Hitting the fast track - Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving

Chief Executive, The, July, 2003 by Scott Henjum

Before getting down to business at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, you sit through a classroom session and tour the 60-acre Arizona facility, complete with racetrack, bustling maintenance shop and auto racing museum. Then the fun begins. Students pile into a passenger van, strap on factory seat belts and settle in for a roller coaster of a ride over the 1.6-mile track, designed by Bondurant, the legendary Ford Cobra and Formula One driver, himself.

The instructor floors the van down a straightaway, rifles through a left- and then a right-hand turn and then goes over a rise--just in time to hit a sharp corner. You hold on for clear life. Your heart jumps into your throat; your mouth goes dry. As your pulse races, the van goes deep into the corner of the track, squeals through the turn and accelerates toward the fast-approaching next curve. When the instructor explains that you, too, will be able to burn such rubber, you begin to realize the van isn't going to roll and you aren't going to die. Welcome to Bondurant.

Now in its third location, spread out across a flat swath of desert outside Phoenix with views of mountains ringing the Valley of the Sun, the 35-year-old Bondurant School has long been popular among top execs, particularly CEOs. Bob Bondurant--whose career triumphs included a 1964 victory in the Grand Touring category at LeMans, Europe's most prestigious race--estimates that more than 15 percent of his 85,000 students have come from the upper ranks of corporate management.

"CEOs are competitive, intense people who work hard and seek thrills," says Bondurant, who has also taught auto racing stars, such as Dale Earnhardt and Al Unser Jr., and Hollywood types, including Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood. "It's just their nature. They really like to come here to learn car control and have fun behind the wheel."

For John Cloud, CEO of Forest City Technologies, a $50 million-plus manufacturer of automotive parts based in Wellington, Ohio, the Bondurant School offered an experience entirely different than any he could have had in the executive suite. It also provided a chance to receive immediate feedback, a rarity for CEOs. "In business, we can pour blood, sweat and tears into our work, but we don't get quick feedback from our actions," Cloud says. "At the Bondurant School, you get instant feedback-with every lap--about how well you are driving your car."

Like many CEOs, Cloud was so taken by his immersion at Bondurant that he's gone back again and again. He's taken more than 50 courses there over the past eight years. As soon as he completed his first class, he knew he wanted to race cars as a hobby. Today, he competes in vintage car races around the country. He drives a retired Winston Cup Ford Thunderbird that produces 700 horsepower and a 1967 Camaro that pumps out 500 horses. "It's a quite a thrill to race these cars going 170 mph with other cars darting in and out," says Cloud. "At those speeds, you have to concentrate and behave rationally. It really keeps your blood circulating."

Randal Wilson, COO of DeWils Industries, a $32 million Vancouver, Wash.-based kitchen cabinet manufacturer, keeps returning to Bondurant for the instruction. "Those guys are all professional drivers, not wannabes," he says. "You really improve your driving when you get personal, one-on-one instruction." Then again, says Wilson, who's been to the school five times, a large part of the allure is speed, pure and simple. "I do love the speed and the adrenaline rush you get flying around corners," he says. "You can't get that feeling back at the office."

The fastest 60 acres

Based on a two-day visit to Bondurant, it's easy to see why the school is such a popular detour for hard-charging execs. The instructors are committed to improving your skills and lap times, the cars are fine-tuned and the facilities top-notch.

Situated adjacent to the Firebird Raceway, just south of Phoenix, the Bondurant School has been dubbed the fastest 60 acres in America. The school boasts more than 200 cars, including 20 Formula cars and 25 Super and Shifter Karts. There is a transition under way from Ford sponsorship to GM. As a result, the fixture Ford Mustang GTs and Cobras are being replaced by Cadillac CTS's and Chevrolet Corvettes. The Formula Fords are now called "Formula Bondurants."

There are several courses to choose from at Bondurant, including high performance driving, Grand Prix road racing and advanced road racing, as well as executive protection and anti-kidnapping training. During the four-day Grand Prix course, which costs $3,775, you spend 80 percent of your time behind the wheel. On your last day, you fire up your own Formula car and put all of your new skills on the line to get the most out of the open-cockpit machine. You'll also get to race your classmates and instructors around the track, topping 100 mph down the straightaway. The Grand Prix course qualifies graduates for a sanctioned racing license, a requirement to compete in vintage car races throughout the country.