Learn to Stay Alive While Racing with HPDE

There's a burst of excitement and a celebration of freedom that comes when a sixteen year old gets their driver's license. Never exceeding the speed limit is on the list of reminders that parents issue when their new driver borrows the car keys, along with always using their turn signal, paying close attention to traffic and keeping a safe distance from other cars. They, of course promise complete vigilance, religious self control and the life of their first born child to get those keys and head out for the night, and parents know that they are likely going to make a few mistakes along the way. One of the reasons they extend that trust anyway is the fact that every one of those teenagers had driver's education--required classes and both a written and a practical exam--to get their license in the first place. Most of the time, drivers follow the rules they learned in the Performance Driving School.

For those who want to be race car drivers, none of those rules apply. They pay attention to traffic, but for entirely different reasons and in entirely different ways. Rather than keeping a safe distance from the cars around them, they use a skill called "drafting" to reduce their wind resistance by deliberately tailgating the person in front of them. Switching lanes without signaling is dangerous on the road but good strategy while racing. "Speeding"--a ticket-worthy offense in traffic--is the entire goal of racing. In short, everything anyone ever told you about safe driving no longer applies.

If an icy patch on the road created a slippery part of a down-hill slope, most drivers would panic. Race car drivers have to deal with that level of intensity for four hours at a time. The straight part of the track is the perfect time to draft and pick up speed. Coming out of the curve, drivers pull ahead and cut around each other to gain the advantage. With so many cars traveling at high speeds very close together, one wrong move results in a devastating pile-up that can be fatal.

The shiny new license in a sixteen year old driver's hand may qualify them for a trip to the drive-in but it would never prepare them for racing. High-performance HPDE schools exist solely to help drivers learn to navigate--and survive--the challenges associated with high speed driving. High Performance Driver's Education (HPDE) works exclusively with safe and effective techniques for high speeds. Getting behind the wheel of a race car and just "flooring it" is never a good idea and anyone interested should visit or even take a class before trying it personally.

The adrenaline rush of winning is something many people enjoy but not everyone is built for racing. Super-human reflexes and the ability to remain calm under pressure are life-and-death requirements, not just positive traits. While new drivers can learn the trade and experienced drivers can improve their skills at Racecar School, the classes are about saving lives. Everyone is safer if that fifteen car pile up never happens in the first place.