So far all of my events have been with the ACNA's NEQ but it seems like they focus more on first time drivers. I've only been to 5 or 6 events but I think it'd be nice to try out another school especially if they have a different mentality

the upper run groups in the bmwcca schools will have more people really pushing the limits than in audi schools. There are also more instructors with racing experience, and who are comfortable helping students explore more advanced stuff.

The BMWCCA's run groups are all generally faster than similar skill level groups among the local Audi clubs. In other words, the drivers in the advanced groups in the CCA are more skilled and generally faster than the "Advanced" groups in the Audi clubs that I've run with. I view the Audi events as heavily biased towards the social side of the coin. These events are generally filled with less experienced drivers and instructors, as Dave mentioned. The BMWCCA has more hardcore drivers in the more advanced levels, and BMWs are more capable cars on a racetrack than Audis generally speaking.

I'm currently an instructor candidate with both groups, and the BMW mentors that I've been introduced to have considerably more experience than the Audi mentors with both instructing and club racing (which I hope to be doing in the next several years). Because of this, the BMWCCA can provide better, higher quality instruction to advanced students in my experience.

The BMWCCA has ALOT more chapters than the Audi club, which means many more events to choose from for us ;^)

BMW Club of Quebec at both Tremblant and Calabogie as an instructor for both clubs and I find them very similar to the ACNA's NEQ, North Atlantic, Golden Gate and Canadian Chapter clubs. I find that a lot of BMW instructors come and help the ACNA's event at Tremblant in the fall.

Both are very safety minded (priority), both will teach you the same driving techniques, both will show you the "safe line" but as you get more advance and you become better you can always ask for an instructor and get "better coaching".

Now perhaps the Audi folks (usually older) are more social and less let's go kick a$$ on the track but the racer boy image of the BMW clan is mainly due to the fact that they have a "Club Racing series" which is great btw!

Now this weekend's event was also a Club Racing event and I doubt very much that the "racers" were also instructors with the school. With 3 practices and 3 races in 3 days their race schedule was pretty full leaving I'm sure very little time to be an instructor for the school portion of the event (but I could be wrong).

In any case both schools will tell you that they are a "High Performance Driving School" and not a "race School".

As for Audi drivers and their cars not being up to the task on the track... Well I think I disproved that notion this weekend. LOL.

I've done 4 Audi events --- 1 BMWCCA ----- 2 local BMW group and 1 PBOC. The instructor I had with BMWCCA was an amature racer too. That was cool and I learned from him but I always have more fun at the Audi events, AND, I do this for fun. Besides, If guys are a bit less experienced they are slower and you get to pass them:-) At The BMWCCA event at Road Atlanta last month I was down in the C group running under 2 minutes, yet there were several cars even in that group running low 1min 50s . Some of the cars were spec race cars with open exhaust, cages ect. My little TT Coupe was cowering in fear!

I've done both at that event, but not in the same year :-)

At typical bmwcca schools that don't involve a race, though, you'll find a lot of the racers there instructing.

Look, no one's saying there aren't fast/skilled audi drivers, or that you won't find audi instructors with racing experience. It's just a question of critical mass -- that's all.

There are a few out here..they're use to be more.

I just got done teaching for them at Thunderhill this weekend. Even the advanced students had instructors.

I briefly thought about coming down, but it's a long haul from seattle.

there are a number of audi instructors in the boston area with some good competition experience as well.

and I want to be clear -- I've instructed at audi events, and I like them. In my experience they're very well-run and are a good fit for most of the students attending.

you could have hitched a ride..there were five of them..in Porsches and a Corvette. They crewed for a 25 hr team (E30 325i) and came back to play on the track themselves.

All BMWCCA students (solo or not) have an instructor riding along for the first session every day. Then, in my experience, solos are signed off for the remainder of the day's sessions if they'd like to be.

I genrerally ask my instructor (prior to the first session) to give me one or two things to work on for the day on my own. Most of the time I get good feedback for some little thing I'm not doing right/consistently.

Both of my A/B students didnt want to go solo anyway.

I have not been solo'd off with BMW yet but was with ACNA last year.


BMW advanced drivers, IMO are faster than the advanced ACNA drivers.

Then again, I don't see much track time :(