MichaelC's latest dispatch from Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club offers a compelling look into the high-performance driving experiences offered by General Motors. His detailed account provides invaluable insights for prospective owners of Corvettes and Cadillac V-Series Blackwings, highlighting the unique opportunity to master these powerful machines in a controlled environment. This article delves into the practicalities and thrills of track driving, as experienced firsthand by MichaelC.
I made another visit to the incredible Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club a week ago. I was last there over a year ago. General Motors utilizes the facility for driving classes for buyers of their Corvettes and V-Series Blackwing Cadillacs. When you purchase one of these cars new, GM gives you a free 2 day class at this facility, to be utilized within 12 months of purchase. You fly to Las Vegas, rent a car, and go West about 60 miles, and everything else is covered by the program.
The facility is privately owned, as I understand it, and also has members who can book their own track time at their convenience. Some maintain condos and garages on site for their cars.
You really learn a lot about track driving, and the cars in general. You push the cars as hard as you want. There is an option to buy down your deductible - of course you are responsible for the car you drive. It is very reasonable, I paid $250 to lower my maximum out of pocket to $2000. You are otherwise responsible for the first 10k of damage you cause to a car, if I recall correctly. We did have someone go off the track in my group. Came into a corner too hot and did not slow in time, understeered right off the track, but fortunately did not damage the car. When that happens, they immediately stop all drivers on the track, get the car to the shop, and assure the track is clean from all debris. By the time we came back in from completing our laps, the car was on a rack and the driver dropped out of the class and immediately left. Not sure if he was just embarrassed or what, thank God he was OK.
The instructors are beyond amazing. You do lead-follow sessions in groups of 3, taking turns on who is behind the instructor. They drive in front of you, watching you and those behind you in their rear view mirror. They are very clear - you cannot catch them so drive as fast as you want. They give instructions as you drive, monitoring what you do right and wrong, advising how to get faster. Each track session lasts about 25 minutes. As someone who has only tracked cars at these GM experiences, I find it mentally draining, and 25 minutes a good session limit to maintain focus. The North track we were on allowed a maximum straightaway speed of 113-115 MPH. I previously tracked the East course, and on its longer straight, hit 135 MPH in the same car.
There were 18 people in our class, and 13 of us were driving the supercharged V8 CT5-V Blackwing. The other 5 drivers were in the smaller, V6 turbocharged CT4-V Blackwing. Out of the 18 cars, 13 were manuals (you drive at the track the same car you purchase). Cadillac has really hit a homerun offering these sedans in manual transmissions, and the take rate is approximately 50% of cars sold. That is really incredible, and everyone can thank GM for "saving the manuals".
Here is a small sampling of photos.
Ariel photo of the facility from the web. The totality of the track is the second largest in the world, with only Nurburgring being larger. That is likely to change in the future, as Spring Mountain has several hundred additional acres yet to develop, and plans to add track to become the largest in the world.
I am not a fan of this shade of yellow, but growing up in Boston, I am a HUGE Larry Bird fan. When it was time to select a car for the 2 days, I went straight to the #33.
Here is a shot of the classroom
A morning view from the large condo
After each exercise, cars are lined up as students return to class
Corvettes are everywhere at the facility. Over 300 in total, including 15 ZR1 when I was there. ZR1-X are arriving soon.
A few other interesting facts:
- The instructors say they can track the CT5-V Blackwings within 2 seconds of a Corvette Stingray around the same North track we drove. That is rather incredible considering the Blackwing is a sedan and weighs 500 LBs more than the Corvette
- Cadillac brake pads are changed every 1000 miles. Tires every 2-3000 miles.
A fantastic experience, and one you can attend even if you do not own one of these cars. I believe the class is $3800 for the 2 days, and includes the housing and all breakfast / lunch. Highly recommended!
