NMS FIAT Abarth Returns to the Track!

Previous HPDE Session in 2017 at Carolina Motorsports Park: Photo Courtesy OG Racing

The NMS FIAT will return to track action in August when we head to Pocono raceway for a full day of High Performance Driver Education, or HPDE. While the word "education" might sound funny, that's what this session is all about. Sponsored by the fine folks at NASA in the Northeast region, we'll be driving several sessions all day with an instructor in the passenger seat, and be working to improve our driving technique. This is not a race or competition in any way, other than we'll be trying to be a better driver at the end of the day than we were when we woke up in the morning. 

What kind of car can drive on a track at an HPDE? Well, pretty much anything that has four wheels and is in good mechanical condition. Since it's not racing and there shouldn't be any contact or off-track excursions, drivers still have to wear a helmet, but they don't need all the roll bars and other safety gear (need a roll bar if you're in a convertible though.) Here's a quick look at what cars have signed up so far: 

Douglas Bond	Honda Civic	163	HPDE1
Paul Dulaff	Chevy Corvette	9	HPDE1
Eugene Gutman	Alfa Romeo Giulia	27	HPDE1
Ryan Horan	Honda Civic	189	HPDE1
Chad Jones	BMW Z4	12	HPDE1
Jose Madero	Fiat 500	71	HPDE1
Robert Myers	Dodge Challenger	87	HPDE1
Robert A. Nixon	Fiat 500 Abarth	77	HPDE1
Robert Palya	Honda Civic	140	HPDE1
Ishaan Shah	Jaguar XE	18	HPDE1
Adam Torrey	Subaru WRX STi	21	HPDE1

OK, the Corvette, Dodge Challenger, Jaguar XE, and Subaru are going to be fast cars, but along with the Abarth we'll be seeing a Honda Civic, FIAT 500, so it's not all about speed. While we won't be racing, in our beginner HPDE 1 sessions we are only allowed to pass other cars under certain conditions. This  makes things as safe as can be. Those conditions are that you can only pass on the straights, and only when the car in front sees you gaining on them and sticks their hand out to give you a "point by". This way both drivers are communicating and know what is going to happen. Being predictable is important, and if you've ever driven anywhere for more than about 1 minute in the US you've learned this by watching the other crazy drivers!

If you want to learn more, or see what other cars will be driving in the HPDE 2, 3, and 4 sessions, here's the link: https://nasaproracing.com/events/2862/entry_list?direction=asc&sort=name