So, you want to get more out of your car? Maybe weaving in and out of commute traffic is getting old, or short bursts on highway ramps are too short. If that sounds familiar, there are opportunities to stretch your car’s legs. But what is HPDE? In this post, I’ll address the basic questions of track days that a beginner might have.
What is HPDE?
A High Performance Driving Event, or High Performance Driver Education, (aka track day, HPDE, DE) is an organized event on a race track where participants gain experience driving their cars closer to the limit than would otherwise be safely possible. These are technically considered educational events, so cars and experience levels run the gamut from a novice in a Porsche GT3 to an amateur racer in a Mazda Miata. Every DE is split up into 4 run groups: novice, intermediate, advanced, expert. In either case, the goal is the same – to hone your skills as a driver. Starting out as a novice, you will always have an instructor with you to show you the ropes. After a few events, you may be cleared to drive solo, and you’re on your own to develop from there.
When can I drive?
Nearly every HPDE takes place over two days on the weekend and you have the option to sign up for both days or one or the other. You may even be able to find cheaper events during the week, but those can be tough to fit into your schedule. As with most sports, there is a season associated with HPDEs. Here on the East Coast that season typically runs from late March to late September. Southern states and California likely have longer seasons due to the more favorable climates.
During your season, there are three main kinds of organizations that put on HPDEs in your area…
Who runs HPDE events?
The first kind are essentially sanctioning bodies for amateur motorsport. When you start looking into buying an actual race car, they will often be spec’d according to the rulebooks of these organizations. The National Auto Sport Association, or NASA, provides many ways to be involved in competitive motorsport, but nearly all require you to have at least a few HPDEs under your belt, and its regional chapters will help you take care of that. SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) is another national organization that puts on regional DEs. Both of these groups maintain some level of competitive racing series, but their DEs are great for members at all levels.
The next kind of driver organizations have a less competitive foundation but are just as nationally representative, and those are marque-affiliated clubs. BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) and Porsche Club of America (PCA) are probably the two biggest clubs in the U.S. In addition to tons of non-racing events, these car clubs have local chapters that host HPDEs for members. Importantly, you do not have to own the marque in order to participate in their events.
Finally, there are regional organizations that exist solely to put on track days. Unlike the other groups, these do not require a membership to participate. Some examples of groups I’ve run with are SCDA (Sports Car Driving Association) in the Northeast and Trackdaze in the Mid-Atlantic. When I lived in Boston, I had never heard of Trackdaze; when I moved to Virginia, nobody had ever heard of SCDA, so these kinds of organizations are very location specific.
How do I sign up for an HPDE Event?
The how is easy – just sign up! If you don’t have any friends or colleagues who share your budding passion for motorsport and can recommend a group like those above, don’t worry. Make a free account at motorsportreg.com, type in the name of a track near you, filter the results for “Driver School,” and see what groups pop up. Setting up an account now is a good idea, because many HPDE registrations route through mreg anyway.
In order to run with groups like NASA, SCCA, BMW, or Porsche you need to be a member. Memberships generally cost around $50 for one year. That’s not terribly expensive, but it is a bit of a commitment if you’re just starting out. Finding a regional group, like Trackdaze, will not require an upfront cost, but if you don’t already know of a group, your best bet is to find one through mreg. That’s the easy part. Now we have to talk about money.
How much does an HPDE event cost?
Track days are not cheap. Looking at my spreadsheet of options for the season, 2-day events run anywhere from $390 to $595 to register. Unfortunately, the 1-day options are usually not half off. For example, I see a 2-day for $425 or a 1-day for $275. All that is just to get to the track. To be allowed on the track, you will need, at minimum, a helmet. An inexpensive helmet will run around $200 new. Realistically, you can expect to spend about $300 for a new, certified one. This may be an expensive commitment if you just want to try things out. Some events will have loaners available for novices, but you should ask ahead of time to make sure.
This means the cheapest way to get some track time is to sign up for a 1-day event and borrow a helmet. That will set you back upwards of $250, but that’s before prepping your car (required) or buying track day insurance (optional). These can be daunting numbers, but there is one final option for cheap seat time and that’s with NASA. During their HPDEs, you can sign up for a Hyperdrive. For $50, a Hyperdrive registration gets you on track during one novice session. I’ll have a separate write-up on my thoughts of a Hyperdrive (spoiler: I’m not a fan), but it is there as an alternative.
These are the basics of an HPDE. It’s a great way to experience the performance of your car. Even just one event can make you a better, safer all-around driver even if you don’t plan on getting into the sport. What are some of the DE organizations around in your neck of the woods?
