
How to Prepare for Your First HPDE
A two-week checklist that turns a stressful first event into a great one.
Two weeks out
- ◆Register and read the event's tech sheet twice
- ◆Check brake pad thickness and flush the fluid
- ◆Confirm your helmet's Snell rating is accepted
- ◆Watch onboard laps of the track — but only for corner sequence, not references
The night before
Pack the car, empty everything loose out of the interior, and go to bed early. Being tired at a track day is worse than being slow.
At the event
Get to registration early. Go to the driver's meeting. Ask your instructor questions before session one, not after. And drive session one slowly on purpose — the whole day gets better if you spend the first twenty minutes learning where the track goes.