Published on April 3, 2024
Ron Fellows Performance Driving School.
Dedicated schools across the United States focus on performance driving, offering a wide range of courses covering open-wheel race cars, rally competition, winter drifting, evasive driving maneuvers, and four-wheel-drive rock crawling. The curriculum emphasizes essential skills such as vision techniques, throttle control, braking principles, driving line selection, and managing understeer and oversteer.
From newly licensed teenagers to seasoned amateur enthusiasts and professional racers, individuals of all levels can benefit from targeted exercises designed to refine these core competencies. Moreover, the training provided by these academies aims not only to enhance performance on the track but also to promote safer driving practices on public roads.
Radford Racing School
Image Credit: Radford Racing School
Situated just south of Phoenix, Arizona, the Radford Racing School operates from the former Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving facility, boasting experienced instructors. Courses range from half-day sessions to week-long programs, incorporating classroom instruction, skid-pad training, and road-circuit driving experiences.
Students progress through various vehicles, starting from Dodge Chargers and Challengers to Dodge Vipers, and eventually advancing to open-wheel Ligier Formula 4 race cars. Throughout the training, participants learn advanced techniques such as aggressive braking, proper tire positioning before turns, and accelerating quickly out of apexes. The school also offers diverse programs including drag racing, law enforcement driving tactics, and defensive driving strategies.
Skip Barber Racing School
Image Credit: Skip Barber Racing School
In contrast to fixed locations, the Skip Barber Racing School conducts classes at multiple venues nationwide, including Lime Rock, Sebring, Virginia International Raceway, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Notable alumni of the school include NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon and Indy 500 winners Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi.
The instructors at Skip Barber provide an introductory driving academy aimed at translating racing skills to everyday road scenarios. Additionally, the school offers GT and Formula-car track experiences ranging from one to three days in duration.
Ron Fellows Performance Driving School
Image Credit: Photo: Courtesy of the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School.
Conveniently located at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch near Las Vegas, Nevada, the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School offers an immersive experience with the largest road course in the U.S., including the new Charleston Peak circuit built to FIA Grade 3 specifications. Participants have the opportunity to master mid-engined sports cars, particularly the C8 Corvette, on the track. The school also hosts the Radical Academy and the Cadillac Academy.
Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School
Image Credit: Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School
While drag racing may appear straightforward, achieving a clean run down the quarter-mile strip demands precise timing and technique. Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, with locations nationwide, introduces students to burnout procedures, tire temperature management, line lock usage, and transmission braking techniques. Participants learn to handle oversteer, skids, and execute full-throttle accelerations. The skills acquired in drag racing are directly applicable to driving high-performance street-legal sports cars and supercars safely on public roads.
DirtFish
Image Credit: DirtFish
Specializing in rally racing, DirtFish offers training in off-road motorsport competition using fully caged Subarus, including the all-wheel-drive STI and rear-wheel-drive BRZ models. Located east of Seattle, the school’s instructors, who actively compete in the American Rally Association series, focus on enhancing car control and confidence in challenging conditions. The school’s training ground also features filming locations from the TV show Twin Peaks.
Team O’Neil Rally School
Image Credit: Team O’Neil Rally School
Based in Dalton, New Hampshire, Team O’Neil Rally School provides extensive training on winter driving skills across its 583-acre facility. Offering courses with various types of cars—front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and all-wheel-drive—the school caters to individual enthusiasts, groups, and corporate clients. In addition to racing instruction, the school specializes in tactical driving for military and security personnel.
Barlow Adventures
Image Credit: Barlow Adventures
Barlow Adventures conducts classes in the scenic deserts of the American Southwest, including Moab, the Rubicon Trail, Table Mesa, Glamis, and Prairie City. The curriculum ranges from basic line selection and recovery techniques to advanced topics such as vehicle preparation, dune driving, and four-wheel-drive mechanics. Experienced 4×4 enthusiasts can further develop skills in winching, safety protocols, trail navigation, and rock crawling, with opportunities to train as instructors and participate in guided excursions.
Cory Kruseman’s Sprint Car and Midget Driving School
Image Credit: Cory Kruseman’s Sprint Car and Midget Driving School
Cory Kruseman’s Sprint Car and Midget Driving School in Ventura, California, offers training in dirt-track racing, a thrilling yet niche motorsport discipline. Students learn to navigate powerful sprint cars and midget cars around short courses at high speeds, focusing on driving lines, apexes, and track conditions to improve lap times.
Lamborghini Esperienza Neve
Image Credit: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
For drivers seeking a unique challenge, Lamborghini hosts ice-driving courses at Canada’s Lake Sacacomie, providing an opportunity to test skills in low-traction environments. Participants experience figure-eight drills, circular exercises, and rally circuits on ice and snow using vehicles like the Huracán Tecnica, Huracán Sterrato, and Urus.
California Superbike School
Image Credit: California Superbike School
Despite its name, the California Superbike School conducts sessions at tracks nationwide, focusing on enhancing driving skills through motorcycle training. The program emphasizes cornering techniques, braking strategies, body positioning, and recovery methods. Instructors use videotaped laps to analyze individual performance, helping riders improve their grip and stability on motorcycles, skills that translate effectively to driving cars, especially in terms of racing lines and braking points.