NASA Great Lakes Region HPDE Instructor Program

Welcome to the NASA Great Lakes region Instructor program page!

2023 NASA GL Instructor Driving and Experience Requirements:

-A minimum of 4X driving in NASA GL HPDE 4 run group events or equivalent*

-6 or more total NASA GL events or equivalent*

-A minimum of 3 or more tracks/NASA GL events at different tracks*

-*Or at the discretion of NASA GL Chief Instructors

The path to a NASA Great Lakes Instructor includes the following:

Step 1: Read Ross Bentley's Instructor Manifesto and immediately afterward take the MSF Level 1 certification. There is a one time fee of $50 for this payable to the Motorsports Safety Foundation. This Nationally recognized certification is your link to being seen by other HPDE organizations as a certified instrucotr. See link for more details.

Step 2: Submit your completed MSF Level 1 certificate to Eric Meyer. This action formally gets you into our NASA GL instructor program.

Step 3: Join our NASA GL Instructor facebook group and the 3,000+ member HPDE Instructor facebook group. These are fantastic resources and a great way to connect to your fellow NASA GL Instructor team members.

Step 4: Once in HPDE 4, you'll receive an Instructor referral letter from Eric Meyer to get your feet wet instructing with other non-NASA GL organizations.

Step 5: All Instructor candidates must spend at least one weekend event in our NASA GL HPDE 3 program or equivalent. This is because they must understand the quality of the student you are looking to produce while working with them in HPDE 1. HPDE 3 is our core learning advanced driving group.

Step 6: Advance from HPDE 3 to HPDE 4 per the normal advancement requirements. This does not apply to existing HPDE 4, TT and Racers.

Step 7: Sign up for the NASA GL Instructor e-Course ($75)

Step 8: Attend an HPDE 1 Friday, Saturday and Sunday Audit and Eval ($25). This 3 day audit teaches you our HPDE 1 Instructor process. This 3 day event is held at Mid-Ohio every year in April. You'll be very busy your entire Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is a one time effort and allows you to understand how our HPDE 1 classroom is aligned with your on-track instructing efforts. Sunday will include learning how to right seat instruct with one of our senior mentors. This is excellent practice for your upcoming Friday ITS where you will be right seat instructing for the entire day.

Step 9: Sign up for the NASA GL future ITS (Instructor Training School) AND Instructor driving in HPDE 4. Contact Eric Meyer if you have any questions as this is sometimes a bit confusing for the first time Instructor.

Step 10: Successfully complete the Friday one day ITS. That same weekend you'll have one HPDE 1 student.

Step 11: I will forward your name and info to the Motorsport Safety Foundation. They will activate your HPDE 1 account so that you can pay the $35 Level 2 fee. This earns you your Level 2 Instructor status and puts you into a National database. This database tells other Chief Instructors and event organizers that you have completed the Level 2 requirements. This Level 2 certification requirements allows you to be considered by several organizers and instruct with them/for them. Please understand that each club and organization does things differently and your Level 2 status does not automatially earn you entry into their program. It gives you a certified credential but not an automatic entry into thier program. Each region and club is different. Most prioritize your certification over other visiting instructors who do not have this cert.

Congrats! You are now an MSF Level 2 certified NASA GL Instructor!!! Register for all the future events you plan on attending ASAP! Do you have more questions? Check out our FAQ page here.

NASA GL Instructor Resources and tools you should be familiar with: