Norman
Veteran Member
Well, I attended VW's DriverSchool in Pahrump, NV yesterday and I have to agree 100% with Rich's assessment of the event and its value. I drove 580 miles to get to this event, but I have to say that the $30 fee was the best $30 I've ever spent. The day is divided into four modules; slalom, accident avoidance (emergency lane change w/ full stop, using ABS), dynamics of cornering
, and dual autocross
. There were some pretty hot H2O-cooled VWs out there, mostly current generation A4s of the G/J/NB VR6&1.8T persuasion, and there was only one other TDI besides mine, Jan’s ('sorry, I forget his last name, and I don't think he frequents Fred's, although he, like me, drove all the way from the SF Bay Area to attend this event) NB. He seemed to be upholding the TDI's honor on the autocross track, as was I when I was paired up with a 1.8T Jetta. If anyone is wondering about performance, a Golf TDI with an Up chip + TB will out accelerate a 1.8T Jetta off the line with the enormous low-end torque generated. We both had stock suspensions and we were running the same tires, so the autocross was pretty much won or lost on two things; getting to the braking point first, then being smooth enough not to knock over any cones on the tight 180 before screaming back to the line and stopping inside the stop box. The other major factor that really makes this event is that you get to hang out with people that really share their passion for VWs and motor sports. We cap on gassers a lot on Fred's, but when everyone's out there trying to find the limits of their car and what it can (and cannot) do, everyone's pretty much the same. It was nice to have a lot of the folks in my grouping (as well as others) come up and ask about the TDI. Mostly they started off asking about the mileage (before the day's events), then turned to what was under the hood as the day wore on.
Unlike any of the previous DriverSchool events, we were allowed to do two laps of the 2.2 mile track under "controlled" conditions (pace car), and I think that alone was worth the $30 price of admission!
If anyone's curious about the facilities, you can read about it at: www.bragg-smith.com, and yes, Rupert was there the entire day.
To reiterate what Rich said several months ago about DriverSchool, if it ever comes to a venue within one tank's range from you, you have got to try and make this event. I promise you it will be the best $29.95 you'll ever spend!
Here's a group pic at the beginning of festivities, courtesy of jettafanatic over on the Vortex...see if you can spot the TDI..
[This message has been edited by Norman (edited October 30, 2000).]
Unlike any of the previous DriverSchool events, we were allowed to do two laps of the 2.2 mile track under "controlled" conditions (pace car), and I think that alone was worth the $30 price of admission!
To reiterate what Rich said several months ago about DriverSchool, if it ever comes to a venue within one tank's range from you, you have got to try and make this event. I promise you it will be the best $29.95 you'll ever spend!
Here's a group pic at the beginning of festivities, courtesy of jettafanatic over on the Vortex...see if you can spot the TDI..
[This message has been edited by Norman (edited October 30, 2000).]