And I just got back! Sounds like they don't have the experience quite as standardized as one might expect. There were differences--typically subtle, but some not--from what others have described, in everything from swag (similar but not identical bags) to amount of track time. Our track time, with 19 students, I think it was, seemed like maybe it was cut back a bit. We had only 3-4 solo laps on the east track (after 3 instructor ride-along laps) before our session was ended. It was, in the Fiesta, for me a third-gear run almost all the way, though I got to 4th twice each lap--presumably the same points mosh mentions above--before downshifting into the next corner. I was also the only Fiesta driver out there; didn't catch the man ahead of me, but sure didn't see the one behind me, either. They did not allow passing at all. I won't bother attaching our group photo--frankly, it sucks.
I was a very close second in the urbancross competition, and the only driver in the top 8 who drives a FiST at home. Had I had a little more time in the FoST before our timed runs, I'm certain I'd have picked up some of the time I left on the course. I didn't get times for any of my FiST runs, so can't compare how I did in the two different cars.
We didn't get to do the karts--severe weather had arrived before we could to it--very high winds, then high winds and rain, then more high winds. Ugly stuff.
The experience was on the whole fantastic. I'd gladly have done some horse trading to get some more track time, but I'm sure that's the case for lots of folks. The time with the instructor in the car was pure gold. And the hot lap was definitely hot! I'd have loved to have times for the instructor and for me, but I have no idea what the time difference was, other than embarrassingly big, I'm sure, from my perspective.
)
