Beginning Tuesday, Front Range NASCAR fans will have an avenue to quench their need for speed.
Learning to command an authentic 600-horsepower stock car could be a year-round opportunity at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience and new-look PPIR have joined to offer the most affordable and professional high-speed NASCAR entertainment in the region. For $399 and three hours of instruction and seat time, you might even get in a replica car of one of your favorite NASCAR stars.
The Petty Driving Experience previously offered driving classes and ride-along opportunities at PPIR. But now that the 1-mile oval in Fountain is 100 percent amateur and club-based — it no longer hosts elite-level national circuits — the school is gearing up for a full-time commitment at the track.
Until next April the hours of operation will vary, depending on demand and weather. Sessions will be offered only when the temperature is above 40 degrees.
“Bringing the Richard Petty Driving Experience to PPIR is the next logical step for us as we continue to transform the raceway into more of a participatory venue,” PPIR executive John H. Molloy said.
PPIR hopes to become the fourth Petty Driving Experience “hub,” joining Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla., Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The school makes stops at 18 other NASCAR-style ovals.
PPIR will initially offer only the Rookie Experience, an eight-lap session for $399. It includes classroom instruction and car overview.
Once inside the car, basic principles are taught, beginning with ignition switch and emergency shutoff, and how the race car will feel nothing like your street car. There is no first gear, so students must reach relatively high RPM off pit road to prevent stalling. And the car’s alignment will feel alarmingly off, but that’s just racing “stagger,” when the front wheels are pointed left to adapt to the high-speed left turns on a banked surface.
Once on the track, students must attempt to drive the preferred line behind the instructor’s lead car and remain a comfortable distance behind. A lighting system in the rear of the instructor’s car will alert the student to speed up (green light) or slow down (yellow light).
Speeds increase with experience. In 2010, PPIR will offer the King’s Experience (18 laps, two sessions), Experience of a Lifetime (30 laps, three sessions) and Racing Experience (80 laps, eight sessions).
The latter full-day session is regularly advertised at $2,599, still a small fraction of what the race car and track-rental time are worth.
Petty also offers $109 ride-along opportunities, with curious fans hopping in a two-seater with a pro-fessional driver. Generally, ride-alongs have the ability to get the heart pumping faster because instructors take the preferred line — which includes approaching a turn from the outside wall — and, depending on the passenger, have the green light to go as fast as the car allows.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Richard Petty Driving Experience
What: Public NASCAR driving school
Where: Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain
When: Beginning Tuesday
Levels: Beginner to advanced (must be 16 years old to drive, 14 for ride-along)
Information: 719-382-7223, or
CURRENT PROGRAMS
Rookie Experience (eight laps, one session)
Price: $399
Description: Three-hour session includes classroom and car instructions, group tour of track and limited driving speeds behind instructor.
Ride-along (four laps)
Price: $109
Description: Riding shotgun with a professional driver.
2010 PROGRAMS
King’s Experience (18 laps, two sessions)
Price: $849 (2009 rate)
Description: Safety and instruction overview, and evaluation between sessions at increased speeds.
Experience of a Lifetime (30 laps, three sessions)
Price: $1,299 (2009 rate)
Description: More speed, more technical review between sessions.
Racing Experience (80 laps, eight sessions)
Price: $2,599 (2009 rate)
Description: Full-day program will turn the beginner into a skilled driver.
