Menu
Login
This company that bills itself as teaching of driving exotic cars promised expert instruction by a Formula 1 driver, but only had track personnel at the Monticello (NY) Motor Club. My instructor was not qualified to drive the racing Ferrari's provided. The head instructor, who did not get in the car, never participated in Formula 1, but said he drove the Indianapolis 500 three times, never coming close to winning. His participation was not the driving but critiquing videos after the drive. They also did not tell the students until the morning of the event last week that their American Express cards would be charged $20, 000 if damage was done to the car up to that amount during the event. This was never mentioned in any brochure or discussion with company personnel prior to the day of the event. This is false and misleading. I drove at their school in Monticello last week when they made me take another driving course (in lieu of a partial refund requested) after the one I attended last year had the instructor refuse to teach me. I learned I was right as they fired him. Last week had my leaving the course one half way through the day long course when the instructor yelled at me. Again, I asked for a $1, 500 refund for the $3, 500 paid last year, but they have refused me. Do not go near this company. They are overpriced, misleading and instructors are not sufficiently proficient in teaching students.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
![Emirates Driving Institute [EDI] Reviews](/images/business/48-48/126914/emirates-driving-institute-edi-uaecom.png)
![Galadari Motor Driving Centre [GMDC] Reviews](/images/business/48-48/122426/gmdc-galadari-motor-driving-centre.jpg)
We have hosted approximately 11, 000 customers at over 900 road and track events since 2006. While we try to fully satisfy every customer, we've found that a very small number of our participants are truly difficult to satisfy, and an even smaller number simply fail to follow the instruction of our track safety officials.
Mr. Horan was a recent guest at one of our high performance track programs. I extended a complimentary seat to Mr. Horan in response to a prior complaint from him. I joined Mr. Horan at the track on the day of the event. I personally introduced myself and told him that I would be happy to address any concerns or comments he might have throughout the day.
Early in the program, Mr. Horan built a relationship with one of our instructors and asked to be paired with this instructor for the duration of the program. (This particular instructor has been a professional racing coach for 32 years in high performance track driving.) However, at the end of his lapping session, Mr. Horan removed his helmet and suit and left the premises. He did not ask for another instructor or relay any concerns to me, the instructor, or the track staff. We later reviewed the in-car video and determined that Mr. Horan failed to exit to the pits as instructed and continued to take an additional lap after his session ended. As we instruct in the pre-event briefing (and, as is common in our industry), this is considered a MAJOR safety violation, and grounds for immediate dismissal. He also failed to shift gears as instructed - repeatedly confusing the UP and DOWN paddles.
While we maintain an accident-free record on track, we fully disclose our deductible policy to each participant before the event. It is covered on our website, product brochures, email confirmations, and in an oral briefing before each event.
Finally, we do not promise "expert instruction by a Formula 1 driver." Our instructors are carefully vetted, and most have a minimum of 15 years of professional, high performance driving instruction. Some instructors (such as our driving director, Didier Theys - who provided Mr. Horan with personal instruction on the day of a the event) are highly accomplished - having achieved 61 podium finishes including 18 first-place victories. Perhaps Mr. Horan confuses us with another driving experience he has tried in the past.
While we try to provide an educational and fun experience for each participant, we are absolutely concerned about the safety of the participants. We regret that we were not able to fully satisfy Mr. Horan and wish him the very best in his future driving experiences.
Mr. Aaron Fessler
CEO
World Class Driving
[protected]