About this event
Come out and join us for an educational day of fun driving on Summit Point's NEWLY EXPANDED Jefferson Circuit - The Jefferson Circuit is a nine-turn, 1.7-mile (2.7 km) road course that was designed as a dedicated course for high-performance, accident avoidance and emergency operation driver training. The Jefferson Circuit is a course that demands constant attentiveness and smooth inputs from drivers.
For those of you who have not attended an MBCA | GWS track day before, we run our events with an emphasis on three key concepts: fun, learning, and safety. This is not a competition, and no one will ever ask, encourage, or pressure you to drive any faster than you feel comfortable driving. Leave your data-loggers at home, this is not the time to try and set a new track record. You can record your exploits on a camera if you'd like, and check your lap times after the event is over.
You do not have to be a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America to participate in this event, and you can drive any car as long as it can pass the required pre-event technical inspection (independent shop or dealer).
Open top vehicle rules vary from track to track. In the past, the rules for the Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point have been more lenient than some, due to the lower potential maximum speeds. This could very well change as Summit Point makes changes to the circuit configuration. Please email the event coordinator (me) if you plan to bring an open-top vehicle. And regardless of the "official" answer, seriously consider putting a proper roll-bar/cage in your convertible if you want to track it. You (and your instructor) will feel much more comfortable when they know they are properly protected in the rare event of an accident.
Group Definitions:
Green-Novices:
You've never done this before, or maybe you only have a few track days under your belt? Sign up for the novice group. You'll have an instructor for every session, learn a lot, and have a ton of fun. We always have a great crew of highly experienced instructors for our events, and most of them have very good personal hygiene habits. If you are not sure if you're a novice or intermediate driver, sign up here. We're obviously all a little competitive if we're doing this in the first place, but I guarantee you'll have more fun and learn more if you don't push it and sign up in the group where you're more comfortable. And, if you're driving really well and clearly belong in a more advanced group, your instructor can quickly move you.
White-Intermediate:
You've done a few track days, (or maybe many, on other tracks, but you've never driven this one). We'll set you up with an instructor, introduce you to the track, evaluate your skills and experience, and sign you off to go out by yourself IF we feel comfortable with the way you're driving. Remember the three keys mentioned earlier. We want you to have fun, learn a lot, and first and foremost, BE SAFE.
Blue-Advanced:
Advanced, highly experienced drivers with a documented history with our club or another national group that we can easily verify. 25-30 track days is the ball-park minimum for the Advanced group. This run group has much more liberal passing rules, and starts the first session of the day without an instructor (although one can be provided upon request, if available). You should not sign up for the advanced group if you are not 100% certain you really should be there. If in doubt, sign up for White group and your instructor will move you if he feels it is appropriate.
Red-Instructors:
We are always happy to welcome qualified instructors to work with us, and there is no charge or deposit required. If you have instructed with GWS-MBCA in the past, or are currently an approved instructor with FATT, TrackDaze, NASA, SCCA, etc., we would welcome you to join our event. If you haven't worked with us before, please contact the registrar with a a quick two-sentence resume before you register, and we'll take it from there.
The regular cost for this event for students is $165, but the first 20 people to sign up can take advantage of the early-bird special rate of $135. If you don't see the early bird option when you register, you have procrastinated too long and the first 20 spots have already been taken. Either way, this is about as cheap as track events get, so what are you waiting for?
Be sure to check the event web site at http://www.gws-mbca.org for the student package, pre-event Technical Inspection Forms and other information.
MBCA Offical Tech Form if not available elsewhere: http://www.mbca.org/sites/default/files/reference/Pre-Event%20Tech%20Inspection%20Sheet.pdf
Please note: it is very unlikely that your standard automobile insurance policy will cover damage to your vehicle while you are participating in ANY event on a racetrack (even if it will likely make you a better driver and a lower insurance risk in the long run). You can get a policy to specifically cover you for this event from http://hpdeins.locktonaffinity.com/Default.aspx.
Event requirements
You must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid drivers license.
Your car must carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance. Your car must also pass a pre-event technical inspection by a dealer or independent auto service shop. A sample form is available from http://www.gws.mbca.org/. The pre-event inspection should be done no more than 30 days prior to the event.
Helmets are required, and must have a Snell M or SA 2005 (or later) cerfification. If you do not own an acceptable helmet, you could buy one from OG Racing in Sterling, Virginia. We have limited loaner helmets available at this event.
