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 preferable, 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.

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For a list of available options, please visit VIR's Fuel Information Page for current information on fuel grades offered.

Basically, all you need is a safe car. The car does not have to be fancy or fast. Our most common vehicle is your everyday run-of-the-mill daily driver on regular street tires. Previous participants have brought everything from Hyundais to Ferraris.

Participants must be at least 18 years old (16 with parent on site and waiver signed) and possess a valid driver's license.

Dress for this activity is a sleeved shirt (short sleeves are ok, just no tank tops), long pants, and closed toed shoes (no Crocs or slip-ons). Because this event takes place in May, we understand it may be warm during the day at the event. You are welcome to bring a change of clothes and change before and after your session if you prefer.

Yes, you must have a SNELL SA2010 or newer helmet to participate in HyperDRIVEs. If you do not have a helmet, loaner helmets will be available for you to use.

The technical inspection goes over various aspects of the vehicle to ensure it will be safe for you and everyone else on the track. As a general rule, an "unmodified" factory vehicle will pass tech without any problems, but cars that have been modified (seats, roll bars, belts, etc...) must conform to the preparation rules. Your vehicle must also be free from loose items; such as floor mats, beverage bottles, loose change, etc... If you'd like to inspect your own car ahead of time to ensure you won't have any issues at the track, you may use this checklist as a preliminary guide.

Each HyperDRIVE session consists of one (1) classroom session and one (1) on-track session. The classroom session is approximately 20-minutes and the on-track session is approximately 30-minutes.

Yes, many participants sign up for multiple sessions throughout the course of the event. If you end up signing up for more than one session, let the instructor know at your first classroom session. If you do well in your first session, you may be able to skip your other classroom sessions.

Yes, there will be approximately 15-20 cars on track at the same time spaced out accordingly, but HyperDRIVE is not a race. Please note, passing is allowed in HyperDRIVE and only when approved by the instructors.