Seven JAGM members joined the Motor City BMW club’s High Performance Driving Education (HPDE) session on June 18th. David Sculati (2020 F-Type R) drove in the Intermediate class, while Mark and Jackie Bolick (2014 XK Coupe), Steven Cooper (2020 F-Pace SVR) and Gary Hillebrand (1997 XK8 convertible) drove in the Taste of the Track introductory class. Randy Perry was an organizer of the event and Ellie Hillebrand was the editorial staff photographer and only-slightly-queasy passenger on one of my sessions.
I went into the day expecting a fun experience, but not a great driving challenge, considering that our class was follow-the-leader and “limited” speeds. I was right about the fun part, but not the challenge part. It turns out that the speed was limited only by the abilities of myself and my XK8. Three 20-minute drive sessions gave us a lot of time and experience learning and executing good lines through the many corners and exploring the capabilities of our cars. I felt very
challenged, following my instructor in his modified (read LOUD) BMW M3. My XK8 probably
felt a little less challenged; I’m sure I could have pushed it a little harder if I wasn’t so obsessed with avoiding any off-road excursions!
Motor City BMW runs two of these events per year – one at Waterford Hills and one at Grattan in west Michigan. I can highly recommend these as fun, educational and a fine way to exercise your car.
To view Dave Sculati's F-Type at Waterford Race Track click here.
Gary Hillebrand