I-CAR Chevrolet ZR1 structural repair students win Corvette driving experience

I-CAR chose seven students at random to participate in a two-day Bob Bondurant High Performance Driving School – Corvette Driving Experience. Students were given the choice of taking the Corvette Driving Experience at different times over the course of two months.

Students chosen received training over the past year in the I-CAR Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Structural Repair training program in conjunction with General Motors. This training program provides students with hands on experience welding and sectioning the aluminum on a ZR1 space frame and provides information on the ZR1 engine, steering and suspensions systems, brakes, and carbon fiber.

"I-CAR is proud to be a part of General Motors effort to assure that technicians who need to perform structural repairs on the ZR1 have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a complete and safe repair," said Jason Bartanen, I-CAR technical director. "Performing repairs on advanced technologies, like the aluminum hydroformed structure of the Corvette ZR1, can be a daunting prospect for many technicians. With training, however, technicians learn the necessary preparation and procedures to perform repairs both effectively and productively."

Students who had the opportunity to participate in the Bob Bondurant High Performance Driving School – Corvette Driving Experience in Phoenix, Arizona had hands-on experience with high performance driver training at the 1.6 mile Bondurant Course. The course began with proper seating, hand placement, and driver positioning. Topics covered included skid control, line techniques, reading the road, and accident avoidance. The course also emphasized performance braking and handling techniques, including trail braking and throttle steering.

"Trained technicians are the foundation of a quality repair and customer experience," said Brad Thacher, aftersales program readiness manager for performance cars at General Motors. "Through this training students were given the technician's perspective and the driver's perspective. This will benefit the technicians themselves, their employers, and ultimately Corvette owners."