Billj747

The Formula cars are a bit more physically demanding than the MX-5 production cars.

Formula car - no power steering or power brakes
MX5 - power steering, power assisted brakes (like a normal production car)

Formula Car is more of an 'experience' than the MX5 and is a better school IMO. It's no where near as bad as a kart but either way, you guys will be tired after ever day. The school will recommend getting dinner immediately after the class (because everything closes early in Monterey) and then call it an early night. All in all, it will be worth it and more fun. Both MX5 and Formula car are great classes but IMO the Formula car class is something everyone should do.

madcityEP

same here lol.

I did their intro to racing and next plan on doing the 3day school. I had a blast the seat time was awesome and the track was amazing. Oh but i did my class at Road America here in WI.

ilaggoodish

look in to jim russell racing school
their car is alot better
http://www.jimrussellusa.com/

audi S/RS car
FJR 50 formula racer
and when you are on the track the wall is far unlike laguna seca =)

Billj747

If we are going to stray from the OP's criteria: Check out Bondurant:

http://www.bondurant.com/

designfreak

Skip Barber 3 day is no doubt the best money you can spend IMO!

PedalFaster

I guess I'll be the voice of dissent here, but I found their three day "racing" school pretty boring as well. There's a lot of time spent in Evo Phase 1-level drills (e.g. threshold braking), and except for a few practice starts, we spent no time driving in a group at speed -- most of the time was spent lapping solo with a restricted top speed.

The majority of the other people in my class were fairly well-off middle-aged people with no high performance driving experience, and the class was perfect for them, but if you already know your way around a track or even an autocross course, I think you'll find it a bit of an expensive yawn. If I spent the same money again I'd spend it on track days and an SCCA racing school or two.

DER MotorSports

I would absolutely agree with you and it's where I did my original formula school - but at some time had some pro experience in motorcycles and could really grasp the more racecraft oriented approach of Russell - a real deal school. However, as the person suggests, this is fun and they are not seeking some serious deathcamp experience - this is just plain escapism with hopefully some training added.... That's where Skippy is king - combining entertainment with training.

Billj747

I would partly agree. Yes some of their exercises could seem boring, but day 2 and 3 is still valuable by getting feedback on specific techniques like trailbraking and feedback from instructors at almost ever corner.

Tip: Ask the instructors to pay extra attention to you and express willingness to learn, and their feedback will be more precise and they will keep a better eye on you.

DER MotorSports

Billy makes a very valid point here. Just like in university, one will get out what they put in to racing school or even HPDEs with an instructor of any merit and giving a damn (unfortunately rare in HPDEs). If one is there simply to continue on with the same bad habits they arrived with, it WILL be immediately apparent and the instructors won't waste their time other than the obligatory one time advice to do things properly. Assuming one will only hurt his own progress and not destroy the car or crash another student, they will be left to flounder. I am often told by "graduates" of some of these less serious "competition" schools that they didn't learn a damn thing and the instructors seemed of no more skill than the students, or at least them! Surely, on the rare occassion, there may be a student with more talent and skill than the instructors BUT I can assure you its a rarity AND even then the racecraft that could be gleaned is there.

My advice in any schooling environment where there are multiple instructors working with multiple students is to try to pick a mentor. Find the one with whom you feel most comfortable and attempt to work with them as closely as possible. If you are really bold, simply ask them if they will try to work with you closely so you will have a single point of contact and not be getting contradictory advice. Simply by openly expressing a willingness to learn to one of the instructors and demonstrating a willingness to actually attempt what is being conveyed (more than once and giving up) will go a long long way to getting the instructors to single you out and provide extra attention. In every case where I have attended a comp school this strategy has played dividends in getting more than I paid for and not just a sign-off. Further, when teaching, I actively look for these students as the best usage of my time. Why put a lot of effort into a person who just wants to circulate and then get a certificate when there are a few rare guys actually thirsty to improve? Kids in university, this applies there too.

JuicedS2K

skip barber goes to the spa i work at, hes an awesome guy.