Bondurant school brings big spenders to E.V.

Dozens of corporate leaders and other high-powered and high-income risk takers from around the country are expected to spend nine long weekends and lots of money in the Valley this fall.

But instead of relaxing at posh Paradise Valley resorts and golf courses, the big spenders will be hanging out at Chandler hotels, restaurants and a dusty track beside Interstate 10 where they can live out their racing fantasies.

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving says that it will stage a nine-weekend Championship Race Series, an opportunity for aspiring race car drivers and those who want to experience the thrill sport without giving up lucrative corporate careers to test their mettle.

The Jeff Gordon wannabes will ante up $31,500 each for the complete program, which features 18 races in nine three- to four-day weekends beginning in September, said Ken Thom, Bondurant general manager. And that’s just the tab for the expert instruction, car and track use and race operations.

Four out of five of the big spenders are expected to be out-of-towners who will stay an average four nights in the Valley for each race weekend and cough up an estimated $600 per day on hotels, dining, shopping and entertainment, Thom said.

That’s based on a study of the Bondurant school’s impact on the local economy in 2008, completed by the W.P. Carey School of Business’ MBA Sports Business Program at Arizona State University.

The study found that 77 percent of the Bondurant students were from outside the state, and they spent an average of $529 per day while in town attending classes.

Bondurant students range from those who need to learn high-performance or high-speed driving skills — military or police, for example — to those who just want to learn as a career or hobby, Thom said. Some corporate groups choose it as a recreational diversion, a livelier alternative to a few rounds of golf.

But Thom said Bondurant’s first nine-weekend series will attract those with the greatest desire to test their racing prowess and those with the greatest discretionary income.

“I believe with this new race series, almost all will be from out of state and they will spend more than the average,” Thom said.

The school is on the grounds of Firebird International Raceway on the Gila River Indian Community, but it has a Chandler address.

That enhances the city’s reputation among the country’s corporate crowd, said Jerry Bustamante, Chandler Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer.

“When people think of Bondurant, they think of Chandler,” he said. “And this is a unique business with a national reputation.”

That’s the intangible boost from Bondurant, Bustamante said. The tangible benefits are the big bucks the weekend racers spend at local hotels, shops and restaurants, he said.

While Firebird and the Bondurant school are on the Gila River Indian Community, Chandler is the closest city providing a variety of hotels, eateries and places to unwind after an intense day on the race track.

The school has arrangements with a half-dozen nearby hotels, Thom said. They include two in Chandler and others in Tempe and south Phoenix, as well as the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort on Gila River land.

So several East Valley municipalities get a crack at attracting the flowing cash and the corporate VIPs’ attention.

“We bring in a lot of decision-makers — CEOs and owners of big businesses,” Thom said. “And that’s important. Maybe (Phoenix International Raceway) brings in a lot more people, but we bring in a selective population. And they are staying in the East Valley, not just in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale.”

Thom was referring to the West Valley track that annually hosts dozens of professional races, including two major NASCAR weekends, and hundreds of thousands of race spectators.

The ASU study pegged the gross economic impact of the Bondurant school for Maricopa County at $19.5 million in 2008, and the cumulative economic impact topped $309 million since Bondurant relocated from California to its current location in 1990.

That prompted the Arizona Tourism Alliance to bestow on Bondurant a title of 2009 Advocate of the Year. The Chandler Chamber of Commerce counts the driving school among its top 100 businesses.

Bondurant might even move up a spot or two on the Chamber list — and in local tourism leaders’ esteem. Despite the recession, business is booming, Thom said.

While the corporate group business is down a bit, the school’s overall bookings have not slowed significantly during the last year of tight purse strings, he said

In fact, for the last three months, Bondurant has consistently topped its sales goals, Thom said. And inquiries about the championship series have been so high, he’s looking for more cars to supplement the 15 he has on hand for the weekend racers.

“I think people are tired of being afraid (to spend money),” Thom said. “Some people still have a significant amount of discretionary income to spend on this.”