Fri, Apr 28 - Sun, Apr 30, 2017

Bridgestone BMW CCA Genesee Valley HPDE

Watkins Glen Int'l

About this event

 

The Genesee Valley Chapter, with the participation of the Boston Chapter, are excited to offer the

Bridgestone BMW CCA Genesee Valley HPDE at the Glen

GVC extends a special welcome to our colleagues from the Boston Chapter of BMW CCA to our first driving school of 2017.  Our program offers personal, intensive in-car and classroom instruction on the art and science of high-performance driving to drivers at all skill levels.  Drivers are assigned to separate run groups of 30-35 students primarily according to experience and prior evaluations (if any, including SLIP ratings), and secondarily on vehicle performance.   The four groups at this event include Beginner/Novice (<4 schools), Intermediate, Advanced, and Solo (Group S; description follows below*).  Except for Group S, in which drivers are coached by a small team of experienced GS instructors, drivers in the other run group are taught from the passenger seat by a highly-trained, in-car driving instructor.  Between track sessions, drivers in each run group attend interactive classroom sessions led by a senior instructor, tailored to their skill and experience level.  The overarching goal is to rapidly improve your driving skills within a safe, non-competitive, and fun environment.

Enough philosophy, now to some details about this school.

Format

Friday: 

  • Open track for Instructors and Group S drivers.
  • Novice Track Day:  NTD is GVC's one-day school for beginners (<3 track days).  Runs on Friday only, and limited to 20 drivers to reduce traffic.  Format is similar to our two-day novice group on Saturday and Sunday, with 4 half-hour sessions with in-car instruction intermingled with novice classroom sessions that emphasize basic concepts and skills for the first-time track driver.  The cool thing about NTD is that it's an economical way to try out the sport, without the expense of lodging, meals, and extended time away from family and/or work.  
  • But wait, there's more!  Beginners interested in accelerating their learning curve may register for the “Big Weekend” option, extending the NTD to all three days!

Saturday and Sunday:

  • Group 4:  Novice (D; SLIP L1).  Drivers with 0 – 4 previous driving schools
  • Group 3:  Intermediate (C, less experienced B; SLIP L2 – L3)
  • Group 2:  Advanced (experienced B, A; SLIP L3 – L4)
  • Group 1:  Group S (Solo; SLIP L4 and up)
  • Group 0:  Instructors (Expert; SLIP L5 and up)

Track Schedule

  • Track goes “green” at 8:30 AM, final checker at 4:30 PM each day.
  • Lunch break from 12 – 1 PM each day.
     
  • Weekend track sessions (per day, half-hour each)
    • Groups 2, 3 and 4:  Four sessions
    • Group 1 (GS):  (NEW) Five sessions, with the option to pay for additional track sessions with Group 2 or instructors ($50 per session, pay at event; space permitting). 
    • Instructors:  Three sessions; additional sessions combined with Group S Sunday afternoon (space permitting*).

*Note:  Because many participants leave early, run groups may be combined on Sunday afternoon to provide more track time than scheduled.

Group Exercises

  • Organized group driving exercises are done for the first ten minutes in one or more sessions each day, typically at reduced speeds for safety.
  • Exercises include close-quarters (side-by-side) lapping in traffic, pair-wise passing, braking into corners, and others.

Classroom

  • Groups 2 – 4 attend three 30-45 minute-long classroom sessions each day, led by a senior instructor
  • Group 1 (GS) drivers attend two group sessions each day, facilitated by the Group S coaches and invited professionals.  Sessions may include group debriefing after a track session, discussion of advanced driving techniques, data acquisition, and other topics of interest.

Track Walk

  • After-hours car-pool tour of the track from 5:30 – 6:30 Saturday, guided by the Classroom Instructor.
  • Disembark at selected corners to inspect the track on foot, discuss braking points, driving lines, cornering techniques, etc.

Bonus Features (complimentary unless otherwise noted)

  • From our friends at Bridgestone:
    • Onsite tire service (free to Bridgestone customers) and technical advice from Bridgestone’s team of experts
    • Possible discounts or rebates from Bridgestone for HPDE participants
    • Tire technology presentations
       
  • GVC Driver’s Resource Center:  Helpful advice and assistance for all participants at the track.
  • Event shirts for all drivers and instructors.
  • After-hours party at the track Friday and Saturday.
  • Beverage tokens for the legendary Seneca Lodge Bar.
  • Tire and performance parts auctions offered by our generous sponsors
  • Professional technical and mechanical services provided by Eksten Autoworks for breakdowns or other car-related problems (at owner’s expense).
  • Friendly and helpful staff to make this your “Ultimate Driving School”.

*Group S

Group S (aka Solo, A-Solo, Independent Study Group) is open only to highly skilled, experienced drivers.  Admission to Group S requires a checkout by the Group S coaches. Once admitted to Group S, GS drivers in good standing may freely register for future GVC HPDE’s without prior approval or checkout.  

ALL new applicants to Group S MUST register for the event as an Advanced student using the "Group S checkout" option. This is a three-day registration option, with checkout occurring on Friday. Checkout drivers are initially assigned by default to Group 2 (Advanced, A/B) prior to the checkout, and remain in Group 2 for Saturday and Sunday if they do not pass checkout on Friday.  If checkout is successful, the driver is reassigned to Group 1 (Group S) for the weekend, and may drive in open track for the remainder of the day on Friday.   

Please consult the GVC website (link below) for further details on advancement to Group S.


Approved Group S are offered the following registration options (NEW for 2017):

Two-day school:  Saturday and Sunday only

Friday add-on option: For those looking for a 3-day weekend with open track on Friday. Requires Sat-Sun registration option above.

Two-day school: Friday and Saturday

One-day school: Friday only


Please visit the GVC website for complete details about our HP driving schoolsincluding the Group S application procedure:
http://gvc-bmwcca.org/What_is_a_Driving_School


Registration and Fees:  

  • Members: GVC chapter members are afforded highest priority for slots at our events, followed by BMW CCA members from other chapters.
     
  • Non-Members:  Registration for non-members opens approximately one month before the registration deadline for each event.  Non-members are charged an additional $100 above member fees, and are last to be accepted from a waiting list.  

    NEW in 2017:  GVC will use $48 of the non-member fee pay for a one-year new (or renewed) membership in BMW CCA. 
    Join today to register early and avoid the $100 non-member surcharge!   http://bmwcca.org/index.php?pageid=new_member
     
  • Registration after the deadline is only possible by special arrangement, and only if there are still seats available or late cancelations (call or email the Registrar: registrar@gvc-bmwcca.org).  
      
  • Fees
    • Advanced (Group 2), intermediate (Grp 3), novice weekend students (Grp 4): $495 (two-day school).  Non-members:  add $100
    • Group S checkout applicants: $675 (Friday-Sunday).  Attend Friday for checkout.  Those not passing checkout assigned to Group 2 (Advanced), refunded/credited $150.  BMW CCA members ONLY.
       
    • Novice students (Group 4):  
      • Novice Track Day:  $295 per driver, members ONLY
      • "Big Weekend" option:  $650 Friday - Sunday, members ONLY.
         
    • Group S (Solo):  
      • Group S drivers:  $535 (two-day school); Non-members: add $100
      • Friday add-on option (NEW):  $200.  
      • Group S (two day) Friday-Saturday:  $575.
      • Group S Friday ONLY (NEW):  $325
         
    • Instructors (includes shared garage access for the weekend): 
      • Friday - Sunday:  $100.  Includes Friday Orientation Day, three sessions each day Sat and Sun.  
      • Fri - Sun., sharing a vehicle:  $50
      • Sat - Sun only (no open track): $35
NEW!    "Bring a Friend" Discount
Any registered driver or instructor who brings a “new to the club” friend to the track as a school participant will receive either a $75 credit for use at any future GVC event, OR a free half-bay garage space for the weekend at the event.

Cancelations:

  • Fees are refundable before the deadline, less a 10% cancelation charge
  • Fees may be credited toward a future GVC Driving School to avoid the cancelation charge.
  • No refund or credit after the registration deadline.

Accommodations

The host hotel is the historic Seneca Lodge (http://www.senecalodge.com/) located at the upper entrance to beautiful Watkins Glen State Park off NY 329.  The Lodge is famous for its food and racing heritage.  The bar is notable for its collection of over 60 years of racing memorabliia, as well as an extensive selection of fine beverages.  Another favorite place to stay very close to the track is the Falls Motel in nearby Montour Falls.  http://www.thefallsmotel.com.  These lodgings fill quickly, so make reservations early

Camping at the track:  Not available at this event.  

Off-site camping:  Available at nearby Watkins Glen State Park and at other private campgrounds.

Many other lodging options are available in Watkins Glen, from cozy bed-and-breakfasts to the luxurious Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel.  

For more information, please consult our website: http://gvc-bmwcca.org/Info_About_Watkins_Glen 

 

Event requirements

Vehicle and driver requirements are detailed on the GVC website:  http://gvc-bmwcca.org/Event_Requirements_DrivingSchool

GVC Tech form:  GVC Tech Form 2017.pdf

GVC Emergency Medical Forms: 

Form:  GVC Medical Info form 2016.pdf

Envelope: Medical Info Form Envelope.pdf

 

IMPORTANT:  GVC’s policy* for cars equipped with automatic “crash avoidance systems” (CAS). 

Systems may go by different names depending on manufacturer, but they all have the same basic function.  The two systems of most concerned are:  1) Rear collision warning/automatic braking systems designed to prevent rear-end collisions at highway speeds; and 2) Active lane keeping assistants, which generate audible and tactile warnings, and in some cases, actively apply counter-steer, to prevent an unsafe lane change when the driver takes no action.  When operational, these systems are widely considered to be unsafe in conditions typically encountered on a racetrack at HPDE events.

Therefore, cars equipped with either or both these systems will be allowed on track ONLY if the systems are completely shut down and remain down until the ignition is turned off .  Vehicles in which such systems are “hardwired”, and therefore cannot be manually turned off, are not permitted on track at our driving schools.

If these procedures are followed to the letter, we have been assured that CAS-equipped cars will be safe and compatible with the HPDE track environment.

*Please note that the policy outlined herein applies only to Genesee Valley Chapter driving events, and does not necessarily represent national policy of the BMW Car Club of America or it’s affiliated chapters.

† We have been assured by BMWNA that these systems can be completely shut off by the driver on all current BMW models. 

Watkins Glen Int'l

Watkins Glen, NY
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Download track map
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Buy virtual track walk

Organizer

HPDE organized by

BMW CCA - Genesee Valley Chapter

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Event over!