Students looking for high-speed kart racing can once again find it at a local professional driving school.
After five years, the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, reintroduced its “Arrive and Drive” program, which puts drivers behind the wheel of karts that reach over 50 mph.
The Chandler school, founded by former Formula One driver Bob Bondurant, is better known for its performance-based drive training. It boasts a host of alumni from professional drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to celebrities like Nicholas Cage and Katie Holmes.
An alumnus of the driving school, ASU junior Alan McCallum, recently placed third in one the school’s races. McCallum, a design student, said the proximity to the Bondurant School was a deciding factor in attending ASU.
“Because of [the Bondurant School], I am a much better operator,” McCallum said. “You can only control yourself on the roads in Tempe, not the people around you, and the Bondurant School helps with that.”
Though the school generally focuses on training its students to improve their driving skills, it established the “Arrive and Drive” program to give drivers of any skill level access to its resources.
The program, where participants drive a racing kart, is cheaper than other available options at the school, like car-racing at higher speeds.
“The karting is a more relaxed, ‘come out and have fun’ experience,” said Eric Tunell, spokesman for the driving school. “It’s something that returning students can enjoy that isn’t as expensive as our other programs.”
Tunell, who graduated from ASU in 2006, said the karts can reach speeds of about 50 mph.
“The karts are faster than any place you’ll find in the Valley,” Tunell said.
Former ASU student Dave Botluk experienced the karts first-hand at the “Arrive and Drive” program.
“This presents a safe environment for students to drive,” Botluk said. “It’s a nice way to quench that need for speed.”
The school has operated for more than 40 years and has been in Arizona for around 20 years since moving from California in 1990.
It offers other packages for driver training, including faster karts that can go up to 90 mph, highway survival training and racing courses.
The program’s races are about 15 minutes in length and feature full lap reports and time sheets for all participating drivers.
These sessions can fill up one to three months in advance, and can last one to four days in length, Tunell said. “Pretty much anything you want to do behind the wheel, we can help you with,” he said.
Reach the reporter at michael.reppenhagen@asu.edu
