About this event
Porsche Club of America Diablo Region Track Day at Thunderhill Raceway
3-Mile Circuit
Sponsored by Porsche Walnut Creek
Friday, September 23, 2022
Limited size run groups, lots of track space, tons of track time
"Have Fun, Be Safe, Drive Fast"
THIS EVENT IS FOR PORSCHE CARS ONLY - Event details can be found at www.diablo-de.org
Updates:
Registration opens on Friday, July 22, 2022 at noon.
8/7/2022 - Please check the Attendee List for your status and run group.
- Confirmed - Your credit card has been charged and you are conformed for the indicated run group.
- New - Your registration is pending and your credit card has not been charged yet.
- Waitlist New - You are waitlisted for the Beginner run group pending registration of Sponsored drivers and Instructors.
- On Hold - Please contact the DE Registrar (1bluemacan@gmail.com) regarding your registraton
Update - 8/29/2022: Registration for non-sponsored Beginners requiring instruction is no longer available. The waitlist for this class is full. If you are on the waitlist confirmation is dependent on the number of instructors registered. Your registration will be confirmed, in the order of registration, if an instructor is available for you.
Update - 9/6/2022: Early registration ends on 9/13/2022. Beginning on 9/14/2022 a procrastination fee will added to the registration fee (excluding instructors).
General Event Information:
This event is open to all Porsche drivers. Only Porsche cars are allowed at this event.
We are a Porsche club, not a driving school or a driving business. We run several safe, fun, and friendly track events each year. We do not race, time trial, or time laps. We aim to limit the number of cars per run group so that we can offer plenty of room on track and lots of track time. The DE team will review all registered drivers and will confirm the run group classification for each driver based on overall track experience. During the event, the DE team will work to accommodate drivers wishing to change run groups, subject to approval by our Chief Driving Instructor (CDI).
We expect to run four run groups: Beginner w/Instruction/Beginner-Solo, Intermediate, Advanced/Instructor and Track Performance. The Beginner group is expected to fill up quickly.
We expect all run groups to fill up fast. Until we have confirmed all Sponsored Drivers, we will place any participants for a run group on a wait-list when the run group is nearly full. The wait-list will be cleared on a first registered/first accepted basis, by Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
Drivers Who Require Instruction:
If you have not been approved to drive solo on the track you will need to register as Beginner w/Instruction where we will provide an instructor for you. We are planning to offer in-car instruction for consenting vaccinated individuals (student and driver). Reservations for drivers who need instruction are on a first-come, first-served basis.
All participants registering as Beginner w/Instruction will be placed on a waitlist until we confirm the total number of Instructors for this event. The waitlist will be cleared on a first-registered/first-cleared basis.
We expect to finalize the Beginner Instruction participation list by September 13, 2022.
IMPORTANT: Helmet Rating Requirements:
Helmets are required at this event. Helmets must meet Snell SA 2015 or newer standards. Motorcycle helmets are not allowed. You may bring an approved helmet to this DE event, or you can rent one on the day of the event from Thunderhill Raceway.
COVID-19 Related Changes:
Participants and guests must adhere to local and event location COVID-19 requirements (i.e., social distancing and mask-wearing requirements). Participants and guests must provide their own face masks if required by the event location.
Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, has exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms, or has had close personal contact with anyone else who is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms within two weeks of the event is not allowed to attend the event. The symptoms of COVID-19 may include, without limitation, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell. Anyone who is not feeling well, or experiencing a cough or fever, is requested to stay home.
Beginners w/Instruction must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
Passing will be with mandatory point-by in all groups:
We take safety very seriously, and will “black flag” any participant who disregards passing protocols or consistently fails to give point-bys, including denying access to the track with no refund of registration fees if deemed necessary by the Safety Officer.
Safety Inspection Information:
Per PCA guidelines, all drivers must certify that their car passed a safety inspection by an authorized person within 30 days of this event. The safety inspection form can be downloaded from our DE website (http://www.diablo-de.org/home.html). All drivers must complete this safety inspection form to verify that the condition of their car is ready for the track. Well-maintained Porsches should have no problem passing tech inspection if they have good brakes, tires, no oil leaks, and no defects. If in doubt, have the experts look at your car.
The following sponsor is offering free tech inspections:
- Porsche Walnut Creek
- Kahler's in Dublin – by appointment. only
- Contact them at service@kahlers.com or by phone at 925-829-2050
Pre-Event Meeting
Drivers are invited (strongly recommended) to attend our DE Introduction briefing called DE 101/201 is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6, 2022 (location TBD). Check back here for the time and location of the DE101/201. There will be a discussion on driving Thunderhill Raceway and an opportunity for drivers of any level to share their experiences, ask questions, etc.
Instructors
All instructors will need to drive their car on the track and must have been certified by a PCA Region to provide instruction. The Diablo Region DE team will review all Instructor sign-ups.
We are also allowing non-driving instructors to register for this event.
Private Instructors/Coaches:
Private instructors/coaches are welcome to attend our events once approved by our Chief Driving Instructor (CDI). If you are bringing a coach to provide you instruction, please be aware that your instructor will need to:
- Contact our CDI to discuss their participation and obtain approval.
- Need to register on MSR as an ‘Instructing Only’ instructor, and also list your name in the ‘Are You Sharing a Car’ section of their registration form.
- Will not drive their own cars on the track (unless they have registered as a Participant and paid the Participant fee).
- Adhere to all Diablo PCA and track operator requirements.
Private instructors/coaches who show up on the day of the event without following the pre-registration requirements are not guaranteed to participate in this event. Please contact the CDI if you have any questions.
Two Drivers Sharing One Car:
If two different drivers are planning to drive the same vehicle, BOTH drivers must reside in the same household, per COVID-19 requirements, AND must be qualified to drive in different run groups (i.e., one driver must have enough DE experience to run in a higher run group than the other driver). Both drivers will not be allowed to drive in the same run group.
No passengers or guests are allowed in cars during hot lap sessions.
Run Group Selection (Run group classifications may change depending on the number of cars registered for the event):
- Beginner - Drivers with 5 or fewer track days, or who have not been cleared to drive solo, must register as Beginner w/Instruction. Drivers that have been cleared to drive solo may register as Beginner-Solo.
- Intermediate - Drivers with 19 or fewer track days who have been cleared to drive solo may register as Intermediate.
- Advanced - Drivers with 20 or more track days or Instructor experience may register as Advanced.
- Track Performance - Drivers participating in the Club Race on September 24-25, 2002 must register as Track Performance.
- Instructor - Drivers with Instructor experience may register as Instructors.
Registration Fee: $475 for Beginners Requiring Instruction, $425 for Beginners driving Solo, $400 for Intermediate and Advanced Drivers and $450 for the Track Performance Group.
- Early registration will close when at midnight on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
- Beginning on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 a procrastination fee of $100 will be charged (excluding instructors).
- All registrations are considered preliminary until confirmed by the DE Committee. You will be notified once your registration is confirmed, if you are waitlisted, or if we were not able to accommodate your registration for this event.
- All Beginners including Beginners w/Instruction, Beginner - Solo, Sponsored Beginners w/Instruction, Sponsored Beginner - Solo will be waitlisted pending registration of Sponsored drivers and Instructors.
- All refunds are subject to a $75 cancelation fee. Sorry, no refunds after Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
- Instructors who will also drive their car are $175, Instructors not driving are free.
Event requirements
IMPORTANT STUFF
1. Registration is Critical – Priority for acceptance into this limited Event is decided by the date of registration. In the unfortunate event that you register and we do not have a place available for you, you will not be charged a registration or cancelation fee. Your credit card is not charged at the time of registration. It will be charged on a space-available basis as we confirm you into the Event and prior to the event taking place.
2. Final Event details, schedules, and instructions will be emailed to you about 1 week before the event.
3. Drivers are invited (strongly recommended) to attend our DE Introduction briefing called DE 101/201, which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6, 2022 (location TBD). Check back here for the time and location of the DE101/201. There will be a discussion on driving Thunderhill Raceway and an opportunity for drivers of any level to share their experiences, ask questions, etc.
4. A vehicle may only be shared if both drivers reside in the same household (per COVID-19 requirements). If you are sharing a car with someone with whom you reside, you both need to register separately and in different run groups. The registration form has a section where you can provide your car-sharing details.
5. Participants and guests must adhere to local and event location COVID-19 requirements (i.e., social distancing and mask-wearing requirements). Participants and guests must provide their own face masks if required by the event location.
6. Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, has exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms, or has had close personal contact with anyone else who is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms within two weeks of the event is not allowed to attend the event. The symptoms of COVID-19 may include, without limitation, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell. Anyone who is not feeling well, or experiencing a cough or fever, is requested to stay home.
7. Helmets are required and must meet Snell SA 2015 or newer standards. Motorcycle helmets are not allowed. Helmets can be rented at the track (Thunderhill only).
8. On the morning of the event, you must present the Registrar with a completed safety inspection form (the driver certifies that their car has undergone a safety inspection by an authorized person within 30 days of the event). Please find our Tech Inspection form here http://www.diablo-de.org/home.html. You may be asked to show your valid Driver's License at registration or during the Tech Inspection on the day of the event.
9. We will supply disposable vinyl numbers for your car, which you can place on the glass of your windshield and rear window. For those of you with windshield film on the outside of your window, place your numbers on your hood (removal of the stickers may leave a mark on your windshield film).
10. All drivers must attend the mandatory driver’s meeting which takes place before the track is opened. We will review important information, such as passing and safety rules, the flags used by corner workers, the condition of the track, etc. You will receive your run group wristband at the end of the morning meeting. No one will be allowed onto the track without a wristband.
11. If you arrive at the track after the morning meeting, you must meet with a Diablo DE team member to complete the registration process, turn in your completed Tech Inspection Form, review the items discussed during the morning meeting, and receive your wristband. You will not be allowed to go on the track until you have done this.
12. High-speed driving is inherently dangerous and all drivers and other participants in a PCA Diablo Region DE Event must accept and assume the risks associated with this sport. All participants must sign the PCA Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement. Before the event, members of the DE team will drive around the track to look for any unusual conditions on or around the track, such as mud, water or other debris, sandbags or other objects, uneven surfaces, etc., and we will discuss any such unusual conditions during the morning driver’s meeting. However, the PCA Diablo Region and our DE team members are not experts about track conditions and safety or about conducting track inspections, and you should not rely on us to spot or notify you about every potential hazard you might encounter during this Event. You are ultimately responsible for driving safely, which includes being aware of the track conditions. We encourage you to conduct your own inspection of the track and its environs in order to spot and avoid potential hazards on or around the track, such as walls, tire barriers, mud, water or other debris, sandbags, or other objects, uneven surfaces, etc.
Questions? Ask the DE Committee chair, Adam Cipriano (DiabloPCA.DEChair@gmail.com)
