Safe at speed – Car clubs offer driving instruction on closed courses

SIDEBAR TO CLUB MOTORSPORTS ARTICLE

TAMWORTH — If you’ve passed driver’s ed – maybe decades ago – and yet you’d like to learn more about driving, then you should know about high performance driver education.

Known more commonly by its acronym, HPDE involves organizations that set up events for drivers to sharpen their skills and to explore the limits of their vehicles without risking their license. HPDE clubs often rent a race course for a day or two for their members to use.

The Northeast Chapter of the Audi Club of North America is one such organization, an educational nonprofit which is planning two events this year at Club Motorsports in Tamworth.

“We were one of the first clubs last season to offer an event at Club Motorsports," said Adam Hirshan, a member of the Audi Club and publisher of The Laconia Daily Sun. "It was very successful. Our members and instructors really enjoyed it. We’re happy to be back with two events this year,”

“It’s a top-tier track," said Bruce Bradigan, an Audi Club member. It has most of the features that an enthusiast driver would enjoy.”

Despite the club’s brand affiliation, membership is not exclusive to Audi owners – anyone is welcome to join and to participate in one of the club’s events.

The Audi Club organizes several instruction events each year at tracks across the Northeast. The club’s events at Club Motorsports will take place on July 23 and 24, and Sept. 24 and 25. After paying a nominal membership fee, the cost for members to participate at one of the two-day events is $595. That buys the member two days of access to region’s newest – and one of its best – race tracks.

By the end of the two days, the participants will be better and safer drivers, according to organizers. That comes from having experienced a car at its handling limits, and from the volunteer instructors who will coach from the passenger seat.

“A new person will have an instructor in the car with them anytime they’re on the track,” said Bradigan.

Before taking a car to the track, the club asks its members to have their vehicle inspected by a mechanic for safety. Then, on the day of the event, each car is given another technical inspection. Novice drivers will be required to attend a classroom session so that they understand the rules of the track.

Terry Bradigan joined the club as a “70 year-old novice,” he said. “I bet a lot of people want to do what I wanted to do, just drive fast… I quickly learned that driving fast isn’t just putting your foot to the floor.”

“You understand your car better,” added club member Scott Hochgraf. “Part of the point is to understand how your car behaves when your car approaches or exceeds its handling limits.”

That understanding will better prepare the driver should something unexpected happen on a public highway. And, having the opportunity to explore higher speeds on a private course tends to reduce the urge to speed on public roads, the members said.

“I think it makes you safer,” Hochgraf said.

For those reasons, the best car to bring to an HPDE event is the car often driven – though for safety reasons, they can’t include top-heavy SUVs or convertibles that don’t have rollover protection.

They’ll welcome “pretty much anything else,” Hochgraf said. “I’ve never seen a Prius on the track, but we have seen a Camry or two.”

Visit neqclub.org for more information.