About this event
Welcome to GVC's "Taste of the Track"
A half-day intro to HP driving schools
Have you ever thought about taking a HP Driving School on a world-famous racetrack, but for one reason or another haven't pulled the trigger? Maybe the opportunity never arose, or the timing was bad, or you think you don't have a suitable "track car". Maybe you just weren't willing to shell out hundreds of dollars in fees, let alone the cost of lodging and meals, to spend an entire weekend of your precious time at a driving school when you have no idea what a HP driving school is all about, or whether it's something you would actually enjoy taking.
Well, GVC has a program just for you!
Taste of the Track is a low-pressure, low-risk, and low-cost introduction to the sport of high-performance driving, open to members of the BMW Car Club of America. Unlike a typical two-day HP driver’s school, it only takes up an afternoon of your time. You won't need to shell out for one or two nights in a hotel, a couple of days of meals out, or three or four tanks of fuel for your car. Because Taste of the Track is run on a Friday afternoon on the first day of a regular three-day weekend driving school, you will not only get to see a full-scale driving school in action, but also directly experience the thrill of driving with your own highly-trained instructor on one of the most famous race tracks in the world.
Taste of the Track begins with check-in and on-site tech inspection at 11:00 AM, followed by a meet-and-greet with your GVC instructor and driving school staff over complimentary lunch in the WGI Media Center. After lunch, you and your fellow "rookies" take a short guided tour of the track facilities and driving school paddock on the way to "ground school" in the Kendall Garage. First there’s a brief Driver’s Meeting (mandatory at all driving schools). Next, the group attends a classroom session specifically geared toward Taste of the Track first-timers to go over the basics of high-performance driving, as well as driving school safety regulations and procedures.
After "ground school" the fun really begins! You will hop into your instructor's car for a short ride-along on the track to familiarize you with the layout, and let you experience how a skilled, highly trained driver safely negotiates the Glen’s historic 3.4 mile-long road course at speed. Then, you come back to the paddock to switch into your car for a half hour session driving the track with your instructor coaching you from the passenger seat. You will learn about how to safely enter and exit the track, where and when to accelerate, brake, and turn according to the fundamental techniques of HP driving, all at a pace you are comfortable with. At the end of the session, the group reconvenes in the classroom for a debriefing session, where you can share experiences with your fellow drivers, instructors and staff.
Complimentary perks include:
- Event shirt
- Mechanical assistance should you need it, provided on-site by experienced mechanics of The Little Speed Shop
- Use of a loaner helmet (if you bring your own, it must be rated Snell 2010 or 2015, SA or M).
Schedule (times are approximate):
11:00 AM – Arrive at the track for check-in and on-site tech inspection (NOTE: On-site tech is simply a review of your pre-event tech inspection form to verify that it accurately reflects the condition of your vehicle; a complete pre-event tech inspection is required within the month prior to the event). Bring completed pre-event tech and med forms, and your helmet if you have one to check-in. If you plan to use one of our loaner helmets, you'll be provided with one at check-in.
12:00 PM – Meet-and-greet over lunch* with your instructors in the Media Center cafeteria.
*Note: Buffet lunch is included in the price for ToT participants. Guests may purchase lunch for $12 (cash at the door).
1:00 PM – Brief tour of the driving school paddock and Kendall Garage area. A good time to use the facilities!
1:15 PM – Driver’s Meeting: Track rules (passing zones, passing technique, point-byes), flags and their meaning, getting your car ready for the track (tire pressures, wheel bolt torque, etc.).
2:00 – Classroom session
2:45 – Comfort break and vehicle staging
3:00 – Familiarization laps with your instructor
3:15 - 3:45 – On-track driving session with you at the wheel, accompanied by your instructor
4:00 – Debrief with instructors and staff
Taste of the Track is open to licensed drivers over 18 years of age. Membership is NOT required for this event. Not a member? Sign up on the BMW CCA website: http://www.bmwcca.org
Makes a great gift!
Registration limited to 12 drivers! ToT is a very popular program, so don't delay, sign up today.
For more information about our driving school program, please use this link to the GVC website: GVC Driving Schools
Event requirements
You must be at least 18 years of age, and hold a valid drivers license.
Convertibles, SUV/SAV's, and trucks are not accepted at GVC Driving Schools. However, certain open-top vehicles with factory built-in roll-over protection (e.g., Lotus Elise, Ferrari Spyder, Porsche Targa) may be acceptable, but require pre-approval by GVC.
Shirts with sleeves (short or long), long pants, and closed shoes are required to drive on track. Natural fibers are preferred over synthetics for track attire.
Tech Inspection: All track vehicles must undergo a pre-event safety inspection within the month prior to the event. Please provide your mechanic with our complete Technical Inspection Form (link below). The form must be completed and signed by both the inspector and yourself, and should be submitted at event check-in. Free inspections are available as a courtesy to our participants on our special "tech night" (date TBA) at Eksten Autoworks (78 Bennington Drive, Rochester, NY; 585-621-8200). Inspections at Eksten's are also available at other times by appointment. A list of other shops in western and central NY offering inspections is provided on the tech form. Repairs necessary to pass inspection are at the owner's expense.
You must also complete and submit a confidential Medical Information form. The information you provide on this form is solely for use by emergency medical personnel. The form is either destroyed or returned to you at the end of the event, per your request. To avoid delays during check-in, we strongly suggest you complete the MI form beforehand.
IMPORTANT: GVC’s policy* for cars equipped with automated “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 concern 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 after a warning. When operational, these systems are widely considered to be incompatible with the traffic conditions typically encountered on a racetrack at HPDE events.
We have been assured by BMWNA that these systems can be completely shut off by the driver on all current BMW models. Therefore, BMW cars equipped with either or both these driver aids will be allowed on track ONLY if the systems are completely shut down by the owner/driver. If these shut-down procedures are followed to the letter, we have been assured that CAS-equipped BMWs will be safe and compatible with the HPDE track environment.
Vehicles from other manufacturers with similar systems must also be able to have those features disabled by the driver/owner to be allowed on track. Vehicles in which such systems are “hardwired” so that they cannot be manually turned off by the driver are not permitted to be used on track at our driving schools.
*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 its affiliated chapters.
Tech Inspection and Medical Information forms may be downloaded using these links:
GVC Medical Information Form 2018.pdf
Complete vehicle and driver requirements are detailed on the GVC website: http://www.gvc-bmwcca.org/DrivingSchool/EventRequirements.aspx
