Cadillac’s V-Academy: This Ain’t Your Grandparents’ Caddy….Driving School

Summary

• Performance driving schools like Cadillac’s V-Performance Academy help drivers become more aware of a vehicle’s dynamic abilities, teaching valuable tips and techniques for operating a motor vehicle on and off the track.
• The Blackwing models from Cadillac are top-shelf performance cars that offer unbelievable sports car performance, and can be purchased with either automatic or manual transmissions.
• Attending a driving academy compliments the vehicle buying experience, sharpens driving skills, improves understanding of personal and vehicle limits, and ultimately increases driving enjoyment and control in potentially dangerous situations.

The magic of performance driving schools lies in the ability to make skill building entertaining. What we were doing over the course of two days at the official Cadillac driving school was working on ourselves as drivers to become more acutely aware of the dynamic abilities of a motor vehicle. It’s not always the “how” when learning how to drive quickly, but also the “why.”

Cadillac’s team at Spring Mountain do an exceptional job at answering any questions on the “why” aspect, something that helps us mere mortals understand the all-important physics involved. Over the course of two days, the fine folks at Cadillac’s V-Performance Academy would teach me and a group of 14 others valuable tips and techniques on how to more tactfully operate a motor vehicle. This included everyday situations, with an emphasis on track driving.

The two-day V-Performance Academy event located in Pahrump, Nevada was not paid for by Cadillac, but came complimentary with the purchase of a Blackwing model. This offer is available to any Cadillac customer.

“Helmets on, let’s hit the track!” The words I was desperately waiting for, and often heard, over the course of two days at Spring Mountain. I have experience with the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, so it was time to see what the car could really do, on track, with little holding me back. Apparently, what this car can do is mind-boggling. The balance, the power, the braking, the turn-in, and the playfulness of GM’s brilliant “Performance Traction Management” are all elements you can safely explore to your hearts desire in a safe environment. I walked away a changed man.

The Blackwing Name Stands For Something

The cat’s out of the bag. By now everybody knows (or should know) that Cadillac’s Blackwing models are some of the best driver’s cars you can buy with your hard-earned money, period. Adding to the V-Performance line of vehicles, which is now 20 years old as of last year, Blackwing models carry the torch as top-shelf Cadillac performance cars. Cadillac even offers the CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing in either automatic or manual transmission versions.

If you are attending the program through the purchase of either of those models, the folks at Spring Mountain will automatically assign you to an example of the very car you purchased, though you can request a different model/transmission if so desired. Both cars are based on GM’s brilliant “Alpha” platform, and CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing models exhibit unbelievable sports car performance out on the road in either automatic, or row-it-yourself manual versions.

The Cadillac V-Academy Is About Track Work

This program is about track work, though, and it’s here where drivers will find weaknesses in a car’s abilities (not many), and their skills can be improved. Luckily, the Blackwing twins were fine-tuned on some of the world’s toughest tracks, making them surprisingly powerful weapons when things get twisty. The Blackwing badge represents some of the most serious performance cars offered by GM.

The car I drove was a beautiful Electric Blue on Sky-Cool Gray CT4-V Blackwing equipped with a manual transmission, and the elusive carbon fiber 1 & carbon fiber 2 packs. These packs are nearly impossible to obtain when ordering a new Blackwing, and it seems GM has saved the carbon goodies mostly for special edition models, as they are always equipped with them.

Day One: You Hit The Ground Running

The first day starts off with a morning meeting going over basic safety rules, and once the ground rules are set, it’s time to pick a car, adjust it to an aggressive seating position appropriate for track/performance driving, go right to the track. Every track session over the course of the two days is lead-follow, with one of the many very skilled instructors out ahead.

The very first track session was mainly to familiarize students with the track layout and driving line. Once our first sampling of the track in our cars was finished, it was time to break down our driving habits and learn to drive in a fashion that steps away from the everyday mundane (lazy) style of driving we all inevitably exhibit.

V-Academy Day One Lessons

• Emergency Braking
• Blindfolded Driving
• Low Traction Figure 8
• Demo Laps
• Multiple Track Sessions

Use the brakes! A lesson everyone can learn. We as drivers mostly just don’t use our brakes effectively. We usually wait till the last minute, and thankfully, modern car brakes are incredibly powerful. On track, though, that won’t do. In the emergency braking exercise, I learned that even in low-traction situations, ABS can still help the car maneuver under very heavy braking. It also familiarized all of us students with how hard we can push that pedal, specifically slowing down for tricky corners on track.

Blindfolded driving might sound crazy, but this lesson was really about making us look out of all the windows rather than just relying on what’s directly out in front. OK, maybe it’s not completely blindfolded, but rather, a sunshade is placed inside over the windshield, leaving my view restricted to only the side windows

We then proceeded to wind through a multiple figure-eight course, with emphasis on learning to spot apexes and turn-in points from more than just the windshield. It was an odd challenge, but one that made more sense the more I embraced the concept of trusting my surroundings.

Power-On Oversteer Can Help Teach You A Car’s Limits

The next exercise was one I thoroughly enjoyed. A large figure-eight was set up over a wet surface to demonstrate the point at which the tires break traction. The idea was to control the car in a slide through the course and, I must say, I had an absolute blast kicking out the rear end of the CT4 while sliding around.

This is bordering on the line of straight-up shenanigans and I couldn’t get enough of it. This is where you learn just how balanced a Blackwing vehicle is, and where you can learn to manage the immense power they deploy on the road. Not exactly useful for dry track driving, but a good lesson in traction management.

By the end of day one, instructors have noticed where each student’s pace is on track, and adjust driving groups accordingly. From then on, the instructor would allow drivers to “set the pace behind them,” and the instructor will maintain a distance out in front. The faster you drive, the faster they do, so every lap counts.

Day Two: Refining Skill Building

Day two started off with drivers hitting the ground running once again. Another morning meeting reiterating safety for the given exercise you’re about to perform, and then off you go, geared up with helmets and a neck brace. This is where you start to take the skills you’ve learned and apply them in a slightly more intense setting. Day two definitely involves higher speed activities with a group favorite, launch control! V-Mode engaged, PTM set to sport, clutch in, full throttle, and let it fly!

I might have tried to no-lift-shift on my first attempt and embarrassingly missed second gear, but who cares. This is the place to explore the car’s myriad of features, no-lift-shift being one of them. You’re allowed multiple launch control attempts while running up a specified chunk of racetrack, anyway. With rotating lessons, I’m glad my group did launch control first, because now I could easily apply that to the next task, autocross.

I’ll admit autocross isn’t my favorite vehicular activity, but in a car that isn’t mine, using launch control off the line made for a thoroughly entertaining session. Later that day we would all come back to the autocross track to compete for the quickest time, but our final times were withheld until the end of the day! Before we could leave, there was one last track session, and I was determined to make it count. Every second mattered, every shift, braking point, and turn had to be my best effort so far.

V-Academy Day TwoLessons

• Launch Control
• Autocross Practice
• Autocross Competition
• Multiple Track Sessions

By the end of day two, I was familiar enough with the track to push the little CT4 quite hard. I knew where limits are being pushed, I feel the G forces, aggressive braking feels natural, the skills of the past two days have all built up to one last track session crescendo where I would inevitably throw down my quickest lap time of 1:17, not to brag too much.

To put this into context and express just how much progress can be made thanks to the diligent lessons taught by the track staff and instructors, a “quick” lap time was considered to be 1:20, while the demo laps instructors gave us were at a 1:18 pace. When I say these are professionals who are brilliant at guiding you to hone in on track driving, the numbers don’t lie. Neither, frankly, does the unbelievable performance of the Cadillac Blackwing vehicles.

Spring Mountain Has Multiple Serious Driving Schools

Spring Mountain boasts one of the most extensive networks of track available anywhere in the West. Located in Pahrump, Nevada, Spring Mountain was known originally for the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School featuring Chevrolet’s ultra track capable Corvette models. Later, the Cadillac V-Academy was added, utilizing the same network of track. Both programs occur throughout the year, simultaneously.

The specific section I ran was a 1.5 mile, 10-turn circuit known as the East Loop. This loop involves some elevation change through turns four and five along with two high speed sections. Things get more technical in turns six through ten, forcing drivers to have more patience through the corners. In manual equipped cars, the majority of the track is dealt with in third and fourth gears.

Since the grounds are so extensive at Spring Mountain, there are classrooms located on specified sections of the track, making access to your portion seamless, as are the condominium complexes. All Spring Mountain staff are extremely helpful and welcoming, which can make the experience much more comfortable for those who might be intimidated by such an event.

There’s an overall “can do” attitude during the entire experience, creating a great sense of freedom. I’d advise all visitors to embrace this attitude, making the most of their two days at the track by allowing yourself to let loose a bit. Make friends with other drivers and talk cars/strategy with instructors. These connections will ultimately improve your experience exponentially.

A Driving Academy Helps You Understand What You Bought

Since some manufacturers offer their performance driving schools complimentary with the vehicle you purchase, simply attending and immersing yourself completely in what it has to offer will undoubtedly sharpen your driving skills. Perhaps more importantly, it will help you understand where your limits and the limits of your vehicle line up. This translates to more driving enjoyment when you want it, and better control of your vehicle when a potentially dangerous situation may occur.

I always say, at least one track day a year is a great way to “get the rust out and sharpen up those driving skills” when we inevitably become lazy in daily driving. Having completed the Cadillac V-Academy, I can’t recommend performance driving schools like this one enough! Sign up immediately, if anything, to have a good laugh or two while you explore a new track with a car you don’t have to worry about maintaining.