Car Control Clinics
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Clinic OverviewImagine knowing what to do when your car begins to slide, or being in control during that panic stop. Even if you think you know what you are doing, come out and explore the limits of you and your car in a controlled setting. Car control skills are learned techniques that are fundamental to performance driving, and can enhance your ability to be a safer driver in normal everyday situations. Learn the basics of performance car control by participating in slalom, skid pad and emergency avoidance exercises with instruction. Our clinic is great for teenagers and beginning drivers. Attendance is a prerequisite if you plan to attend our high performance driving schools.
Our Clinics are open to all BMW Club members who want to enhance their driving skills and understand the capabilities of their cars. If you have been thinking about or planning to attend a high performance driving school, Car Control Clinics are a prerequisite for first time track school students. We explore vehicle dynamics in a controlled environment, with you in the driver’s seat. The program is structured for people without any formal performance driving instruction. Our goal is to prepare you with a fundamental foundation of skills from which you can further develop your driving abilities. Each participant receives personalized instruction provided by experienced Club instructors. The level of instruction is tailored to fit the needs of each individual student.
All you need to attend is a membership in the BMW Club, a valid driver’s license (learner’s permits are not accepted) and pay the registration fee (which includes lunch). Registration in advance is required by all participants. Two-driver cars are allowed (two separately registered drivers sharing one car).
Please read the Student Packet for complete details about the clinic. If you have further questions after reading this information, you may contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Program SynopsisThe day long clinic program consists of three separate low speed exercises. Our format consists of a short morning lecture, followed by driving exercises (please review the Schedule). A diagram of each exercise is outlined in the Student Handout. Please print out and bring this handout with you, and leave it in your car so that your instructor may review it with you.
The drills include a skid pad, a slalom course, and a braking and accident avoidance simulation. Each exercise is prefaced with a short talk about concepts specific to the respective exercise. In these exercises, you will learn the proper use of the steering wheel, brakes, and throttle as elements of car control. We want all students to increase their awareness for what their car is doing under a variety of circumstances, and understand why. These exercises are intended to better prepare you for situations that may be encountered when at speed on the track, as well as during everyday driving.
Our objective is to improve your awareness to vehicle dynamics, provide you with fundamental car control skills, and produce safe and controlled drivers. Safety and being in control of the car is our top priority at this and all Club driving events.
Registration ProceduresRegistration and payment must be done in advance via our online registration system (www.motorsportreg.com). Registration for each clinic opens about 6-8 weeks before the event.
“Two driver” cars are allowed – two individuals, with separate paid registrations, may share one car instead of each person needing to drive their own car. Both drivers will still enjoy the same amount of time on the exercises as individual registrants.
All participants must have a valid driver’s license. Learner’s permits are not allowed.
The registration list for the clinic will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are planning to attend a high performance driving school and need to take the clinic as a prerequisite, please enroll early as the clinics often fill quickly. We recommend signing up for the chapter’s event announcement email list if you want to get notified about when registration begins.
Please see the Student Packet for full details on registration requirements.
NOTE: Non-registered spectators or visitors are not allowed to ride along with students at the clinic. Only registered students and instructors are allowed in cars at the exercises. Spectators are welcome to attend the pre-exercise talks and watch from the staging areas.
New - Advanced Car Control ClinicOur advanced CCC program builds upon the street safety skills taught in the regular clinic and introduces performance driving skills and techniques. This program is targeted at anyone who is interested in performance driving, including novice HPDE and autocross participants, as well as intermediate participants who are interested in refining their performance-driving skills. The program’s exercises entail more advanced skills and topics like cornering theory, driving lines, advanced braking techniques (such as trail-braking), dynamic weight transfer, and heel-and-toe shifting. The day’s schedule for the Advanced CCC is somewhat different than the regular CCC program, with registration and tech inspection starting earlier to provide more driving time. A student/driver meeting is held first thing in the morning, followed by driving drills in dynamic weight transfer and basic turns. In the afternoon, students will rotate among a number of small driving circuits to apply the skills learning in the morning to more complicated turn types as well as turn combinations. During the driving exercises, students will be split into two groups – half driving the exercise while the other half will manage flags and reset cones, as is done in an autocross. Requirements:
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