The Lexus Performance Driving Academy is one of many driving events put on by automakers across the country. But, unlike some others, such as Mazda's Zoom-Zoom Live, the Lexus academy is split up into two different sessions.
The half-day "Ultimate" Friday session, which carries a price tag of $295, is limited to about 72 people per session, with seat time exclusively in a Lexus IS F. The free, two-hour Saturday/Sunday sessions provide seat time in Lexus models like the IS 250, IS 350, GS 460, and GS 450h, as well as the IS F.
The Academy recently came out to the Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) in Fontana, California, where we had a chance to check out what the Lexus Ultimate program was all about. For the most part, it turned out to be a fun way to spend a day. The four-hour-plus event is broken up into several parts, about 30 minutes in length. The Academy starts off with the program's rundown and a brief introduction to proper driving techniques by a professional driver. Afterward, attendees are split into four groups. Each will rotate through the day's four sessions -- autocross, team relay, lead follow, and advanced theory -- before finishing up with a few laps in an IS F with one of the pros behind the wheel.
The optimal place to start is the advanced theory class, which provides an expanded explanation of the racing line and goes into other concepts such as weight transfer and the friction circle. The group that starts out in advanced theory should have a bit of an advantage going into the driving sessions.
The most basic of the four is the traditional autocross. Large open space, lots of cones, a car, and a driver. Each person gets six laps -- two practice and two sets of two for speed. Hitting a cone incurs a two-second penalty and missing the stop-box at the end tacks on five. A prize in the form of a Lexus watch is awarded to the best time of the session.
The team relay is an autocross event with a twist. Each person in a group gets two practice laps in an IS F, after which the group is split evenly into two teams that pair up with a driver/coach. Each then does laps around the course, switching drivers after each lap. Once every participant is done, the pro driver who's been riding shotgun does a lap, the timer ending once he stops the car. The goal is to set a combined time lower than that of the other team. Seemingly bland, the event is actually entertaining thanks to the show put on by the staff, which includes a bit of gamesmanship and a lot of friendly trash talking.
The real fun, however, is during the lead/follow portion of the program. Three people in IS Fs follow a pro driver in an IS 350 or IS 250 around a road course; in this case, the 1.4-mile course on the speedway's infield. Despite the IS F's power edge, keeping up with the pros predictably isn't easy. It's a nice compromise on the part of Lexus that gives people road-course laps in an IS F without a driver doing babysitting duty, while minimizing the chance of someone putting a $55,000-plus car into a wall.
After each group finishes its four-session rotation, everyone moves on to the "hot laps" session, with three passengers riding in an IS F around the same course as in lead/follow, but with a pro behind the wheel. Once everyone gets three laps, the day is ended with a wrapup session and a few awards -- the aforementioned best time in the autocross and two subjective awards as determined by the staff, the first for "most improved" and the second for "most consistent."
Overall, it's hard to say if the Lexus Performance Driving Academy is worth the $295 entry fee. While it's not a bad way for IS F owners and prospective buyers with novice driving abilities to learn more about the car and how to drive it, those wishing to simply drive the IS F may leave feeling as if they spent too much money. The educational component is solid compensation, but Lexus does hold a free two-hour version that eliminates the advanced theory and team-relay portions, which may ultimately be a better choice for test-drive tourists.
The Academy's next two dates are at the Summit Point Motorsports in Park Summit Point, West Virginia (June 27-29), and at the Atlanta Motor Speedway (July 11-13). For more information, head over to tasteoflexus.com