Shifter6

I am looking to do my first HPDE at LRP this spring/summer. I chose LRP mostly becauase it is close and I am not trailering. Since I know the venue, and the date is flexilble I just need to pick a club. I believe NASA and SCDA both do events there. I also know PCA and the BMW clubs are there all the time.

Please school me on how the club I choose is going to impact my experience at LRP. Are the track rules mandated by the facility or the club? Do you guys have any specific recomendations? Are there any vette specific clubs?

I know this is a noob question but I did read the stickies and searched. Any help would be appreciated

ErnieN85

They are all good call them up and chat a bit. Then decid

RX-Ben

I suggest NASA, but your experience at the track will really come down to how well you get along with your instructor.

sothpaw2

It's a social experience to run with a club. So try to find a club that has more folks (and potential instructors) in it that with whom you'd like to socialize.

clubracer6

For just starting out, pick the club that will give you the most track time, while still maintaining good instruction. Maybe go check out a couple of events and just hang out and observe. Or give a couple a try and then stick with one or better yet, both!

Shifter6

You make it sound like you have a choice. My understanding is if you want to run a HPDE you need to signe up for a club sponsored event.

I would just go directly to the track otherwise, but it seems the facilities themselves dont put on HPDE. Hence the need to pick a club.

What variables should I be looking at? Besides the obvious...price.

Bill Dearborn

Having gone through the BMW Club Instructor Training I suggest going with a BMW Club since I know a lot about how they run their events. The BMW Club events are very well organized and everybody (including advanced students) gets an instructor until the instructor signs them off. Most novices will be with their instructor for the whole event but some are signed off if they show they have the capability to run by themselves.

However, I also instruct with NASA, Phoenix, HOD and could instruct with PCA and other groups since my Instructor Training is accepted by most other groups.

I see a lot of the same instructors no matter which group I am instructing for.

Just remember the relationship between you and the instructor is paramount. If you don't get along with the instructor you can ask for another one. You paid your money and should get what you paid for. However, you are there to learn and if you act like you know everything already you will start out on a bad footing with almost any instructor. They are going to be sitting in that right seat and have a strong self preservation instinct and will sit on you hard if you start acting like an idiot. Jerking the car, throwing it into corners the wrong way, sliding the rear when it doesn't need to be slid, not paying attention to other students, being inconsiderate to other drivers, etc are all things that get you on the bad side of things.

Bill

Liquid1

I have run with a half dozen or so different clubs at various tracks and have had a generally similar experience across them. Some are more organized and better run than others, but your primary concern should be a quality instructional experience and a safe environment. Make sure they have professional flaggers and your instructor should have a deep breadth of track experience (I'd say 50+ days on track), preferably with the type of car you are driving, and should have the proper tools (such as intercoms) in order to give a quality instructional experience. In my experience, the BMW & Porsche Clubs that are well established and have been active over many years are good choices. I haven't run with SCDA or NASA but I would expect they would be on par, if not superior to, the marque clubs.

If at any time you feel unsafe or that your instructor is unprofessional, you should talk about your concerns to the chief instructor. Prices, in my experience, are pretty much the same +/- $50 or so.

I've run LRP with Patroon BMW and had a good experience (other than the weather which was 37 degrees and pouring buckets) but I won't run with them again as they objected to a legal tint on my windows which they said was a safety issue.

I would strongly recommend Watkins Glen, which, while farther away, is a far more fun track to drive and better experience overall from my viewpoint. I'll be there May 12-13 with the PCA if you want to "know" someone at the track your first time out, give some consideration to going to that event or feel free to drop me a PM with any questions.

Have fun!!

Liquid1

THIS IS GREAT ADVICE!!! Driving on a track is re-learning how to drive in a completely different way at a not insignificant risk to your health and financial wellbeing (among other things). You need to approach it with the utmost respect; respect for yourself, your vehicle, your instructor, and your other drivers (not necessarily in any order).

Bill Dearborn

Have you looked at the Motorsports Reg web site? Here is a link showing tracks with schools within 240 miles of your zip code. http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/calendar You can register for most of the events through the web site but some schools require you to sign up through their web site.

I am instructing at Watkins Glen on 4/27-28 with Trackmasters (see their web site), NASA NE on 4/30 and with the GVC BMW Club on May 4, 5, 6. Trackmasters is having a Novice school on the 28th and 29th so you could sign up for one or two days with them. NASA also allows you to sign up for one or two days.

Bill

Shifter6

Great info guys. I have not heard great feedback about driving LRP, is this because its short, with one left turn?

So basically it seems I should just pick a track, a day, and just sign up for the event whether its PCA or BMW or NASA or what have you.

Is it common for first timers to get solo approval on their first day?

Scooter70

You might also consider COM (www.comscc.com). They were founded in the '50s as "Corvettes of Massachusetts" but are now open to any marque. They run a lot of events at NHMS. Again, it's a longer drive than Lime Rock but in my opinion it's a better track. They also have a date at Watkins Glen in September. I started in COM in the late 90s before I graduated college and moved to Detroit. It's a great group and many members of this forum have gone to their events.

A some of the guys inferred above, you don't have to pick just one club. Most clubs run their events similarly enough that you'll have plenty of choices so pick a weekend that works for your schedule and just go. Just be forewarned that once you go to one event, you're going to be hooked.

Liquid1

I can't imagine a club approving someone solo after 1 day on track. Plan on at least 5-10 days on track before being allowed to run solo. You will most likely WANT an instructor with you after the first day once you have been out there and see how deep the water is. Also keep in mind while you may trust yourself to solo, look around your class and see if you would feel comfortable being on track with those guys running solo after a couple hours on track.

An abundance of caution is the guiding principle here; you're taking enough risks as it is.

Regarding LRP, it was my least favorite track to drive so far. I have driven Watkins, NHMS, LRP, and Mid Ohio. This is partially due to the track being small but mostly that it wasn't that challenging/fun to drive (except for the lefthander). The conditions probably didn't help my enjoyment (high 30's and pouring down rain). I consider it a "must drive" track but I won't be going back anytime soon.

Scooter70

I agree. I did Skip Barber race school there back in '99. I've been to all of the tracks you listed plus GingerMan and Grattan here in Michigan I prefer any of them over Lime Rock.