Driving Schools – Fall 2019: 2019 Driver Schools

by

By Jamie Kavalieros

We concluded our 2019 season at Shenandoah Race Track in Summit Point West Virginia. This track is my personal favorite. It is a very technical track where a nimble momentum car can rival a higher horsepower and heavier car.

One of the other reasons I enjoy Shenandoah and going to the track is camping and hanging out with my track buddies. About a decade ago I started camping in my trailer at the track. There are a large number of drivers who do so. It ranges from guys in a tent to people who have a dedicated RV. I, like most of the guys, fall in the middle. I tow my enclosed car trailer that has a few comforts added: A/C, heat and electrical hookup with a bed strapped to the wall over the wheel well. It is home for the weekend. Along the way I have picked up a few strays. Greg was a tent guy but when the weather turned to heavy rain, I invited him to throw his sleeping bag on the floor of my trailer. Now he is a permanent fixture. Kevin is a friend who started coming back to the track about 5 years ago. He had 2 (now 3) children and to save a bit of money he stays in my trailer as well. There are many others that do the same: Dave, Bill, Mirril, Jim, Greg, Mark, Scott, Vin, Ron and more. As you can see the list has grown over the years and I am sure I forgot a few.

We started an email chain to see who was bringing what food as well as some post track refreshments a few years back. It started simple with who will bring breakfast, yogurt and pop-tarts, dinner burgers and dogs. Shenandoah was the place we started to cook a real meal. Buffalo wings, soup, penne pasta, ice cream, cake and much more. Over the years other groups formed and enjoyed camping. We cross over and share food, drink and stories. Many of the camping participants remark half the fun of going to the track is camping.

Photo by Jamie Kavalieros

This year we decided to expand part of the experience to everyone at Shenandoah and had our first ever Pot Luck Dinner. The amount of food was incredible. There were 50+ participants. Stories were shared food was eaten and drinks were had. It was great to see new students listening to veteran drivers swapping their experiences and knowledge. The Pot Luck was a huge success and I hope to see you next Season at the track!

Photo by Jamie Kavalieros

2020 Track Season Schedule:

  • April 17-18-19 Thunderbolt: Friday A-Solo open track and Instructor Training; Sat-Sun Driver School and Sunday New to the track Intro School
  • June 8-9 Thunderbolt: Club Race and Driver School Mon-Tues
  • July 18-19 Summit Point: Club race and School Sat-Sun
  • Oct 3-4 Shenandoah: Driver School Sat-Sun

Related Articles - Driver's School

Club Racing – Spring 2023

NJ Chapter 2023 Westlake School Donation The New Jersey Chapter recently presented a check for $13,000 to the Westlake School of Westfield, NJ. This represented money raised from the club’s annual charity club race and driver school at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The presentation took place at a meeting of the Union County Educational Services […]

Spring 2022 NJMP Recap – From Bill Van Ocker, Chief Instructor

Hi Fellow Track Enthusiasts, Well…we just wrapped up our first HPDE event for 2022, and I’d like to thank everyone who joined in. Most importantly, to the many students and the dedicated crew of instructors and volunteers that make such an event possible. I know it’s an old saying, “that it takes a village,” but […]

Summit Point Main – 2020

By Jamie Kavalieros Summit Point – a lot of firsts The July 18th-19th Summit Point Driver School and Club Race was our first track event of the season. It is usually our third event. Many of the attendees were unaware that it almost didn’t happen. The problem was two-fold. West Virginia COVID cases were on […]

Driving Schools – Fall 2019: 2019 Driver Schools

The NJ Chapter concluded its 2019 season on the Shenandoah race track at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia.

Driving Schools – Fall 2017: Freude am Fahren – mit Freunden

In his last column as Driver School Chairperson, Jeff White recounts his fond HPDE experiences and memories.

Driving Schools – Summer 2017: A Great Day for Westlake and a Great Race at Summit Point

Ross Karlin and Jeff White reflect upon the HPDE and Club Race events held in June at New Jersey Motorsports Park and in July at Shenandoah Motorsports Park.

Driving Schools – Spring 2017: Bridgestone, DelVal and NJ team up to start the season

The NJ Chapter teamed up with our friends in the DelVal Chapter to host a very special 3-day Driving School and Instructor Training School event at NJMP that was also part of the Bridgestone BMW CCA 2017 HPDE Tour.

Driving Schools – Fall 2016: NASCAR Comes to Town and We End the Year with a Great Shenandoah Event

The NJ Chapter held HPDE and Club Racing event alongside a NASCAR K&N series race at NJ Motorsports Park in September, then hosted its annual HPDE event on the Shenandoah circuit at Summit Point Motorsports Park in October.

Driving Schools – Summer 2016: Driver School and Club Races at NJMP and Summit Point

The chapter hosted HPDE and Club Races to benefit the Westlake School at NJ Motorsports Park in June and the 3rd Annual Geoff Atkinson Memorial Driver School and Club Race at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia in July.

Driving Schools – Spring 2016: New Jersey, Auto Racing, the NJ Chapter, and Club Racing — What’s the Connection?

Jeff and Ross provide a history lesson on the NJ chapter’s role in establishing the first driver’s school in BMW CCA history and NJ’s prominent role in the history of auto racing.

Driver Schools (HPDE)

Register on Motorsport Reg Here What is a Driver School? A Driver School, sometimes called High Performance Driver Education (HPDE), is an event with a primary goal to teach you to be a better driver. Driver Schools are not timed events – we are prohibited from comparing lap times among participants. Similarly, Driver Schools are […]