Driven

BY JIM GORZELANY

HIGHER (SPEED) EDUCATION

Want to pilot a racecar— or simply become a better driver? Hone your motoring skills at a performance-driving school.

Forget what you learned in high school driver’s education. If you want to know how to really drive a car, take a lesson or two at a high-performance motoring school. Most offer basic curricula that can help sharpen your on-road skills, make you a safer motorist or even show you how to get the most out of that snappy new sports car you bought in the throes of a midlife crisis.

Basic courses generally start with classroom sessions that outline fundamentals and track rules. But most of the action takes place on the pavement—either on specially laid-out courses in a parking lot area or on an actual racetrack—with an instructor in the passenger’s seat. Students are taught to master proper vehicle control, specifically when and how to safely accelerate, brake and steer. While a few schools allow you to drive your own car, most provide specially configured vehicles. In the end, it’s an education that can’t be beat.

Skip Barber Driving/Racing School

• The nation’s largest driving school, Skip Barber conducts numerous driving and racing courses at 36 venues across the country. Beginners can take one- or two-day high-performance classes, while aspiring racers can choose from multiple skills-building sessions. Cars are provided, and courses start at $795. www.skipbarber.com

Bertil Roos Racing School

•Conducting classes at tracks in Florida, New Jersey (starting July 8), Pennsylvania and Virginia from April through October, Bertil Roos schools run the gamut from a half-day road-racing session ($495-$525) to a full-blown five-day course in open-wheel Formula 2000 racecars ($5,195). www.racenow.com

Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving

•Offering courses in driving safety, high-performance driving and flat-out racing, Bondurant sessions run from $250 to $5,925, and are conducted at the school’s own facility adjacent to Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix. Supplied vehicles include Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac CTS streetcars and Formula Ford racecars. www.bondurant.com

Jim Russell Racing Drivers School

•Held 11 months out of the year at Infineon Raceway in Northern California’s Sonoma Valley, the Jim Russell curriculum includes both a simple highway survival course and advanced racing programs, ranging in cost from $1,595 to $5,495. www.jimrussellusa.com

Track Time Racing School

•Based at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI, Track Time will put you behind the wheel of a NASCAR-style stock car for as little as $369. If you’re content careening through the curves as a passenger, you can go for the ride of your life for just $99. The school, which operates June through October, also conducts autocross-driving courses. www.tracktime.com