Matt Ammon Memorial Driving School & Teen Clinic

Please read the 2021 MAMDS HPDE Driver Handout and/or the 2021 MAMDS DS Driver Handout, and ACNW HPDE Event Information for Drivers documents posted on ACNW's Driving School Materials page.

All participants must follow the Ridge Motorsport Guidelines regarding COVID-19.

In addition:

• DO NOT come if you are sick or in a high-risk group.
• Bring a cloth mask and wear it unless you are in your car / hauler / RV.
• No groups of people eating together (even with 6’ distancing) will be permitted, unless all are members of your household.
• You are permitted to bring a guest.
• There will be a mandatory drivers’ meeting on Wednesday, May 12, at 7:00PM via Zoom.  Zoom meeting details will be send to participants at least a week prior to the meeting. Attendance will be taken at the end of the meeting. 
• No congregating in the paddock.  You are to be in or around your car or driving. 

By registering for this event, you are accepting compliance with the guidelines provided by the Ridge and by ACNW.  Anyone operating outside of those guidelines will be asked to leave.  NO REFUND will be issued if you are asked to leave.

Instructors and Technicians:

We will need approximately 15 instructors and Technicians to staff Driver Skills on Saturday, and approximately 35 instructors to staff HPDE both days.  Instructors, please indicate your preference for staffing DS or HPDE on your registration form.  Technicians, you will have an option to sign up for DS staff plus Sunday lapping on your registration form.

Drivers participating in Driver Skills and Autocross only (no HPDE):

• You do NOT need to be a member of Audi Club North America to participate.
• You MUST be at least 16 years of age (or 15 with learner permit) to participate.
• You do NOT need a helmet to participate in the Saturday DS and autocross.
• Convertible cars and select High Center of Gravity Vehicles (see description below) ARE allowed.
• You DO need a completed and signed safety inspection form, but the “inspected by” signature is not required.
• You may skip the next section and jump to the Release and Waiver of Liability section below.

Drivers participating in HPDE/lapping:

You need to be a member of Audi Club North America to drive on track at this event*. If you’ve not yet joined the club, you can get in the club by clicking here.

All participants and guests must be at least 16 years of age. To qualify for lapping, drivers must have previously attended a Driver Skills (DS) clinic with the Audi Club or other equivalent club/group (please check with the registrar with any questions).

If you are bringing a convertible car or cross-over, please read the Convertibles or High Center of Gravity Vehicles section below.

*Reciprocal instructors from BMWCCA Puget Sound Chapter and PCA Pacific Northwest Region may instruct and drive without an ACNA membership.

Convertibles (HPDE participants only):

Convertibles lacking rollover protection are not permitted in ACNA High Performance Driving Schools (HPDE, lapping, or any events held “at speed”). Vehicles with removable hardtops or retractable hardtops lacking a rollover protection system are also not permitted at high-speed events. Convertibles with factory-installed rollover protection (either fixed or deployable) meet the ACNA minimum requirement for high-speed events and are acceptable, subject to approval by chapter leadership and event staff. We strongly recommend driving with the soft-top up or the hard top installed; otherwise, SFI and/or FIA approved arm restraint system(s) must be used.

High Center of Gravity Vehicles (HPDE participants only):

High center of gravity vehicles (truck, van, SUV-Sport Utility Vehicle, CUV-Crossover Utility Vehicle, SAV-Sport Activity Vehicle) are not permitted in Audi Club Driving School events held “at speed” (DE-Driver Education, HPDE, instructed or non-instructed lapping, track days), except those models included in the ACNA Vehicle Participation Exception List found in the "ACNA 2019 Driving School & Event Guidelines" document. These exceptions include Audi Q3/Q5, BMW X1/X3/X5, Porsche Macan, Cayenne, for example.

Audi Club North America policies for convertibles and high center of gravity vehicles are posted on the ACNW's Driving School Materials page under ACNA Driving School and Event Guidelines for your review.

Helmets (HPDE participants only):

Approved helmets are required to be worn when on the racetrack at this event. Approved helmets include only Snell SA2010, M2010, SA2015, EA2016 or later.  Except for Snell M2010, the M (Motorcycle) and K (Karting) designators have lapsed. We have 28 Snell SA club helmets in various sizes available for rent ($25) on a first come, first serve basis.  Please request a rental helmet, if needed, on your registration form.

Release and Waiver of Liability:

Everyone must sign the Release and Waiver of Liability and Communicable Disease Spectator and Participant Release forms online for Audi Club Northwest’s insurance coverage prior to coming to the facility.  You can initiate the process here, for both yourself and as the legal guardian of a minor. You may also initiate the process using the SpeedWaiver invite on the registration form. The full text of this Release and Waiver of Liability is on the last page of the registration form, and can also be found on the ACNW's Driving School Materials page.

In addition, you will need to sign an online waiver from the Ridge prior to attending the event.  We will provide that information to you when we get it.

Safety Inspection Policy:

For every HPDE event, ACNW requires two (2) signatures on your Vehicle Safety Inspection Checklist form. View this form here.  Only your signature is required if you are participating in DS only.

• The signature at the bottom is yours. It is your car, and we need you to take responsibility for its safe condition and operation.
• It is ACNW’s expectation that your car will be inspected per the areas of emphasis on the Vehicle Safety Inspection Checklist form, by someone in addition to you. This should be a dealer, a local automotive shop, or any other person you believe has the technical knowledge and experience to thoroughly inspect your car for safety. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to confirm that your car is safe to operate at the event, and ACNW strongly encourages you to be honest about your own mechanical abilities/knowledge. Should you feel capable and confident in inspecting your own vehicle, it is permissible for the second “Inspected by” signature to be your own.
• View the entire Safety Inspection Policy and Procedure here.

Completion of the Vehicle Safety Inspection Checklist form, including the second signature, should be completed PRIOR to the event.  You will need to scan or photograph your completed form and email a copy to the Registration Team prior a week prior to the event. There will be no forms supplied at the facility. 

Morning of Event:

• After showing your Ridge Motorsports Park Waiver (details to be provided closer to the event) QR code (either printed or on your phone) at the entry gate/guardhouse, you will proceed to the registration table to check in and get your event packet.
• If you are participating in HPDE/lapping, please proceed to paddock A as outlined in the drivers’ handout.  If you are participating in DS/autocross, please proceed to paddock B as outlined in the drivers’ handout.
• Find a place to park in the paddock that is at least 10 feet away from your neighbors.
• Ensure your vehicle meets all areas of the Vehicle Safety Inspection Checklist form, particularly removal of all lose items from the cabin and trunk.
• HPDE: Apply the two car numbers found in your packet to car exterior on both sides; rear windows are recommended, if possible.  DS: Apply the sticker with the letter “A” or “B” to the top center of your windshield.
• Make sure that you put on the wristband that you received at the Ridge’s guardhouse and the wristband you received in your packet.
• We will no longer have a tech inspection line; instead, a brief inspection will happen while in pre-grid prior to your first session on track.

HPDE: Pre-grid, prior to first session on track:

• Drive your car to pre-grid, with car empty of loose items, helmet on, restraints fastened securely. Please arrive at the pre-grid 10 minutes prior to the start of your first on-track session.
• A volunteer will inspect you and your car to make sure that:
  • Your car's tow hook(s) are installed (if available)
  • You have equal restraints installed (i.e. both driver and passenger, if there is one, have the same type of harnesses or OEM 3-point seat belts), and that 4-point harnesses are of the anti-submarine (ASM) style.
  • You have a helmet on and buckled securely.
  • If you have a forward head and neck restraint (e.g. HANS, Simpson Hybrid, etc.), that it is positioned properly under the shoulder harnesses and connected to your helmet
  • Your car is empty of loose items.
  • If you are driving a convertible, that it passes the broomstick rule for driver and passenger, and if you are running with the top down that you have approved arm restraints.
• If everything checks out, you will receive an additional inspection sticker on your vehicle windshield; otherwise, you will be required to leave the pre-grid area to fix the safety concern.

Questions?  Please reach out to the registrar or the event master Adrian Power.