Team Oneil vs Dirtfish vs The FIRM vs ......

Next year is the big 5-0. Need a big bucket list item checked off. Nurburgring is probably too much, mostly the travel.

As much As I want to do a rally school, looking at the travel it's 14hrs to Team Oneil in NH, and 34hrs to Dirtfish in WA. Plus the fact there's nothing else around to make it worthwhile, like on the way home stop at XYZ.

I remembered the FIRM in FL has some sort of instruction, plus there's plenty else to do nearby. PLUS the fact I can probably fly in easier and get to the place/hotel easier as well. (NH and WA probably lack the airport and rental cars nearby).

I thought about a big trackday somewhere, like drive a Lambo for 4 hrs or something, but a rally school would probably be more beneficial. Any recommendations? How's the FIRM?

Rally Ready is in Austin, less than 20 minutes from COTA.
http://rallyready.com
If you give Dave a call he can give you a run down on the benefits of the Rally Ranch. It really is a fantastic facility. I'm sure you could find a way to combine COTA with sliding cars through dirt.

The FIRM sponsors NASA RallySport, so... yes! Give them money!

I have no useful input here, but what are your goals? I have heard that the "fun to useful skills ratio" varies between the three, so whether you want to enjoy yourself vs. be the second coming of Loeb is probably important information.

O'Neil in the winter. There's no better way to learn car control then running on the surface with the least amount of traction. Plus you might get invited to take part in some ice racing a few hours away the next weekend.

Having just done the Nurburgring, I bet you could do it for around $3K depending on where you live, what kind of rental you want and how many laps.

Just putting that out there

No experience with the schools, but flying into Manchester, NH is pretty easy and they've got plenty of rental cars. Logan is only an hour south of there if it's much cheaper/easier.

In reply to WingZombie:

You know, it's not the cost even. I have a $10k credit card with about $400 on it. I don't have a passport, I hate flying (bad experience as a teen)... That said, I'd still love to do it.

Jerry wrote: I thought about a big trackday somewhere, like drive a Lambo for 4 hrs or something...

FYI if you end up going this route, unless the Lambo is your dream-car pick the Ferarri or Porsche. Oh, and I'd recommend XX at NOLA MSP if you do.

Jerry wrote: (NH and WA probably lack the airport and rental cars nearby).

Wut.

I live in WA, and I can assure you - this isn't the wild west. We have a modern airport with rental cars and everything. Fly here, rent a car, drive 45-75 minutes (traffic dependent)Northeast to Dirtfish.

If you don't want to fly, driving cross country only to pass a number of schools on the way doesn't make sense.

In reply to Mezzanine:

Sssshhhhh, don't blow his mind all at once. I think they teach kids in Ohio this sort of stuff growing up, it's the only way to keep them from leaving as soon as they have the means.

I've been to all three. Each has their own pluses and minuses.

Outside the facility itself, Dirtfish is absolutely gorgeous part of the country. Team O is also very nice. The part of Florida the Firm is in, is not exactly the most scenic.

For the Firm. JAX is the closest airport, at about an hour away. There are two hotels near it, along with a bed and breakfast. Hotels are not fancy. The doubletree at the airport, has the best hotel beds i've ever encountered. You can also fly into orlando, but it's a 2.5 hour drive.

All three have excellent instructors. Rally is different depending upon the events location. So each school is pretty representative of the local area. I'd say team o and dirtfish are better for the dirt. However, only the Firm has a paved track. You'll have fun at all of them.

Forgot to mention: for Team o, you can fly southwest into MHT or Boston. You can also fly into BTV. All have good rental car fleets. Dirtfish, fly into SEA and same in terms of rental cars.

If you like beer, Dirtfish and Team O, will have awesome options near the school.

In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:

I tried to escape to New Orleans after the Navy, but only lasted a year. Only did a cursory glance at Google Maps around the schools, only saw lots of green.