What this is: One driver's assessment of various PNW lapping day/HPDE organizers and their events.
What it is not: Objective. A listing for new HPDE drivers. For some new driver suggestions, see my Notes for Newbs.
I have not attended events with every sponsoring organization in the PNW. I only comment on the groups that I have joined at the track.
I use the intermediate run groups as my benchmark. In general, advanced run groups score higher in terms of the Drivers metric for all clubs.
Disclaimer: These ratings are the subjective assessments of the PNWHPDE.com admin and should be viewed as such. They do not imply any obligation or responsibility, contractural or implied, regarding the safety, effectiveness, or any other measurable dimension of performance associated with these organizations. This is purely a measure of personal enjoyment. Use this information in choosing events at your own risk. You can find a description of my assessment parameters here: What my Numerical Assessments Mean
Scale: 1 to 5 (1 = Unacceptable, 2 = Poor, 3 = Average, 4 = Superior, and 5 = Outstanding)
| Club | Drivers | Track |
Overall Day | Social | Average | Comments |
| Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon | 3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3.5 |
Very nice organizers, well run event, good passing zones, good drivers. Good value. |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Nice organizers. Crowded events. Somewhat strict rules. Limited to members. Best for Audi owners. Limited PR passing zones.. | |
| BMW ACA Portland | 3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3.25 |
Nice group of folks. Only run at Portland. Crowded events. Best for BMW owners. |
| BMW CCA Puget Sound | 3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2.75 |
MUCH better if you own a BMW and belong to the club. Good entry-level course for any new HPDE driver. Very crowded events. |
| Cascade Sports Car Club | 3 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
Nice group. Good value. |
| Club Lotus NW | 3 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4.25 |
Well run. No novices. Some iffy drivers in intermediate group. Great group of cars. |
| IRDC (school/lapping) | 2 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
2.75 |
Passing zones are funky and few. Best for folks getting ICSCC novice license. Nice organizers. GREAT value in general, and specifically for the race school purpose. Not recommneded for experienced drivers due to cones and restricted passing. |
| Lotus of Portland and Motocorsa | 2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2.25 |
Insufficient segmentation of drivers. Culture clash. Unacceptable track management for car group. Not recommended.. |
| Lotus of Portland(cars only) | 3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3.25 |
Better segmentation of drivers without bikes. Small run groups is nice, but not predictable. |
| Mustangs Northwest | 2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2.5 |
Too many cones, too few passing zones. Below average drivers Nice social event for Mustang owners; otherwise not recommended. |
| Northwest Alfa Romeo Club | 3 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3.75 |
Favorite Seattle marque club. Right number of passing zones.Good drivers. Nice folks. Nice organizers. |
| Oregon Region Porsche Club of America | 2 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2.75 |
Some drivers don't know how to let momentum cars by, or don't watch mirrors, or drag race to block. Groups are too large. Too much traffic. Social stratification. Good social event for Porsche owners. Not so much for others. |
| PNW Porsche Club of America | 2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2.5 |
See Oregon Porsche Club assessment. Same issues, but slightly amplified. |
| ProFormance (sponsored lapping day) | 4 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
4.25 |
Best option for experienced drivers (usually these days are "sponsored" by some specific group). Typically better drivers. Good food (when provided). Fewer cars and a ton of open track. Well worth the slight premium in price. Best when track has NO cones. |
| ProFormance (school/DE/scheduled all-day lapping) | 3 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
One day school is expensive, but well run. "Standard" advanced lapping day is well-structured, tailored to learning. Also: nice 1/2 day option. Plenty of open track BUT: Too many cones and ON the track. Me no like. |
| Team Continental | 3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3.5 |
Well run, good drivers, relatively small run groups. No social segmentation. |
YMMV.
Updated 1/6/2011