Bondurant driving school secures new ownership, keeps Dodge deal
Stig Investments, a venture founded by a group of racers and car collectors, announced that it is moving forward with its ownership of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. The Bondurant school was started in 1968 by its namesake and moved to its current dedicated driver training facility, with more than 100 vehicles and a three-mile, 26-turn racetrack, in Phoenix, Arizona in 1990.
In connection with that announcement, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it will continue its sponsorship of the Bondurant facility as “The Official Performance Driving School of Dodge//SRT.” The Bondurant school exclusively uses race-prepped Dodge vehicles, including Hellcat- and Demon-powered Chargers and Challengers, along with the Viper ACR. Buyers of 2016–19 SRT models who took delivery before February 1, 2019 qualify for free tuition.
The school filed for bankruptcy last October, though operations and driving classes continued through reorganization with the same team of instructors. Stig Investments’ bid of $1.67 million was accepted by the bankruptcy court in March. The group has three partners, Bruce Belser, Jeff Hunter, and Pat Velasco, all of whom have attended and graduated from the Bondurant program. Belser, a former U.S. Air Force and commercial pilot, will take the reins as CEO and is moving to Phoenix to run the operation.
The new ownership group is going to hit the ground running, with immediate investments planned for repairs and improvements to the track and facility.
“In the past 30 days, we’ve solidified key pieces of the Bondurant experience that will ensure the success and growth of the school,” said Belser in a statement. “From securing the FCA partnership to retaining our passionate team members, including renowned instructors Mike McGovern and Danny Bullock, and infusing significant capital into the business, we plan to continue to deliver the ultimate guest experience and a best-in-class work environment for employees.”
The SRT vehicle owners who qualify for FCA’s offer and want to attend the Bondurant school can register by calling FCA’s concierge services at 800-998-1110. Everyone else can visit www.bondurant.com or call (800) 842-RACE.
