Ford Performance Racing School Charlotte Roval Under the lights September 22-23 experience.
A few weeks ago, I had my weekend at the Ford Performance Racing School. I signed up in March when I found out that I could do it under the lights!
Since I was not the original buyer of my 2021 Shelby, I decided to take the two-day course. It was a dream for me to do it either way and part of my retirement gift to myself. I was that kid in middle and high school who would read about racing schools and dream of attending one someday. And for my entire time as a PA Trooper, I always said that I’d like to either go to a racing school or do helicopter hog hunting. Since I got a Shelby, the choice was obvious!
DAY ONE: After a brief intro, helmet and race suit fitting we had a basic hour-long intro to road courses power point. Not long after that we went outside and met our cars. I got car #26 the first day out. Not sure what year it was but it had close to 20k on it. I was surprised that for a race school car it was really well cared for and looked great.
We went straight to a section of roadway on the racetrack grounds and did some familiarization exercises of the gearbox and brakes. We worked on recognizing threshold, braking by utilizing our brakes leading up to just before ABS activation. We also practiced heel to toe shifting. This is where the 21-year-old street racing smart ass in me got smacked on the hand…..Lol! What can I say all I’ve ever done in a Mustang was beat on the transmission and power shift into the next gear and break the tires loose. It is after all a Mustang, right? I got briefed over the radio to take it easy on the transmission and try to save the rear tires and that I was going to need them to last 2 days.
Next we went to a parking lot and drove an oval course of cones and a slalom course while being critiqued. It also got us familiar with the car’s handling. I learned real fast where this car was going to come around on me after my first lap. I got a hair sideways and made a quick correction. That’s all I needed to know at that point!
After that we went to the Skid Cars. I’m from NW Pennsylvania and grew up on dirt roads and always owned rear wheel drive cars. Our winters were always harsh so I learned quick how to spin a car around and make quick adjustments. As a Trooper I’d always take the Crown Vic’s out on the first snow and go to the drivers license center and intentionally put the car in spins and slides to get myself accustomed to the new tires. I did really well on this part of the school.
After a nice lunch we went to the track!!!! As we filed in under the track in the tunnel, like a bunch of kids we all revved the motor. …. Coming out of the tunnel into Charlotte Motor Speedway was a dream. I’m not going to lie my eyes were a little sweaty. Not long after that we were assigned our groups and parking area and headed out to the track for our laps. We would follow an instructor around only half the Charlotte Roval the first day. As we made our laps we gradually picked up the pace as our confidence increased.
Finally we were set out on our own to run the track. The instructors would as they say “swim with the fishes” and follow us and give us constructive feedback.
I will admit I was worn out after the first day but also amped up and excited about the experience and looking forward to the next day under the lights.
**NHRA was in town and the track is only a half mile away, so after the first day session at Ford Racing I walked the NHRA pits and watch prequalifying races.
SECOND DAY: We now would be running the entire Roval. I now had the #28 and my inner child who watched a lot of NASCAR was happy as that was Davie Allison’s number. I was also happy because I warped the rotors in the #26. As we were told the evening prior if we paid for the Cup 2 tires, we were in for a big change in how our cars handled. I did pay for the Cup 2’s and will admit I was a little nervous about how they would handle. Especially as the rain began rolling in! But as our instructors assured us the tires were capable of wet driving conditions so long as we avoided standing water. The rain was brief, but I will also admit welcome in my opinion. I welcomed the challenge of learning in a different environment. Between turns 8 and 9 the car in front of me got really loose. I made adjustments to avoid anything that could happen if he spun around and then subsequently got myself a little loose. That sat with me for the remainder of the night as every time I went through that spot, I anticipated the car would want to get loose. My confidence did increase there and rest of the track with every lap. As the track dried out it became clear that the Cup 2’s were a better tire.
After a quick dinner we returned to the track. Coming out of the tunnel into a lit Charlotte Motor Speedway was an unforgettable experience I remember the first lit NASCAR race and was in utter awe! The rest of the evening got better as our confidence and skills increased. The air got cooler, and the cars were feeling faster. We had a nice dry track and clear skies.
I’m not going to lie the chicanes were a lot of fun. I continued to struggle with heel to toe shifting and would get the rear loose. The banked turns are a lot rougher feeling than I expected. I’m not a ballsy 20 something year old so my nerves aren’t what they used to be. So, I did my best and still had a lot of fun.
Conclusion: If you’re debating going don’t…..Just do it. The instructors are top notch and for me it was 2 to 1 so I was able to get a lot of critique from him. I plan to return maybe in a couple of years with my sons.
While we were there the Dark Horses were showing up. Every time we returned to the schoolhouse there were more of them. We were told that there was one more class with the Mustang GTs and then they were going to be sold.
If you bought a GT500 and couldn’t do the Track Attack go to this! I will say I found myself missing my paddle shifters, wide tires, smoother handling, big brakes that didn’t warp, and horsepower. I know I was there to learn fundamentals, but I also know the Shelby would have been a different animal to run on the track. I went a day early and visited the Mustang Owners Museum, The Morrison Auto Museum and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. All of which I will recommend! Being able to attend the NHRA race was just an added awesome bonus!
This was my first track experience, and I am hooked. I did track my Shelby the weekend after this for the first time, which I will post about later!
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A few weeks ago, I had my weekend at the Ford Performance Racing School. I signed up in March when I found out that I could do it under the lights!
Since I was not the original buyer of my 2021 Shelby, I decided to take the two-day course. It was a dream for me to do it either way and part of my retirement gift to myself. I was that kid in middle and high school who would read about racing schools and dream of attending one someday. And for my entire time as a PA Trooper, I always said that I’d like to either go to a racing school or do helicopter hog hunting. Since I got a Shelby, the choice was obvious!
DAY ONE: After a brief intro, helmet and race suit fitting we had a basic hour-long intro to road courses power point. Not long after that we went outside and met our cars. I got car #26 the first day out. Not sure what year it was but it had close to 20k on it. I was surprised that for a race school car it was really well cared for and looked great.
We went straight to a section of roadway on the racetrack grounds and did some familiarization exercises of the gearbox and brakes. We worked on recognizing threshold, braking by utilizing our brakes leading up to just before ABS activation. We also practiced heel to toe shifting. This is where the 21-year-old street racing smart ass in me got smacked on the hand…..Lol! What can I say all I’ve ever done in a Mustang was beat on the transmission and power shift into the next gear and break the tires loose. It is after all a Mustang, right? I got briefed over the radio to take it easy on the transmission and try to save the rear tires and that I was going to need them to last 2 days.
Next we went to a parking lot and drove an oval course of cones and a slalom course while being critiqued. It also got us familiar with the car’s handling. I learned real fast where this car was going to come around on me after my first lap. I got a hair sideways and made a quick correction. That’s all I needed to know at that point!
After that we went to the Skid Cars. I’m from NW Pennsylvania and grew up on dirt roads and always owned rear wheel drive cars. Our winters were always harsh so I learned quick how to spin a car around and make quick adjustments. As a Trooper I’d always take the Crown Vic’s out on the first snow and go to the drivers license center and intentionally put the car in spins and slides to get myself accustomed to the new tires. I did really well on this part of the school.
After a nice lunch we went to the track!!!! As we filed in under the track in the tunnel, like a bunch of kids we all revved the motor. …. Coming out of the tunnel into Charlotte Motor Speedway was a dream. I’m not going to lie my eyes were a little sweaty. Not long after that we were assigned our groups and parking area and headed out to the track for our laps. We would follow an instructor around only half the Charlotte Roval the first day. As we made our laps we gradually picked up the pace as our confidence increased.
Finally we were set out on our own to run the track. The instructors would as they say “swim with the fishes” and follow us and give us constructive feedback.
I will admit I was worn out after the first day but also amped up and excited about the experience and looking forward to the next day under the lights.
**NHRA was in town and the track is only a half mile away, so after the first day session at Ford Racing I walked the NHRA pits and watch prequalifying races.
SECOND DAY: We now would be running the entire Roval. I now had the #28 and my inner child who watched a lot of NASCAR was happy as that was Davie Allison’s number. I was also happy because I warped the rotors in the #26. As we were told the evening prior if we paid for the Cup 2 tires, we were in for a big change in how our cars handled. I did pay for the Cup 2’s and will admit I was a little nervous about how they would handle. Especially as the rain began rolling in! But as our instructors assured us the tires were capable of wet driving conditions so long as we avoided standing water. The rain was brief, but I will also admit welcome in my opinion. I welcomed the challenge of learning in a different environment. Between turns 8 and 9 the car in front of me got really loose. I made adjustments to avoid anything that could happen if he spun around and then subsequently got myself a little loose. That sat with me for the remainder of the night as every time I went through that spot, I anticipated the car would want to get loose. My confidence did increase there and rest of the track with every lap. As the track dried out it became clear that the Cup 2’s were a better tire.
After a quick dinner we returned to the track. Coming out of the tunnel into a lit Charlotte Motor Speedway was an unforgettable experience I remember the first lit NASCAR race and was in utter awe! The rest of the evening got better as our confidence and skills increased. The air got cooler, and the cars were feeling faster. We had a nice dry track and clear skies.
I’m not going to lie the chicanes were a lot of fun. I continued to struggle with heel to toe shifting and would get the rear loose. The banked turns are a lot rougher feeling than I expected. I’m not a ballsy 20 something year old so my nerves aren’t what they used to be. So, I did my best and still had a lot of fun.
Conclusion: If you’re debating going don’t…..Just do it. The instructors are top notch and for me it was 2 to 1 so I was able to get a lot of critique from him. I plan to return maybe in a couple of years with my sons.
While we were there the Dark Horses were showing up. Every time we returned to the schoolhouse there were more of them. We were told that there was one more class with the Mustang GTs and then they were going to be sold.
If you bought a GT500 and couldn’t do the Track Attack go to this! I will say I found myself missing my paddle shifters, wide tires, smoother handling, big brakes that didn’t warp, and horsepower. I know I was there to learn fundamentals, but I also know the Shelby would have been a different animal to run on the track. I went a day early and visited the Mustang Owners Museum, The Morrison Auto Museum and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. All of which I will recommend! Being able to attend the NHRA race was just an added awesome bonus!
This was my first track experience, and I am hooked. I did track my Shelby the weekend after this for the first time, which I will post about later!
