Skip Barber Racing School Changed the Way I See Myself as a Driver
I had never been to Virginia International Raceway before this trip. I did not know what to expect. What I found when I got there was one of the most beautiful racing facilities I have ever seen in my life. The grounds, the track, the whole setup. And staying on property with a view of the track? Let’s just say I had zero excuses for being late. 😄
But honestly, the facility was just the backdrop. What happened on that track over three days is what I am still thinking about.
Going In With Real Doubts
I will be upfront about something. Road course racing is not where I come from. I have a car race under my belt, but in general, my background is not rooted in road course work. So heading into the Skip Barber 3-day racing school, I had real questions about how it would go for me.
Would I be comfortable? Would it translate? I genuinely did not know.
The Moment Everything Changed
The second I got on track, those doubts disappeared.
I felt natural out there. Comfortable in a way I did not expect that quickly. It was one of those moments where you stop thinking about whether you belong and just start doing the work.
That is when I knew this type of racing was right up my alley.
Three Days, Real Improvement
From there, it was all about execution. Day by day, session by session, the times kept coming down
By the end of the school, we had picked up somewhere between seven and eight seconds. My coach Dennis, told me the coaching staff was impressed, not just with the improvement but with how consistently I was running those times. Consistency is something I take a lot of pride in, so hearing that meant everything.
The program pushed me. The classroom work, the on-track sessions, the feedback after every run. It all stacks up fast when the instruction is as good as it is at Skip Barber.
Gratitude Goes a Long Way
None of this happens without the people who made it possible.
Thank you to Dennis for coaching me throughout the week and pushing me to keep finding more. Thank you to the entire staff at Skip Barber Racing School for putting on an incredible event and making every student feel welcome from day one.
And the biggest thank you of all goes to my grandparents, my parents, and Anthony DeMonte. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I do not take that lightly for a single second.
What Comes Next
This experience did more than improve my lap times. It expanded how I think about my own development as a driver.
Road course racing has my attention now. The skills I picked up at the Skip Barber 3-day racing school are going to carry over into everything I do behind the wheel. I am walking away from VIR a more complete racer, and I cannot wait to put it to work.
