I've never been on a race track before and I am thinking a NASA HPDE is the best way to get started. There is one coming up in about a month, and it is an all-weekend event. The question I have is: Is one day in HPDE1 typically sufficient to be able to move up to HPDE2? Or will I need to stay in the same class all weekend?

 

If you've never been on a race track, I don't think you should be thinking about moving up the ladder already.

to answer your question, probably not.

 

If its your first event, stay HPDE 1 until you feel comfortable with how the car handles and learning your braking points and lines. Tracking your car takes a lot of patience and experience, dont be too excited to move on so quickly...

 

^ what he said

 

damn... thanks guys

time to go helmet shopping!

 

The real difference between HPDE 1 & 2 is really just if you have to have an instructor riding with you or not. The two groups are almost always on the track at the same time together. If they're short on instructors and you're doing well, you may not get one anyway and will be having essentially the same experience as someone in HPDE 2.

If you latch on to a GOOD instructor or two, I wouldn't be in a hurry to move out of HPDE 1. You can learn more and learn quicker with an instructor than without.

Never a bad idea to ask the HPDE 3 & 4 people who the best instructors are and try to arrange for the one you want ahead of time...

 

Stay with an instructor for as long as you can. You will always learn something.

When I was in HPDE 1 and 2, I found that often times I was not able to get an instructor because of shortages. I improved the most when I had the instructors with me. In fact i'm in HPDE 3 and I still regularly ask for an instructor.

also check out:

http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/preparing.html

don't forget to read all the related links.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crazydave &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Stay with an instructor for as long as you can. You will always learn something.

When I was in HPDE 1 and 2, I found that often times I was not able to get an instructor because of shortages. I improved the most when I had the instructors with me. In fact i'm in HPDE 3 and I still regularly ask for an instructor.

also check out:

http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/preparing.html

don't forget to read all the related links.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Exactly! And besides, the instructors are FREE! Why not take advantage of that?

Every once in a while I'll have an experienced track buddy ride with me and will have some HC buddies riding with me for a session or two at Thunderhill next weekend.

 

Keep in mind that just because you're in a higher group doesn't mean you're a better driver. I've seen way too many people run up through the groups because they think getting to that highest level is the goal. When they get there, they're holding people up, reckless, dangerous and a major pain in the ***. Don't be that guy. Not saying you are, but keep all of that in mind as you progress and learn.

As already stated, take advantage of all the instruction you can get. I'm an instructor currently, and have been tracking for ~6 years. I still take more experienced people out to help me, and it is still invaluable.

 

Thanks for all the info, guys. I went ahead and signed up for the April 11th HPDE1 at Mid-Ohio and also signed up for the mentor program. Motul 600 and Hawk HPS pads are on the way, and hopefully will be getting the helmet in the next few weeks.

I've been reading through the NASA forums and the beginner's links they provide quite a bit. Really looking forward to this

 

Have Fun!

 

When attending HPDEs, I can never understand why more people don't take advantage of the instructors who are there. People figure once they reach a higher level even if it's the advanced group, they don't need an instructor. I've been racing for a few years and run towards the front but am always seeking additional coaching. As others have said, as you progress through the ranks and gain experience continue to obtain coaching! Take a look a the pro drivers out there and how they hire coaches.

 

Don't count on being advanced to Group 2 after just one day, but in some cases it can happen. As others have mentioned, Group 2 is the same as Group 1 except that you're without an instructor, but you should really make use of the instructors as much as you can, even after you advance to higher groups. The fastest racers tend to be the ones who still have an open mind to improving their driving based on the advice or demonstration of others. Some people work their way up to the top and then have an ego about it that prevents them from getting any better. Humble and open minded is the way to become faster.

As for advancing to other groups, that's largely based on how well you follow the rules, observe flags thrown by the corner works, and demonstrate safe driving. HPDE is split into 4 groups for safety reasons, and the guys in more advanced groups get lenient passing rules because they've shown that they're safe enough to be able to handle that. It's not based so much on how fast you are as a driver, or definitely not how fast your car is, but demonstrating a good line and good driving habits will certainly help.

It also takes people some time to get comfortable with driving on track with other cars... there's a lot going on out there, so people really get overwhelmed if you throw group 3 or 4 passing rules at them when they're still trying to get used to just driving on the track. Sure, some of them could deal with it, but they're going to have a hard time mastering the basics if 50% of their attention is diverted to dealing with other cars. Groups 1 and 2 are a good, non-intimidating / low-pressure, environment for people to get comfortable driving on the track, and most people find that it's a lot of fun.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

I think the question shows a certain mindset that you will quickly lose once you're at an event. And I'm not dissing you for this; many of us, maybe most of us, felt the same way when we started. We thought, "I'm a great driver, I've gone XXX miles an hour on the highway, my car is fast, I know I'm going to be faster than everyone else out there." And then we got to our first event, where we're in a run group with a lot of other beginners who felt the same way when they got there, too. And all of the sudden you start to realize, "Hey, this isn't as easy as I thought it would be" and it turns out, with very few exceptions, you're not going much faster than the other people in your run group. But this is okay, because (a) you also start to realize the challenge of track driving, of learning the track and determining the line you want to drive and trying to drive it consistently; and (b) the same thing is happening with the other drivers in your run group, with whom you chat and make friends between run sessions; and (c) you're having a heck of a lot of fun. By the end of the event, you will have forgotten all about worrying about being moved up to another run group, although you'll still be trying to drive as fast as you can and improve your lap times; you'll probably be concentrating on seeing if you can catch up to and pass that Supra/Civic/whatever that you've been running even with all day long. And oh yea, still having a heck of a lot of fun doing so.

HTH