Welcome to the Corvette Forums at the Corvette Action Center!

Would You Support An Official Chevrolet Corvette Driving School?

Would you participate in an official Corvette driving class if it was offered?

  • Yes

    Votes: 74 67.3%
  • No

    Votes: 10 9.1%
  • Possibly - I would want to know more about it.

    Votes: 26 23.6%

  • Total voters
    110
  • Poll closed .

Rob

Site Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Sep 16, 2000
Messages
13,917
Location
New Hampshire
Corvette
1990 Corvette ZR-1
It's well known that the Corvette is one of the safest, best handling sports cars on the road today, but do you feel as though you're capable of utilizing the full performance potential of your Corvette?

BMW actually offers their very own official driving school at the BMW Performance Center in South Carolina. The Driving School offers course instruction for drivers to develop skills that add to the performance and safety of their vehicles, whether they are in a BMW or some other type of auto. The challenging array of asphalt and concrete areas helps teach every aspect of car control.

Their driving school offers the following programs:

Car Control Skills Clinic - Participants in this one-day program will practice accident avoidance on several areas of the Performance Center's driving course, including the water wall corridor, skid pad, slalom course, autocross circuit and lifestyle course. Participants are taught vehicle dynamics and the significance of weight distribution and seating positions and how they effect cornering under controlled and panic breaking situations.

Advanced Car Control Skills Clinic - This two-day session picks up where the Car Control Skills Clinic ends. Participants will spend more time on the skid pad and learn and gain an in-depth exposure to active safety technology to become safer, more responsible drivers.

M School - A one-day class utilizing the high-performance M3 and M roadsters. Participants will experience the dynamics of these high-performance vehicles and understand active safety features while maneuvering through the autocross circuit. Emphasis is placed on car control techniques.

M5 School - This one-day class is included in the purchase price of the 2000 M5. Participants will maximize their driving skills on the autocross circuit, water wall corridor and skid pad to experience the performance and handling of their new cars.

New Drivers Course - The one-day class, intended for inexperienced drivers between the ages of 16 and 19, goes well beyond drivers education available to most teens by offering young drivers hands-on experience for many types of driving situations. Classes cost $300 and are limited to 12 students with both classroom theory and hands-on experience using BMW 3 Series couples and sedans. Students must be at least 16 years old and they must have at least a learner's permit (or equivalent).

Women-Only Car Control Clinic - "Many women have told us they appreciate the camaraderie and fun of sharing a learning experience with a group of other women so we've added a course just for them. The curriculum is the same as our day-long Car Control Clinic, but the experience is definitely different," says Tom Troy, Manger of the BMW Performance Center, where the driving school is based. "The clinic is taught by women, all of whom are accomplished professional drivers."

Bragg-Smith Driving School out in Las Vegas, NV already offers a driving program utilizing Corvettes.

What if Chevrolet offered an official driving school for Corvette and Corvette owners that offered similar programs as the ones mentioned above?

If Chevrolet offered an official Corvette Driving School that taught students the performance limits of the Corvette, safe driving skills and how to properly use the various safety features built into Corvettes, would you consider utilizing such a program?

This Driving School package could even be tied in with the Museum Delivery Package (RPO R8C) and could be as easy as checking off a box on the dealer order form when you go into your local dealer to place an order for a new Corvette.

Combining the Museum Delivery Package with an official Corvette Performance Driving School package, not to mention a tour through the National Corvette Museum and Bowling Green Corvette Plant, would make the entire purchase and ownership experience a memorable one.

Or....say you just want to plan a trip to Bowling Green to visit the National Corvette Museum and take a tour of the plant. Why not enjoy yourself a litte more, and take advantage of an official Corvette Driving School program while you're there?

So.....what do others think? Is this something you would consider in addition to a trip to Bowling Green, or in ordering a new Corvette? Why or why not? Cast your vote above! :)

Disclaimer: Before rumors get started, etc., I just want to be clear on something....I'm not aware of Chevrolet even remotely considering such a plan. This is strictly my own idea that popped into my head today and I was curious what others thought. Who knows.....maybe someday they'll see this and think it's a cool idea. You never know. :)
 
I support the idea of an Official Chevrolet Corvette Driving School. We own the best sports car made, let's have a way to learn to drive at it's potential.
 
I don't think I live that far from the BMW
track in S. Carolina. Maybe I need to go
down there and thrash a beemer around!

:D farout
 
Excellent Idea

I think that would be an excellent idea....far too many people buy high performance cars and think that they are Mario F'N Andretti. It should take more than a bankroll and a heavy foot.....

Just my most humble opinion....

I have taken a kart performance driving class and hope to take one of the nationally recognized performance driving schools in the next few years.
 
I think its a great idea. However I think, that if this ever happens with a GM company, it will be Caddilac. Now, before you guys start throwing rotten eggs at me, think about it. Caddie seems to be comming into it's own as far as performance coupes and sedans go. It's also seen as GM's luxury arm, where as Chevy (with the exception of the Corvette) is the more affordible choice.

Also, I've read a couple things about Caddie moving into position to challenge BMW and Mecedies. If this is successful, I would imagine a Caddie performance driving school before a Chevy one. And since flagship of the Caddie challenge is supposed to be this new car baised on the Corvette (dont remember the name), and being built at BG. So, if there is a performance driving school, it could still be held in BG, and the rest of Rob's theory would work out fine.

Jason
 
I would definitely support one... the only problem with the current schools is the high cost. Maybe if own a Corvette you could get a discount? Or at least when you buy a new Corvette you get part of it paid for by GM... That would be a program I would go for.
 
Yeah, I'd do it! :upthumbs In fact, I'm thinking about doing the three day course at Bragg-Smith shortly after I get my '03 Z06.
 
:) Justin Bell offers Driving schools featuring Corvettes (Z0-6 included) in Florida. I took his 3-day school and was pleased eith the results.
 
Clairvoyant1332 said:
Yeah, I'd do it! :upthumbs In fact, I'm thinking about doing the three day course at Bragg-Smith shortly after I get my '03 Z06.

Bragg-Smith is great - you use their Corvettes, and the instruction is super! I think it's about as close to "official" as it gets, since GM does provide a lot of support to Rupert - or at least they did when I took the course.
 
would be neat !

i would suppport it....anything to help a new vette owner to "not" destroy his/hers 50k sports car on the first exit ramp they take in a rain storm! i've heard a few stories of people that bought a new vette and wrecked it in the first 2 hours to few day of ownership cause they didn't know the driving characteristics of such a sports car.

My 2 cents worth ;)

there is a road course in west virginia that offers driving courses for anyone interested here is the link. summitpoint-raceway one of my friends in his Imp SS went there and said it was a blast for 150 bucks! they only offer these classes on fridays.
 
A wise friend once told me before you put any money into the automobile put money into the driver. Plus it has to be a blast!
 
No I don't think chevy should do it and here's my reasoning. there are enough idiots on the road now that thinking they can handle a car at a buck 30 , this would only make more people who are not qualified to drive faster than their ability. I have been to a couple Skip Barber classes, but that was strickly for track racing not performance driving on the street. Most people won't shell out the 3-5 grand that these courses require, but if it was offered as and RPO code it could be financed along with the car and as human nature most people will think that now they have taken this course, that they can handle driving at excessive speeds. There was a comment made about having the class "help a new vette owner to not destroy their 50 k sports car on the first exit ramp in a rain storm ", I'll save ya some money here..slow the hell down.. if you can't figure out that you need to drive slower in the rain and even slower in corners then all the driving classes won't help. I also see a big liability issue for GM the first time someone takes this course and crashes and kills someone, there going to go right after GM for promoting this type of driving. Driving a Corvette is just like driving any other car, if you pay attention to what your doing and what other people are doing you shouldn't have a problem
 
Let me clarify as I re-read Robs post, you mentioned a course to learn the full potential of the corvette and I'm taking that to mean a school like skip barber, if that's what your talking about then my previous answers stands, but if you talking about the BMW course for corvette, then yes I do agree as you seem to be talking about two different types of schools:confused
 
Hmmmmm.....I'm talking about a cross between BMW and Skip Barber. A school where any Corvette owner can go to learn more about high performance driving in a Corvette...and a school where new C5 owners can take delivery of their new C5s, take a tour of the plant, NCM, and then attend a high performance driving school to learn how to fully enjoy their new C5.
 
I would! i would love to go to such a school, it would be a great place to meet vette owners, and a great place to learn how to drive a vette with skill. but i think there should also be a mechanic school and it should be for all generations of the corvette, not just the C5
 
I think GM should have done this long ago. I've been to a couple different driving courses, although they had a different purpose and were much more intensive than anything like GM would do I can tell you it was some of the best fun I've ever had. I learned more about driving at those schools than you could imagine. While I was in the Army I was sent off to be a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor, man was that an eye opener, and I had been riding bike for a long time before that.

Now, if anyone is in Florida with a rental car look me up and I'll teach you all about reverse 180's, J-turns and how to ram through a road block, then we can do that with multiple cars, and when it really gets fun is when you do all that from the passenger seat :D

If you really want a rush check out the Heckler & Koch class. Ya I know, who really needs it, but think of the possiblities :L

Tuition: $1,995.00
Duration: 5 days
Ammunition: 400 rounds (pistol), 500 rounds 9mm (submachine gun)
Special Requirements: Body armor, pistol, 3 magazines, concealable hip holster, jacket, wraparound eye and ear protection.

September 23-27 Lakeland, FL

Developed and taught in association with Skip Carroll & Associates, this course is designed for protective specialists who need to develop the firearms and driving skills necessary to respond effectively during crisis situations in vehicle operations. This five-day class combines defensive driving techniques with the proper use of firearms in operational scenarios. Class consists of both firing range and track time. Topics covered include:


• Safety & firearms handling
• Firing techniques, including firing from moving vehicles
• Methods of carry and deployment
• Deployment tactics
• Pistol and submachine gun live fire drills
• Braking and turning techniques
(including J-turns, bootlegs, 90° turns)
• Ramming
• Anti-ambush tactics
• Drills & scenarios
• Shooting through glass
 
i'd definetly take a corvette driving school course..........Scott, i wouldnt mind taking that class either :)
 
I just don't know...

If you go to http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette/ and then click on Corvette Enthusiast, there is a link to the Justin-Bell Driving School. Would this be an Official Corvette driving class, or is this just something that is a paid advertisement? What would be the difference between this offering and something else? Seems like I read where BMW or some other marque is offering driving classes at the factory. Is this what you mean? Just curious!
 

Corvette Forums

Not a member of the Corvette Action Center?  Join now!  It's free!

Help support the Corvette Action Center!

Supporting Vendors

Dealers:

MacMulkin Chevrolet - The Second Largest Corvette Dealer in the Country!

Advertise with the Corvette Action Center!

Double Your Chances!

Our Partners

Back
Top Bottom