The final event of the NCR/NER driving season will visit New Hampshire Motor Speedway(NHMS). It looks spectactular in the fall and we expect over two hours of on track time per day.

For many of us this is the track where we had our first taste of HPDE. The clubs have visited NHMS yearly until last year and we are back for our season ending event in 2023. 

 The technical, twelve turn, 1.6 mile track rewards drivers that look ahead and have smooth inputs. Here are three of the twelve turns.

Turn 3

The Bowl

 Turn 10

Select Host Column Entry to register.

Parking Lots

In the annotated photo below you will see the four designated parking areas for this event (Kart, Welcome, Main, West).

The West lot is restricted to track cars and temporary parking for registration.

The Main lot is to be used for trailer and tow vehicle parking.

The Kart and Welcome lots are to be used for tow vehicles, trailers, and track cars.

Registration

1. Enter the facility via the West entrance and stop at Roy's Dog House for your parking assignment.
2. Use the temporary parking area in the center of the West lot for Registration (park side by side facing Roy's Dog House.
3. Register in the West Tent.
4. Move to Main lot to unload vehicle from your trailer.

PCA Chief Driving Instructors and Region Officials,

The number one priority of PCA's HPDE Program is track safety. A core belief in the DE program is that a person can purchase a stock Porsche and take it to the track for an HPDE weekend, after an appropriate tech inspection of course. 

Some people choose to modify their cars to increase performance and others to increase safety. A popular modification made to track cars is the addition of a multi-point harness system. Starting January 1, 2019, the DE Minimum Standards will be expanded to state that if a driver uses a harness system, he or she will ALSO be required to utilize a head and neck restraint system, commonly referred to as a HANS device. 

A head and neck restraint device is an integral part of the harness system. Because the rule of equal restraint always applies, if a driver uses a harness system there must also be a harness system available and used by the passenger. Thus, both the driver and passenger will be required to use a HANS device. We highly encourage all DE participants to not wait until 2019 to comply with this new minimum standard. Head and neck restraint system devices are now more affordable and easily purchased online.

The DE Committee's decision was made over the course of two years after careful review of options, conversations with DE participants and discussion of a variety of perspectives. Please pass on this information to your DE drivers and instructors as soon as possible to avoid any confusion.

As a reminder, members of the DE Committee can be found here: https://www.pca.org/national-driver-education-committee

Thank you for all your time and effort to make your region’s DE program a safe and successful one. If you have feedback, please let me know!

Catch you in the Curves!

John Krecek
Great Plains Region – Porsche Club of America
Chief Driving Instructor
PCA National DE Committee Chair
402-995-1470
johnkrecek@gmail.com

This past October I decided it was time for me to spend a day driving at an NCR DE event. I had done the Car Control Clinic, and the Charity Laps for Make-a-Wish. Those experiences were nothing but positive, so I decided to give it a try.

From a distance the DE program looked to me like a place for “race car drivers”. Folks that wanted to take their car out and thrash it around the track. So I was a bit intimidated. Not trusting myself with my car at high speeds, not trusting my reflexes with such an expensive car. A car that I enjoy driving in its “present condition”. I had signed up for the Monday driving and watched the weather. As luck would have it Monday proved to be a rain day. In my mind I flip flopped back and forth. Should I cancel, or should I go anyway. If I cancel there are no refunds. But if I lose traction in the rain and smash my car, that would prove to be a huge loss. Crashing my car was the last thing I would want to happen. Knowing many of the people who produce the DE program for NCR, I decided to go for the day in spite of the rain. I had to trust that these guys would help me avoid a crash, trust that their instruction would prevent me from having a problem on the track.

NHMS ONCE-AROUND

By Ellen Beck
North Country Region – PCA

1.6 mile Road Course – Configuration Using No Ovals/Both Infields

Video

New Hampshire International Speedway is a one-mile NASCAR track with 12-degree banked ovals. The road course utilizes portions of the NASCAR track plus an outfield road course section with several elevation changes. The road course can be run in several different configurations. In the description of this particular configuration, we make use of both the north and south infield chicanes. (Reference attached course map). This narrative describes the student line as taught by North Country Region – PCA.