Earlier this year, Corvsport.com introduced our readers to the NCM Motorsports Park Driving Academy programs. In that post, we provided a comprehensive overview of the Level One Academy driving program at the Motorsports Park. That experience, which consists of classroom instruction interlaced with an autocross session and two on-track driving sessions, was an immersive experience aimed at new students looking to step into the world of performance driving.
On Friday, November 1, I returned to the NCM Motorsports Park to attend the Level Two Driving Academy. Like its predecessor, the program was a fusion of classroom instruction and on-track driving. However, where the Level One course – which lasted a total of two hours from start to finish – provided a condensed-but-comprehensive introduction to the world of HPD (High-Performance Driving), the Level Two Driving Academy was a full-day, fully immersive program that provided its students multiple opportunities to fully experience the track behind the wheel of an eighth-generation, mid-engine Corvette Stingray.
The day started at 8:30 with a brief introduction of the Level Two Driving Academy program by Griff Tomlin, the MSP’s Operations Coordinator. Griff, who would lead the entirety of the classroom instruction for the day, also took a few minutes to introduce the class to the program’s driving coaches, provide a track safety overview, and review the curriculum for the remainder of the day. From there, we headed out to the paddock where each of the driving students was able to select one the MSP’s mid-engine Corvettes. I chose the same 2024 Sea Wolf Gray Z51 Coupe that I had used during the Level One Driving Academy earlier in the year.
NCM MSP driving instructor Ken Pierce led the next segment of the day’s program: Autocross in the paddock area. Ken, a seasoned and accomplished Autocross racer, provided some preliminary instruction – such things as using the “tipped” cones to navigate the course, and recognizing the optimal time/position to turn into each of the course’s aggressive curves – to the class before we were instructed to line our cars up at the start of the circuit.
This was to be the first of two autocross sessions.
For round one, our focus was to get familiar with the course. We were given several practice “laps” to run our cars through the course, with the intent of improving our speed/time with each subsequent pass through it. Where the Level One Driving Academy program emphasized using the Autocross session to get a better feel for the car, the Autocross session in the Level Two program had a dual intent – to not only allow us to get comfortable with our cars in a safe driving environment, but to actually run the course for times and, in so doing, encourage a little friendly competition.
During the second of our two Autocross sessions, each student completed several more runs through the course. This time, however, each pass was timed. At the end of four consecutive passes, the top three drivers were selected for a “final showdown.” Times were reset and the top three drivers lined up in order of how they placed during the “qualifying laps.” I was fortunate enough to have put down the third fastest time during qualifying, so I had two additional opportunities to improve my time in the Autocross circuit.
Friends, I am not an autocross racer, and I placed a distant third to the other two finalists. I learned later that the other drivers in that final heat had previous autocross experience, which lessened the sting I felt (if only slightly) of running a slower time (my best lap during the entire session was a 23.5 second (appx.), where both of the other finalists scored runs through the course in the low 22-second range.)
But I digress…
Where Autocross gives you the opportunity to experience the Corvette in a less restrictive driving environment (afterall, the only thing you risk running into are cones), running wide open on a race track is a very different experience. Upon completion of the second Autocross session, we returned to the classroom to learn about some of the technical driving aspects we’d spend the remainder of our day focusing on. We discussed the importance of proper braking zones and the difference between that and “trail braking” (braking as you enter a turn). We also discussed weight transfer, understanding the apex, the importance of using the entire track, and a number of other key topics.
At the completion of that classroom session, we were broken up into separate groups (in our class, each group consisted of an instructor and two students.) We grabbed our helmets, returned to our cars, and headed out onto the track. For my own part, I was lucky enough to be partnered with Ken Pierce as my instructor. As someone who has had the opportunity to work with Ken in the past, I knew I was in excellent hands. Of course, the same came be said for all the instructors at the Motorsport Park, and you can be certain that, should you register for a driving experience like this one at the MSP, you’ll be learning from seasoned, knowledgeable instructors who can positively affect your abilities on-track.
I will also note that, despite being a driver with a fair amount of experience running out on the MSP’s 3.2-mile track, I was very impressed with how well this program was structured to improve both our driving skills and our individual sense of confidence on-track. I’ve soloed on this track a number of times and I am both familiar and comfortable running hard through each of the track’s 23 unique and (at times) challenging turns. Yet, even leveraging my past experiences at the MSP, I will say with certainty that I improved my drive line during these sessions and I learned some new strategies that will help improve my lap times in the future.
Our first session on track was akin to running some “spirited” tour laps (in terms of speed), but with an emphasis on practicing each of the skills that Griff had just covered in the classroom. In the same fashion as an HPDI (High Performance Driving Introduction) course, each group of drivers assumed a lead-follow posture, with our instructor taking point out front and the students following in succession behind him. We focused on identifying braking zones, proper turn-in/turn-out, weight transfer, understanding how to position our cars properly on track to maximize our speed through the turns, and to properly use the entire track to our advantage to achieve our best line/time possible.
Our second session on track was more of the same, but at slightly faster speeds. Following each of these first two sessions, we were provided valuable feedback by our respective instructors and, later, by Griff, who watched the track instruction from the observation area in the track’s main building (along the front straight). This feedback was enormously valuable and contributed as much to our individual improvement as our actual track time.
After our second morning track session, it was time for lunch, which consisted of a salad, chicken stir fry with rice, and a variety of cookies/brownies for dessert. The food, which was prepared by the track’s on-site catering staff, was fantastic. The lunch hour provided all of us an opportunity to connect with one another (both teachers and students alike), to swap track stories, and get to know one another a little better.
Following lunch, each of the students was invited to participate in a ride-along session with our respective instructors. While this component of the Level Two Academy experience was not formally listed as part of the day’s itinerary, these ride-along sessions were an awesome addition to the program and allowed each of the students to experience – in real time – the elements of instruction that had been shared with us during the lead-follow coaching format of the earlier driving sessions. It is my sincere hope that the Motorsports Park will formally incorporate this into future Level Two Driving Academy sessions.
With some fresh perspectives gained from the ride alongs, we returned to the track for the third of our four on-track driving sessions. Once again, we increased speed throughout the course, and focused our efforts on mastery of some of the track’s more technical/challenging turns, including turn 10, turn 12 (“Deception”), turn 17 (“Rockhouse”) and turn 20 (“Sinkhole”). With each successive lap we got a little faster, a little more aggressive until, by the end of the third session, we were running some truly respectable speeds around the entirety of the track.
A final classroom session was presented following our third on-track driving experience. As we entered the room and returned to our respective seats, there was a sense that and all involved were beginning to feel the length of the day. However, Griff’s seemingly natural ability to hold our attention and keep us engaged made even this last classroom session enormously valuable and enjoyable. He shared a number of interesting-but-relevant driving anecdotes from his own, extensive experience on track as well as many valuable tips/tricks of the trade.
And then we were headed out to the track for the last time.
The final session was the most spirited of them all, and it provided everyone an opportunity to put everything they’d learned throughout the day to the test. We ran our quickest laps of the day and, for my part at least, I felt like I was really putting my Corvette through its paces. Ironically, I also felt like I was running some of my smoothest laps, turning in where I was supposed to and tracking out where I needed to maximize my speed, and only dumping that speed when I absolutely had to to properly navigate a turn. To say I was “working the car” through the track would be inaccurate – it was more like I was “properly navigating” the car as I’d been instructed to, and it made a huge difference in my personal experience on-track.
Despite being a full day of driving and instruction, and despite being physically drained from the intensity of the experience, our day participating in the Level Two Driving Academy at the NCM Motorsports Park seemed to fly-by, as all the best experiences in this life tend to do. As we returned our Corvettes to the paddock for the final time and returned to the retail space inside the MSP’s main facility to look at the pictures taken by the MSP’s photography team and, potentially, pick up souveniers from the track shop, our class shared some final goodbyes with each other before departing for home. During that time, the track’s staff, which included Griff, Ken, and the other instructors continued to engage with the class, sharing anecdotes from the day and making sure all involved left with every question answered.
Registering for Future Level Two Driving Academy Courses at the NCM Motorsports Park
Although the 2024 season has drawn to a close (at least for this program), the National Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park does have one additional class date scheduled for the Driving Academy Level Two program on March 7, 2025. Additional dates will be offered as the MSP continues to build out its 2025 schedule, so we encourage all of our readers to check their website regularly.
The MSP has also scheduled a handful of Level One sessions for next year as well. For anyone interested in the MSP Driving Academy: Level One program, here are the dates available (so far) for 2025:
CORVSPORT.COM DRIVING ACADEMY: Level One – June 23, 2025
Lastly, for the first time ever, Corvsport.com will be partnering with the NCM Motorsports Park to offer the “Corvsport.com Driving Academy: Level One” to our followers and fans of the website. This event will be held on June 23, 2025, and will offer a unique opportunity to enjoy one of the MSP’s premier coaching/driving experiences at a discounted rate while simultaneously allowing our fans to meet some of the staff writers at Corvsport.com. There will be four separate Level One sessions throughout the day, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experience the thrill of driving a mid-engine C8 Corvette on the NCM Motorsports Park’s 23-turn racetrack…so sign up, spend some time with us, and experience this unique-and-exciting event!
There will be a lot more information about the Corvsport.com Driving Academy: Level One experience in the coming days. We can’t wait to see you there!!!
