High-performance driving school at Sebring Raceway.

[Yannis]

The nearly new Audi RS4 is strapped to the trailer, about to leave for the nearest Audi dealership. It needs a new clutch. Which is what happens, says Skip Barber Racing School Chief Instructor Terry Earwood, when an over-enthusiastic student shifts from 2nd gear to 5th at top speed. "With all the torque from that 420-horsepower engine, well, he stayed on the gas and just fried the clutch."

Perhaps we've just learned why Barber's new two-day high-performance driving school costs $2,895, which seems pricey until you realize students aren't learning in Dodge Neons or Chevrolet Cobalts, but in Porsche 911s, BMW M3s, Dodge Vipers and now, with the RS4 temporarily out of service, 340-horsepower Audi S4s. All straight from the manufacturers, most bought or leased by Skip Barber for this school. (If you plan to purchase a car like this in the near future, you might want to check the car's history and see if it has been leased to Barber. Certainly miles accumulated here are like dog years — multiply the odometer by seven for an accurate wear-and-tear barometer.)

No one in our class at Sebring International Raceway missed any shifts, or at least none of us would admit it. Aside from a minor scuff mark or two from contact with an orange cone, all the cars were just fine. The same could not be said for the tires on the BMW 330s that Barber uses for the wet skid pad training; wet or not, the purpose is to get the cars to slide sideways, then recover. Or not...

More here: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER