Product Description

In this program you’ll get behind the wheel of a Skip Barber Racing School Formula Ford and learn the techniques for successful race car driving.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38922 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-12-21
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Customer Reviews

Great but not the greatest
I had originally bought the Going Faster book and then bought the dvd. After reading the book and I was pretty disappointed at the content of dvd.

Pros:
- Certain techniques, such and double clutching and downshifting without the clutch were tremendously easier to learn by watching it rather than reading it in the book.

Cons:
- Don't get this dvd if you want to learn more about cars or tuning. Aspects of the car like toe in/out, camber angle, shock absorbers, caster angles, etc. are not covered
- Not as technical as the book. Most people would consider this a good thing but in my opinion the more info you have the faster you can go.
- The video seems like something created for a PBS special in the 80's. That's not completely negative but I would have liked to seen a more modern day video

Overall, I think the dvd is best for beginner and those who are just starting out. Don't bother with it if you already know some stuff about racing and cars. I would also suggest you get the book if you do plan on getting this dvd.

Good, but unfortunately very dated...
You will notice that the release date on this DVD is a misleading December of 2004 - which sounded very current to me, unfortunately once I bought it I realized that in reality it had a copyright date of 1987 at the end of watching it. No wonder I saw a Dodge Daytona in there! You see, this "2004 DVD" release is really a re-release of a Video Tape from 1987.

If you can get past that fact and you are into on-track road racing - you will find it quite good. It covers all the fundamentals of car control thoroughly as expected. There's also plenty of in-car instruction which is always good too.

I personally am mainly into solo club racing (auto-crossing) in parking lots with lots of cones - for which this video was not as helpful. But, if you're into on-track road racing techniques and long for 1980s quality video on DVD - you'll love it! It is rather unfortunate that it is so dated, because I have all the books and really wanted a high quality and state of the art DVD - which this is not. If you do not have all the books - get those first and hopefully a "current millennium" quality DVD will be available soon. As a throwback video I would give it five stars, but by today's standards I can only give it three.

Great Information on Driving
This is a great DVD on high speed driving techniques. These techniques will not only help you on the racetrack, but can be applied to make you a safer driver on the street. I've read dozens of books about driving techniques but you can learn more faster watching this DVD than you can reading books. This is the next best thing to going to a driving school. My favorite part of the DVD is most of an entire race at Lime Rock has been filmed from the driver's perspective, and that is an incredibly helpful tool. I would have given it 5 stars, but it is beginning to show it's age. I think Skip Barber's School should do a scene-by-scene remake so I can give it 5 stars!