Introduction to the HPDE program for 2012
There are many reasons to participate in Driver Education. A few are to help make each of us more skilled and safer drivers, to provide us with the opportunity to learn about our automobiles, our car control skills, to experience “driving in its purest form” and have a lot of fun doing it.
WHAT IS DRIVER EDUCATION AND IS IT RISKY?
We conduct our driver education program at Portland International Raceway, Oregon Raceway Park and the new Ridge Motorsports Park. 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 operate your vehicle within your skill level and 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. There are several insurers out there that can help you cover your car for loss at HPDE events. Lockton Affinity is one of them. Our registration system will also provide you a connection to Lockton Afinity. They can provide coverage on your vehicle for collision loss at each HPDE event that you register for. Make sure to check out this coverage if you are uncomfortable with the financial risk.
HOW DOES THE HPDE PROGRAM WORK?
Each new participant begins in the Novice/Beginner group.
First time Novice drivers will be assigned an instructor. Novice students are encouraged to drive at speeds at which they and their instructors are comfortable in order to learn the correct driving line and fundamentals. 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 driver classes. You will be signed off as you progress. Being “signed off” means that your instructor feels confident that you can drive “solo” in the novice group or that you are ready for the next run group level. Your instructor will inform the Chief Driving Instructor of the change in your status.
Be patient. There is no need to rush driving “solo”. In fact all drivers from signed off novice to instructor will be periodically checked out. We do this using various observational methods. 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 instructed events are designed to provide the maximum amount of track time while keeping the run groups at a reasonable size. In general you will get 4 run sessions during the day. This is variable depending on incidents that happen during the event that may be beyond our control.
TO DRIVERS WE ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH, DRIVER CLASS PLACEMENTS WILL BE ASSIGNED BASED ON DOCUMENTED EXPERIENCE IN THE MSR SYSTEM AND YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE A QUALIFIED REFERENCE AND/OR HAVE A “CHECK RIDE” TO ESTABLISH THIS PLACEMENT.
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
Check in and a cursory tech inspection is held at the track on the day of the event. An annual tech inspection is required each year. This can be performed at the shop of your choice. A copy for ORPCA to keep must be presented at your first event of the current driving season. We strongly recommend preregistration. You will have the first chance at an instructor, and you won’t get turned away at the gate if we’re at or over the maximum number of cars for the event.
You may run just about any type of car during our Drivers Education Event provided it is track worthy. If you have a question about whether your vehicle qualifies, please email hpderegistration@oregonpca.org to gain clarification.
WE OFFER FOUR DRIVER CLASSES FOR DRIVER EDUCATION
Novice/Beginner – The driver has no to some experience at High Speed Driving on a track and will require or 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. The driver 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 (CDI) to teach the other participants.
As event organizers our worst nightmare is the student that registers for a driver class that is over their head in skill and experience. Not only does this diminish your enjoyment of the event, but it poses a potential safety issue. In order to help us improve the day for everyone, we are tracking driver class sign off in the registration system. We will verify your registration against our records. If we do not find appropriate approvals we will ask you for justification to be in the driver class you registered for.
NOTE: IF THE HPDE STAFF FINDS THAT YOU HAVE REGISTERED FOR A DRIVER CLASS THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN OUR OPINION OF YOUR SKILL LEVEL WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MOVE TO YOU TO AN APPROPRIATE DRIVER CLASS. IF SPACE IS UNAVAILABLE, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE UNTIL SPACE BECOMES AVAILABLE OR MAY MISS DRIVING THAT DAY ALTOGETHER. THERE WILL BE NOT REFUNDS FOR REGISTRANTS THAT REGISTER IN THE WRONG CLASS.
Complete information on our Driver Skills Benchmarks
Our goal is to register conservatively. If you feel you need to move up to a more advanced class, you can request a check ride from the Chief Driving Instructor (CDI).
If you have a fluid spill or an incident that damages the track facilities you are liable for the cost of cleanup and/or repair to the facility.
