Avoid Speedtech Racing Schools & their Groupon Deal!!

[kenndoggy]

Not sure where this should go, so I'll post it here. Mods can move it if it belongs somewhere besides here.

I attended a NASCAR driving school today that I picked up on Groupon when they had the deal for $169. What a horrible idea. Terribly unorganized. I read an eerily similar review from the NASA forums (linked below) to what my experience today was. I wasn't quite yelled at by the owner of the school, but pretty much everything else was spot-on.

http://www.nasaforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=36510


They were beyond disorganized. We started an hour and a half late, which in and of itself really isn't a big deal in the grand scheme. I had called probably 20 times, and left 2 messages the week before trying to get some information, since I hadn't received anything. I knew I had to go to AMS, and what time I was supposed to be there, but that was it. I wanted to find out if I could bring my own helmet, if any paperwork or ID's or anything was required, etc. No answer, and I got a call back, which sadly they left a message, I wasn't around when the phone rang, to call back to another number. Which, that number was also never answered, and the voicemail was never returned. Then I get to check-in finally and they lost my registration :/ For being a web-based registration system, they had no computer or internet at the track to even look and/or prove that I paid and registered. After waiting another hour or so while she finished checking in EVERYBODY else (and missing the beginning of the classroom session), she finally agreed to take my CC info so long as I could email her the Groupon confirmation of payment. Cool, that part is over.....

Classroom was basic, where's the line, this is what our markers are and where they are, and how you should be positioning the car at the markers. Cool, cool. We go from there, outside to a couple vans to take us out on track and show us the line, and the markers. Once we get back, nobody was telling us what we needed to do, or where to go, so most people were standing around, so I went and asked, and were told if we were suited up, we could go out towards pit lane and check out the cars. This seemed to be the mantra thruout the day, nobody was told anything until it was time to do something. There was no plan, no timeline, nothing.

At this point is where I began to get annoyed. Once they finally started assigning cars, they made us stand in lines with numbers on the ground corresponding to our car number. Not a HUGE deal, but they could have had us, idk, take a number or something so we could stand/sit under the covered seating area instead of standing in a line in the sun in a race suit in 100* Atlanta heat for an hour and a half before we were finally driving. We had to stand in line mostly because they made it a first-come, first serve basis in order to drive, so if we secured a position in line after our car was assigned to us, and we go sit down - you lost your place in line and get to run last :/

Now, Fast forward to getting into the car. Get in, get harnessed up, and the first thing the instructor says to me is 'take it easy on the throttle, these aren't crate motors and are getting tired quick'. Really? I'm at a race school, and can't use the throttle? We go over the line and markers one more time real quick, and out we go. The instructor told me that when we go out, first lap will obviously be slow, and when we come out of T4, he's going to grab the wheel and guide me thru the tri-oval so I could see right where the line should be. The neat thing, is you really don't need to give these cars hardly any steering input - a simple lift of the throttle before turn-in and ease back into the throttle into the banking and the car will basically guide itself around the banking.

My first big bitch came when he kept moving my hands UP the steering wheel - told me to be at 10 & 2, and moved my hands up farther than that. IDK about you guys, but on track - I use 9 & 3, sometimes a smidge higher, nothing more. Higher up = less control of the wheel. First couple laps were interesting, I didn't try to go all that fast, was still trying to get used to the dynamics of the vehicle. However, every 5 seconds my instructor was grabbing my steering wheel! WTF??? Not to mention, everytime I DID attempt to use the throttle more than say, 50%, he'd grab my pants leg and try to lift it off the throttle. I was getting really confused, and fairly pissed at this point. He kept bitching about how un-smooth I was driving, but when he kept grabbing the wheel, making me use the top of the steering wheel, and yanking my leg off the throttle - it's hard to drive smooth, since as soon as I lift the car wants to dart to the inside :/ The couple times I'd get a smooth, clean run thru one of the corners, I'd go to squeeze on the throttle a little more (which, naturally, will bring the car right where you want it anyways, just like any other kind of racing) - nope, foot gets yanked off throttle, then he's grabbing the wheel, since of course I went off line, you just made me lift!

I think I topped out at maybe ~4500-4600 rpm's, no idea how fast that is, I was too pissed to ask. Also, the Groupon said 6-8 laps, the signage there said 8 laps - I only got 4, and so did some others. Overall - a really, really bad experience, that I don't recommend anyone partaking in. Unless, of course, you enjoy disorganized events and being treated like a 5 year old

Oh, and I forgot to mention - at check-in they were collecting a $10 fuel surcharge.

[328iJunkie]

epic lame

[RichE30]

Had a friend do Speedtech back in the spring at AMS on the groupon deal.... average speed that day was around 90mph. I laughed and decided then and there not to ever deal with them.

[Evergreen Dan]

Wow. Sound's awful. Plus a whole day invested for a few unsatisfying minutes. Sounds like a date I had in college....

I suppose a problem with this sort of thing is that it is their car. What was your liability for crash damage? An advantage of club instructing is that almost all students are very keen on not damaging their nice car so instructors don't have to reign them in as much. Did the cars look banged up?

As for hand position, I discovered that the 12-12 position was the only way I could steer the LeMons Mustang through chicanes for 2 hours without power steering. Both arms pull down Need to eat more spinach.

[cenotaph]

My first big bitch came when he kept moving my hands UP the steering wheel - told me to be at 10 & 2, and moved my hands up farther than that.

I think this is an oval track thing. I don't remember ever seeing anyone with their hands at 9 & 3 on NASCAR in-car shots.

I'm kind of glad that I didn't go for this deal.

[jrotax101]

It honestly sounds like you had a shitty instructor. Grabbing your leg and wheel? He shouldn't be an instructor.

[M3Alpine99]

Glad that weekend didn't work out and I passed. That sucks Ken

[DocWyte]

Classic GroupOn experience. They sold way more than they expected and didn't have the staffing to accommodate the demand.

[kenndoggy]

Had a friend do Speedtech back in the spring at AMS on the groupon deal.... average speed that day was around 90mph. I laughed and decided then and there not to ever deal with them.

Ya, I'd be shocked if I went over 100.

Wow. Sound's awful. Plus a whole day invested for a few unsatisfying minutes. Sounds like a date I had in college....

I suppose a problem with this sort of thing is that it is their car. What was your liability for crash damage? An advantage of club instructing is that almost all students are very keen on not damaging their nice car so instructors don't have to reign them in as much. Did the cars look banged up?

As for hand position, I discovered that the 12-12 position was the only way I could steer the LeMons Mustang through chicanes for 2 hours without power steering. Both arms pull down Need to eat more spinach.

You know - damage was never even talked about. They touted their safety record, but I guess it's pretty hard to screw up when you don't let anybody get up to speed.

It honestly sounds like you had a shitty instructor. Grabbing your leg and wheel? He shouldn't be an instructor.

And this guy was the guy running the show. Sad really.

Classic GroupOn experience. They sold way more than they expected and didn't have the staffing to accommodate the demand.

Can't they limit the number or Groupons sold though? Even if, the Groupon was just a coupon to go to their site to register with, and their site obviously counts heads, because alot of dates were listed as sold out.

[M3Alpine99]

Read it again. Read the NASA post. Really sad to see. Sucks you had to deal with that Ken. I would have been super excited and then totally let down.

[bags]

Thanks Ken. My GF was going to buy this for me, and I told her not yet until it was cooler. Now I can tell her to forget it and see if you will put that $$ towards RA..lol

And that NASA post was nuts. How is this guy still in business?

[winefool]

Too bad, sounds like just a lousy operation. Some friends of mine with zero race/driving experience just did one of these Nascar-type deals at Talladega this weekend and I think the slowest of them were over 165 mph (which I actually found pretty surprising!). Sounded like a blast to me!

[kenndoggy]

On a good note, Groupon refunded my money.

On a good note, Groupon refunded my money.

On a good note, Groupon refunded my money.

[kenndoggy]

It's back and up today. Will anybody who's ever done this, or anybody who knows anybody who's done this, and had a bad experience, please help me with an email bombardment to Groupon to try to get them to stop ripping people off?