[Cult Hero]

got my first taste this past weekend out at Buttonwillow with BMW CCA HPDE, and my instructor said there are ten or so a year. I would love to get out with an instructor a couple more times to make sure I don't learn and retain bad habits. Everything I search just seems to be track days. Anyone point me in the right direction?

I am in Cali, so plenty of options for tracks.

[Doz M3]

Originally Posted by Cult Hero

got my first taste this past weekend out at Buttonwillow with BMW CCA HPDE, and my instructor said there are ten or so a year. I would love to get out with an instructor a couple more times to make sure I don't learn and retain bad habits. Everything I search just seems to be track days. Anyone point me in the right direction?

I am in Cali, so plenty of options for tracks.

I am in nor cal so I mainly know of the ones up here but BMW CCA is going to laguna seca at the end of may and Hooked on Driving will be at laguna seca june 1st...you can check out bmw cca's website for the calendar of events and also hooked on driving is a good organization for learning because they always have alot of instructors

[BM-Power]

I suggest NASA. They are at Buttonwillow this coming weekend and are actually hosting a race for BMW CCA.
Anyways, NASA is great because you'll get an instructor all day in the beginner group. I also like the fact that they are geared more towards racing, meaning as you go through the different groups you get more and more used to a race like environment. From "point by" to "open passing", Etc. There is a continuity with NASA and you'll constantly be leaning because they always do downloads after each session!!!
I would definitely go this weekend if I were you. It's gonna be a great weekend and everything you learned this past weekend is still fresh in your head. I sure wish I could be there, but I have my priorities all screwed up and are going to M-Fest

Apart from www.nasaproracing.com you've got www.speedventures.com which is a bit more "loose" and kinda just a "free for all", which some people like. You can get instructors with speed ventures, but you have to pay extra for them.

Hope this helps and you had a great time this weekend, I know I did!

[Cult Hero]

cheers man, saw you out there this past weekend. Had a bitchin time. Looking forward to getting back to it.

[Tonester]

I like SpeedVentures, they've always taken care of me well... sometimes their events do get a bit crowded but if you're in the right group you don't really get any traffic.

[Trackaholic]

I've done several events with Speedventures (actually started out with them) and have enjoyed all of them. I live in Santa Cruz, so I've been to Laguna Seca and Thunderhill.

Another great site is http://www.motorsportreg.com/

From there you can look at tracks in your area and see events from many of the groups at once. You'd then need to learn a bit more about the group you are interested in of course.

-T

[Cult Hero]

thanks for all the input guys. Need to get back out there. I get confused by all the class designations right now. Don't feel totally ready to get out there without an instructor but at the same time, ready to go!

[pardo]

FWIW, in Norcal NASA "point-by" is optional, even for Group1/2 (Novice). Subsequently, most people do not give point-by. I tasted in a couple months ago at Thunderhill. Its quite a cultural shock to me as I been taught to pass/be passed with point-by. But it was still fun and quite an experience.

NASA trains racers

Originally Posted by BM-Power

I suggest NASA. They are at Buttonwillow this coming weekend and are actually hosting a race for BMW CCA.
Anyways, NASA is great because you'll get an instructor all day in the beginner group. I also like the fact that they are geared more towards racing, meaning as you go through the different groups you get more and more used to a race like environment. From "point by" to "open passing", Etc. There is a continuity with NASA and you'll constantly be leaning because they always do downloads after each session!!!
I would definitely go this weekend if I were you. It's gonna be a great weekend and everything you learned this past weekend is still fresh in your head. I sure wish I could be there, but I have my priorities all screwed up and are going to M-Fest

Apart from www.nasaproracing.com you've got www.speedventures.com which is a bit more "loose" and kinda just a "free for all", which some people like. You can get instructors with speed ventures, but you have to pay extra for them.

Hope this helps and you had a great time this weekend, I know I did!