Driving Events
Driver’s Education (DE) offers members the chance to drive their car on a race track in a non-competitive way. Members looking to be competitive with their Porsche have three options locally: Autocross (AX), Time Trials (TT) or TSD Rally, each of which involve racing against the clock.
These are timed, competitive driving events emphasizing vehicle handling and driving skill. The track is marked out with cones with each vehicle separated from the others, navigating a complex twisty course against the clock. Cars are not near each other and consequently no passing is allowed. Free instruction is provided at every event.
Higher speed, timed competitive events. Similar to a DE, but with the added thrill of timed competition. Also occurring at a track specifically for performance driving such as Willow Springs Raceway, Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, Buttonwillow Park, etc.
The mission and purpose of the PCA's Driver Education Program is to provide a safe, structured and controlled teaching and learning environment. The PCA DE Program is designed so that participants can improve their driving abilities and acquire a better understanding of vehicle dynamics and driving safety. Participants will experience first-hand the capabilities of high performance automobiles in a controlled, closed-course environment and acquire skills that will enhance safer vehicle operation in all driving situations.
A TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) rally is a an exercise in following directions …. PRECISELY! You are given a set of instructions that describe the route you should follow and the average speeds you should try to maintain over each section of the course. Each car travels independently, leaving the start at intervals of one minute. Several checkpoints are located along the route at unspecified locations to keep track of the exact time you arrive there. If you were to maintain the assigned speeds perfectly, you would reach each checkpoint exactly on time. One point is assigned to your score for each .01 minute you are early or late arriving at a checkpoint. The goal is to keep your score as low as possible.
Rallying requires teamwork. Every car must have two occupants, called the driver and the navigator. In most teams, the navigator reads the instructions to the driver and helps to look for signs and landmarks. Some experienced teams have equipment that allows the driver to read the instructions while the navigator calculates time, distance, and average speeds.
