Thank You for your interest in the Waterford Hills Competition driving school. For over 50 years we have offered a competition drivers school. The Waterford Hills Drivers School is an accredited SCCA "double school", providing a novice SCCA permit or a novice Waterford Hills Road Racing permit upon successful completion of the event. Novice permits can be provided for both clubs if membership for both is obtained.

Our track is a very challenging 1.5 miles of twists and turns and elevation changes. There is an old adage: "If you can drive here, you can drive anywhere".

The Waterford Hills Drivers School places importance on Wheel-to-Wheel track time and quality student time with instructors.

A classroom session typically takes place a week or two before the on track portion, with one weekend day spent covering policies, protocol, and the basics of driving on any race track. Those traveling a great distance to attend can opt for an abridged Friday night classroom session the weekend of the on track school.

The On-Track session consists of two full days. The first day and a half is spent on track, learning car control, driving in traffic, and driving the appropriate line. Sunday afternoon is spent on practice starts and even a practice race.

Our school is actually run as a school within a school; run groups have a lead instructor, and the students have individual instructors. Group meetings are kept to a minimum. We strive to maintain a 1.5:1 student to teacher ratio.

Waterford Hills also offers a "Returning Drivers Program" for drivers who have not been on track for a while as well as for current drivers wanting to improve their skills under the direction of our most experienced instructors.

Thanks for your interest in the school, and we hope to see you this Spring!

Have you ever watched racing on TV, or been to a road race (like the Detroit Grand Prix, for example)? Have you seen those people in white standing at the corner stations, wielding flags and fire bottles, or running to cars that have been involved in an incident? Well, that's what F & C turn marshals do. We use communications equipment (land lines or radios) to speak to the control tower, and we use flags and hand signals to communicate with the drivers and with each other. Our primary job is to maintain a clear racing course for the competitors in a race. We also have the best "seats" in the house to watch a race from, and being a marshal is very exciting and rewarding. You get to meet some pretty terrific people, too.

The school consists of a Saturday morning classroom session, where we teach you the basics of flagging and communications. At Waterford Hills, we flag according to SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) flag rules. All students are provided with a SCCA flag manual for further study. The classroom session covers such things as:

• The flags
• Basic communications
• Safety (of primary concern)
• Equipment (what you need, what to wear, what to bring)

After the morning session, students will be taken on a tour of the paddock and introduced to the various car classes and vehicle types. The remainder of the afternoon will be spent working with our experienced marshals on a turn station, putting into practice everything they learned during the morning. Students are encouraged to return on Sunday, where they will once again work with our experienced marshals on a turn station. Debriefing will take place each evening with the instructors, to answer questions and share experiences.

Simple! Contact Lynn Bertin, WHRRI F & C Chief, to sign up for the school. If you are between 16 and 18 years of age, you will need to note this in your email. (Minors require a notarized minor consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian in order to participate. We can help with arrangements for a notary, and provide you with the forms.) A confirmation email will be sent to you, along with updates when necessary.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Saturday and Sunday, May 5–6, 2012

An SCCA legal race prepared car and all driver safety equipment is required for on track school sessions. If needed, car rentals may be available—check the WHRRI Forums for listings.