An Overview of the ORPCA HPDE Program for 2008
WHY HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVER ED?
The reasons for Driver Education are to help make each of us who participate, more skilled and safer drivers, to provide us with the opportunity to learn about our automobiles and to experience "driving in its purest form".
WHAT IS DRIVER ED AND IS IT RISKY?
We conduct our driver education program at Portland International Raceway. Our program is designed to give participants the opportunity to develop their car control skills at speeds and cornering forces that cannot be achieved on the street, at least not legally or safely. People of various skill levels attend our events because they have a good time and learn from their experience. But bear in mind...
High Performance driving is an inherently risky activity. You can lose control of your car and damage it, perhaps extensively. And while we haven't seen this happen yet with our program, it is possible that you can be injured or killed, even while using the required safety equipment. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage to protect you against excessive loss.
Note that many insurance companies have added coverage exclusions for events of this type. Make sure to read your policy carefully and check with your agent to make sure you are covered.
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
Each new participant begins in the Novice/Beginner group.
Novice drivers should have an instructor in their car and can request this at preregistration time. Instructors are assigned based on driver experience level. Novice students are encouraged to drive at speeds at which they and their instructors are comfortable in order to learn the 'line'. The goal is to teach better car control. Students are discouraged from traveling at speeds which could place them or their cars in jeopardy.
As your skill level develops you will progress from the Novice/Beginner group to more experienced run groups. You will be "signed off" as you progress. Being "signed off" means that your instructor feels confident that you can drive "solo" for novices or that you are ready for the next run group level.
Be patient. There is no need to rush driving "solo". In fact all drivers from "signed off" to instructor will be "checked out" periodically. It is one way for us to help you become a better driver, and it allows us to measure your progress and the success of our program.
Each of our events is designed to provide the maximum track time while keeping the run groups at a reasonable size with car and drivers of similar skill level out on the track. In general you will get 4 run sessions of between 20 and 25 minutes during the day. This is variable depending on incidents that happen during the event that may be beyond our control.
OUT OF REGION DRIVERS WILL BE ASSESSED BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND MAY BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A "CHECK" RIDE IF THEY HAVE NOT DRIVEN AT PIR PREVIOUSLY.
It is important to note that ORPCA Driver Education is not racing, nor any form of competition. There are plenty of other venues if you wish to drive competitively. Our program is not one of them.
REGISTRATION, TECH INSPECTION, AND TYPE OF CARS ALLOWED DURING ORPCA DE EVENTS
Usually checkin and tech inspection is held at the track. We strongly recommend pre-registration if you can do it - you have first chance at an instructor, and you won't get turned away at the gate if we're over the maximum number of cars we can handle. Also, you may run just about any type of car during our Drivers Education Event provided it is track worthy. If you have a quewstion about your vehicle qualifies. please call the HPDE chair to gain clarification.
WE OFFER FOUR RUN GROUPS FOR DRIVER EDUCATION
Novice/Beginner - The driver has no to some experience at High Speed Driving on a Track and will probably need instruction
Intermediate - The driver has some DE experience, typically 5 or more DE days and is in the process of improving their fundamental skill set. May need some instruction.
Advanced - The drivers are experienced, usually several years of track experience, they are generally working on perfecting advanced driving skills and have the ability to drive off the line safely.
Instructor - These are individuals approved by ORPCA's Chief Driving instructor to teach the other participants.
NOTE: IF THE DE STAFF FINDS THAT YOU HAVE REGISTERED FOR A RUN GROUP THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN OUR OPINION OF YOUR SKILL LEVEL WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MOVE TO YOU TO AN APPROPRIATE RUN GROUP IF THERE IS SPACE AVAILABLE. IF NOT WE MAY ASK YOU TO SIT OUT THE REST OF THE DAY.
ANNUAL TECHNICAL INSPECTION is REQUIRED for all PARTICIPANTS CARS
see the new rules for 2008
