Now that you’ve plundered your piggy bank and bought a brand-new eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette, where do you learn how to maximize its performance potential?
The Ron Fellows Performance Driving School is your official Chevrolet answer.
General Motors pays a substantial portion of the two-day course for any new C8 owner who signs up within their first year of ownership. You should know this isn’t just another “fantasy car experience.”
The Ron Fellows course was designed to hone your ability not only to drive better but, more importantly, to have a better understanding of how the latest offering from Bowling Green works on the track.
The Ron Fellows Performance Driving School is at the heart of the beautiful Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club outside of Las Vegas. They offer the longest track in North America at 6.1 miles, with the option to configure it into 18 different road courses.
The track is regularly broken down into three main track configurations, allowing two school programs and member track time to happen concurrently. One of the other schools coincidently happens to be for new Cadillac owners.
Race Credibility
If you’re concerned about the racing credibility of this training, don’t be.
For those not familiar with retired racing driver Ron Fellows, it all boils down to this; he has won almost every road racing race and championship there is to win over the last thirty years.
More importantly, many of his wins came while he was behind the wheel of a Corvette.
Ron has been a frequent visitor to victory lane at such notable places as Daytona, Sebring, LeMans, and more.
He’s won in Trans-Am, IMSA, and NASCAR. He not only has won at Mosport near Toronto but bought the track itself.
Yes, this school that bears his name understands how to get your C8 quickly around the track.
To give us insight into what the two days of training entails, we asked Don Bailey, President of Classic Glass Corvette Club of Marietta, to fill us in on his recent trip to Spring Mountain.
What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation. Enjoy!
C7 versus C8
Rod Worley – Editor – Don, a couple of years ago, you attended the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School for the C7 and now recently for the eighth-generation Corvette models.
Since you’ve had track time with both generations at the Spring Mountain facilities, how would you compare them?
Don Bailey – C8 Owner – The handling of the C8 on the track is noticeably better with the mid-engine design. The center of gravity has moved to the driver’s seat so the car now rotates around the driver in the corners.
The way the eighth-generation handles every aspect of a corner is superior to the C7s that I’ve run on this track, and thus you’re quicker. You have more confidence in the trackability of the C8 over the previous C7 generation.
Overall Course Goal
Rod Worley – Editor – What was the goal of the two-day course?
Is the instruction designed to improve your general driving skills, or is it more geared toward autocross and road course training?
Don Bailey – C8 Owner – All the above. They start with the premise that you may not have driven the C8 at all or just began to as a new owner.
They thoroughly walk you through every aspect of the C8. From the different driving modes all the way down to the hidden locks.
The instructors first focus on safely handling your car in wet conditions by using the weather mode. To do this, they wet down an area, set up with cones, and have you run figure eights with an instructor with and without the weather mode activated.
It’s valuable training because it has real-world applications. You have an instructor guiding you from the passenger seat.
Each new part of the instruction builds on the last. Through the training, you are gaining the confidence to push the C8 harder safely.
Natural Progression
There is a natural progression from classroom instruction to hands-on practice. Several of the exercises demonstrated how to maintain control during split-second collision avoidance and severe braking.
Threshold braking is one of the many useful skills they train on here. Threshold braking is where the driver seeks to brake just before the anti-lock brakes kick in.
This vital skill seeks to maximize the car’s braking capability by taking it up to the point where the wheels start to slip and lose grip. A vehicle with anti-lock brakes senses a skid reactively and adjusts, but the ideal braking point has been missed by that time.
All of this behind-the-wheel training gives you greater confidence in your C8 Corvette to handle real-world driving issues.
Classroom / Track Time Ratio
Rod Worley – Editor – What would you say is the ratio between classroom instruction and seat time behind the wheel?
There is a wide variety of driving skills among Corvette owners. Some seem to live on the track, and then some never take it off the public highway.
How did the instructors accommodate both extremes?
Don Bailey – C8 Owner – The first day was about a 50/50 mix of classroom versus track time. You would have class time to learn a skill, and then you would go right out and practice it on the track.
It doesn’t take long for the instructors to separate the class into three groups. This separation allowed the instructors to tailor the speed on the track to match the group’s skill level.
The instructors continually used a lead/follow style to demonstrate the optimum braking points, apex, and fastest line through the corners.
What impressed me about the instructors was their ability to drive the course with one hand, use the walkie-talkie with the other, give feedback by looking in the rearview mirror, and still be faster than everyone else.
How accurate was their feedback? They knew when I missed the apex of a corner by less than 12 inches. That’s how skilled these instructors were.
Combine their incredible driving skill with their timely, positive feedback kept you motivated every step of the way.
We rotated our time behind the instructor, so everyone got an equal amount of personal evaluation.
You See Improvement
Rod Worley – Editor – Don, on the second day of instruction, was there more road course time? Did the training pay off in better track times?
Don Bailey – C8 Owner – The second day’s activities included repeating a couple of drills from the first day to show you the progress you’ve made so far.
Yes, on the second day, there was more time on the course, and yes, you do see improved track times. The critical point here is that your training was not limited to the group’s least common denominator.
Because you are always in a lead/follow position behind the instructor, the instructor went faster as you improved to keep you advancing skill-wise.
They reinforced the racing adage of “Slow is Fast.” Which is the foundation to learning how to evaluate, navigate, and exit a corner correctly.
They continuously worked with you on the best breaking points, hitting the apex, and maintaining your entry speed/exit speed balance.
Each corner was broken down into segments including the visual scan, brake, downshift, turn-in, balance, clip the apex, unwind the wheel and accelerate.
Focus On The Training
Rod Worley – Editor – Are there any tips you could share with someone attending the Ron Fellow Performance Driving School for the first time?
Don Bailey – C8 Owner – To get the most out of this experience, you’ve got to focus on the instruction. Don’t be casual about it. Take this valuable training seriously.
It doesn’t mean you can’t smile, but be serious about applying the instruction. You will have lots of track time to use the training and improve.
If I had one recommendation to give before going out, it would be to get some seat time with your new Corvette first. When I attended the performance school in 2017, I only had my C7 for a couple of weeks.
It would be best to become comfortable with your new Corvette before you go out for advanced training.
Organized & Well Run
Rod Worley – Editor – What was your favorite part about the driving school, and are there improvements you would recommend?
Are there any suggestions on booking hotel reservations?
Don Bailey – C8 Owner – It’s hard to say that they could do anything better. To be honest, they’ve done this for so long that it gives you a high level of confidence in this safe and well-organized instruction.
For me, the favorite part was the autocross training. Learning how to set up for a corner and navigate the cones smoothly was fun.
It’s also great to see your improvement as you progress through the two-day course. As far as hotel suggestions for first-times go, I would suggest booking accommodations there at the track.
The Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club have excellent facilities.
There isn’t much between the track and Las Vegas, which is about an hour away. After a full day of classroom and track work, you are physically and mentally exhausted.
Plus, staying at the resort gives you a chance for some camaraderie with the others in your class. It’s a chance to make friends quickly.
More Than Speed
The Ron Fellows Performance Driving School is more comprehensive than just navigating corners at speed. A key point is teaching Corvette owners a good deal more about the car itself.
These instructors give a detailed guided tour of the car, right down to where to add fluids, access a battery tender port, and what to do in case of a dead battery.
GM heavily subsidizes the experience, combined with expert road course training and guidance. This is one offer every new C8 owner should take advantage of in the first year of ownership.
At the very least, a chance to flog someone else’s new Z-51 optioned C8 Corvette around a pristine road course for a weekend seems like a no-brainer from where we’re sitting.
Now, where did I put that piggy bank?
Articles We Recommend:
Ray Evernham On SVRA And New SRX Racing
SVRA Racing Is Music To Scott Borchetta’s Ears
Amy Ruman Has The Heart Of A Trans-Am Champion