BMW CCA - National Capital Chapter - Driving Schools @ Shenandoah (May 22 - 23)

[pseto]

BMW CCA - National Capital Chapter - Driving Schools @ Shenandoah (May 22 - 23)

2010 PRICE DECREASE! Shenandoah School is now $185/day!

The National Capital Chapter (NCC) operates two types of driving schools: Drivers' Schools and Car Control Clinics. While the methods of instruction and the target audience for these schools differ, they share a common goal of giving you the opportunity to develop and improve your skills as a driver and to strengthen your knowledge of your car's abilities so that you will be prepared for any situation you may encounter on the highway.

Our schools are not racing schools. Our focus is on skills, not speed, and our overriding concern is with your safety and that of your car. We select our school instructors very carefully, not simply for their technical knowledge and accomplishments as drivers, but also for their abilities to impart that knowledge to their students in a clear, concise, and professional manner.

Your BMW is an amazingly capable car. At a National Capital Chapter driving school, you will be able to realize your car's capabilities, learn the limits of those capabilities under controlled conditions and practice the skills needed to control your car safely within those limits.

Drivers' Schools
The primary goal of these schools is to develop and hone your car-control skills. It is not to drive fast, although speed will come with improving skills. We seek to produce not necessarily the fastest, but the most proficient drivers possible.

Each drivers' school consists of driving sessions on the track and at the skidpad, as well as classroom sessions. During your on-track sessions, you will be driving the full track at progressively higher speeds throughout the school. An in-car instructor will work with you to help you improve your driving mechanics. Braking, cornering and accelerating techniques are refined continuously during your on-track sessions.

Skidpad sessions will allow you to begin to master the skill of controlling your car at the limits of adhesion. You will learn how to control understeer (when your front tires lose adhesion) and oversteer (when your rear tires lose adhesion). The skills learned here will not only be invaluable on the track, they may well save your car - and your life - on the highway.

Classroom sessions present the underlying mechanics of your car's behavior and how your inputs as a driver affect it. We present basic driving theory, the physics of car behavior (i.e., the "why it works" of driving) and discussions of the techniques of advanced car control.

No single drivers' school will ever convey all there is to learn about driving. In this sense, our drivers' schools are part of a continuous learning environment, one that requires several years of attendance at dozens of schools before proficiency is attained. Even at that, there is always something more to learn, something additional on which to work. Acquiring driving skills is a process that is never completed.

About Our Instructors
Our instructors come from two basic driving backgrounds: accomplished drivers' school students and successful amateur (e.g., SCCA) racers. Regardless of their backgrounds, our instructors conform to a uniformly high standard of competence, professionalism and enthusiasm for teaching.

Candidates selected from our student roster have a documented record of achievement. Candidates applying from a racing background must have comparable skills and experience. We note that the requirements for a successful racer and those for a successful instructor are not necessarily the same, as the sole ability to drive fast is about the most minor qualification we seek in an instructor. Therefore, as part of the qualification process, we apply a series of student instruction simulations (using our instructors as the "students") to ensure that the candidate understands not only how to drive, but how to teach as well. We also ensure that candidates display impeccable attitude and driving etiquette and are successful in making the transition from "race-mode" to "school-mode."

Our current instructors' driving experience ranges from five years to twenty-five years. Our "average" instructor has been driving on the track for 11.5 years and has been instructing for 6 years. We draw our instructors from twelve BMW CCA chapters, the SCCA, PCA, and other marque clubs. We select our instructors very carefully to ensure that every student receives the best possible instruction from the safest, most professional and most knowledgeable people we can find. We are very proud of our instructor corps and we trust that you will share that pride.

Registration: http://ncc.motorsportreg.com/

[DoNDoN]

I am signed up.

[DarkstarZero]

I'll be there.

[besiktas]

Do I have to be BMWCCA member to join to this event?

Do i have to buy a helmet or do they rent on site?

Thanks

[DarkstarZero]

Originally Posted by besiktas

Do I have to be BMWCCA member to join to this event?

Do i have to buy a helmet or do they rent on site?

Thanks

They rent onsite but I suggest renting from OG racing in sterling before going. Or buy a helmet for $100.

[besiktas]

and do i have to be a member of BMW CCA?

is there a special quality or brand of helmet i should go for? do you guys use open face helmets?

thanks

[pseto]

Originally Posted by besiktas

and do i have to be a member of BMW CCA?

is there a special quality or brand of helmet i should go for? do you guys use open face helmets?

thanks

you don't have to be a CCA member; however, members get first dibs for registration, so as a non-member, you could easily get bumped.

open face helmets are fine, but its more important to find a helmet that fits you correctly. OG Racing in Sterling has an outstanding selection and trained personnel to get you the right certified helmet

[besiktas]

Thanks.

I just became a CCA National Chapter member. I will look for the helmets and probably register by monday.

[pseto]

Originally Posted by besiktas

Thanks.

I just became a CCA National Chapter member. I will look for the helmets and probably register by monday.

cool, not many spaces left; you should register ASAP. you have plenty of time to get a helmet.

[DoNDoN]

Sign up guys. Learn how to drive on a great track.

[besiktas]

Signed up last night.

[DarkstarZero]

When do we have to pay?

[besiktas]

i paid thru the registration site its 185 per day

[mrkbbd]

Hey Paul, is this a BMW-only event? I have a friend with a Corvette that would be interested

[DarkstarZero]

Originally Posted by mrkbbd

Hey Paul, is this a BMW-only event? I have a friend with a Corvette that would be interested

not BMW only, I think some girl signed up with a retal car.

[DarkstarZero]

Arnold, Christina - 2003 Toyota Corolla

[kartracer]

Originally Posted by DarkstarZero

Arnold, Christina - 2003 Toyota Corolla

I hope it doesn't have unintended acceleration. And that 94 mph Prius dude never comes to a track.

[MTrizzy]

Ill be there for sure!

[DoNDoN]

I had the best time of my life. Having Dan Martin of Martin's Auto Service in Gaithersburg as instructor was even better. He was able to take me in his race prepped e36 M3 which was a lot of fun. I will definitely do this again in the future. Here is a link to photos that a guy was taking out there. I was in group C.

http://www.photoreflect.com/store/th...aspx?e=6699762