der Bayerische March/April 2021 - 22

Preparing for Your (Novice Group) Track Day
What You Need to Know

(or perhaps just be reminded of)

By Jack Raymond | Photos by Fraser Dachille, Alan Olson, and Jack Raymond

pring is about to be sprung.
Psyched! I know that some of
us can't wait to get to the track
for our first High-Performance Driving
Event (HPDE), also known generically
as " track day " .
Some of you may ask, what is
HPDE? First, let's mention what HPDE
is not. HPDE is not racing; HPDE is
not a competition. HPDE is an opportunity to learn car control skills in a
controlled environment with NCC's
highly trained instructors on the track,
on the skidpad, and in the classroom.
HPDE is an opportunity to learn about
your car's braking, handling, and
acceleration abilities and how to
manage them safely at speed. Our
mantra is " be safe, learn something,
and have fun. "
" Sounds intriguing, " you say?
If you haven't tried HPDE before, the
next obvious question would be
" where would I begin and how would

I go about this? " I'm glad you asked.
First, look at the " Upcoming events "
at https://www.nccbmwcca.org/driving-events/high-performance-driving-schools/ or https://ncc.motorsportreg.com/calendar/. Search for
the phrase " HPDE " and select and
register for an event. To prepare for
your track day, here are a few things
that would be good to know (or be
reminded of) BEFORE heading out to
the track.
Before track day (use this
section as a checklist)
Plan to run what you brung, i.e.,
don't modify the car. Your car's capabilities already exceed your capabilities as a new track driver. The first
three things to work on are training
the driver, training the driver, and
training the driver. You will need a
vehicle that's appropriate for track
day. It doesn't have to be a sports car,
but it cannot be a truck, van, or

motorcycle. If you have any questions about the appropriateness of
your vehicle, contact the registrar at
hpdereg@nccbmwcca.org.
Make sure that a professional
mechanic has inspected the car using
the club's pre-event technical inspection form to make sure the car is safe.
See the " Medical and Tech Form "
hyperlink on https://www.nccbmwcca.org/driving-events/high-performance-driving-schools/. Bring the
completed forms with you to track
day.
You'll need a motorsports
helmet. The oldest acceptable rating
is now Snell SA2015. If you're buying a helmet, get one that meets the
latest standard, currently Snell
SA2020. The Snell SA2020 helmets
are available for purchase now. See
https://www.ogracing.com/collections/driver-helmets. Any Snell-rated
helmet is good for 10 years after its

rating date.
Watch a video (try YouTube) of a
good driver driving a lap on this track.
Ask your instructor to suggest a
video.
Read the info on the event
page in motorsportreg.com, plus
whatever info the registrar emails
to you, including the " supplementals " . Read the following info
on the NCC HPDE website,
https://www.nccbmwcca.org/
driving-events/high-performancedriving-schools/:
- The Student Packet
- The " Guidelines " for the track on
which you'll be driving
- Intro to High Perf Driving
- Standard HPDE Terminology
or at the very least, finish reading this
article and bring it with you to track
day.
Get a good night's sleep for two
nights before the event. Why two

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