MotorsportReg.com - BMW CCA - Genesee Valley Chapter announces GVC Ultimate Driving School - Watkins Glen Friday, Sep 21 — Sunday, Sep 23, 2012 info at Watkins Glen Int'l , Watkins Glen, NY 14891 (9473)

Registration Closed:

September 16, 2012 11:59 PM EDT

 

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The Fall GVC Ultimate Driving School is our last of the season.

The Genesee Valley Chapter has over 27 years of experience conducting HP driving schools at Watkins Glen, and is nationally recognized for its innovative, state-of-the-art instructional program emphasizing personal instruction and graduated skill development in an environment that emphasizes camaraderie, safety and fun.

Our highly trained and experienced in-car instructors coach participants at all levels of skill development, from novices to club racers and instructor candidates, reinforcing the theory and practice of high performance driving taught in the classroom by one of our master classroom instructors.

The knowledge and skills learned here will certainly carry over to “the street”, making you a more skilled, confident, and safe driver.

Format:

The GVC Fall UDS is a high-performance driving school for drivers at all experience levels.  Students are divided into different “run groups” according to prior experience, evaluations from previous schools (if any), and vehicle type.  Each run group gets a minimum of 4 half-hour track sessions with in-car instruction each day of the school.  Between track sessions, students attend lively and interactive classroom sessions appropriate for their skill level.  Students also gain experience by riding with their instructors during the instructor track sessions.

Bonus Features:

• Rookie Orientation:  To make the experience more enjoyable for drivers new to GVC driving schools and the track, there is a ~1 hr. presentation and Q&A session Friday night before the event covering the schedule and curriculum, the layout of the track facilities, where to go for help, and how to prepare for the experience.
   
• Track “Walk”:  A guided tour of the track led by the Classroom Instructor is held at the end of the first day.   You will be transported in vehicles to selected corners, where you will disembark to examine and discuss the track features on foot with the classroom instructor.
   
• Garage Party:  On Saturday after the track walk, we convene in the Kendall Garage to meet and mingle with other drivers, instructors, friends and family, while enjoying complimentary finger-food, beer and wine.
   
• UDS Souvenir Shirts:  To commemorate the event and give you bragging rights back home, you will receive a limited edition Ultimate Driving School shirt to go along with the unique school tech sticker for your car.
   
• Liberal Passing Rules:  Passing is permitted on any straightaway and in the entry to turns at the end of passing zones (always with point-bye) for all except beginner run groups.

Advanced Solo (A-Solo) program:

Advanced students with many years' experience who are routinely signed-off to run solo in previous schools may register for our A-Solo program with three registration options:

Three-day school (Friday - Saturday - Sunday)

Two-day school (Friday - Saturday or Saturday - Sunday)

With either option, A-solo drivers are afforded

• Three hours of assigned track time per day:  A-Solo students drive with both the Advanced students (4 sessions) and Instructors (2 sessions). 
• Friday open-track day:  Friday is open track orientation day for Instructors, A-Solo students, and Club Racers.  Special group exercises may be scheduled to hone advanced driving techniques (e.g., close-quarter, side-by-side driving in traffic). 
• Group debriefing sessions:  Mandatory meetings of the group take the place of traditional didactic classroom sessions, during which experiences will be shared, driving techniques discussed, compared, and critiqued, and so forth. 
  
  More details are available by contacting the chief instructor (chief_instructor@gvc-bmwcca.org).

Admission to A-Solo:

A-solo is only for highly experienced, mature, and safe drivers who are very serious about improving their already considerable skills in a cooperative, uncompetitive environment.

• Drivers who have previously participated in the program are pre-approved and need not submit credentials unless requested by the Chief Instructor.

• Drivers new to the program must submit a detailed driving resume and two recommendation letters to the Chief Instructor well in advance of the school for credential verification.

• New applicants are first placed into the advanced (A) group for evaluation prior to being admitted to A-Solo.  Admission to A-Solo depends upon:

  • Superior evaluations and recommendation by the student's A group instructor.

  • Successful completion of a checkout ride with an A-Solo instructor.

  • Concensus of the existing A-Solo drivers that the applicant has the appropriate driving skills and respects the rules of the group.

• A-Solo students must strictly abide by all rules of the school and the program to remain in A-solo.

Fees:

In an attempt to keep things affordable in these trying economic times, fees have been kept the same as last year despite the increases in track fees and insurance costs that occur every year.

Advanced Driver Training Program

Genesee Valley's ADT program, now entering its fourth year, breaks from tradition to teach students modern cornering methods in a safe, non-competitive environment with liberal passing rules:

• "Late" passes and off-line entry into corners are not only allowed, but encouraged. Students are taught step by step how to execute these techniques in group exercises at reduced speeds, and then put their skills to use in open-track under the guidance of their in-car instructors.
• Slower cars are required to allow faster vehicles to pass at the earliest opportunity.  Cars holding up traffic by not giving point-byes are black-flagged by track control. 
• Result:  seamless passing, better traffic awareness and flow, collaborative rather than competitive driving, and a safer and more enjoyable event.

The ADT program has been a huge success, and has propagated rapidly to other BMW club chapters, car clubs, and track-day organizations.

Event Venue:

A major drawing card for our school is the chance to drive the legendary Watkins Glen International road-course, which traces its roots back to the legendary races held here just after WW II.  These early races were run on still-existing public roads in and around the town of Watkins Glen, and the current track layout echoes that of the original course.  Its long straights, sweeping turns, and dramatic elevation changes make it both a joy to drive and a challenge to master.

Watkins Glen is a beautiful summer resort located at the southern-most tip of Seneca Lake, in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes, one of the top wine-producing regions in the country.  Besides the many wineries, restaurants, shops, and fun activities for the whole family, the area boasts a variety of nearby state and local parks noted for their spectacular gorges and waterfalls.

Accommodations

The host hotel is the famous Seneca Lodge (http://www.senecalodge.com/), located at the upper entrance to Watkins Glen State Park off NY 329.  The Lodge is famous for its food and racing heritage.  The bar is notable for its collection of over 60 years of racing memorabliia.  Another favorite place to stay very close to the track is the Falls Motel in nearby Montour Falls.  http://www.thefallsmotel.com.  These places fill quickly, so make reservations early. 

Many other types of lodging can be found in Watkins Glen, from cozy bed-and-breakfasts (http://www.bbonline.com/ny/watkins+glen.html) to the luxurious Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel (http://www.watkinsglenharborhotel.com/).  Camping is available at Watkins Glen State Park (http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/142/details.aspx) and at many other private campgrounds.