Safety Issues

Safety Issues - Getting your car ready for High Performance Driving Educations

Now that you have signed up for the HPDE, you need to get your car ready. The first thing you should do is read the School Technical Inspection Information. While on line, you should also get a copy of the School Technical Inspection Form.

The information page will tell you where & how to get your car inspected. The inspection form will tell you the minimum number of things you need to check before getting your car inspected at one of the approved tech locations.

Preparing Your Car for the InspectionThe technical requirements for the HPDE are just common sense checks to make sure your vehicle is in good, safe working order. It is important for you to check out your car before trying to get it inspected. You and the shop only want to do it once per event. Here I will go over the different categories of the technical form with some short explanations. Tires & Wheels- all Beginner (Green) and Novice (Yellow) students will be REQUIRED to use street tires. DOT R or racing slick compounds are great tires however, novice students will learn more about their cars dynamics on street tires. The wheels should be round without any dents or damage to the mounting surface. The tires should be in good condition. The tread should be above the wear bars. No cords or belts should show. Flat tires repaired with plugs should not be used as these could fail under the high stress of track conditions. Hubcaps or beauty rings should be removed. They can come off causing a dangerous situation for you & other students. Students are highly encouraged to use street tires and not R compounds or even DOT R compound tires. The student will learn much more about their car on normal street tires.

Remove locking wheel lug bolts and replace with standard lug bolt. Wheel lug bolts must be torque to 100 ft-lbs (or manufactures specs) the morning of each day and re-torqued before afternoon sessions begin.

Helmets All students & instructors will be required to wear a helmet. There are several safety helmet designations from the SNELL Institute; SA Special application, which has a Nomex liner and M which is the Motorcycle designation. Helmet ratings are updated every 5 years on the decade and half decade schedule so you will see designations such as M2000 or SA2005. The ratings are good for a 10 year period and then expire. See your Event Information package to determine the current acceptable ratings. Note that more and more HPDE groups are requiring SA only so consider that when you are purchasing a helmet. Helmets without a Snell rating shown or those with a DOT rating are not acceptable regardless of age. Rental helmets are not available at NCM schools.Seat Belts or harness systems. Seatbelts must be in good condition. Factory seatbelts are recommended if this is your first several HPDE. If you have a harness system in your car it must pass technical inspection and must be identical for the student and instructor. Harness systems other than the stock 3-point belts must pass through the seat; harnesses that go around, even with a chest strap, are not acceptable.Convertibles & Targa Convertibles MUST have roll-over protection that is acceptable to a minimum of the SCCA Solo I standards. In addition we will use the broom stick rule or minimum of a 2 inch clearance between the top of the helmet and the broom stick that is laying between the roll bar and the top of your windshield. All roll bars must have appropriate roll bar padding within 6inches of the driver and instructors helmets. Aftermarket tops for convertibles must be securely attached AND in conjunction with approved roll bars as above.

If there are questions contact the Event Master. Targa tops may NOT be removed and must be secured.

Clothing All drives must ware natural fiber long sleeve shirts and pants. Driving suits are acceptable but not required. Bring extra long sleeve shirts as you may wish to change several times during each day. Students wearing short pants or short sleeve shirts will not be allowed on the track.

Shoes should have thin soles and be tied up tight. Driving shoes are not required but acceptable.

Gloves: Many people choose to wear driving gloves for better grip. Thin mechanics gloves with leather palms works very well. If you are not use to using driving gloves it is best not to start at this school.

Eye protection is highly recommended (face shield, goggles, safety glasses. safety sun glasses). The more and better the safety equipment you have & use, the safer you will be.

Passengers - Will not be allowed. Only instructors may carry registered students as passengers.

Car Preparations for the Inspection - The technical requirements for the HPDE are just common sense checks to make sure your vehicle is in good, safe working order. It is important for you to check out your car before trying to get it inspected. You and the shop only want to do it once per event.

Steering & Suspension Check the wheel bearings by grabbing the tire & trying to move the wheel from side to side. There should not be any play or clunking sounds. The front wheels should move when you turn the steering wheel. There should not be any excess play.

Engine The engine should not have any leaks that will allow liquids to fall onto the track. These fluids will cause slippery conditions on the track. This includes radiator fluid (antifreeze), which is very slippery. The battery should be secured with two (2) bolts.

Brakes The brake system should be in good working order with no leaks in the system. The brake lines should not have any cracks. The brake fluid should be clear & at the maximum level and have the brake system completely flushed with new brake fluid within the past 60 days. Good DOT 4 brake fluid, Motul, ATE Super Blue / Gold, Ford HD, Wilwood brake fluids, Castrol SRF or any brake fluid with a Wet ( not dry ) boiling point around or above 400 degrees. DOT 5 silicon bake fluids must NOT be used in cars with ABS systems.

We recommend that your cars brake pads be a minimum of 60% or the original thickness [NOT of ceramic composition] used in normal street braking applications. The brake pads should have plenty of life left in them, as the high speeds on the track will wear them out faster than the street. The brake lights should function properly.

Misc. Remove all unsecured items from your car, storage compartments and floor mats. Lock the glove box.

Please down load the Technical Inspection form.