Lexus Performance Driving School

By Philip Van der Vossen on January 25th, 2017

We’re lucky, we know it. We get to drive some amazing vehicles here at Gunaxin, and we often get to drive them on the track. One of our favorites from the past few years has definitely been the Lexus RC F, especially in that gorgeous molten pearl paint. When it was first introduced, we drove it at Monticello Motor Club in New York and it was spectacular.

What if you wanted to drive a new Lexus F Performance vehicle at the track? Until recently, you’d have to buy one, but now that has all changed with the creation of the Lexus Performance Driving School. We were recently invited to attend the school in New Jersey, and just to make the experience even more special, they loaned us that beautiful RC F above to get there.

Lexus F Performance is a unique approach to performance driving – where raw speed and power meet agility, balance, and control to put the breathless thrill of driving at the limit firmly in your grasp.

If that idea raises your pulse, then The Lexus F Performance Driving School is the perfect place for you to learn high-performance driving skills in the cockpit of the most powerful Lexus F vehicles, on the best tracks in the country, with classes ranging from beginner to advanced.

We spent a half day at New Jersey Motor Sports Park, completing a series of activities led by experienced instructors. Over the course of the day, we had the opportunity to drive IS 350 F SPORT, RC 350 F SPORT, GS F, RC F. Our instructional program included six parts :

Chalk Talk: A more in-depth classroom briefing on the finer points of driving dynamics, the concept of grip, and track safety.
Skid pad: A special drill to help understand grip limits and how to correct oversteer and understeer.
Slalom, braking, and evasive: Designed to sharpen fundamental driving skills like maximizing braking capability and steering techniques.
Timed autocross: A chance to put your skills to the test on the track as you compete with classmates and attempt to best your own times.
Lead/Follow: Learn the basics of optimal racing lines, the proper use of eyes, braking, and reference points as you build up speed and confidence.
Hot Laps: A culmination of the day’s experiences—ride along with the pros to see the full capability of F Performance vehicles in action.

The activities built on each other, and of course we enjoyed the Timed Autocross and Lead / Follow laps the most. That is when you really feel like you are racing, and get the chance to really see what the Lexus vehicles can do. When we weren’t driving, we were able to ride right seat with a buddy, so that we could learn from their seat time as well. While we didn’t actually ride with the instructors, we appreciated the use of handheld radios in the vehicles, so that we could hear tips from the instructors while we were driving.

Our day at the track ended with Hot Laps, an opportunity to ride right seat with the instructors at full speed around the track. For this activity, they brought out the amazing new Lexus LC 500 and randomly drew names to find out who got to be among the first in the world to ride in one :

Overall we had a great time learning from professionals, and seeing first-hand how capable the Lexus F Performance lineup really is. The RC F Coupe is still our favorite, but that will probably change if we ever get the chance to drive the new LC 500. We captured much of our experience on video, although it’s important to note that the instructors do not permit any use of cameras or phones in the vehicles, for good reason. That limited our footage some, but you can still get a good taste of what the Lexus Performance Driving School is all about in our video below: