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Introduction

Drive your car on America's most famous road courses!​

You have always wanted to know what “she could do”, but you know the streets and highways are not the place. NASA gives you and your car an easy, safe, and affordable way to get on the track! No speed limits, no pedestrians, but best of all-no tickets. The NASA HPDE provide you with a certified instructor to help guide you through the event, one on one, as you learn how to handle your car at the limit. You set your own goals and go as fast as you feel comfortable going.

Basically, all you need is a safe car and a helmet. The car does not have to be fancy or fast. Students bring everything from a Hyundai to a Ferrari. Read the requirements for the other miscellaneous items required.

Anyone who is a member of NASA may participate. Minimum age is 18 (16 with parental consent). Many different types of people enter our events. The number of women who are taking our courses has steadily increased and most are very eager to enhance their driving skills. A lot of husbands and wives also team up and use only one car which makes it a little bit more convenient. There are many teenagers and young adults who receive a school entry compliments of their parents who want to teach their kids to be safer drivers. Note- All passengers must be at least 18 years old. Please see section 4.6 of the Club Codes and Regulations.

Body damage to cars very rarely occurs, however you are encouraged to check with your insurance company regarding coverage. Most standard insurance policies exclude coverage on-track, including HPDE, time trial, autocross, and racing. Double check if they tell you it’s covered. Agents have been wrong before. Ask them for a list of “exclusions” in YOUR policy and consult an expert.

 With  HPDE  and Time Trial insurance  through Hagerty, you can keep your focus where it belongs – the drive. Let us protect your car with our affordable HPDE insurance program*, offering coverage for your vehicle while it’s on the track, unlike your standard insurance plan.       

What we protect: 

  • Your personal vehicle against damage while participating in an HPDE event 
  • Your car while on the track and in the paddock 
  • Physical damage to your vehicle incurred by you, one additional driver (if pre-approved), and your driving instructor. 
  • Note: Liability insurance coverage is not included. 

Get your Quote Now

* Track day policies underwritten by RLI. Hagerty determines final risk acceptance. Some coverage not available in all states. This is a general description of coverage. All coverage is subject to policy provisions, exclusions and endorsements. 

The student participants are separated according to their experience level into four basic groups: One, Two, Three, and Four. There are no speed limits in any of the groups, and the novice drivers are assigned instructors for safety reasons.
Group One (HPDE 1)
This is where you begin. This is one on one guidance from experienced instructors, as you learn to control your car and yourself. Your instructor will provide you with guidance as you learn to drive at the limit. You will address how to approach a turn, the fast way around it, what gear should you be in, how to brake, and how to exit. The session generally includes a lead-follow session. Passing is very limited in the Group 1 Sessions.
Group Two (HPDE 2)
Your instructor has determined you can drive on your own and with less supervision. You apply what you learned in the Group 1 sessions to get more practice. Group 2 is often mixed with Group 1 and is for those drivers that want some more Group 1 seat-time, but do not need an instructor.
Group Three (HPDE 3)
You have progressed to the world of high-performance driving. The passing rules in group 3 are not as strict. You must learn to share the track at high speeds with others.
Group Four (HPDE 4)
This is only for the more experienced drivers. No passing restrictions, except those of good judgment and rules of the road etiquette, apply. You and your peers are now experiencing the joys of doing it right in a relatively safe and controlled environment! You can now enjoy high performance driving at its finest.
  • Membership in NASA
  • Any car in safe operating condition (from Ferrari to Hyundai)
  • Mufflers. Different tracks have different sound policies
  • Roll bars in convertible autos
  • Seat belts in good working order
  • State driver’s license
  • A helmet
  • Knowledge of the Club Codes and Regulations
  • At least 18 years of age (16 w/parental consent)

HPDE Articles

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Learning the Line

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Roll Bar or Roll Cage?

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Getting Your Car Ready for HPDE

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Resources

HPDE Resources

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FAQ

Questions and Answers to Feed Your Curiosity

NASA’s High Performance Driving Event welcomes enthusiast drivers to learn the fine points of high performance driving on America’s greatest road courses in a safe and controlled manner.
NASA will assign an instructor to you when you participate in HPDE1. Now that the pandemic is largely behind us, the instructor can ride in the passenger seat in your car and help you every step of the way, teaching you the driving line, the essentials of braking, steering inputs, smoothness and identifying the four elements of every corner. If you’re uncomfortable with an instructor in your car, you can benefit from lead-follow sessions behind an instructor in his or her car.
NASA-certified instructors are included with your entry fee at no additional charge.
It’s a reinforcement for the instruction you get on track. After each session, you and the other drivers in your HPDE group meet in a classroom to re-emphasize the principles you are putting into practice on the track, and to give you new skills to work on in later sessions.
Crashes are extraordinarily rare in HPDE, and preventing new drivers from getting in over their heads is one of the priorities with which NASA instructors are tasked. Follow the advice and guidance of your instructor and you’ll do fine.
No, in fact it’s better to learn to drive in a low-horsepower car. We do suggest it be something sporty. Anything from a sports coupe to a sports sedan will work, and of course, hot hatches are good choices, too. Manual transmissions are preferrable, but automatics will do. Leave the trucks and SUVs at home. They’re just not as much fun.

Convertibles with proper rollover protection — whether it’s from the factory or aftermarket — are eligible to participate in HPDE. You can find a list of acceptable factory and aftermarket systems here.

Download the HPDE form from DriveNASA.com and check over the items noted on the list and bring it to HPDE Tech first thing in the morning of your first event. Unless they’ve been neglected or abused, most modern cars pass tech without much trouble.
You most certainly do. For HPDE, use a proper fitting helmet that meets Snell SA2015 (SA2015 or M2015) or newer (or equivalent) standards for cars or motorcycles.
When you have been cleared to move up to HPDE2 you can drive on your own, although we encourage you to seek instruction of some kind at every level of your driving “career.”
Four. HPDE1 and 2 typically run together on track at the same time. HPDE3 and HPDE4 often run together because lap times are faster and passing rules are more open.
If you advance to HPDE4 and you want to go further, you can apply for either a Time Trial license or take the CCR test and apply for your provisional racing license.
No. Racing requires a full complement of safety equipment for the car, such as roll cages, fire systems and racing harnesses. The driver also must wear safety gear such as fire-resistant suits, shoes, gloves and underwear.

Yes

Visit DriveNASA.com, sign up for a NASA membership, then register for an event in your area.

Special insurance is not required but certainly recommended. NASA recommends purchasing affordable HPDE and Time Trial insurance coverage through Hagerty for your vehicles during the event. 

Take advantage of Hagerty’s Track Day Insurance coverage so you can focus on what matters: the drive. 

What we protect: 

  • Your personal vehicle against damage while participating in an HPDE event 
  • Your car while on the track and in the paddock 
  • Physical damage to your vehicle incurred by you, one additional driver (if pre-approved), and your driving instructor. 
  • Note: Liability insurance coverage is not included. 

Get your Quote Now

News

Latest HPDE News Around The Country

  • NASA Great Lakes Breaks Records for Driver Advancement From HPDE1
    on June 21, 2022

    A record-breaking number of drivers graduated from HPDE1 to HPDE2 at the NASA Great Lakes April Mid-Ohio event. A total of nine drivers completed the […]

  • Now That’s a Hybrid!
    on February 15, 2022

    You never know what you’ll find lying around behind your workplace. If you’re NASA Great Lakes driver Claude Lawrence, and you work for Honda, […]

  • Smart and Safe HPDE Seatbelt Options
    on November 9, 2021

    For you folks who enjoy NASA HPDE events, you may have found yourself deep in a corner, flying through the apex and feeling the g’s working against […]

  • Bryan Azar
    on December 22, 2020

    When the pandemic forced nationwide stay-at-home orders in the spring, Bryan Azar found himself having to pivot professionally. The Austin, Texas, […]

  • Trail Braking
    on September 15, 2020

    The number one skill that our racecar coaches see across all levels of racing that separates the great drivers from the good drivers, and then the […]

Reviews

What HPDE Drivers Say

To start with, I never would have gone on track without the NASA Great Lakes HPDE program. The whole thought of being on track was too overwhelming with other cars flying by that were faster, and from the sidelines, it didn't look safe … at first. Then I learned about how the HPDE program worked, starting out at a slow, getting-the-groceries, pace with passing rules that make you comfortable, then ramping up to levels 2, 3 and 4 as you grow as a driver. There isn't a prescribed timeline for progression. Each group has its own set of safety rules to abide by based on skill level and the NASA team will ensure you're safe on a hot track. They teach you everything: flag stations, to thank your corner workers, how to check your car for track prep, seating position, car balance, driving techniques, what books to read to get faster and on and on. As you advance, you build a group of drivers you can trust on track and start to try new skills, like being side by side — never thought I'd do that! Then you get a track family out of the whole deal, too! A beer in the paddock after a hot day on the track is the perfect ending to a Saturday. Then you get to drive again on Sunday with your new friends!
Leslie Heinzen
Leslie HeinzenNASA Great Lakes
What did I learn? First, I can do this and love it! I put my toe in the water with Hyperdrive in 2019. That weekend, an HPDE1 student didn’t show up, so I was able to transition into HPDE1 for the rest of weekend and I was hooked. I also learned how much more my car could handle as is from the factory — 2010 Mustang GT. The experienced Mustang instructors and racers welcomed me as part of the tribe during Saturday night’s dinner sponsored by one of the spec groups. What surprised me most? Driving is rhythm. It’s situational awareness. It’s trusting the other students to work so well together. That all leads to smooth driving, not jamming gears and melting tires. And the instructors are focused on you, not focused on showing you how much they know. What is most important for prospective HPDE drivers to know? You need to do this before going into TT, racing, and even TREC. You won’t know what a car can do nor what to expect from other drivers. Autocross and aggressive street driving isn’t the same thing, and to get the most out of track and a car, you need a coach. I’ve been driving on the streets for 38 years and there’s too much programmed street driving to set aside on my own and be effective on the track. I always watch and anticipate other drivers on the street now. I can anticipate where they’re going to make a mistake and mishandle their car. On the track, driving is therapy. I’m at ease with other drivers who are in the same rhythm who are trusting each other, watching out for each other, and getting the most they can out of the car. Even when the full HPDE3 and 4 classes are on track together with 30 to 40 people driving everything from 911 GT3s to Miatas — we had a Beetle in our group this past weekend — we're out there together, getting better and having fun!
Doug Cornelius
Doug CorneliusNASA Great Lakes
I’ve been going with NASA since September 2018, and I’ve learned more than I thought I would through the HPDE program. It has been an experience like no other these past few years, and I look forward to moving up through HPDE to become an instructor. I would like to provide the same safety and knowledge as they have done for me. If you want to become a safer and better driver, I would suggest NASA’s HPDE program!
Kaitlyn Chavis
Kaitlyn ChavisNASA Southeast
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