| Local street driving schools have a core curriculum | | | | one of the most important skills on the track. |
| primarily focused on helping students pass their | | | | Car control. Being able to put all the above |
| test, not on controlling their vehicle. | | | | together in real-time. |
| A performance driving school, on the other hand, | | | | Let me tell you a short story about how a |
| do not take place on public roads. They are | | | | performance driving school course should not be |
| typically on a race track, or sometimes a large | | | | used. |
| parking area. This allows the instructor to | | | | This young fellow comes up to me and asked me |
| encourage students to discover, and go beyond, | | | | if this kind of driving course really can help him to |
| the limits of the vehicle. This is extremely unsafe | | | | handle his car better. Yearh, for sure I said. Then |
| on a public road. | | | | he told me about his cousin Ralph (a man who |
| You learn how to find the limits of your vehicle, | | | | drives, on average, at around 110 mph) is able to |
| and how to get the most from it. You learn that | | | | handle his car so well at high speeds, and most |
| some of the things that people often find | | | | other conditions; and that Ralph took, some years |
| somewhat counterintuitive, like smooth and silent | | | | ago, a race-car driving course. And now this |
| are more or less always faster than squealing and | | | | young fellow wants to know if he can learn to |
| screeching. | | | | drive like that too? |
| What do you learn on the track that translates to | | | | Well, his cousin Ralph may be able to handle his |
| the streets? | | | | ride at 110mph, but the little old lady isn't going to |
| Car location. Know where the corners of your car | | | | be expecting to be passed by him at that speed |
| are. | | | | when she changes lanes on the freeway. Is he |
| Car placement. Be able to put the car where you | | | | ready for that? |
| want it to go. Understanding and dealing with | | | | A performance driving course is a great thing, |
| under steer and over steer to go where you | | | | because it teaches you more about how to read |
| want, not where the car takes you. | | | | your car and the road that could ever be tested |
| Limits. How to find the limits of your car. How to | | | | in the standard 5 min driving test people usually |
| get to the limits in driving and not exceed the | | | | take when getting a licence. But don't take that |
| car's abilities. | | | | kind of driving to the street because the rest of |
| Smoothness. Shifting, braking, and other | | | | the general public does not know how to react to |
| transitions to not break traction. Smoothness is | | | | it! |