Blog

Brad Cameron

Porsche Club of America Las Vegas Region sanctioned a High-Performance Drivers Education (HPDE) weekend at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, on September 6 and 7, 2025. Held in near perfect mid-90s weather, the event attracted a solid turnout from such places as Dallas, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Utah, Southern California, and of course our locals. Our reach for drivers is expanding with each event thanks to the efforts of the HPDE volunteers.

 Over 90 drivers, including eight beginners, had the opportunity to practice their skills in the art of performance driving. The club provided twelve instructors, led by Roger Garrell (covering as Chief Driving Instructor while Brian Schmidt was on an exciting Safari in Africa, driving Porsches of course!) Roger and the team of volunteer instructors did a magnificent job guiding the student drivers from the skid pad to the track as well as orienting experienced drivers with the Spring Mountain Charleston Peak circuit. We are grateful to Roger and our instructors for their commitment to safety and helping the participants reach their goals.

As the new HPDE Co-Chair, I took on leading the running of the event, my first time after being a participant in these events for many years. Did I ever find out how much is involved, and especially how fantastic our team of volunteers are! The event ran without any major glitches and participants were engaging and offered useful feedback to help us iterate and improve future events. One driver even wrote to PCA National to praise the event and everyone who was involved in pulling it off. Wonderful job, all the volunteers – we were an effective team, and the next one will be even better!

For those interested in learning more about the HPDE experience, the club offers an introductory experience, the “Taste of the Track.” An experienced instructor will guide you through the basics and take you on track for a session, giving you a taste of what it is like. We hope to see participants register for a future HPDE event!

Mark your calendars for our next HPDE event scheduled for November 29 and 30 and stay tuned for further details and registration opportunities in the coming months. For more information, contact me, Brad Cameron, the Region HPDE chair, at bcameron00@yahoo.com or visit the MotorsportReg.com website when registration opens in early October.

I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped me with the planning and execution of this event, as well as our talented and dedicated team of instructors who prioritized safety, learning and fun for their students.

Volunteers

Barbara Barron, Lisa DiSabatino, Ed Hanford, Gary Lea, Brian Schmidt, Andy Stahl, Phil Palmintere, Peter Reingold, Marnie Cameron, Gene Werst, Gigi Richardson, Anna Argenio and Bryan Davis.

Instructors

Roger Garrell, Gerrit Dablaing, Kim Fowler, Alex Geiger, Curt Richardson, Jason Scott, Mark Tsai, Terry Van Noy, Bob Shultz, Eion Heslop, Todd Trimble, Grant Murray.