About this event
The Northwest Alfa Romeo Club has been providing fun and informative Driver Skills and Car Control events to sport driving enthusiasts and daily/commuter drivers alike in the Northwest for over 20 years.
This event is a driving school for enhancing driver skills and teaching car control/safety with classroom and driving exercises in the morning, and a separate HPDE /Lapping event for experienced drivers in the afternoon. These two programs will take place at Pacific Raceways in Kent on Sunday, March 6th, 2022. The curriculum for the Car Control/Driver Skills course is designed for all drivers in any type of vehicle, and is proven to be particularly valuable for new and teen drivers, drivers with newly purchased vehicles, and any driver who feels unsure or nervous behind the wheel. The course is as fun as it is informative, so we welcome and encourage any/all drivers who would like to experience something new. Registrants must hold a
valid Driver License, and teen drivers with a valid Learner Permit are also welcome... and encouraged!
Morning Car Control Clinic: 8:00am - 11:30am - $100/ driver - 18-years and over
***Special Student Price*** - $50/ driver - minors 17-years and younger
Afternoon HPDE/Lapping: Noon - 5:00pm - $185/ driver
Car Control & HPDE: 8:00am - 5:00pm - $275/ driver
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of our Driving School is to enhance your awareness of the conditions around you and develop your ability to respond quickly and properly should you find yourself in an acute situation during your normal daily driving.
NWARC's Driver Skills event is a half-day course covering the fundamentals of car control and skills-based driving. Appropriate for new and experienced drivers alike, this Driver Skills course provides all participants with valuable classroom instruction, lots of seat time, and personalized 1:1 in-car instruction if needed. The course is divided into five primary segments:
- Slalom
- Threshold Braking (Panic Stop)
- Lane Change/Collision Avoidance
- Braking in a Corner
- Handling Oval
Together, these segments improve drivers' ability to look ahead, control vehicle weight transfer, practice smoothness, effective braking, and other vital skills. Groups are small in size, which means that wait times between exercises will be minimal. At the end of the five sessions, students are encouraged to apply the skills they've learned to their daily driving routine, and to practice safe and confident driving whenever they are behind the wheel. The intensity level and focus on driving is high, but so is the fun factor!
ALL VEHICLE TYPES ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED. Please be sure your vehicle is in good mechanical condition with no visible fluid leaks or loose part hanging from exterior or underneath the vehicle. Check your tire wear and tire pressures the day before the event, check engine oil and coolant levels, and fill if necessary. All vehicles will be subjected to a basic technical inspection in the morning before being allowed on course. Please remove all loose items from the interior and trunk of your vehicle prior to arriving, and don't forget to fill your fuel tank BEFORE arriving. Fuel on site is very expensive. Please note that while convertibles are welcome to run the car control clinic those intending to run the afternoon lapping session must have, at a minimum, a factory roll hoop or aftermarket roll bar. Those with no roll protection or 'pop-up' style roll bars will not be allowed to participate in the lapping sessions.
Please visit our friends at PROVA Motorsports if you have questions about any needed service to your vehicle in preparation for this event: Christopher Benny at 206.420.8161 - facebook/provamotorsports
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
The Driving School is designed to teach students that the act of driving a motor vehicle is an intensive mental activity. You must pay strict attention to your actions and those of the drivers around you. Through classroom and in-car instruction, you are taught how to be observant of your surroundings and vehicle. You learn how and why a car will respond to inputs to the steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal - the physics of car control. The school provides a way to prepare for the unexpected, and to practice collision avoidance skills.
Your registration fee provides you with a temporary 1-day "event membership" to NWARC in addition to participation in the Driver Skills Course, or you are welcome to to join the Club with an annual membership here: https://www.aroc-usa.org/membership/
Event requirements
The morning Car Control Clinic is open to all drivers with a valid Driver License and teens with Learner Permit. NO other driving experience or prerequisites are required. Invite your teenage* children, parents, friends/neighbors or coworkers to experience the art and skill of advanced car control.
**For the safety of our in-car instructors all participants in the skill clinic will be required to show proof of vaccination. This is not a requirement for the afternoon lapping sessions.**
The afternoon HPDE/Lapping event is open ONLY to experienced drivers over 18 years old who have participated in previous car control and driving clinics, have demonstrable experience driving on track at Pacific Raceways (BMWCCA, PCA, AudiNW, Proformance Racing School).
Participation in the morning Car Control Clinic is acceptable for the afternoon HPDE Novice sessions (there is a combo registration for both courses). You can register for the AM Car Control Clinic as a prerequisite and then stay for the afternoon HPDE event. All drivers for AM and PM events must have a valid WA Drivers License (must show original at check-in) and proper driver safety gear (helmet rental is available).
Intermediate and Advanced groups must have solo sign on off at Pacific Raceways. Advanced must have significant experience on record through MSR at Pacific Raceways. Instructors will not be available for Intermediate and Advanced groups. If you have any questions regarding solo eligibility please contact the event registrar.
*NOTE: Student Drivers under the age of 16 must have a valid Learner's Permit and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian (not required to be in car during exercises but must remain on site).
Please be sure to check your insurance policy to make sure "driver schools" or "track events" are not prohibited.
More on the driving school curriculum...
Ground School
The school begins with a general explanation of the day's activities, safety issues, and how the in-car exercises will be conducted. There will be a discussion of each in-car exercise so that you understand what skills they are designed to teach and how best to perform them. Questions and discussion are encouraged.
Driving Exercises
Exercise segments have been designed to allow you to physically experience the vehicle dynamics theory explained in the classroom. Using orange traffic cones, exercises are laid out on the pavement for you to negotiate. An experienced instructor will ride with you to explain the exercise, offer corrections, praise accomplishment and answer questions immediately. With this real-time feedback, learning is enhanced.
The exercise segments are laid out with safety buffer zones around them to provide a large margin of error, keeping you safe and eliminating the risk of any incidents. The exercise area is isolated in order to prohibit access by non-school participants. The pavement in some exercise areas will be watered down to minimize tire adhesion and mimic adverse driving conditions. This allows you to experience the vehicle's responses to your inputs at much lower speeds than in the dry. (We always pray for rain!)
The classroom curriculum and driving skills exercises will emphasize these important daily driving rules, techniques, and habits:
1. Smart steering wheel control, keeping your hands should be at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions. This provides you with the greatest control over your car and keeps your arms out of the way in case of airbag deployment.
2. Setting and using your side view mirrors so very little to none of the side of your car is visible. This allows you to have a widest possible view of what is behind and to the side of your car.
3. Looking ahead to improve your peripheral vision. Generally look to the second or third vehicle ahead of you so you can get a bigger picture of what is happening ahead of time.
4. Driving with your seat correctly positioned. To test if you are seated correctly do the following: Sit up straight in the driver seat. Your shoulders should be touching the seat back. Next, extend your arms straight out in front of you, your wrists should touch the top rim of the steering wheel and hands able to hang over the front. Adjust your seat until you can accomplish this position easily.
5. Practicing courteous driving habits while becoming more aware of everything around you. Develop your positive communicative skills by signaling ahead of time and practice the '3 second' safe distance maneuver while following vehicles ahead of you on the road.
6. Practicing smooth movements while turning, braking and applying throttle (gas pedal).
7. Avoiding downshifting and using the gearbox to slow your car. Always use your brakes, that's what they are designed to do.
8. Practicing smooth braking by "imagining an egg" between your foot and the brake pedal. If you press too hard too quickly the egg will break.
Registering for the course
In order to register for either of these two events here on Motorsportreg, you'll need to create a simple driver account and profile. This is a quick and simple process. However, there will be a series of detailed questions related to your vehicle including engine size and class, and other questions about your "permanent number." Please disregard all of these detailed questions, you'll only need to provide "Make," "Model," and "Color" which are the first few questions. After filling in those answers just skip to the bottom and continue the registration process. If you have any questions or problems with this form, please do not hesitate to contact the event registrar.
