I spent the day doing the high performance driving course out at Portland International Raceway today.

http://www.prodrive.net/racing_school.shtml#4

Holy crap, that was fun!! The course ran 8:00am to 3:00pm. You get 1 session running a short autocross course that lasts about 20 minutes and 4 20 minute sessions on track. An individual instructor is assigned to you for the day and rides along helping you feel out the racing line and helps you up your speed on successive laps. There is some classroom time in between sessions talking about basic racing techniques and safety with performance driving.

There were 16 cars ranging from 2 Minis (woo!) to corvettes, Mercedes, BMW's and a ferrari with a terrible ugly green and purple paint job - ugg. The drivers had all ranges of experience but since you had your own instructor it really felt like your own day on the track.

I got my mini up to about 110 on the straight sections, pulled 0.91 G's in some turns (I have an accelerometer that gives G forces) and melted what seems like half the rubber off the front tires

The onboard computer said I got 11 miles to the gallon for 90 miles of driving

Here are some pics of us on the track before the sessions:

http://picasaweb.google.com/photoshare2/PIR

 

Awesome. Thanks for sharing!

I'm interested in this too......but now I'm starting to regret not bumping up to the Cooper S. I really underestimated how much I've fallen in love with my MINI. My driving style has changed over the past three months since ownership.


spike

 

I think you would still have a great time since the course is taught to your level of experience and individual car. Plus you can handle just as good as an S in the corners.

The Mini has sure changed me too over the 4 months I've had it. I went from driving a geo and not really caring since it got me to work and back, to owning a racing helmet. How did that happen?

 

MINI- more than a car- a way of life.

Boy, their ad guys should pay me more.

After your experience at the track, do you reccomend getting your own helmet, or are the loaners decent (aside from the rented bowling shoe aspect)? I probably will only do this once a year at most.

 

They have good quality Bell helmets and give you a head sock to limit the lice I bought a pyrotect helmet from soloracer.com since I'm sure I'll be using it again. I think that once you get done though, you are not going to wait a full year to do it again

 

Track days rock! You learn more there in a day about vehicle dynamics than you would in a 5 years of street driving.

Thanks for the pics!

 

Bolus, Thanks for sharing your experience! Sounds like Prodrive might be worth the money$$ :-)

ezra360 when it comes to helmets a loaner would work but not all helmets are created equal. There is nothing like buying a helmet that fits your head comfortably, and it's all yours.