highway safety school

[aml]

this is going to be my first event and i'm excited couple question comes to mind:

1.where can i find some helmet locally? can i rent one?
2. i lived in gaithersburg where do you recomend i take my car for inspection

[AlfaEric]

OG Racing rents/sells helmets (Sterling, VA).

http://www.ogracing.com/

There is a list of tech inspection locations under documentation:
http://www.nccbmwcca.org/index.php?id=17,175,0,0,1,0

---Eric

[1996 328ti]

2. i lived in gaithersburg where do you recomend i take my car for inspection

Quality in Rockville or Dan Martin (301-926-8977) in Gaithersburg near the airpark.

[NoSoup4U]

I just want to confirm that the registration open date is "postmarked" by March 4th for the highway school, or can it be "received" by March 4th? This way, I can mail it out on march 3rd, or do I wait until march 4th to submit?

Thank you

[1996 328ti]

Postmarked March 4. Anything earlier goes to the bottom of the pile.
All registrations received on the same day will be given a random number and sorted that way. Typically our schools do not fill the first day.

[aml]

Once your car get inspected thus it have an expiration date on it? What advice you guys recomend about the classes i take after this Highway School, I have decided to do it this way.
1. highway school
2.driver school
3. mybe autocross in the future

And how long this class last, is it all day? I planning on buying my own helmet any recomendation, thank you.

Andrew

[aml]

What kind should i get Open or closed type, and i'm planning to take classes in the future.

[AG]

What kind should i get Open or closed type, and i'm planning to take classes in the future.

You should get a closed face SA rated helmet. I don't know if the SA2005 helmets are out yet, however those will be good for another 10 years. The certification on the currrent crop of helmets expires in 5 years.

As far a brands go, you must try before you buy. Not all helmets are shaped the same and some will fit much better than others.

[David Hicks]

You should get a closed face SA rated helmet.

It's debatable whether closed or open helmets are better for closed-car driver school situations. Closed helmets inhibit communication between student and instructor, and the SCCA has released a notice saying that using a closed helmet in a car with an airbag is potentially unsafe.

November 16, 2004 - Notification from SCCA National Staff
It has been brought to the attention of SCCA Technical Services that the use of full-face or closed face helmets while driving vehicles with active airbag restraint systems may result in injuries in the event of a crash that deploys the airbag. Because of the location of the steering wheel relative to the driver's position, the airbag axis is on a level with the driver's chin. In a crash with airbag deployment, contact with the chin area of a full-face helmet can be so powerful "that fractures to the jaw cannot be ruled out". (Hubert Gramling, FIA Institute, FT3/AF, 18.5 1999)

aml, go to the newstand and pick up the latest issue of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine. There is a great article on buying helmets.

[SharkD]

You should get a closed face SA rated helmet. I don't know if the SA2005 helmets are out yet, however those will be good for another 10 years. The certification on the currrent crop of helmets expires in 5 years.

As far a brands go, you must try before you buy. Not all helmets are shaped the same and some will fit much better than others.

I thought you were supposed to replace a helmet every five years, regardless of whether or not the Snell certification has expired?

As for the helmets -- don't shop only by price. Bell and Simpson both fit differently, and different models have different fits, too. If you plan on attending more HPDE's and/or autocrossing in the future, buy a good helmet that fits comfortably and snugly. Although it's very clichéd, remember that the helmet is made to protect your head and only 'buy a $10 helmet if that's all you think your head is worth.' [/cliché]

Also, think about a good pair of thin-soled, narrow shoes -- they don't necessarily need to be high-end racing shoes (nomex lined), but a good pair of leather-upper wrestling shoes (like the Adidas Tyrint) will give you the same pedal feel as a pair of racing boots for much less money. (Nomex is always a good idea if you can afford it, but you can always buy nomex socks for some fire protection.)

I will definitely attend both days... What do you guys usually do for overnight stay? Is it common for people to find nearby hotels or campout at the track? If camping out, what do you suggest one bring along? Also, what do you guys think about bringing a friend or a family member for the weekend? Will they be completely bored out of their minds?

Although I usually just commute daily from Arlington (waking up at O'dark hundred ensures that I'm awake and alert by the time tech opens at 7am), there are a couple of decent hotels in Charlestown -- nothing fancy, but a reasonably clean room at okay prices. [NCCBMWCCA Page on Accommodations]

As for family members... make sure that they realize that they're going to be doing a lot of sitting outside, with very little to see. (No ride-alongs and rarely are there instructor laps for non-students/non-corner workers.) If they're into motorsports photography, they'll have a ball or, they could venture to the main circuit, if there's a race/HPDE to watch at the Carousel. As for children -- I think they'd get bored pretty quickly and I'm always afraid of what might happen if a couple of kids are running around the paddock during the process of gridding-up for a group to go on the track. (No kids of my own, yet... but they're a relatively rare sight, unless you bring two cars, so they can escape the track when they get antsy and/or want a bite to eat.)

BTW, congrats for making the right decision and starting out with the HwySS -- it taught me so much and gave me the confidence in myself and my car that I needed for the ensuing drivers' schools (and autocrosses). (And the double helping of skidpad time during the Safety School is incredibly valuable.)

And the AutoX school might also be a good primer, if you can make it...

Edit: For shoes, I've got a pair of Addidas Ferox boots, now $30 on Eastbay. The color is by no means mild, but the fit is good, the design durable, and the tongue keeps the laces out of the pedal.

[1996 328ti]

Once your car get inspected thus it have an expiration date on it? What advice you guys recomend about the classes i take after this Highway School, I have decided to do it this way.
1. highway school
2.driver school
3. mybe autocross in the future

And how long this class last, is it all day? I planning on buying my own helmet any recomendation, thank you.

Andrew

I think the HSS is good to do before a HP Driving School.
Use good judgement with your tech inspection form. It is your final responsibility that the car in sound working order. For instance, if your car is teched and something happens between the time the car was inspected and the event, take that into consideration.

Autocross is always good. It is a different skill set than HPDEs.
And get a full face helmet.

[Pete]

Due to lack of available parts and in incredibly incompetent group of idiots over at Ground Control my car will not be back together in time. Who do I need to inform to let them know I won't be able to make it.

It amazes me that GC takes over a month to make something and then ships it incorrectly.

Pete

[SharkD]

Due to lack of available parts and in incredibly incompetent group of idiots over at Ground Control my car will not be back together in time. Who do I need to inform to let them know I won't be able to make it.

It amazes me that GC takes over a month to make something and then ships it incorrectly.

Wha? So, yer tellin' me that them thar Ee-36 cars ain't the same as thems BMW E-Thirty's? Well, I'll be...

---

Sorry, man. I feel your pain -- my M20 head, which was supposed to ship overnight on Monday, still hasn't made its way to Gaithersburg. Looks like the 6er gets a farewell tour of the Jefferson, afterall.

[ChosenGSR]

Does it make sense to sign up for both days? Highway school on satruday followed by drivers school on sunday? I am also a complete noob to this

[1996 328ti]

Does it make sense to sign up for both days? Highway school on satruday followed by drivers school on sunday? I am also a complete noob to this

I think so.

FWIW, many FIA Rally drivers where open helmets.

What's your point? They are also wearing harnesses, full cage and racing buckets.