Chandler, AZ — The small ownership group of auto enthusiasts, collectors and Bondurant Driving School graduates who purchased the school in May 2019 announced Monday they have renamed the facility the Radford Racing School.
Photo: Radford Racing School
The renaming marks the school’s new association with the team behind the Radford brand, a name known for its coachbuilding legacy. The Radford team includes English television celebrity Ant Anstead, F1 champion Jenson Button, car designer Mark Stubbs, and business partner Roger Behle. The four are reviving the Radford story into a modern lifestyle brand that celebrates auto design and performance, high-performing driving and racing.
By taking on a heritage brand, the school’s owners expect to continue to evolve it into an experience destination for international auto enthusiasts, everyday drivers, new drivers, racers, celebrities and influencers.
The Radford Racing School is the Official High Performance Driving School of Dodge//SRT. Continuing as the school’s primary sponsors, Dodge//SRT provides a fleet of vehicles for driving instruction. The drag racing course features the 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, while other high-performance vehicles, including the Challenger SRT Hellcat, Charger SRT Hellcat and Durango SRT are just some of the options available for the on-track performance driving experience.
In addition to the Dodge//SRT vehicles, the school features Ligier JS F4 open wheel vehicles, vintage Dodge Vipers, go karts, and cars used in its special forces, police, and military training. The Radford team will now build and test vehicles on the Radford Racing School track.
“We’ve rapidly progressed in enhancing and reintroducing this facility as the world’s premier experience for the next generation of drivers,” said Mike Kessler, general manager at the school.
The facility’s recent renovation and expansion includes the first resurfacing of the main track in 30 years, enhancements to the event center, visitor center, gift shop, student lounge, classrooms, skills pad and eagle’s nest viewing platform, as well as adding open wheel and drag racing courses, with new formula racing courses in development. It will be the first school of its kind to offer professional drag racing instruction to the public and the chance to earn an NHRA Drag License.
