HPDE Beginner Guide (ND MX-5)

An HPDE (High Performance Driving Education) is a non-competitive track day where you drive your own car on a road course with an instructor in the right seat. There is no racing, no lap times that count, and no trophy. The point is to learn car control in a controlled environment, and the ND MX-5 is close to the ideal teaching car for it: light (roughly 2,300–2,350 lb), low-powered (155 hp on ND1, 181 hp on the 2019+ ND2), and slow enough that your mistakes happen at speeds you can recover from. You will get passed all day by faster cars and you’ll still have more fun than most of them.

This page is about the day itself — what the schedule looks like, what the flags mean, who’s in your group, and how to behave. For getting the car ready, see track day prep and the printable track day checklist.

Run groups: where a beginner fits

Most organizers (NASA, SCCA, and regional clubs) split the day into run groups by experience, usually three or four:

Novice / HPDE 1 — first-timers and drivers with little track experience. You get an in-car instructor, mandatory classroom sessions, and passing is restricted to designated zones with a point-by (more on that below). This is where you start. No exceptions, no talking your way into a faster group.
Intermediate / HPDE 2 — drivers who’ve been signed off as solo-ready or close to it. Passing rules loosen.
Advanced / HPDE 3–4 — solo drivers, more open passing, sometimes “open passing anywhere with a point.”

Each group runs 3–5 sessions of roughly 20–30 minutes, rotating through the day. A novice day is mostly waiting around between sessions — bring a chair, water, and shade. The cars cycle on and off track in their groups; you’ll have an hour or more between your own runs.

You will likely stay in the novice group for your first one or two events before an instructor signs you off to move up. That’s the normal path, not a sign you’re slow.

The day’s flow

A typical HPDE day runs something like this:

Registration and tech when you arrive (early — gates often open around 7 a.m.).
Mandatory drivers’ meeting for everyone. Skipping it usually means you don’t drive. They cover the day’s schedule, the passing rules for that track, where the flag stations are, and what the flags mean. Pay attention even if you’ve read this page — rules vary by org and by track.
Novice classroom sessions between your track runs. These cover the racing line, braking and turn-in points, apexing, and flag signals.
On-track sessions with your instructor.
A debrief with your instructor after most sessions — this is where the actual learning happens.

Your first session is almost always slow. Many orgs run it as lead-follow: an instructor’s car leads, you follow the line, often under a full-course yellow with no passing. You are there to learn where the track goes, not to set a time.

Flags — learn these cold

Flags are how the track talks to you. Corner workers stand at flag stations around the course. Know these before the drivers’ meeting; they’ll confirm the local specifics there.

Green — track is open, go.
Yellow (standing) — caution, a hazard is off the racing surface ahead. Slow down, no passing.
Yellow (waving) — greater danger, hazard on or near the racing surface. Slow down significantly, be ready to stop, no passing.
Blue with a diagonal stripe (the “passing” flag) — a faster car is behind you. Check your mirrors and, in a passing zone, give a clear point-by to wave them past. Get used to seeing this in an ND; you’ll see it a lot.
Red — stop. Come to a controlled halt off the line, or as the meeting instructed. Something serious has happened.
Black (pointed at you) — come into the pits, something you did needs a conversation. Usually a spin, an off, or unsafe driving. It’s a talk, not a punishment.
Black with an orange disc (the “meatball”) — mechanical problem with your car (fluid, smoke, something hanging). Bring it in.
White — a slow vehicle or emergency vehicle is on track ahead.
Checkered — session over. Cool-down lap, no more passing, bring it in.

When in doubt, lift. A flag you don’t understand always means slow down.

Passing and the point-by

In the novice group, the driver being passed controls the pass. A faster car catches you; you wait until a designated passing zone, then give a deliberate point-by — arm clearly out the window pointing to the side you want them to pass on (point left, they pass on your left). No point, no pass. Don’t lift or brake to “help” — just hold your line and point. This one habit prevents most novice-group incidents.

Tech inspection

Tech is a safety check of you and the car. Some orgs have you fill out a tech form beforehand and get it signed by a shop; others do it on-site. Either way, an inspector will look at:

Brakes — pad material left, no leaks, firm pedal. Boiled fluid and worn pads end ND track days early, so handle this at home first (see brake pads and fluid).
Tires — tread, condition, no cordage showing.
Fluids — no leaks, levels good.
Wheels — lug nuts torqued (~80 lb-ft on the ND), no bearing play.
Loose items — empty the cupholders, glovebox, trunk, and door pockets. The ND barely has storage, so this is fast. A water bottle rolling under the pedals is a real hazard.
Battery tie-down secure.
Helmet — must meet the org’s standard.

On helmets specifically: HPDE requires an auto-racing helmet (Snell “SA” rating), not a motorcycle (“M”) or karting (“K”) helmet — SA helmets add fire-retardant liners and roll-bar impact testing that M/K helmets skip. As of late 2025, SA2025 is the current standard and SA2020 remains widely accepted; older ratings age out over time. Always confirm the exact accepted ratings with your specific organizer, since policies differ.

One ND-specific note: it’s a convertible with no factory rollover protection. Run the soft top down or the RF roof closed per your org’s rule, and check whether your run group requires a roll bar — many do for solo or higher groups. See roll bar options before you sign up for anything past intro HPDE.

What instructors expect

Your instructor rides shotgun and talks you around. They’re volunteers who do this because they like it. What they want from you:

Listen and do exactly what they say, even when it feels slow. Early sessions are about smoothness and habits, not speed.
Tell them you’re new and what you’re nervous about. They calibrate to you.
Eyes up and far ahead — look where you want the car to go, not at what you’re trying to avoid.
Smooth inputs. Brake in a straight line, get off the brake before you turn in, unwind the wheel as you add throttle. The ND rewards smoothness more than aggression.
No ego. If you spin, both feet in (clutch and brake), keep it on the track if you can, and raise a hand so others see you. Spinning happens; it’s how you learn the limit.

A good instructor will have you driving meaningfully faster by the end of the day than you’d have managed alone, and safer the whole time.

Mindset

The biggest mistake beginners make is treating the first event like a race. You’re not chasing a lap time — there isn’t one that matters. You’re building habits at 7/10ths that hold up later at 9/10ths.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Speed comes from consistency, not bravery.
Leave margin. The ND’s modest power means you can run most of a session near the limit without the trouble a 400-hp car gets into, but the limit still bites if you stab the throttle mid-corner.
Cool the car, then yourself. Take a full cool-down lap so your brakes and oil aren’t sitting at peak temp in the paddock. Drink water — fatigue causes more spins than tires do.
Debrief honestly. The driver who asks “what was I doing wrong in turn 4” improves faster than the one who tells the instructor how good that lap felt.

You’ll leave your first HPDE a noticeably better street driver, with a much clearer sense of what your ND will and won’t do. Most people sign up for a second one before they’ve left the paddock.