There will be a chance for Military and Veterans to participate in a High Performance Driving Event at Summit Point Raceway on November 11th. If you can make it, it is a great time for those that always have wanted to drive on a race track.
I would not talk anyone out of a FATT because it is about the most fun you can have short of racing. I still recommend real training prior to coin it even though you are required to ride with instructors and get signed off before going solo.
I have seen some interesting things happen at FATT. Among them a very bad incident. One of the instructors had a crazy fast Mitsubishi Eclipse with water injection and a big turbo, etc. Well, I can't remember if he was driving his friend in it, or the friend was driving the instructor. They rolled it coming out of T10 and both were flown to shock trauma. One of them didn't make it. I have also seen idiots destroy their Ferrari's, Porsche's, Lambo's, Ford GT's.
Thing is, as a racer, I learned after a year or two that is was not worth driving during the FATT to practice or test prior to a race. Too many crazy people out there.
As a former long time roadracer in the SCCA I agree. Too many crazies in FATT sometimes. However I have been an HPDE instructor for Car Guys, Shelby ACC, Mercedes Club, BMWCCA, RX-7/Mazda Club and a few others. I have instructed on all three circuits at Summit Point. Another poster on here was a teammate of mine for more than a decade (Mini14Tom). Roadracing (especially motorcycle roadracing) is the most fun you can have with your clothes on (Benny Parsons once told me that all the NASCAR guys felt the same way). I did not retire from racing because I got tired of it but because even in my late 50's I found I was less and less able to do the work needed to keep the car in top shape (that and my late wife became disabled soon after and stopped so I could be her caregiver in her remaining years).
Most people barely know how to drive because ordinary driving schools just teach you how to point the car and keep it on the road, not how to DRIVE.
This is truly a great event. I have know Miriam Schottland for about a decade, and she hold a good school. Through instructing with the BMWCCA and PCA-Potomac I've had the privilege of instructing some wonderful soldiers from the wounded warrior project. Truly and inspiring bunch of young men and women. Though I won't be able to participate this year, I'm glad to see that the event is still ongoing, and I'm glad to see it posted here.