Located directly in the middle of the Sunshine State, Sebring, Florida, is a charming town on a lake, but to the automotive world, Sebring is home to one of the world’s most respected and historic racing venues. Originally an airfield, Sebring International Raceway is known for its bumpy concrete surface that still uses World War II-era landing strips, which is why Sebring has been, for decades, a challenging and renowned venue for racers of all calibers. Its most well-known event is the 12 Hours of Sebring, which is a staple on the annual sports car racing calendar.
We had to be at Sebring early on a Monday morning, arriving at the circuit just after sunrise, with dew still on the grass. We were there for a one-day Skip Barber Racing School, one of many that the school hosts across the country. While we were there for only one day, many of our classmates were only at the beginning of their racing journeys, as the Monday we were there was only the start of a three-day program that dives even deeper into motorsport driving technique.
Our day started with a classroom session, and our instructor was a legend with decades of experience in racing and educating drivers: Terry Earwood. His own motorsport career is full of accolades, including being inducted into multiple halls of fame and having several endurance and drag racing titles.
Teaching a curriculum that has been perfected across decades and was originally taught for the Georgia State Police, Earwood’s instruction breaks driving down to its most basic physical principles. We learned how weight distribution, grip limits, contact patches, and throttle/brake application each affected the car. The goal was for us to translate those concepts into confidently maneuvering our cars around the track.
The cars we would be driving on-track are modified fifth-generation Ford Mustang GT coupes, but first, we got behind the wheel of road-legal sedans. While not nearly as brawny as a sports car, or the Formula 4 cars some of the other students would be driving, our midsize sedans were meant for a cone course. Helping us test the limits of grip, throttle, and braking for corners, one cone, located at the inside of a turn, was affectionately nicknamed “Muffy” by Earwood. Our goal was to make sure we carried as much speed as we could through the turn, while getting the car as close to Muffy as possible.
Another exercise saw us driving a Toyota Camry with one odd wheel around a drift circle. That wheel had a plastic disc around the tire, which helped the tail loosen to simulate sudden oversteer. In case it happened on the track, this experience would help us mitigate the situation.Once everyone became more comfortable with the fundamentals, using their eyes to look through the corner, smoothly applying throttle at the apex, and knowing how to safely recover from understeer, it was time to suit up and head out to the track. A quick walkthrough on the fifth-generation Mustang gave everyone a small taste of what to expect when taking off from pit lane, including a full breakdown of all the performance and safety upgrades and a hands-on demonstration of the four-point harness system. The Mustangs have been retrofitted and upgraded by Skip Barber’s team to now include suspension components from Eibach, a Kooks Headers and Exhaust system, an engine tune courtesy of HP Tuners, an upgraded transmission from TREMEC, and the latest BFGoodrich g-Force Phenom T/A tires fitted underneath it all.
Our group included everyone from complete beginners to experienced weekend track drivers, but the instructors made patience and safety the priority, ensuring everyone felt confident and comfortable before firing up the engines. As the first groups headed out, we climbed into the pace cars with our instructors, who guided us through the circuit corner by corner, explaining the ideal racing line and where to brake, turn in, and get back on the throttle. It not only served as a demonstration, but also a testament to the skills of our instructors as they outpaced lightweight open-wheel cars and larger V8s with expert cornering and pedal management alone.
Finally, it was our turn to climb into the driver's seat, and to be honest, I felt a little overwhelmed trying to remember everything we'd learned throughout the day. As we started our inaugural lap of the already-legendary Sebring International Raceway, everything became calmer and clearer, following the pace car at a manageable speed and distance, talking myself through each turn with the confidence instilled by Terry’s classroom talk and the exercises earlier that morning. Before we knew it, Tyler and I were lapping Sebring like pros, downshifting through the corners, racing down the straights, and passing by each other like it was a 12-hour endurance race.
With some time to decompress and debrief before our second session, we caught up with Terry to talk through our experiences so far and where we could improve behind the wheel. By the time we headed back out, everything felt much more natural. The second 30-minute session gave us the confidence to focus on cleaning up our mistakes, carrying more speed through corners, and gradually shaving time off each lap.
Only spending the day with the group, Skip Barber Racing surprised us with an extra third track session while the rest of the class was being briefed on their upcoming days. Needless to say, it was the perfect ending to the day, spending our final moments at Sebring International Raceway chasing the sunset and shifting gears.
Before setting off on our drive back to Saint Petersburg, FL, Terry presented the two of us with our official Skip Barber Racing School Certificate of Graduation, along with a gift bag from the school sponsors. It also gave us the time to really thank Terry and the entire team for their hospitality, knowledge, and patience throughout the day. Having started as two students with little to no track time experience, Skip Barber Racing School gave us the tools and confidence to take to any track.
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