2026 HPDE Ground School Recap
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.
