Beginner’s Corner

Sequence of events for the day

Get to the track, get yourself and your car ready

You should arrive at the track by 6:30am. There are a number of things that must be done before your first session on track. The “DETAILS – At the Track” pages of the How to Prepare for the Event document describe the steps you should take, in order, to have a successful morning.

Once you have checked in, have all applicable wristbands on your wrist, and your car prepared as required, the next item of the day is the Morning Driver’s Meeting. This event will be held at the pavilion or other central structure at the track. The Driving School Chair, Chief Driving Instructor, Chief of Safety, and others will cover topics such as passing zones for the various run groups, a reminder of the flags, reminders to stay hydrated, and information about Saturday Night Dinner at the track.
Pay attention during this meeting and ask questions if you have them: you may not be the only person at the meeting who doesn’t know the answer. Remember that every person at the track was once a first-time student as well.

The first run group of the day will be the Instructor run group. If you have time between the Drivers’ Meeting and your first Classroom session, go to the grand stands or other viewing area and watch them. Notice Instructor’s cars that seem to move smoothly but quickly around the track.

Classroom and first track session

C and D run groups will have a Classroom session before going on track, which will give you more opportunity to ask questions before your first session of the day. You will have four Classroom sessions and four track sessions each day. Driving Schools are often held as two-day events, meaning eight Classroom and eight track sessions if you sign up for both days.

For your first session of the day in the C or D run group, your Instructor will offer to drive your vehicle around the track for a few laps in a “brush the cone” exercise. They will drive your vehicle around the track at a reduced pace that allows them to point out the features of the track, such as the corner bunkers and the cones that RMC has placed on the outside of the track. These bright orange cones will (roughly) denote the “turn in”, “apex”, and “track out” points, which are three of the key parts of a turn.
If this is your first time on a racetrack, don’t expect to retain all the information they give you right away; it will sink in over time. The most important pieces of information are (in order):

• Where the track goes (ie. which way to turn and what comes next)
• Where the corner bunkers are located (ie. where the flags are located)
• Turn in, apex, and track out points

After a few laps, your Instructor will pull into the Hot Pits and pull over. You two will swap and now its your turn!

Your turn to turn some laps

Once you enter the track: relax, listen to your Instructor, and focus on smoothness and consistency in your driving. You will impress your Instructor with smoothness and consistency; speed is not the primary indicator of track driving ability.

You will likely hear your Instructor mention “smooth inputs” many times. They are referring to the inputs that your hands and feet are making into the vehicle. Turn the wheel smoothly, apply the brake pedal smoothly, shift gears smoothly, and apply the throttle smoothly. Smooth inputs does not mean slow inputs.
This is a skill that requires practice and patience.

More Classroom, more track time; stay hydrated

After two track sessions, there will be a lunch break of an hour or more. During this time, another Driver’s Meeting is often held to go over the morning and keep everyone on the same page for the rest of the day. Take this time to hydrate and refuel your body, do a check of your tires and vehicle, and prepare yourself for the afternoon Classroom and track sessions. The sun and heat at a racetrack can take their toll on you mentally and physically if you don’t stay hydrated and protected with sunscreen.

For any of your sessions, you are encouraged to ask your Instructor to drive the first 2-3 laps of your session in your vehicle to help explain a concept for you in a different way. Sometimes seeing or feeling what they are doing differently is the key to understanding it.

Lunch time Instructor drives

After lunch time, for the Instructor’s third session on track, RMC encourages all Instructors to take their Students as passengers. This is the “Lunch Rides” that may be noted on the schedule. It can be an eye-opening experience to ride in their vehicle and see how they drive the same track.
Additionally, your Instructor is encouraged to invite you to ride as a passenger in their vehicle during any of their sessions, and you should feel encouraged to ask.
During these rides, notice their hands, feet, and head. Where are they looking before, during, and after a corner? Are their hands and feet “less busy” than yours?

Saturday Night dinner

After the last track session on Saturday, RMC provides a Saturday Night dinner at the track. Use this time to socialize with fellow Students, Instructors, and Volunteers. Make new friends, ask them about their vehicles, and unwind from a long day. We also try to have some small prizes or giveaways during this time.

If you are returning for a second day of driving, make sure to get a good night’s rest so you can repeat this process tomorrow.

What is it like at the racetrack?

A racetrack is primarily comprised of several key components:

• Gate
• Paddock (aka. Cold Pits)
• Grid
• Hot Pits
• Racetrack
• Facilities (classroom, restrooms, showers, concessions, etc.)

On our HPDE Venues page, you will find maps of each facility that we rent, including how to get there and the facilities and amenities at the track.

Gate

At the entrance to the facility will be a gate with someone who will ask you to sign the waiver to enter their property. Sometimes this waiver covers both the facility and RMC BMW CCA, sometimes separate waivers need to be signed for each. The gate worker will hand a wristband to each person after signing the waiver:
Put this wristband on your LEFT wrist before you get out of your vehicle!
It is very easy to forget this step, then have to go back to your vehicle and get it when someone reminds you.

Paddock

Paddock (aka. Cold Pits) is where you park, empty all the items from your vehicle, and hang around when you aren’t in the Classroom or on track. If you aren’t supposed to be somewhere else, feel free stroll around the paddock and check out the vehicles other people brought to the event. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn more about what they’re driving and how they drive it.

Your paddock spot is where your Instructor will probably find you to greet you, talk about yourself and your vehicle, and prepare you for the track session. It is also where you will drive back to after your track session, to drop off your Instructor.

The speed limit in Paddock is “walking pace”. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to Grid before your driving sessions.

Grid

Grid is located right before the entrance to the racetrack. This is where you bring your vehicle when preparing to go onto the racetrack. We recommend you get to Grid 15 minutes before your first session in the morning, and 10 minutes before each remaining session of the day.

These 10-15 minutes give you time to meet up with your Instructor, chat about the upcoming session, get your helmets and communicators on and situated properly, and your seatbelts buckled. It can also give your vehicle a chance to warm up and get the oil close to operating temperature before going on track.

Hot Pits

Often located after the track exit road but before entering Paddock, Hot Pits is an area where you can pull to the far side (indicated in the morning driver’s meeting) to swap drivers, check tire pressures, or other such activity. At the end of Hot Pits there will usually be a fork: enter Paddock or go back onto the racetrack.

The speed limit in Hot Pits is typically 25 mph.

Hot Pits can also be used by drivers wanting to find more open space on the track. By pulling into Hot Pits and driving down to the end, then re-entering track entry (assuming there is enough time left in the session), any line of vehicles on track is long gone.

Racetrack

When it is time for your session and you are given the signal by the Grid crew, you will drive from Grid onto track entry, which is usually a small road leading to the racetrack. HPR does not have a track entry speed limit (it is rather short), but PMP does have a track entry speed limit of 40 mph (track entry is much longer).
Whether its the first session in the morning or your 1,000th session: its always a good idea to check for existing traffic on the racetrack; use your mirrors.

When your session is over and you’ve given your signal to exit the track, you will either drive onto a dedicated track exit road that leads to Hot Pits, or a small road that leads directly into Paddock.

Facilities

Facilities at the tracks we use for Driving School weekends include many of the same features (check the HPDE Venues page for specifics). Classroom sessions are held in an building that allows for sufficient seating, and the Classroom Instructor to present slides or videos.

We recommend that you bring healthy snacks and drinks (lots of water!), and food that gives you sustained energy. Too much sugar, salt, or caffeine can take a toll on your body after a long day out in the sun and driving fast on the track.