Driver's School Newbee FAQ?

[Mystic330]

Hello all - Is there any FAQ or doc that describes the Driver's School program in more detail other than what I can find on this site under "Chapter Programs"??

Some questions like:
- Are helmet's required? If so what specs?
- There is mention of an inspection - is that required? Are there certain shops that have to do the inspection?
- If you send in your registration and don't make the list, do you get your check back? Cash? Credit?
- What times do the School's start? Is there a schedule?
- Do you have to do both days of the program? Safety School and Driver's School?

Sorry for the confusion - I'm reading through all the docs and pages and just don't see a comprehensive howto....

Thanks

[mlytle]

Hello all - Is there any FAQ or doc that describes the Driver's School program in more detail other than what I can find on this site under "Chapter Programs"??

Some questions like:
- Are helmet's required? If so what specs?
- There is mention of an inspection - is that required? Are there certain shops that have to do the inspection?
- If you send in your registration and don't make the list, do you get your check back? Cash? Credit?
- What times do the School's start? Is there a schedule?
- Do you have to do both days of the program? Safety School and Driver's School?

Sorry for the confusion - I'm reading through all the docs and pages and just don't see a comprehensive howto....

Thanks

-yes, sa95 or better
-yes. no.
-yes
-early. you will get a sked as part of the school package when you are accepted
-no, but i recommend doing both days. you will get much more out of the experience.

marshall

[Dave M]

You will find a bunch of information under

Chapter Programs
-----Driving Schools
----------About our programs
----------Registration
----------Documentation
----------FAQs

Beyond this, from the "Driving Schools" page, if you click on the actual events you will get access additional descriptions of the program.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[Mystic330]

hmmm... ok. I've been through all those pages numerous times and that's what's causing my confusion. There seems to be too much dis-jointed info in those sections - (remember, this is from a new member perspective.)

On the registration page it lists: "September 23-24 Drivers' School is $350 (2 days, Summit Point Raceway)" - But on the form there is a box for Sat and Sun. Is this a two day event for $350 or an ala-carte event for $175 each day?
The Driving School page lists "The Highway Safety School fee is $125, and the following drivers' school day's fee is $175." Does this mean that the "driver's school" is only on the 2nd day (sunday)?

I can't find any mention of a helmet requirement, but assume there is because people are discussing helmet recommendations.
The Technical Inspection page lists places to get "pre-event" inspections done, but there's no mention of which events require them.

Sorry again for my dense-ness - but if I find out 2 weeks before the event that I'm in, I don't want to be scrambling around to meet all of the, till then unknown, requirements. I also want to make sure I know what I'm registering for...

At this point I'm thinking I should just sit the first one out and just show up to see what's what and how things work...

Thanks for the info guys.

[SharkD]

- There is mention of an inspection - is that required? Are there certain shops that have to do the inspection?... The Technical Inspection page lists places to get "pre-event" inspections done, but there's no mention of which events require them.

There's two inspections -- one at a mechanic's shop (any mechanic, although some partner for free inspections; there's a checklist) and a second at the track, each morning, after you've removed everything from the car.

Event=Drivers' School.

- If you send in your registration and don't make the list, do you get your check back? Cash? Credit?

If you don't get in or if you do, but can't make it (and there's someone from the waitlist who can take your spot), they just tear up your check. No cash, no credit cards.

- What times do the School's start? Is there a schedule?

Mandatory Drivers' Meetings start at 8am. Your car must be tech'd before the meeting. (I'd get there no later than 7am -- I usually shoot for 6:30am, so I'm not rushed.) The schedule depends on your run group, but you'll probably be there until 4:30/5-ish both days.

- Do you have to do both days of the program? Safety School and Driver's School?

The Highway Safety School is the first day of the first school each year (the second day is a standard drivers' school). IMHO, as someone who's spent more than 25 days in HPDEs since April 2004, the HSS was the single-most valuable day I've spent at the track.

All the other weekends are two day drivers' schools -- I would definitely suggest doing the full weekend, especially if you're just starting out; seat-time is the most valuable use of your money (more so than track tires, track brake pads and fancy go-fast aftermarket add-ons). As it stands, the policy give precedence to people planning on attending both days, and registering only for Sunday is strongly discouraged, and outright prohibited for first-timers.

I can't find any mention of a helmet requirement, but assume there is because people are discussing helmet recommendations.

The only time you don't need a Snell Special Applications SA2000 or SA2005 certified helmet is the low-speed orientation laps in your instructor's car at the beginning of your first day and the drive to the snack bar for lunch.

If you need a helmet, but aren't ready to buy, OG Racing in Sterling rents helmets with the rental cost going towards purchase, and they have a huge selection of brands and models in-stock, so you can find at hat that fits perfectly and comfortably (as a tip, drive the car you plan to take to the school to OG, so you can sit in it with the helmet on before you rent/buy.

At this point I'm thinking I should just sit the first one out and just show up to see what's what and how things work...

There's no need to sit out the next school, especially Summit Point main -- it's a fun track, with lots of different turns and plenty of breathing room between them. Sure, the Jefferson is the "learning" track, but bear in mind that Bill Scott built the Jeff in order to combine all the turns, from various tracks, that he (a professional racer) had trouble with. (It's still a very fun track.)

Come on out for a fun (and rewarding) weekend and meet a bunch of interesting (read: passionate and wacky) people from all different walks of life.

[Mystic330]

Thanks sharkD - Between your answers and doing research on other Chapter's sites, I think I have a good handle on what's expected/required.
(We should really try to get better documentation/requirements up on our site as to what we require for our driver's programs for those of us who are new to these programs.)

I have been to Summit on multiple occasions under SCCA (both the Jeff and Main) and have done a lot of autocrosses - just have never been a BMWCCA member till now - Each group and event has their own set of requirements - I just couldn't find them for these programs.

I dunno at this point if I can afford to spend both days from a time perspective, so the jury's still out for me....

Thanks for the info!!