On Saturday, March 7th, nearly 40 attendees, plus Track Committee members, gathered at HMS Motorsport in Danvers, MA to shake off the winter doldrums and talk about a couple of our favorite things: cars and driving them on the track!
After coffee and breakfast treats generously provided by David Peterman of Panera Bread, members of the High-Performance Drivers Education team, plus leaders from the NER Board, were present to discuss NER’s 2026 on-track activities. The punchline is that there is a lot planned with something for everyone…even those who may opt not to drive. This event, coined “The Ground School,” is the official kickoff to the upcoming NER driving season.
The Ground School focuses on the many opportunities available for new drivers in the Drivers Education program.
Led by Co-Chief Instructor, Tim Canfield, a lively conversation followed as each member of the Track Committee talked a little about their role and how they got “hooked” (addicted?! LOL.) on high-performance driving. Thereafter, Cody McLean and Evan Polisky of HMS covered the all-important topic of driver safety equipment.
The group then broke for lunch and the rich discussions continued in a less-structured format, with lots of one-on-one conversations and dedicated Q&A. Tasty pizza and soft drinks were furnished courtesy of HMS. HMS hosts Cody and Evan provided personal attention for those looking to try on helmets or find the right size and style of equipment.
Many thanks to HMS for hosting the group and for their generous support of our High-Performance Drivers Education programming.
And for those who need a fast and “colorful” visual of the objective of the program, here you go!
Article and pictures courtesy of Michelle Wang and Darin Smith.
https://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/IMG_2415-scaled.jpeg19202560Darin P. Smithhttps://porschenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NERegionVectorLogo-siteicon.pngDarin P. Smith2026-03-24 19:37:172026-03-25 07:33:442026 HPDE Ground School Recap
NER’s 2026 Autocross Season kicks off on Sunday May 17that Moore Airfield in Ayer and will be sponsored by Kachel Motor Company in Lawrence. As always, we welcome newcomers to the sport as well as veteran Autocrossers, Porsches and non-Porsches are welcome.
For those new to Autocross, it is a safe and accessible introduction to motor sports and a fantastic way to improve on your driving skills both for motorsports and street driving. It is also a competitive event: the runs are timed and you compete against similar cars in your class at each event. Participants at our autocross events are a dynamic mix of veterans and novices, enjoying what is both a Club social event as well as a friendly competition. Novices can always count on help from the autocross veterans and no one takes it so seriously that it interferes with the spirit of camaraderie. To give you a first-hand look at what to expect, we have a series of excellent “Introduction to Autocross” videos on our website, produced by one of our long-time members Richard Viard. They can be seen on the Autocross page of our website at www.porschenet.com. Registration is open for all 2026 events on motorsportreg.com; click here for event info and registration. For the May 17th event, you must register online by midnight, Friday May 15th .
Gates will open at 7:00 am. Please do not arrive before that time unless you are part of the setup crew. When you arrive, the check-in crew will ask to see your driver’s license and e-waiver badge on your phone.
Park in the paddock area and empty your car, put your assigned numbers on your car, and get in the tech line with your helmet in the car.
Tech lines will be open from 7:15 to 8:15; Plan to arrive no later than 8:00 to get through Tech before it closes.
You should bring a helmet (Snell 2015 or newer), sunscreen, water and lunch if you did not order it. A limited amount of loaner helmets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Drivers Meeting will take place near the Control Tent around 8:30 am.
There will be a course walk after the driver’s meeting; Following the course walk go immediately to your assigned work stations. We will begin runs at about 9:30 am.
We’ll take a short lunch break between the morning and afternoon run sessions. If you ordered lunch when you registered, it will be available for pickup. Soft drinks, snacks, and water will be provided by the Club.
The cost for the day is $55 for members, $65 for non-members. Lunch can be pre-ordered online when registering.
We look forward to seeing you at this event. Questions: contact AX Chair Chris Ryan ([email protected]). For registration information, contact the AX Registrar Alan Davis ([email protected]).
Directions: The event will be at Moore Airfield on Route 2A which is separate from the main (former) Army base. The Google maps address is 90 Fitchburg Rd. Ayer MA. From Rte128 or I-495: Take Route 2 West. Take Exit 38B (Route 111 North) for 2 miles. At the rotary, take Route 2A West toward Ayer. Stay on 2A as it turns right in downtown Ayer. Follow Route 2A bearing left at the fork by Tiny’s Restaurant. Continue past the Shop & Save market on your left – the entrance gate will be on your left just after the railroad tracks with a sign reading “Welcome to Moore Field”. Enter through the main gate, then look for the “Autocross” sign and bear left up the hill to get to the airfield. Everyone should have signed the e-waivers prior to arriving. At the top of the hill there will be someone to check you in. Please be prepared to show your driver’s license and PCA Membership card if asked.
