Panoz Driving School

[shotgunslade]

Havent posted much about my motorsports activities this summer, although there has been a lot. Perhaps the best was my 3-day visit to the Panoz Racing School at Road Atlanta. It was marvelous.

It is an official 3-day SCCA license qualifying school, with lots of track time driving their Panoz GT-RA cars. These are a 2500 lb., tube-frame couple with a 302 Ford V-8 making about 250 hp. Live rear axle, unassisted brakes with racing pads, and R-compound slicks. Very stable, mostly understeering (power oversteer is quite possible). Great stable car to learn in. A little difficult to get into, though, with very shallow doors and a full roll cage



We started off with some wet skidpad work, and an autocross. These cars are really fun in autocross. Power on and you get some very good but controllable rotation. I had a blast. Could do a week of that stuff.

The on to the track. We were soloing right away. They station instructors at every corner totake notes and to review with you after every track session. Road Atlanta is a big fast race course. Hit over 130 mph on the back striaght, then into a sharp 90 degree left-hander, up and over the hill and down through a sweeping curve onto the main straight.



Some good head to head (not wheel to wheel) driving.



One of the last activites is a really fun requirement for the SCCA school. We have to complete 3 successful starting exercises, where we come onto the main straight lined up by twos, they wave the green flag, and we tear off down the straight toward the first turn and battle for position through the turn. Amazingly no contact. First Start, I even picked up two positions through timely shifting, getting to the inside, and being insistent through the turn.



Great experience. Unfortunately, Panoz has been bought by Skip Barber, so the classes will now all be conducted in MX-5's or Formula Mazda's. No more big, loud V-8's. Oh well, progress.

[SVXRide]

I hate you! You're having waaaaay too much fun!!
-Bill

[shotgunslade]

Bill:

Wait till I post my pics from Watkins Glen, driving in the rain. That was really fun.

Dan

[Chiketkd]

Awesome post - excellent write-up with some sweet pics!

[SilverSpear]

Originally Posted by SVXRide

I hate you! You're having waaaaay too much fun!!
-Bill

I hate him too

[RSVX]

Thats sweet...

Mind me asking the cost?

[shotgunslade]

The 3 day course cost $3600 plus $100 per day for car insurance. The latter is highly recommended. One of my classmates put his car heavily into the tire wall, destroying the front fiberglass, mashing the radiator and tearing off a front wheel. It only cost him the $4,000 deductible, instead of about $20k to fix the car and repair the wall. Actually, they probably parted out the car, given that they will no longer be used at the new Skip Barber Road Atlanta Racing School. You can pick up one of the cars on eBay for about $18-20k.

[JaySVX]

That looks like a blast. I will have to inquire to something of that nature, once i finish fixing my car up.

[shotgunslade]

Panoz no longer has a school, having been purchased by Skip Barber. Barber runs schools using Spec Miatas and Formula Mazdas. No more big front engined V-8 school cars. There are some sschools that have Corvettes, but they may be "Driving Experineces", rather than "Racing School" I will be doing a Bertil Roos "Racing School" a VIR in June. It uses a Formula Ford + car. I heard it is a really good school. Lots of seat time.