I had the chance to attend the Evolution Performance Driving School Phase 1 at Ft. Pierce on 11/20/2005. I wrote a short article describing my experience.

It was very very interesting and I can say that I recommend the school to anyone who wants to improve their times!

Check it out:
http://www.theracinglinemag.com/ther...lo2-school.htm

I am thinking of going for the Phase 2 in Feb @ Ft Myers.

 

Danger Will Robinson!!

This guy is obviously a Mazda spy trolling to void our warranties for racing!! j/k

Nice writeup. A quick stroll through this forum will find several discussions of driving schools including Evolution. There are also some very competent autocrossers here.

Welcome to the forum.

 

No, not a Mazda spy! Actually a 350Z driver who started autocrossing about a year ago.

Thanks for welcoming me to the forum, I was looking around and saw that the BS National Champion is on this board. I've had a chance to drive the RX8 last weekend at an autocross school and loved it. Cant say I like it more than the Z but its a nice car.

 

Some people are just slow learners. We welcome all 350Z's as class fodder.

Just kidding. I am sure this year if the Z gets a V710 in the size it needs it will be right at the top.

 

I highly recommend the Evo school as well. Having 30-40 runs really gives you a chance to try alot of new things out, which is only aided further by having instructors.

Whats crazy is the later phases...in one of them they tape up your windshield except of a small upper section. You can ONLY look ahead! LoL!

 

What size would it need?? The 245 v710 is no good for a 350z? Just curious.

 

I am thinking of going w/ the 275/40/17 V710. That should be quite a big jump from my street tires which are 225/50/17 front and 255/45/17 rear. Can a Z win a national? I dont know but I am very very far from being ready for anything like nationals. Seems the RX8 is the car to have if that is what you're after.

 

Nationals wasn't representative of what the Z can do. Carter had cone troubles all weekend and Andy Hohl was dirty as well. Those are two guys that had been very fast at all the tours they attended. IIRC Chris Hammond / Andy Hohl's car was on the 17" 275 V710.

 

The 17" cars are ok on the 275-40-17 but the 18" cars need a 265-18. They weigh a bit more than us and have a POS LSD. I think they could win on the right size tire.

 

And don't forget an ice mode that's way too easy to get into (in Andy's case at least).

Has anyone had an ice mode issue in an RX-8?

 

Back on-topic, I'd like to do at least a Phase 1 this season. There's on in VA Beach but that's still 250 miles away I believe.

 

Evo Phase 1 is excellent. I got to experience the course in one big continuous drift thanks to my instructors superb car control skills and the rain. However, I would not attend an Evo school without at least 3 autocrosses under your belt. You won't gain enough from it until you have acclimated to driving an autox course.

 

Ice mode?

 

Yes I totally agree w/ that. I would say maybe even 4 to 5 events. I would also say that the best time to take this school is somewhere between 4 events and 10 events, meaning that if you have a lot of autocrosses under your belt it would not be as valuable as if you only have 4 or 5. This is just my opinion, of course.

 

Dang. The Evo is before the season starts around here. I dunno how I'm going to get three autocrosses under my belt before taking the school

 

Another way to look at it is this: if you go to the school before you have any autocross experience at all, you will not acquire any bad habits. So you will be learning how to do it correctly right from the beginning. There are many first timers at these schools so dont worry about it. Believe me the school is really worth it, dont let anything stop you from going, you will learn a lot.

 

I may be wrong, but I think they mean ever. I don't think that it matters what time in the season. From seeing the national results, I believe that you may have a few events under your belt.

 

I would still say try to go to at least two: one to see if you actually like it or not, and the second to drive after you have experienced the whole thing once and have a better idea what's going on w/ the event and your car in that type of situation. No matter how much you drive on the street, (even if you get near the limit, which you shouldn't), it doesn't really compare well to autox since the courses are tighter than many roads and have interesting elements.

The instructors will try to help you develop good habits, but they won't necessarily guide you in one particular style. For example, both of my instructors were left-foot brakers, and they both told me, when asked, that they thought it was an advantage, but it certainly wasn't necessary to win championships, because plenty of right-foot guys have done it. Same for shuffle steering.

The instructors are excellent, but I feel like the school is best for learning things you DON'T know. Most people figure out that there is a line to take, and that there are braking points, the very basic ideas. I felt like Evo helped at making me understand why the way I felt was fast, really wasn't. Most novices will instinctively improve their pax through a few events, and then reach a plataeu. But that's just my opinion, and I'm no nat'l champ.

Most areas only offer it once a year though, so if that's your case, then I say go for it if you really want to do autocross. But I'd want to have one under you belt, so at least you can decide if you've only lost $25 or $300?

 

I had a typical year - slow start followed by good performances at the local events (PAXing in the 10-15 out of 250 drivers) but sucky national performances. FWIW, I don't put much stock into the PAX stuff on a local level. I was driving a top-prepped car on the best tires. The car represented probably 5% of our local competitors, so by default I should be in the top 5%. But I digress.

I'm torn as to what I should spend the money on - travel to National events (of which there are very few close to me) or Evo schools. As I see it, the Evo schools teach the mental preparation to learn how to drive and put the skills in place to win but they can't possibly teach how to compete.

Sam Strano and I talked a good deal about that at the last local event of the year. We had a great battle trading the fastest raw times in class but with cones - my first run was a 58.89+1. He followed it with a 58.9+1. I ran a 58.7+1, he followed with a 58.4+1. I ran a 58.33+2, he ran a 58.41+3. The last run decided it and I did exactly what I did at Nationals - ran a conservative run to be clean and he drove the wheels off his car to the win.

I think the Evo schools will definitely find some flaws in my driving which is why I need to take at least two.

But I need to fix my mental flaws on my own, and for that there is no substitute for competition on the highest level. Maybe I should beg a ride in ULLLOSE's car and fly out to Cali for an event

 

imho you are for enough along I dont think you will gain as much from an EVO school. I would have loved to have something like that back when I started, I think I could have saved myself many wasted years. You get to a point that no one is going to take you past but you. No matter how many schools you go to only seat time and you will take you to the top. When I say seat time I dont mean practice days... I mean events. You need to focus on getting it done in 3 runs. Not 10 at a practice day or whatever. Prosolos do make great practice days but I think tours are the best way to tune up for natls. You should spend your money on big events.
As far as getting into the 05' Champ car you have to talk with the boss. So far only one other person besides me has driven her car, Gary Thomason, you may have heard of him. However I can check around with other 8 owners for you.