In the excitement leading up to a NASA event, especially if it’s one of your first HPDE experiences, it’s easy to forget the basics.
We usually remember to bring water, snacks, sunscreen, long-sleeve T-shirt, fill up the fuel tank and things like that, but one of the most important things to do to prepare for HPDE is to remove the driver-side floor mat.
It’s not terribly common for the floor mat to get bunched up behind the brake pedal and prevent you from being able to press the pedal fully, but it can happen. The result can be an off-track experience, or worse. It’s easy enough to prevent, so put it on your event checklist.
It’s also possible for the mat to slip under the gas pedal and thereby keep you from being able to go to wide-open throttle, which is equally tragic in its own way.
Next time you’re getting ready to go out on track for HPDE, or even a TT session for those of you who driver your street cars to and from the track, be sure you remove the floor mat from the driver side. It’s as easy as dropping it in the passenger’s footwell, which is something you can do with your factory seat belts and your helmet on.
