If you've ever thought of tracking your car, then come out and join Dondo and I at Pacific Raceways, Monday the 27th of September. It costs $555 for the whole day to take the school. If you've already been out there (and I'm sure if you have HPD experience on other tracks they'll let you in as an afternoon lapper) it's $240 for the afternoon, which is what Dondo and I will be doing. (if you've never driven with Proformance or if you haven't been out there for over a year or so then there's an extra $135 for an instructor to ride with you to sign you off.)

The morning section is part classroom and part practicle driving exercises. Before you break for lunch your instructor will drive your car two laps at about 50 MPH around the track showing you the line. Then you get to do the same. While the students go for lunch, the afternoon lappers will get the track for a solid hour. Then the students will get their first session by themselves. After that the students will get two more sessions with the afternoon lappers on the track with them. The afternoon lappers only have to come off the track if they shut down the track to reset cones or if there's an emergency.


Pacific Raceways is in Kent, Wa off of Hwy 18
http://www.proformanceracingschool.com/

Hope to see you all out there!!!

 

SAWEET
Thats a nice looking track. Bit of a long drive tho for me and the BOSS.

 

I'm interested but idk if I work that day or not..

 

As long as the class doesn't fill up, you should be able to sign up by Friday, possibly over the weekend, but that might be pushing it.

 

i'll be there but whats the difference between afternoon lapping and the other thing? which are you doing? i have no idea which i'm signed up for... i just know i need to be there at like 10 or 11..

 

You and I are in the afternoon lapping program. The difference is you do not have to do the classroom exercises in the morning, and you will have the instructor in your car for a bit and not the whole day like the students in the school. Afternoon lapping also has a lot more track time too, you get from 12:45-1:45, then you get from whenever the students finish their first session till five o'clock to be on the track. After the students first session, both afternoon lappers and students will be on the track at the same time.


I forgot to mention for those who have never done this, it is PASS BY PERMISSION ONLY. There are four "let by zones" around the track where the driver being overtaken will put their arm out the window to signal that they know you are back there and they are letting the faster car by in the designated area only. The passing car will always pass on the left. If the arm doesn't come out, then you assume that the slower car has no idea you are back there and you wait until they do. This prevents a collision. Proformance does a really good job in keeping the track safe.

Your car is not insured by your regular insurance company while you're on the track. There are other companies out their that will insure you. I can't remeber the insurance company names. If you ask Proformance I'm sure they will direcrt you to an agency if you wanted to buy insurance.

If you're curious of what it's like here's a clip of a school day where the Cayman and I are both afternoon lappers driving with the students. The instructor is the one that holds out his hand to signal the let by. All the cars we pass except the Camaro at the end are students.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqooOUv2zro

 

Why do these things always have to be on week days???

 

^ cause they're cheaper on weekdays

 

Weekends at PR are usually in use for full on competition events (NHRA, NASA, SCCA, PCA etc.) so the weekdays are all that's available for "just for fun" events. Check out the full calendar on their site: http://pacificraceways.com/ Click Schedule, then Combined, and then click the "Show Completed Events" button.

 

The one time my odd weekend works in my favour... I am really tempted.

 

^ do it man!

 

This is gonna ruin Gran Turismo 5 for me, huh?

I think I'll take the plunge, but first I must go over my loan contract. Gotta make sure I won't get boned should I screw up.

 

Oh god...I want to do this so badly, but money's a little tight right now. I'll try to figure something out.

 

The more I think about this the more I'm moving to holding off until spring. Gotta get the car ready for winter storage and the Corolla ready for winter use.

Come spring, though, I'll need a way to burn up the tires quick to make way for the next set. Something to look forward to in 2011.

 

[QUOTE=TANKERG;3718850]
Your car is not insured by your regular insurance company while you're on the track.

This is not totally accurate, some companies totally forbid any kind of road racing with your car, other companies will not cover if it is a timed, or actual competition races.
This I know well, my wife is an insurance agency manager and our car is covered.
Drivers Ed, HPDE are covered by a few.
It's kind of a grey area and is best that you read your policy very closely.

Below are 2 companies that my wife told me about.

http://hpdeins.locktonaffinity.com/

http://www.ontrackinsurance.com/index.aspx

HAPPY TRAILS

 

^ Thanks for the info.


I am sorry to say this at the last minute, but I had to pull out. My brakes are done and I will not have the time to get them repaced before Monday. I thought I had a lot more life in them than I did. Sorry