You can feel the race-inspired legacy the moment you slide behind the wheel of a Corvette. The truth is, Corvette Racing owns one of sports car racing’s top pedigrees.
They’ve consistently scored dominating victories at some of the most famous road courses around the world. In addition, today’s Corvette offers a jaw-dropping amount of technology transfer between the racing version and the showroom model.
Once your throaty V8 roars to life, it’s only natural to want to put it through its paces on a road course.
Therein lies the rub.
How do you go about getting so much as a front tire on a prestigious road course like Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta? To answer that question, we knew we needed to call Trip Campbell, CEO & Founder of The Driving Club at Road Atlanta.
Trip’s got over ten years of hands-on wisdom in providing track-lovers the immersive driving experience they crave. The Driving Club at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta provides an adrenaline fix in your Corvette that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.
What follows is the edited transcript of our conversation with Trip Campbell, CEO & Founder of The Driving Club at Road Atlanta. This is the first of a three-part article series
Driver’s Meeting
Rod Worley – Editor – First off, thank you, Trip, for inviting us to a member’s track day with your Club.
We noticed you set the tone early with a driver’s meeting to get everyone focused and on the same page. Can you take our readers through a typical driver’s meeting and the emphasis on driver safety?
Trip Campbell – CEO & Founder of The Driving Club – Rod, we were glad to have you with us.
You know, our morning breakfast and driver’s meeting is a time for members to greet friends, meet new members, and for us to lay the ground rules for a safe driving experience for everyone.
We start the meeting right after the catered breakfast we provide for our members and guests.
Most of our members have driven with us before. So they are familiar with the club’s driver etiquette and safety rules of Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
However, those drivers who are new to performance track driving will attend an additional introductory driver’s meeting. Some might attend one-on-one coaching sessions after breakfast as well.
We start every driver’s meeting by greeting those new to The Driving Club at Road Atlanta. It’s essential that new members and guests feel genuinely welcomed and familiar with our full range of amenities.
As far as specifics go, we talk about any physical changes to the track or alterations to the schedule for the day. You asked about safety, and that is always a priority for us.
We always cover the meaning of the various flags and different aspects of driver safety. Moreover, take time to discuss how to coexist together on the track to ensure a quality experience for everyone.
All of our members realize that once we get out on the track, they’re responsible for controlling the experience, not only for themselves but those around them.
A Club Of Friends
Rod Worley – Editor – There is a different energy to your driver’s meeting compared to so many others. You could feel the mood was relaxed, encouraging, and outgoing.
We noticed it wasn’t about bragging about how their car is faster than yours. The camaraderie was apparent, no one seemed to be a stranger.
The vendors that spoke at the meeting brought expertise and useable track information.
Do you often use guest speakers?
Trip Campbell – The Driving Club – We often say, The Driving Club is a club of friends first and foremost. Glad you picked up on it because new members often tell us that as well.
Yes, we often bring guest speakers and vendors to share their expertise with the club. As I’ve mentioned earlier, driver safety is always our number one concern.
So, the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta chief steward often attends the driver’s meeting. It lets him share track information directly with the drivers and answer any questions they might have.
From there, we’ll have a couple of our key support people on hand to answer questions.
We introduce our excellent on-site track support groups like ACI Motorsports or Carden Motorsports who are there every day to give a hand to members and guests with trackside support or general track advice.
We introduce our Pro Coach Seth Thomas as well as a number of pro coaches spending time with novice members as well as seasoned drivers.
Often we’ll have Motion Control Suspension (MCS) at the meeting. They bring their considerable expertise to help our members set up their cars for optimum performance.
New members who are unsure about the proper shock and suspension setup can benefit from their considerable experience.
Discovery Parts attends the driver’s meeting as well to advise on safety equipment. They bring their well-stocked trailer to the trackside paddock for convenience if you need help with a helmet fitting, shoes, gloves, or anything else to help the driver experience.
They also lighten the mood with Ron’s Driving Club racing trivia and gifts for knowledgeable winners.
Challenged While Having Fun
Rod Worley – Editor – When it comes to road course time, how do you provide a safe but challenging environment for everyone, regardless of their experience level?
How do drivers advance to more challenging sessions?
Trip Campbell – The Driving Club – Well, we don’t necessarily provide a challenging environment. Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta does that very well on its own.
The reason that everyone loves driving this 50-year-old iconic track is that there is never a dull moment. So many people migrate to this road course because of its storied history and reputation among drivers.
It quickly becomes their favorite track to drive within the first few laps, no matter where they may have driven before. Our members travel from multiple states away to drive the home of the famous Motul Petit Le Mans!
The track has 12 turns, including the famous “esses” between turns three and five, and Turn 12, a downhill diving turn leading onto the front straight. Altogether, it is 2.54 miles (4.088 km) of pure adrenaline that puts your skills to the test.
When you first drive on Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, it’s impressive just to be out there. But, early on, the challenge is to learn the course as a driver.
Finding your racing line is something every driver looks for but takes seat time to consistently repeat. Many will tell you the key to finding your racing line is practice, practice, practice.
We give you the track time and coaching to learn the turning point, apex point, and exit point for each turn. The challenge increases when you find a group with similar track times, and you begin pushing yourself to the next level.
There are numerous morning and afternoon sessions based on a number of factors so that each member is constantly learning and challenged, no matter their experience level.
As you start shaving seconds off your lap time, the fun really kicks in!
Need A Track Car?
Rod Worley – Editor – Do most members drive their streetcars on the road course, or do they bring in purpose-built track cars?
Trip Campbell – The Driving Club – A high percentage of our drivers use their streetcars as they have finally found a place to fully experience the capability of their sports car in an environment and setting that is much safer than most would imagine.
Their sports cars are up to the task of a demanding road course. It’s like their car is telling them “why have we waited so long to do this?”
In my opinion, there are distinct advantages to using the sports car you drove in with on the road course. First is that you get the chance to appreciate your sportscar’s unique handling characteristics, which gives you greater confidence on the street.
The second is that you tend to be more aware and cautious. Especially if you are piloting the car you’re counting on to take you home.
However, the more experienced drivers tend to gravitate toward a purpose-built track or race cars for the highest level of performance and safety.
Experience Like No Other
Often considered one of the finest road courses in North America, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta sits at the top of many track enthusiasts’ bucket list. There is simply no substitute for the exhilaration of piloting your personal sports car around this famous track at speed.
The Driving Club provides an immersive track day that is visceral, demanding, and deeply rewarding.
Trip Campbell and his team understand what you’re seeking. Many will tell you The Driving Club provides the best Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta experience.
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