End of Summer HPDS and Instructor Training School

The Boston Chapter is making our third visit to Palmer Motorsports Park's Whiskey Hill Raceway for another High Performance Driving School plus our Instructor Training School.

This weekend event is open to students of all levels.

As with other Boston Chapter events, Friday is available to students participating in the Boston Chapter's ISG program and to a limited number of students who have previous experience of at least 20 days driving at High Performance Driving Schools, driving at or above the upper intermediate level, with a history of positive evaluations from past instructors. Please contact the registrar if you have any questions about your eligibility for Friday.

Additionally, the Boston Chapter will be hosting an Instructor Training School for qualified candidates. This 3 day program provides a transparent approach for the instructional skills of advanced drivers to be mentored and evaluted by a team of experienced instructors. Please contact the Chief Instructors if you are interested in applying for ITS. 

Updated July 13, 2015: Due to the number of requests from first-timers, the Boston Chapter is offering a Taste of the Track option for first time/novice students on Friday. This one day event is a great, low-pressure way to get your first taste of High Performance Driving and see what your fellow club members have been raving about. For $210, you'll get four sessions on track with one of our instructors, two classroom sessions, and lunch from Maw's Kitchen. This offer is only available to first time students. Fridays at Palmer with the Boston Chapter have a very relaxed vibe in the paddock, with plenty of space to set up your camp for the day. You can even bring your family so they can see what High Performance Driving is all about. You'll never get a better chance to try it out for yourself!

What is a Driving School?

The purpose of a driving school is quite simple: to improve your driving skills. We will emphasize the relationship of driver and machine, making them function in unison and giving you, as a student, the opportunity to learn your limitations and expand your capabilities, thus creating safe driving skills and habits in a controlled situation.

We conduct the school on a racetrack under the close supervision of experienced and trained instructors. You will learn how to handle and control your vehicle at speeds not normally attained on public roads. This will help to prepare you for emergencies in normal driving. It will also allow you to explore your capabilities as a driver and those of your vehicle.

At no time will you be pushed or encouraged to go any faster than is comfortable for you. All participants will be organized into run groups in accordance with experience, skill, and type of vehicle.

What you learn on the track depends on your driving skill. Beginners are taught driving style (smoothness, consistency, the ability to read the track), more experienced participants continue to work on consistency, while developing new skills such as trail braking, and threshold braking. Every time you are on the track, you will have an experienced instructor in the passenger seat.

 

For the most experienced drivers, you can be “signed off” and drive solo when you have proven to your instructor and the Chief Instructor that you understand the basics of high speed driving, you can consistently drive the correct line, and you show proper etiquette on track. Maturity, good judgment, skill and significant experience will lead to being signed off for solo driving. Even if you are a solo student, you are still highly encouraged to learn new skills from your instructor. In fact, National BMW Club rules require an instructor be in-car for at least part of the event for all students.

Classroom

Your day is divided between driving on the track, classroom sessions, or free time. Yes, this is a school, and there is mandatory classroom time. All participants are required to attend classroom sessions to learn vehicle dynamics and driving techniques. Failure to attend will result in loss of driving privileges.

These sessions will continue throughout the day to help you understand the fine art of high speed driving. In the classroom, you learn high speed driving theory. You learn everything from 'why low-profile tires are better', to what is the difference between an early and late apex. Car physics, such as what is really happening when I brake or why my car understeers or oversteers is also discussed. Each classroom normally has a question and answer session.

What is a Driving School NOT?

Though you are on a racetrack, with 20-30 other drivers of similar driving skills, it is not a race. Passing in corners is not allowed, and you are not expected to shift at redline, or go screaming through each corner with the tires squealing.

Safety of the event is of the utmost importance. Driver conduct will be diligently monitored throughout the day by the staff, instructors, and corner workers. Infractions of the rules will not be tolerated, and will likely result in dismissal from the school.

Registration Fees

This is a three day event. You may register Saturday and Sunday as a pair, or for all three days provided you have sufficient experience. Saturday and Sunday are not available as standalone days. You must provide information on your experience at the time of registration.

The student registration fees for this event are as follows:

	Friday Taste of the Track for Novice Students	BMW CCA Member - Saturday and Sunday	BMW CCA Member - All 3 Days	Non-Member- Saturday and Sunday
Register before September 4, 2015	$210	$475	$750	$700
Register on September 4, 2015 or later		$500	$775

Wait-List Rules

Due to the limited number of student slots available for Boston Chapter driving events, it is common for us to receive more registrations than we can admit, hence a Wait-List will be created. Applications will be admitted from the Wait-List on a first come, first serve basis. 

Membership

You don’t need to own a BMW to be part of the club and participate in our Driving Events! We offer a huge variety of events to our community all across the country, making club membership a rewarding and worthwhile experience. Annual membership costs $48 and includes a subscription to the fantatic BMW CCA magazine, Roundel.

If you are not a member you can apply at the link below and then return to this page and enter your new membership number. The BMW CCA website will provide your membership number immediately with your enrollment.

https://myaccount.bmwcca.org/PortalTools/NewUser/EmailCheck.cfm

Questions?

For questions regarding registration or Driving Schools in general, please email the registrar using the "Contact Host" button on the right side of this page.

 

LOCKTON INSURANCE - NOTE - SINGLE EVENT INSURANCE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE FOR PALMER MOTORSPORTS PARK. PLEASE CHECK WITH LOCKTON DIRECTLY