Porsche Club of America Northeast Region One Lap of New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) Doug Adams, former Driver Education Chair Russell Castagna, former Chief Driving Instructor

We hold Driver's Education events at NHIS. We typically use the 1.75 mile road course. We typically use it in the following configuration (refer to the track picture above):

• from start/finish, down the front straight
• stay on banked oval instead of taking road course chicanes in infield
• onto back straight briefly
• into infield straight
• sharp righthand turn, cross over the back straight and uphill onto road course
• downhill into severely banked lefthand "bowl"
• uphill jog, then left and steep downhill to remainder of road course
• cross over back straight into infield chicanes
• back on to the front straight
• past start/finish and repeat...

You may also watch a Real Video movie of one lap of NHIS

As you pass the start-finish line on the front straight in 3rd or 4th gear, look into the first half of the oval, turn 1, and prepare for entry. Enter the braking zone, lift off the throttle and tap the brakes, or not, depending on entry speed. Hold 3rd or 4th gear and maintain speed. Keep the car at about the midpoint of the course at the entry of the turn and drive the oval as a single apex corner. Use the brake in the lower painted apron line as the approximate apex for the oval. As you exit the oval, turn 2, unwind the steering wheel just a little, this will let the car track out to the wall. Return the car to the left side of the course at the short chute leading into turn 3, without further steering input.

As you approach turn 3 (the slowest turn at N.H.I.S.) look well into the turn, apply maximum braking just after entering the short chute and downshift into 2nd. Once the car has slowed to the appropriate speed (approximately 20-30 mph) turn in and apply throttle smoothly until full throttle is reached, just past the apex (930 drivers apply full throttle at turn in). Put the inside wheels on the rumble strip at the apex and allow the car to track out.

At this point the car is understeering (especially 911's) but the usual amount of correction is not necessary because once the car reaches the uphill the front end will bite and the car will track over to the inside of the course. Allow the car to track all the way out and then slowly steer it back to the right, turn 4, getting there just after the crest of the hill and upshift into 3rd.

I this is done properly there will be no need to make any correction for the slight kink, turn 5, going back down the hill into the bowl. As you approach the bowl, turn 6, brake hard while looking ahead (ocular driving) into the bowl and downshift into 2nd. At the turn-in point look at the trackout point then, as you pass the apex unwind the wheel just a little and hold it. (You must resist the temptation to over correct at this point.) This will allow the car to track to the outside edge of the course and return to the inside, turn 7, without any steering input.

Once back to the inside straighten the wheel. This will let the car cross over to the outside of the course as you crest the hill. At this point, steer the car to the center of the track and hold it until you see the turn-in cone just after the flaggers at the top of the hill. Then immediately but slowly, steer the car over to the turn-in cone and straighten the wheel as you pass the cone. Keep the car straight and use the distance between the turn-in cone andthe apex cone as the braking zone for turn 8. Allow the car to run past the apex cone to the point where it looks like you may run off the track, then turn in and slowly steer the car to the inside of the course, getting there at the beginning of the concrete wall.

As you reach the concrete wall apply the brakes hard but evenly, and smoothly release before reaching the bottom of the hill, turn 9. As you turn put the inside wheels on the rumble strip at the apex and track out to the edge of the course. Now steer the car to the middle of the track in order to take the esses in a straight line. Light braking is all that is required for turn 10 and should be accomplished while taking the esses in a straight line. On turning in apply throttle smoothly until full throttle is reached just past the apex. (930's apply full throttle at turn in) which is about in the center of the turn. As the car tracks out aim for the barrels at the beginning of the front straight pit wall, upshift to 3rd and let the car track out to within 3 feet of the outside wall on the front straight and begin your second lap of N.H.I.S.

Students who have not yet learned the line or mastered heel-toe technique should select an appropriate gear for their car and concentrate on learning the line.