HPDE is an opportunity to enjoy your car in the safe, controlled environment of a race track. Everyone is driving in the same direction. Everyone has a single purpose and is focused on their driving. There are corner workers that control the track and maintain a safe environment for everyone. Drivers are divided up by skill level and in separate run groups.
ORPCA provides links to organizations or events that provide HPDE. Check out the links on the logos on the bottom of this page.
Clean your car up. Windows, paint, engine compartment. Make sure the brake fluid is fresh. The highest frequency failure we get at the track is boiled brake fluid because it was not fresh. The rain in the Pacific Northwest contributes to this as brake fluid absorbs water and that reduces the boiling point of the fluid. Ensure that your car has a current annual inspection and you have a hard copy to bring with you to the track.
Perform all necessary maintenance. This is not the time to defer maintenance. You are going to be driving your car at the edge of its operating envelope and having it in tip top shape is the best way to ensure you will have a good time free from mechanical failures. This is also a good time to go through your car and remove any articles which will not be required while driving and to secure or remove items like telephones, radar detectors etc. Also make sure your battery, spare tire and jack are secured.
Dress comfortably for the weather. It can be cold or hot, wet or dry. It’s suggested that only cotton (or natural fiber) shirts and pants are appropriate for drivers. Cotton wicks water away from the skin effectively and helps keep you cool in the hot weather. Driving gloves and comfortable rubber soled shoes are recommended. Please no high heels, sandals or heavy soled shoes or boots. You need to be able to feel the pedals through the footwear.
Be sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen. For sunny or rainy days, a popup cover is a good item to invest in. A comfortable chair is also a good thing to bring as well as some food. You are there for the day; make sure you keep your energy up!
An extra quart or two of your cars engine oil. A jack, stands, and some basic tools are also advisable, but not necessary. A good quality tire pressure gauge. Get one with a dial or digital readout and a bleeder button to help you reset tire pressures easily. Most of the time you have to let air out of your tires rather than adding. There is usually compressed air available in the paddock.
Something to store the stuff from your car that you want to keep dry is also a good idea. Plastic storage boxes work well.
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Wheels are rolling! 2025 is under way and we are off to a great start. This year marks the Oregon Region’s 65th Anniversary. As with most groups or organizations that have matured to such a ripe age, decisions made along the way have shaped the organization into what it is today. I am fortunate to inherit a well-run and well-managed club as I take on the role of President. I am thankful for those who have gone before me and who are now guiding me even as they themselves have stepped away from day-to-day club governance.
For the last nine years, the Club has been funding scholarships for automotive technician students at three local community colleges. The necessary cash to fund these scholarships is generated through the proceeds of an investment account that has grown over the last 20+ years. The Scholarship Program was set up years ago and requires Board approval on an annual basis. For the past several years, there have been numerous Board and strategy discussions as to whether scholarships are the “best” way to disburse $6,000 each year. Although the Scholarship Committee always provided a positive argument for maintaining the funding, the Board continued to struggle with the question of whether scholarships are the best use of the money we have. Once again, the Board found itself at budget approval time facing the same question. At February’s Board of Director’s meeting, the Board voted unanimously to suspend the funding of local community college scholarships indefinitely.
While we don’t have an answer to the question of “best” use of the funds that have previously been set aside, we agreed that scholarships are currently not the best fit. Although automotive technicians are people every Porsche owner needs in their lives and on their list of resources, there is no direct way to track the scholarship recipients and know for sure
if the Club investment of those scholarship dollars will ever come to the benefit of Porsche Club members. The tricky part of the conversation at the board level has been that while scholarships are benefitting a few students each year, what is the benefit to the Club? We would like to support and endorse programs that create a win-win scenario. We give some money, the recipients benefit, and the Club benefits through either goodwill or some other direct benefit.
In addition, and ideally, the Board would like Club members to feel more directly part of this giving pattern. Perhaps we can find a charity we can all agree is a good cause and set up a matching program. Perhaps we fund or support communities in some way. These are all deep, good conversations and decisions to be made. To that end, we will form a new committee to explore charitable or community focused opportunities that we may fund or support in the future. We welcome your input, ideas, and comments. If you would like to be a part of the so-far unnamed new committee, please let me or any Board member know. A couple of people have already stepped forward to spearhead the committee, but we hope to recruit three to five additional members. If you have an interest in community enhancement or thoughts about charitable giving, please get in touch with me or any board member.
I’m looking forward to getting some of the administration work of the Club completed before sunny spring days beckon for driving. There are already several events on the calendar that have me excited. Some are for the experience of driving, some for the chance to hang out with members and feel the passion you have for your cars, and others just to experience something new. I know 2025 is going to be a great year and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
Let’s Drive!
