I have always been keen on starting this using my own car (’12 128i) and finally this year have signed up for a weekend of HPDE1 (novice level) to get a sense of how to drive my car in a safe, controlled manner with guidance from advanced drivers.
My background: no experience whatsoever except for a single autocross event I attended. That was when I realized, I am “too safe” of a driver! Sure, I might enter a highway exit at twice the listed speed at times, just to test out the car’s capabilities (no other car around obviously) and feel good about it, but man, the autocross event taught me that I can “push it” safely and not lose control and even get more performance from the car. This is of course with the knowledge of basics such as relationships such as traction and weight transfer, following the “race” line and such. It opened my eyes to the fundamentals, though I admit I still have a lot to learn. I have been sleeping all these years I guess.
I wanted to make a little guide if you will, of good information about where to look for track driving/HPDE information for those like me who want to dabble with this. After all, track driving is NOT all about what mods you have or how much HP your particular car has. It’s all about the driver: his confidence in himself and his machine.
A good source that I have used is the NASA (Nat’l Auto Sport Assoc.). Their FAQ thread is awesome and has literally everything one has to know before (or after) signing up for their first track day.
http://nasane.com/faq/
SCCA is also a good place to start who, like NASA, organizes these events for novices and advanced drivers alike.
https://www.scca.com/pages/scca-track-events
SCDA is another. Same general information here, but again, they all organize their own events catering to all driver levels.
https://scda1.com/faq/
Ofcourse, let’s not forget about local BMWCCA clubs/chapters all over the country (world?) that’s a great resource for all things driver-related. Not only do they offer a platform for enthusiasts to get together, they’re a one-stop shop for anything BMW related. At least in terms of enthusiasts.
https://www.bmwcca.org/events
A good resource of Driver Ed (DE), Autocross (AX) events is MotorsportReg.com. It “aggregates” all events across the country so it’s easier to search and sign up.
https://www.motorsportreg.com/
I’ll add more to this thread as I learn more along the way. Hopefully, it helps anyone like me who plans to start out on HPDEs.
*Advanced/experienced drivers: Feel free to DM me or add to this thread.