTA in February. The end goal is to run TA2 in the trans am series but I would most likely start with a spec miata series, so the school would need to fulfill the respective license requirements.

I have about 5 years experience racing karts at a fairly high level and I have ran a handful of track days with my 13' boss at Hallett and Gateway. Several people have suggested Skip Barber but to my understanding it is under new ownership. For skip barber I have narrowed it down to the 3 day mustang school or the 3 day formula 4 school. Which program would be better for what i'm looking to do? If any of you guys have experience at skip barber or any other schools id love to hear about it.
 

mattlqx

Mustangless
I'd definitely stick with the type of car you intend to run despite how attractive an experience in a single-seater maybe. You'll get more lessons that will directly translate to what you're running. Either way would be fun but, IMO condensed experience at a school is less valuable than just jumping in and running events and learning if you have a reasonable amount of track-time under your belt already.

Be careful though, as many people can tell you, the junkier the car you start racing, the more you start to look at your nice daily and think about how you can make that work. Good luck!
 

carver

breaker of wrenches
445
598
ontario
I had a great experience at the Ford Performance Racing School in Utah. I was there for the Focus RS adrenaline academy and the facility is top notch in every way. It's also very Mustang focused. I'm not sure if they do the scca competition license.
 
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Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
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Blair, Nebraska
Have gone on 10 trips to various racing schools and though all of them were fun would suggest as was noted above that you run a school with a car similar to what you will run on track. The Ford Performance Racing School was my number one choice while it was in Utah, but sadly that will change , somewhat, now that it is in Charlotte . Not sure why but it is not currently listed under the SCCA Accredited Schools, either.

Solid choices are Skip Barber , Ron Fellows SR3 ( Radical School ) in Pahrump, NV, and others, but keep in mind what type of license the school actually gives you , because some still require more track time after the school to actually get a license. If you have a car , running a school within a NASA Region ( for instance) can get you a license relatively quickly and with your experience in Karts it might not be that difficult. Feel free to call me on either an SCCA License or a NASA license.

I am an Instructor with the Central Region of NASA and can help you get on the right track with us if you want?

Sincerely,
Bill Pemberton
402-677-5864
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,420
8,346
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
MSRhouston.com has a Spec Miata School that says it will give you a full SCCA Comp. license and have not been there or run there, but do have some friends who track there. They say it is a pretty safe track and I have always felt that is a big plus so you can drive at the edge and not spend the majority of your time avoiding walls and barriers - not conducive to learning or getting a license in my personal opinion.

Looks like a school fairly soon, and if in St. Louis area that would help as you could be licensed prior to the upcoming Racing Season in the Midwest starts. As noted , if you have a car, there are less expensive alternatives and once you have a license ( SCCA or NASA) it is not too hard to acquire the other. I currently have both an SCCA License and a NASA License , for instance, though I seem to spend more time racing with NASA.
 
531
364
sfo
I only race SCCA nationwide for mostly safety reasons. I have never raced NASA. Why not just do the SCCA 3day superschool in your area? It is cheap like in the 100s of $ instead of 1000+/day from skip etal. You get big tracktime and provional license. Don't screw up in a few races get full competition license. The bar is very low. The goal don't hit stuff have fun.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
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8,346
Exp. Type
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Blair, Nebraska
Been an SCCA member since 1981 and NASA for about 10 years, and either of their schools within various Regions are very similar. Not sure I understand the comment by Bob about racing SCCA for safety reasons, but I can assure you both groups have solid rules for race safety in both groups. Concern for quality instruction, safety and fun is equal in both groups and getting a license in either makes it quite simple to transfer over ( for funds ) and get one in the other.

Short Bus, if you call me you might text me first so I know to answer the phone, as I get hammered by phones on my school loan and applying for a new , special credit card, ha,ha. 402-677-5864

Bob is quite correct that either SCCA or a NASA Regional License will save you a ton of money, compared to a Professional School, but if you do not have a car at the present time , they are a great alternative. Plus, over the years, I have found each school I attended helped me in some way to improve or fine tune my racing skills .....and boy do they start to disappear with age, ha.
 
531
364
sfo
Not sure I understand the comment by Bob about racing SCCA for safety reasons,.

I'm a big chicken. I don't fear death but injury. I have never raced NASA but I have raced other groups and of course previous HPDE and trackdays like most of us started and none compare to SCCA. SCCA has a great safety system from real extraction crews, fully manned with firebottles dual maned upstream/down stream corner stations, real onsite medical chief (an MD) who ensures all safety systems in place before racing begins, on site "Advanced Cardiac Life Suport", 2 ambulance/paramedics, and standby medical helicopter.

When I hike in miles to fish a stream in colorado if I have a medical emergency I'm probably dead. If I have a heart attack in an SCCA paddock I'll get immediate attention. Our local Calclub SCCA worker teams are the professional event LBGP worker teams. We own our own tow trucks and all the worker infrastructure jaws of life etc..

Once racing out inde motorsports park we had a wreck with guy breaking his arm. No big deal but SCCA wants 2 ambulances on site at all times for races. So that would have been 2hr delay if the ambi takes the guy to tuscon and sends a new ambulance. So the SD/AZ SCCA local club flew in the helicopter to fly the guy out so the ambulances can stay and racing continue. That is what deep pockets of a near 70,000, nationwide members will do for you.

When a race facility has an onsite medical center SCCA will staff if. When I did the Runoffs at Indy a couple years ago the in field hospital was staffed and ready for injury of anyone on site supporting the nearly 1000 drivers we had that week.

So you add that to an amazing liability insurance policy that lists participants as additional insureds and you have a very compelling reason to stick with SCCA.

Maybe NASA has this too?
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,420
8,346
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Both have very solid safety programs and having started racing in SCCA , doing more NASA of late, but still racing in both, their Safety Systems are almost identical. In fact , I personally think the Time Trial and HPDE set up with NASA is safer and better organized than SCCA. Either way , both are great groups, and each have their strengths and weaknesses, though frankly this is often a situation of the Region involved. Both SCCA and NASA have various Regions around the US that are better organized or more efficient than others, but taken as a whole, both have very high quality Safety records , concerns ,etc.

I do agree some of the lesser known and smaller Racing groups , do not have rules as stringent as these two groups do, but being a current member of both, one can run in either with a feeling of confidence.

The SCCA group in your Area is well known and is one of the top Regions in the Country, and I can appreciate your thoughts and praise. Keep in mind , though , the 25 Hours of Thunderhill is run by NASA, so you are blessed to have a very strong NASA Region in your area of the Country also -- the home office of NASA is in Napa Valley.
 

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