Octane Academy is a must!!

[HawaiiST]

Clark Griswold - "We're all gonna have so much fuckin' fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles!" This couldn't be more true when it comes to attending the Ford Octane Academy, especially when you've driven your FiestaST or Focus ST across many state borders in anticipation of "Walley World", Miller Motorsports Park being the equivalent or even better. Rain or shine you will get to drive, laugh, and experience heart pumping adrenalin that leaves you with a permanent smile. World class instructors and an unmatched Performance Car Museum which is the heart of American racing history will leave you speechless and drooling. If you haven't taken advantage of your free Octane Academy experience with the purchase of a new Focus ST or Fiesta ST, you're going to regret it! Please respond with your Octane Academy experience and share the thrills to convince those who have not yet joined this exclusive club to do so. I flew from Hawaii to enjoy this experience, so everyone else has no excuse in terms of distance travelled to attend this once in a life time opportunity. On a sadder note, Miller Motorsports Park is in a land dealings limbo between Chinese purchasers and and an American real estate developer, this is the reason why registration has temporarily been suspended, I am optimistic that Ford will continue this experience even if the venue for this event has to be changed (I hope not). Moreover, I'm hoping Ford will help the awesome personable instructors keep their jobs so they can continue to share and teach the sport they love so much. Hopefully with much support, the unified voice of many will make this possible!

 

[MKVIIST]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Welcome aboard

 

[McLilySladentine]

I'm going in 2 weeks, and I cannot wait.

 

[HawaiiST]

That's awesome dude, you will not be disappointed. The Hoonigan Headquarters in Park City, Utah is cool too with plenty of toys to take pictures of. I was kind of bummed the raptor trax was in the back where you can't take pictures. The other thing is they try rush you out of there, even if you haven't finished your meal. Pretty rude, if you ask me. I just continued to eat and told the kid who brought the food out and was obviously waiting for everyone to vacate so he could eat what was left, I just asked him to sit down at the table and join me. The food was good though, I wasn't expecting anything very tasty, but it was. I just wish Ken Block's staff was as happy to be there as everyone else visiting. They kind of have an almost, "I have more important things to do right now and want to leave attitude". I don't know if it's because they have a really heavy workload, or because they're too cool for school, or plain just don't like their job, but it was noticeable. Not to worry, the Ford Staff at Miller Motorsports Park are much more welcoming. You can tell immediately that they love what they do. Moreover, if you're staying at the Tooele Comfort Inn you will be pleasantly surprised. When you walk in there is a track Porsche right in the lobby. The Comfort Inn is owned by the local Magnus Racing Team, very cool. Also, a very friendly staff, very well kept rooms, and breakfast in the lobby dining area every morning is a great convenience. They keep the coffee pots full as well. If you have time for a Denny's meal across the street, I'd recommend that as it's the only place to get a real meal in the immediate area. It's a trucker stop Denny's and it's the best Denny's I've been to(Hawaii Denny's are sub standard). I'm guessing since so many truckers pass thru they make sure those guys are getting fed properly. There's also a taco bell and mcdonalds too but I never went.

 

[Chris G]

That Comfort Inn is amazing for how cheap it is. No one believes me until they go there and stay!

 

[HawaiiST]

Good point Chris!, I totally forgot to mention how cheap it is with the Octane Academy discount. I believe it was $80 a night with the discount, and that was for a room with 2 beds, free wi-fi, and high definition DirectTV. When I wasn't at the track I was watching Bitchin Rides on velocity TV. I actually had a chance to check out Kindig-It Design in Salt Lake City, about a 25 minute drive from the Tooele Comfort Inn. They were friendly, and allow you to take pictures in their showroom. Also, Astro Burger 2 blocks down has some killer bacon burgers. Miss it already! Also if you're looking for good mexican food, there's a place 20 minutes away from Tooele called El Paisa Grill. Authentic mexican food and huge portions. You know it's good when the patrons and waiters are speaking primarily spanish. I almost had to roll myself out of that restaurant. I got the $9 Sopitos with carne asada and it was bomb! The molcajete is also super good. If you're wondering why the molcajete is $25, it's because it's meant for two people. It's pretty much impossible for 1 person to finish. Really reasonable price for quality and size of the portion. Plenty of other options, their menu is almost limitless. I had no room for fried ice cream or churros after . elpaisagrill.com if you want to check their menu out. Again, mexican food in Hawaii is very sub-standard. It was refreshing to try authentic mexican food.

 

[fist2yoface16]

Where can I sign up? Is it really free? How many days is it?

 

[HawaiiST]

Octane Academy is free when you take delivery of a new Fiesta ST or Focus ST. It includes a dinner reception at Ken Block's Hoonigan Headquarters in Park City, Utah followed by a full day of instruction (7:30am to 5:00pm), and time in both the Focus ST and Fiesta ST. Travel and lodging is not free, however they give you a large discount if you stay at the Comfort Inn in Tooele. I stayed there and it was worth well more than the $80 per/night I paid with the discount. You must register within one year of your purchase date. http://stoctaneacademy.com, I believe they are still offering it but they are not sure if it will still be conducted at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele County, Utah. Check out the FAQ section for information. They have contact individuals who you can contact and ask any questions that you may have. They are certainly more qualified than I am to answer your questions. I'm always disgusted to hear that the Ford salesman who sold people their Fiesta ST or Focus ST didn't mention and wasn't aware of this offer. I don't know how they don't know as it is a great selling point for the car. BTW Fist2yoface, I'm jealous of that white platinum. They didn't have that color option or magentic metallic for 2015, which I wanted. Oxford White is growing on me though.

 

[2006ser]

What do you drive when out ther? Is there an enterprise close by

 

[CaptainSlow]

What do you drive when out ther? Is there an enterprise close by

I rented a Nissan Versa hatchback from Dollar (I think) at the SLC airport. There is an Enterprise there IIRC. If you have extra time to go for a cruise through the mountains, I'd suggest getting something with a bit more power than the Versa because all I could hear was the engine struggling to go up the mountain.

 

[HawaiiST]

I flew in to SLC airport and rented what they had from Hertz. Chevy Impala LTZ. It was comfortable enough.