Photography by Jan Morgan
Destinations: Accelerated Learning Program
February 1, 2006
Other than an itchy throttle foot, how do you know you have what it takes to become a racing driver?
You could buy a racecar and dive in the deep end at the local track, but the Panoz Racing School at Road Atlanta offers a safer and probably less expensive way to take the plunge. Like any other driving school, the training starts in the classroom. But it is the initial pedal to the metal, completely blind lunge over the crest of the hill at Road Atlanta’s turn 11—where the track drops steeply and bends downhill toward a right-hander that you either get right or slide off into a wall—when what it takes to be a racing driver really begins to sink in.
Suddenly, racing is not as easy as it looks on TV. As you will learn during your time in the racing seat, it can be hot, sweaty, noisy, and violent work. But the Panoz school is not intended to be a—pardon the pun—crash course in racing. For the initial leap of faith, you are in the passenger seat of an Audi road car, which is in the capable hands of an instructor who lays down the foundation for racing confidence by demonstrating the proper approach angles to the 12 turns that make up Road Atlanta’s undulating, twisting 2.54-mile path.
The advanced lessons come later, alone behind the wheel of the school’s purpose-built, 5.0-liter, V-8-powered Panoz GT-RA racers, snugged down in the driver’s seat and straining to see the track ahead over its bulging front fenders and long, flat hood. But if you pay attention to what the instructors say about how to recognize and react to the car’s changing attitude, building speed from corner to corner, and you put more practice laps under your safety belt, racing will become a smooth and enjoyable experience.
We can vouch for that after attending Panoz’s Three-Day Road Racing course
($2,975) last fall with 23 other students who ranged from the simply “curious to
find out what it’s like out there” novice to experienced track junkies eager to
raise their skills a level or two. Many were there because attaining a Panoz
diploma makes you immediately eligible for a competition license from the SCCA
(Sports Car Club of America) and is also a strong plus when applying for a
license with the various sanctioning bodies of vintage car racing across the
country.
A show of hands during our introductory classroom session indicated that over half of the students already had participated in some form of competition driving. Brian and Wendy, a married couple from California who own a Panoz GTS that they race in SCCA events, were looking to pick up a few pointers specific to racing their Panoz the fast way around Road Atlanta. Another student, Linden, had considerable experience racing high-powered go-karts at speeds of up to 160 mph. Linden had come down from the Chicago area to see if the Panoz GT Racing Series ($2,975 for a full race weekend), which uses cars similar to the school’s GT-RAs, might be a more time- and cost-effective way to satisfy his need for speed. Alabaman Joe Lee (his first names) resembled Dale Earnhardt Sr. (aka the Intimidator), in looks and driving demeanor. “As long as I’ve paid the damage waiver insurance fee, I’m going to get my money’s worth and hit something,” he joked. Joe Lee was a congenial classmate and a very good driver, but we all noted his car number and gave him a bit of extra room out on the track.
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