NASA HPDE 1 Question
 

So, I am a new Porsche owner as of this month. I really enjoy driving the 986 a ton, but I can't help but feel as though my daily driving is holding it back. It feels like it wants to be in 5th from the time it starts up until I shut it off in my driveway.

I've been considering doing the NASA HPDE 1 event to maybe start letting it stretch its legs a bit and run with the wild Porsches, but I have a few concerns.

First and foremost, I have a TT. Is it even worth the price of admission to bother taking a high-performance anything with an automatic?

Second. I have only had this car for about a month, and although it has decent service history and no deferred maintenance, I am not made of money. What are the chances that I track this car once, and the whole thing just spontaneously and catastrophically bombs out on me? (I think the Mrs. would have me sleeping in the roller in the garage if I blew the motor, or anything for that matter, on this car this year.)

Rule #1 of DE / Track Days: Never drive your car on the track unless you're willing to push it off a cliff.

Obviously it's not that severe, but the point is valid. You can get track ins that will cover an accident, but mechanical issues will not be covered. A warranty would cover mechanical issues, but you'd need to read the fine print carefully about their coverage on track days.

With all that said and out of the way, you drive your car as hard as you want. If you want to drive it at 75-80%, no one but you cares as long as you don't impede them. Driving your car at higher speeds and rpms is not going to kill something that probably wouldn't fail on a spirited drive on a highway, with the exception of an AOS. Tracking Porsches has not shown to be harder on IMSs than non tracked cars. Just be sure your car is in top shape before you hit the track and you'll be in for the time of your life. There is so much more potential in your car than you can legally extract on the streets or highways. And you don't have to worry about spending the night at the gray bar hotel.

There is nothing wrong with driving on the track with a Tip trans. No one's going to laugh at you. There are plenty of PDKs out there, so auto trans are not verboten. Don't let that be a hinderance to you and no need to apologize to anyone.

Finally, you mention NASA. Have you considered a PCA event? PCA has great novice instruction and really stresses safety. I've only attended 2 NASA events, both at the same track, run by the same NASA group, 1 yr apart - Kansas Speedway in 2014 & 2015. The first yr I was in NASA 2, which ran with NASA 1 and the 2nd yr I was in NASA 3 which ran with NASA 4. I don't know anything about their novice training, but I had several novice drivers tell me when I was in NASA 2 their in-car instructors told them to follow me since I was driving the proper line. That's OK but not great instruction. An instructor should be working with you and teaching you, rather than being a passenger in a lead-follow situation. While NASA did some things better than PCA, for the most part their event management was below PCA. And I'm not just saying my region does it great, they do, but I've attended PCA events at Laguna Seca, COTA, and Indy, and they all did a great job. That's just my experience, YMMV and other NASA groups may be much better.

I would also consider the PCA. I guess less important than which specific DE I were to try and take, my main concern would be the likelihood of blowing out my engine.

I have a '99 with a dual-row IMS, so I am less worried about that than I am about stretching a 5k a year car out on a track at 100+ mph.

I would ditto 100% of what husker said. He's exactly right from my own perspective.

In the last 4 years I've gone from HPDE1 to now holding competition licenses with both NASA and PCA, and I expect POC later this year. So this is all recent experience for me.

NASA is competition-focused. Their goal is to lead you towards competition, and as such, participants tend to be more competitive. There are more egos, and more ass- holes with NASA. That said: they run a good show from an administrative point of view.

PCA is more enthusiast / gentleman driver / weekend warrior focused. Yes, they race too, but the rule book is clearly focused on safely providing a competitive environment for Porsche-drivers; not churning-out the next generation of pro-am racers. Fewer egos, more enthusiasts, and no less fast in the top groups.

My friends commented at the last PCA event, which was the weekend after a NASA event, that with PCA we had more actual track time BEFORE LUNCH than we had in an entire day with NASA. (That's a function of so many classes with NASA.)

I prefer PCA for DE and for diving with my friends and exploring the car, trying new things. NASA is for racing.

As far as the car goes: if you're driving it in canyons on occasion, you might as well get to the track. Make sure the car is in good condition, you shouldn't expect any failures you wouldn't see on a spirited street drive.

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As Huckster noted, PCA is a really good place to start for HPDE

Nothing wrong with tracking a car with a TIP. I have a good friend who kicks ass on the track with a base 986 TIP

Anything can happen at the track including accidents and mechanical issues. Our cars are built to be driven hard. I did 4 years of tracking with my basically street 986S and had very little break there. In fact I can't think of anything that actually broke at the track on my car..

You will go through lots of tires and brake pads. When tracking I changed the oil not longer that 2500 miles (it was also my DD),. Not to start an oil thread, but you should use something better than Mobile one. I had good results with Motul Xcell 8100. It was highly recommended by my race prep mechanic. brake fluid flush every year and bleed before every event.

As for which DE course to take, it all depends on your local region.

Maytag lays out our local Utah scene pretty well.

At PCA we move you up at your own speed and if you want an instructor, you get an instructor in any run group. NASA here casts you loose after one HPDE1 day or weekend unless they deem otherwise. Instruction is spotty in HPDE2/3.

It should be noted that many of our PCA instructors instruct for NASA as well. I volunteer for both organizations but am a bit biased about what we can do for drivers in PCA events.

Ditto on drain, replace and bleed everything on your car before you go to the track - actually just do it. It may have a sterling service record but it's your car now.

Maytag, Max, Jay, Hüsker Dü—- thank you for such thoughtful responses. I was outside working on our cars all day and kept having the thought, “I really need to figure out how this HPDE thing works” and was just looking for events within 100 miles (which is my AAA tow home limit, lol—-I know, I know, but I’m sure I could get SOMEONE to drag me to a surface street with their truck).

I need more miles, a lot more miles. And waaay more miles than I’m gonna be getting the next nine months with the local (very awesome) PCA AutoX group. So me and Trilobite, we totally appreciate the input. Thanks, dudes.

Oh, and a ‘35 Bugatti, Tril? Did it feel good to be a gangster?

I’ve instructed with probably 4 different clubs but have spend most of my time with NASA. Instructors are unfortunately hit or miss but generally the more you put into it the more engaged you are the better instruction you’ll get. In HPDE 1 the important thing is you have someone who keeps you safe and start to learn the basics which hopefully any instructor can do. As you start to advance you’ll normally find the best instruction at clubs that have actual racing, these clubs attract more serious drivers/instructors. So if you’re local PCA chapter is HPDE only you might want to look for a more serious club as you get better and better.

As far as your car, these cars and their engines are tougher than the internet wants you to think. I ran 5 full seasons of autocross, and then started running HPDEs, went from HPDE 1, then 2, 3, 4, then started instructing, and then time trials. Years and years of track events all on the stock 2.5l with 0 oil modifications or any other modifications. Never had a problem (until I put an accusump on my car... which failed and blew up my motor). Back then I was buying good track pads and getting free “take-offs” (used track tires) at the track. Good luck! Also, make sure you pass the broomstick test with a helmet on.

It was neat when I had it, was sad when I sold it, but I really couldn't keep up with it. I had no business having it in the first place. I was young and stupid and thought I could handle maintenance and upkeep, etc. If I had it now, it would be a different story, but it was too much toy for this boy. I've recaptured the thrill with the 986 and am happy with it. ...wouldn't mind a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0, but I'll have to wait a while, lol!

And yes, thank you everyone for your thoughts on the HPDE situation. I was out of town for the weekend and didn't get on my computer to check the forum so hadn't had a chance to respond. I think next summer I will try to sign up for some events with a few different clubs. I don't think it's in the cards for this summer, but next year perhaps. I am trying to keep it basically stock OEM to try and maintain whatever value I can from it, so it will be lower-end high performance for this 986.