How to prepare for the track

New to HPDE or to NASA SoCal events? Here you will find helpful information to get you prepare for event.

What to expect

A very different experience! Driving on a racetrack is very different than driving on the street.

Classroom and track time

Four classroom and four on-track sessions; track sessions are 20-25 min each.

In-car instruction

In HPDE 1, you will be assigned an individual instructor who will work with you throughout the day or until you are checked out to move up to HPDE 2.

No passengers

If you bring a friend, they may not ride in the car with you while you are on track.

What to bring

Blue painter’s tape, for numbers;
A helmet, if you have one. If not, you can rent one at the track;
Lots of water;
Snacks/lunch;
Sunscreen;
Eye protection; sunglasses are fine.

Before you leave home

Clean car of all loose objects

Make sure there are no loose objects in your car. You may not have or use any hand-held objects (cameras/ cell phones, etc.) while driving on track.

Review the track map

Get a track map, study it, and be able to correlate to the real thing. It is important to learn corner numbers and where flaggers are placed.

Start learning the flags

You must learn flags prior to getting on track. Here is the link to HPDE Flags.

Prepare your car

Review the HPDE safety inspection form

When you arrive at the track

Check the schedule to confirm session/meeting times. Do NOT rely on the schedule you printed out a few days ago.

Prepare yourself and your car.

  • Clean out your car including the trunk.
  • Make sure you have car numbers on each side of your car.

Attend the drivers’ meeting.

This is where you will receive important information and instructions for the day. Don’t be late; ALL drivers’ meetings are mandatory!

  • The times and locations are on each day’s schedule.
  • After the drivers’ meeting, you will go to your first classroom session.
Still have questions?

Call: 657-845-1175

HPDE lead instructors

HPDE Intro, 1-2: Patrick Orozco, [email protected]

HPDE 3-4: John Matthew, [email protected]