Staying the Course

The Ford Performance Racing School strikes a four-year deal to stay in Utah

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of the Ford Performance Racing School

When news that the Miller Motorsports Park complex in Tooele, Utah, had been sold, it was only natural for Ford fans to wonder what might become of the Ford Performance Racing School, which has hosted its own high-performance driving schools in addition to specialty classes dedicated to owners of Ford Performance vehicles like the Boss 302, Focus ST and F-150 Raptor. Well, fret no more, the school recently inked a deal with Tooele County to remain at the renamed Utah Motorsports Campus for the next four years.

“Ford relies on the school to produce driver experience programs for owners of Ford vehicles – offering these performance programs at no additional cost,” said Henry Ford III, Ford Performance marketing manager. “Here, drivers learn the capabilities of their cars—and themselves —with instruction and extensive course time with professional drivers.”

Currently the FPRS hosts its own single and multi-day schools where students drive prepped Mustang GTs and can step up to the Mustang Boss 302 FRS. There are also ST Octane Academy programs that put students into enhanced Focus ST and Fiesta ST hot hatches for instruction, as well as an off-road school for F-150 Raptor enthusiasts dubbed the Raptor Assault.

“This racetrack is an amazing facility that our customers have always enjoyed,” said Dan McKeever, school president. “We want to thank Larry H. Miller Group for its help with the transition, as well as Ford Performance for its ongoing commitment and BFGoodrich/Michelin for its continued support. We’re happy to continue to offer new experiences at Utah Motorsports Campus.”

The school will also have continued sponsorship support from a prominent tire manufacturer, which is pretty handy for a driving school.

“Since our first involvement at Miller Motorsports Park in 2007, BFGoodrich/Michelin has benefited by inviting groups from across the country to experience our ultra-high-performance and light truck tires at one of the top racing schools in the country,” said Jeff Cummings, driving experience manager, BFGoodrich/Michelin. “New ownership doesn’t change the fact that the facility and, in particular, the excellent staff we have worked with the last eight years is still in place. We look forward to continuing our relationship as official tire of Ford Performance Racing School for many years to come.”

Likewise the local government officials recognize that the school’s presence at the Utah Motorsports campus brings visitors and jobs to the area.

“We’re pleased we are able to retain the industry-leading talent behind the school, along with our association with Ford, and we’re grateful Ford Performance Racing School is committed to the preservation of jobs in our local work force,” Tooele County commissioner Shawn Milne said.

If you haven’t made it out to participate in one of the school’s programs we highly recommend it. The school will announce its schedules soon and if you want to learn more about what goes into those S550 school cars, you can check out our story on how they were born at Watson Racing.

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