derBayerische July/August 2024 - 18

F I R S T - A N D - A - B I T H P D E : W H Y I C A M E O U T ... A N D C A M E B A C K !
paddock pointed to a group of
genuine people who were clearly
having a good time around a shared
interest. The family atmosphere was
great - my two girls (4 and 2 years
old) came out to see the final run on
Sunday and cheer (and I hope to get
them both interested and maybe
they'll join the Speed Vixens down
the road).
I also wanted a scene where it
was clear that the organizers had
their act together. In a past job, I led
a team that organized international
industry events hosting 1500-2500
people. I don't claim to be an expert,
but I like to think I know a well-run
event when I see one and this was a
WELL-run event. The communication
was timely and had all the info
we needed. Having a student rep to
be the point of contact for people
new to the club, the track, or HPDEs
in general was huge (massive shout
out to Jeff!). All this gave me confidence
in the organizers and helped
offset my own nervousness in
a big way.
So, even as I returned home
after my ill-fated attempt in March
with my now driveway-paperweightof-a-car
I knew I was hooked on
NCC's priorities, their format and
curriculum, commitment to learning,
and the culture and people.
Within a week I was registered
for the NCC's next HPDE which took
place May 4-5 - dubbed " Main in
the Rain " .
With the 535i out of commission,
I turned to one of two
Corvettes my dad had before he
passed away. I knew that at the
thought of using them on track, my
Dad would give me that smirking
" oh? " that said he was supposed to
discourage this...but wouldn't try
too hard. The 1974 Vette he had I've
hung on to for sentimental reasons.
He and I took the motor out of it
when I was 12 after an oil pump failure,
but that's a different story. The
2014, my mom has hung on to. I
want to drive the '74 on track at
Thank you to our sponsors for
the March 15, 16, 17 Jefferson Circuit HPDE
Craftsman Auto Care - Event Sponsor
Howard and Hoffman Insurance - T-shirt Sponsor
OG Racing - Door Prize Sponsor
Honor Brewing Company - Beer Sponsor
Scandinavian Import Servicenter - Dinner Sponsor
Good Company - Donuts and Coffee Sponsor
■ E60 535i in the paddock getting set up for the March HPDE! Photo by J. Marsden.
some point but not yet. So, I'd have
to " settle " for the C7 with 455 hp
and perfect weight distribution.
Oh darn?
My " second " (pronounced:
first full) HPDE... " Main in the
Rain " ...was awesome. My instructor
was outstanding - a Corvette
driver to whom I assume they paid a
hefty bribe in order to drag him up
from near Raleigh, NC to roll with
me. (Mark, thank you for making the
trip - your car-specific expertise,
especially on the electricals/traction
control/ECU aspects were crucial to
us getting better and better at extracting
performance from that car!).
But what definitely left a lasting
impression was the welcome (back)
atmosphere. I was a bit anxious
about no longer being a BMW driver
at a BMW event. This made no
difference to the people there - not
that I could tell. They were glad I was
back in the saddle and ready to go.
By the end of the two days, I
had a completely new perspective
on what performance driving was.
Not that I was ready, mind you, to
tell Bill Auberlen to move over and
let me drive. But you know you're
making progress when you get your
instructor to chuckle after nailing the
turn 10 apex three laps in a row (of
course I missed it a few more times
after that). I left wanting to immediately
return to work on perfecting
those apexes, turn-ins, and brake
points.
I've not jumped into an HPDE
with others yet but probably will just
to fill the time until the NCC
Shenandoah HPDE in September.
As I look at options with other
groups, I do see similar curriculums
and schedules, some familiar safety
reqs (though it's hard to know how it
will compare 'till you're there),
so sure...probably a lot of similar
programs are out there. But for me -
it's the people I'll be back for.
...well, the people AND nailing
those apexes!
And thanks to all our other sponsors:
Radial Tire Company, RRT, Bimmerworld,
BMW of Fairfax, Tier Car Care, Passport BMW,
Game Truck, Rev Tech Performance,
George Co, LLC, Let's Go Track Days
18
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