Your session
- 3 × 30-minute professionally coached sessions
- Morning (7:30–11:30) or afternoon (12:30–3:30) — you pick at checkout
- One driver registration per day
- Motorsport Ranch, Cresson
- Track sessions, hydration and snacks included
DATL Founder’s Sessions
Experience it once.
Then decide for yourself.
No coaching fee. Three coached sessions at Motorsport Ranch.
$500$120$40 per session · 3 sessions
PB when it matters.
Fully booked — see what's openFrom September 3 through October 9, I’m removing the coaching fee and opening a limited number of appointments so you can experience the DATL process for yourself.
Who this is for
Dedicated track rats, not first-timers.
You’ve been through a certified HPDE course, you have seat time, and you want the next step — more confidence, sharper craft, and real feedback from the right seat.
This is not a first track day, and it isn’t a cheap way to try one. If you haven’t run a certified HPDE course yet, start with your first track day — then come back for this.
Why now
Six weeks to get ready for the events that matter.
October is the month you want to be quick in. Three events land in nine days, and Jon is at all of them. Prepare now — PB this fall.
October 16–18NASA Texas Oktoberfest
Motorsport Ranch, Cresson
October 22–25Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Nationals
Eagles Canyon Raceway
October 24Apex HPDE by GSpeed
Motorsport Ranch, Cresson
What you get.
Who it’s for
- HPDE 1 — Thursdays only
- HPDE 2, 3, 4 & Time Trial — Friday to Sunday
- One registration per person
- First come, first served
What it costs
- $40 per session · $120 for all three
- No coaching fee
- Normally $500 for the same day
- An honest review in return
One requirement
Leave an honest review.
I’m removing the coaching fee because I believe every serious driver should have the opportunity to experience the DATL process. In return, I’m asking you to leave an honest review.
Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of helping drivers become more confident, more consistent, and achieve personal bests when they mattered most. I know there are many more drivers who can benefit from this approach — they simply haven’t experienced it yet.
My investment is my time, experience, and coaching. Your investment is sharing your honest experience. That’s the exchange.
Between sessions
Senna’s Lounge.
This is the classroom. It’s where the day is actually won.
You come off track while the lap is still fresh, sit down, and we put your footage up next to the Garmin Catalyst data. Where you were early on the brakes. Where you gave time away in the middle of a corner. What one thing to change in the next twenty minutes.
That loop — drive, review, adjust, go again — is the DATL Method. Feel it first, then check it against the data. Most drivers never get this part; they do a session, then another session, and hope something clicks. Three times in a day, you get told exactly what happened and why.
There’s a sim rig in the corner for walking a corner through before you go back out and try it for real.
The 2026 schedule
The 2026 programme ran at Motorsport Ranch Cresson. One driver per day, first come, first served. All dates were MSR 1.7 unless otherwise noted.
Thursdays
HPDE 1 only
1.7 CW / CCW
- Sept 3
- Sept 10
- Sept 17
- Sept 24
- Oct 1
- Oct 8
Do not sign up for a Thursday if you are HPDE 2 and beyond.
Fridays
HPDE 2 – Time Trial
1.7 CW / CCW
- Sept 4
- Sept 11
- Sept 18
- Sept 25
- Oct 2
- Oct 9
Saturdays
HPDE 2 – Time Trial
- Sept 19
- Sept 26 (3.1)
- Oct 3
Sundays
HPDE 2 – Time Trial
- Sept 20
- Sept 27 (3.1)
- Oct 4
Every Founder’s Session date has been taken. Jon still coaches at Motorsport Ranch — private coaching days and the Porsche Track Day Experience are bookable now.
See what’s still openWhat your car needs to be eligible
These are conditions of entry, not recommendations. A car on street pads or street brake fluid is not eligible for a Founder’s Session. Neither item is expensive, and both take about a week to order and fit — so check now, not the night before.
Brake pads
A dedicated track pad
Street pads cook. They fade, then they are gone — often before lunch. You lose the half of the day you paid for.
These do not qualify
- PowerStop Z23, Z26, Track Day, and any pad-and-rotor kitIncluding the line named “Track Day”. Jon does not accept it for a coached day.
- Hawk Street and autocross compounds, including the Hybrid pads
- EBC Green, Red and Yellow
Brake fluid
A DOT 4 motorsport fluid
Street fluid boils under repeated hard braking. When it boils the pedal goes to the floor, and it does it at the end of a straight.
Any of these
- Motul RBF 660
- Motul RBF 600
- Castrol SRF RacingThe one that holds up best once it has absorbed some moisture — worth it if you leave fluid in over a season.
- Pentosin Super DOT 4boils at 509°FThe value pick, and the cheapest way to clear the bar. Note it is Super DOT 4 — not Pentosin DOT 4 LV, which is a different fluid for ABS systems.
For scale: a fluid can be a perfectly legal DOT 4 at 446°F and still be well short of every fluid on this list. “DOT 4” on the bottle is not enough on its own — it needs to be one of these.
Not sure what’s on your car? Call Jon before you order — (214) 794-2657. He would rather spend five minutes on the phone than watch you lose a day you paid for.
Registration
Every session is booked.
Every published date has been taken — one driver per day, first come first served. The schedule above stays up so you can see how the programme runs.
See what’s still openPlans change. Reschedule free with 7 days’ notice, or cancel for a full refund less a $25 processing fee. Full terms.
Questions
About the sessions.
What are the Founder’s Sessions?
Three 30-minute professionally coached track sessions at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas, with Jon-Eric Fountain — a NASA HPDE 1-2 Leader and SCCA Time Trial Season Champion. He rides with you and coaches from the passenger seat. There is no coaching fee: you pay for the track sessions only.
How much does it cost?
$120 for all three sessions, which was $40 per session. The same day of coaching normally costs $500, because three coached sessions in one day is a Drive At The Limit half day. The 2026 Founder’s programme is now fully booked — every date was taken.
What’s the catch?
You leave an honest review. Jon trades his time and coaching for real drivers.
When are the dates?
The 2026 coaching days ran 2026 at Motorsport Ranch Cresson, and every one of them is taken. Thursdays were the HPDE 1 days; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays were for HPDE 2 through Time Trial. One driver per day, first come first served.
Do I need my own car?
Yes. The Founder’s Sessions are coaching in your own car at Motorsport Ranch, so you need a track-eligible vehicle and the usual safety gear. If you do not have a car, Drive At The Limit’s Porsche Track Day Experience puts you in a race-prepped Porsche Cayman instead.
I have never been on track before. Is this for me?
Not yet. The Founder’s Sessions assume you have completed a certified HPDE course — this is the next step after that, not the first one. If you have done a course and HPDE 1 is your run group, book a Thursday: Thursdays are the HPDE 1 days, and Friday through Sunday are HPDE 2 and above. If you have not done a course yet, start with your first track day and come back for this.
Who are the Founder’s Sessions actually for?
Dedicated track rats who have been through a certified HPDE course and want to take the next step — gain confidence and grow their skills with a coach in the right seat. Drive At The Limit is not offering this as a cheap way to experience track driving for the first time. If that is where you are, start with a first track day and come back for this.