Spring Mountain Impressions

[FLYARMY]

When I was there last December, there were 2- 3 classes a week. Sometimes weekend classes. Each class had on average 15-18 people. I believe they only had 20 Caddy's in total of both 4's and 5's. If you had an automatic, you used the paddle shifters the entire time. They had 250 Vettes available. They run them up to 8-10,000 miles and then a dealership in California takes them. I don't know what happens with the Caddys. I think I waited about 6 months to get a date scheduled.

 

[cnofar]

What's the process for getting an extension?

I had to make an official claim with GM and Spring Mountain for an extension and it had to be approved by GM, otherwise my one year time was up May 2023 and I would've been out of luck to register. I had to prove (with emails) that I tried to register sooner in the one year time frame but it was booked. They gave me extension from May 2023 to September 2023. Every time new spots opened up I tried to register but they filled quickly. Luckily Gina at Spring Mountain told me about an open date and I jumped on it immediately even before having the time off work!

Moral of the story, book early.

 

[GTANotch88]

I think i called in November for the first time and finally booked a few months later when dates opened up. The first date available was in April, and I took delivery the prior March so I would have been over a year. Spring Mountain mentioned I'd just need extension and that they would contact GM and take care of it. I didn't need to do anything, they were great and it all went smoothly. Ultimately I had a great time.

 

[Head Hunter]

Just wrapped up day 2 and made the trip back to Vegas - holy crap, what an experience. Some guys there were driving scared and not really getting a feel for what their car is truly capable of, but 3-4 of us were driving the piss out of the cars and teetering right on the edge of our own capabilities and still barely scratched the limits of the cars. We ran the North Track and our instructors demo lap that barely seemed like they were trying were in the 1:18’s while I barely clawed out a 1:20. The autocross was way more fun then I expected also - I almost opted out of it to try and talk then into another lap or two on the track, but decided to go with the flow and ended up pulling off a 29.32 for the fastest time of the groups despite being in a 5VBW.

All said and done, I’m so glad I made the trip out there and am glad I did it before taking my own car out to an HPDE. Also much more likely now to do an SCCA AutoX event than before and have some confidence in my abilities to handle the car during the good and the bad.

 

[Mikey_hux]

Hi All,

Newbie here. I just bought a new ct5v blackwing yesterday.

How did you register for the v academy? And what are included and what is not?

Thank you in advance.

 

[poor-sha]

Watching TV coverage of Hurricane Hillary heading that way. I hope everyone out at SM is ok.

 

[Matt27]

Hi All,

Newbie here. I just bought a new ct5v blackwing yesterday.

How did you register for the v academy? And what are included and what is not?

Thank you in advance.

You call them and let them know you'd like to enroll in the program. They're probably booked up for at least 6 months, if not longer, so get on the list and they'll come back to you with openings as they happen.

 

[Mikey_hux]

Th

You call them and let them know you'd like to enroll in the program. They're probably booked up for at least 6 months, if not longer, so get on the list and they'll come back to you with openings as they happen.

Thank you so much. Do they pay for the tickets or just v academy and boarding?

 

[Matt27]

Th

Thank you so much. Do they pay for the tickets or just v academy and boarding?

You're on the hook for airfare and whatever incremental hotel room you want in Vegas before your flight home or before they let you check in.

 

[Head Hunter]

Watching TV coverage of Hurricane Hillary heading that way. I hope everyone out at SM is ok.

It diverted towards Cali for the most part but if they get 5-6” of rain in a few hours it could wash out the track again.

 

[Head Hunter]

Th

Thank you so much. Do they pay for the tickets or just v academy and boarding?

Included from GM for first owner:
Breakfast
Lunch
2-nights Room
Class
Pool/Clubhouse amenities

Not included:
Flights
Dinner
Alcohol
Massages
Rental car if flying
Room in Vegas

 

[Mikey_hux]

Included from GM for first owner:
Breakfast
Lunch
2-nights Room
Class
Pool/Clubhouse amenities

Not included:
Flights
Dinner
Alcohol
Massages
Rental car if flying
Room in Vegas

Perfect. Thank you so much

 

[MatthewAMEL]

Watching TV coverage of Hurricane Hillary heading that way. I hope everyone out at SM is ok.

Exactly. That area of the country has no experience with that much water. My daughter is in school in LAS and says it's already getting sketchy.

 

[Dirkbg]

Perfect. Thank you so much

You can also bring a guest:

Guests / Amenities – Guest will be allowed in the classroom during all classroom sessions of the program, as well as participate in a ride-along with the instructors.

Guest Fee – If you plan on bringing a guest, the guest fee will be $40 per person. This $40 is the total for the entire duration of the program and will cover each guest for their meals, amenities, ride-alongs, etc.

Amenities – Our amenities include a pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, basketball court, horseshoe pit, Clubhouse, viewing towers, and an on-call massage therapist that starts at $125 an hour.

 

[Mikey_hux]

You can also bring a guest:

Guests / Amenities – Guest will be allowed in the classroom during all classroom sessions of the program, as well as participate in a ride-along with the instructors.

Guest Fee – If you plan on bringing a guest, the guest fee will be $40 per person. This $40 is the total for the entire duration of the program and will cover each guest for their meals, amenities, ride-alongs, etc.

Amenities – Our amenities include a pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, basketball court, horseshoe pit, Clubhouse, viewing towers, and an on-call massage therapist that starts at $125 an hour.

Perfect.

Thank you.

 

[Head Hunter]

Exactly. That area of the country has no experience with that much water. My daughter is in school in LAS and says it's already getting sketchy.

I’m still in Vegas and it’s pretty mild - granted 80* and rainy is scary for Las Vegas in August but nothing crazy, haha

 

[BimmerFan]

I'll throw this in just because I'm at work with nothing more important to do (that I'm aware of... LOL).

I went to SM a few years ago, pre-Covid, because I had bought a new Corvette. Because I have a lot of track time under my belt, I was able to apply the cost of the Corvette introductory school into the 2-day advanced school, so I only paid a little extra for that. I was able to get a room on the "resort", which was very nice. The food was good, the instruction was excellent and the facility itself is very good. I had a blast.

I flew in and rented a car to get to Pahrump (POS KoreaCar) but didn't see the need to upgrade since it's just a boring straight highway. I spent the savings on a couple of nights at the Venetian after the school. Nice place.

Vegas is not one of my favorite places to go, but it has its own unique tacky charm.

The only real disadvantage to the format is that you are in groups, doing lead/follow. I was the fastest in my group, so when I wasn't in the lead spot, I was not pushing my limits. But it was still fun. I've done several similar events with BMW in SC and in CA, and Spring Mountain was more fun for me. Although the food with BMW was better...
I strongly recommend doing these events, especially if you've never before had any track experience or instruction. And even if you had, you'll probably still learn something.

And what better way to learn the abilities and limitations of your car than with someone else's gas, tires and brakes!

 

[565565]

I just read some old articles about the CT6 V and how those also came with the SM experience. I wonder how CT6 V track sessions they did with those beasts? I can't find any videos or pictures of CT6 Vs at SM.

 

[FLYARMY]

I was lucky enough to get an on-site room. The rooms are a very nice one bedroom studio with a balcony. It just makes it convenient to have your room at the track. At night, my wife and I went into Vegas for dinner and a show. Breakfast is available in the clubhouse just before class. We went into town 10 minutes away and picked up some items from Walmart for the room.

 

[cnofar]

Unfortunate turn of events, but I won't be able to attend August 28-29 Spring Mountain event so there's one seat open up for that day if anyone is interested in contacting them.