By alley - Jun 17, 2015, 6:31 AM ET

Get On Track!

Track day events allow even the greenest of drivers to get out on track in a relatively safe environment with low commitment.

A couple of weeks ago,

Mazda Motorsports introduced you to what it takes to get started in autocrossing

. The necessities for enjoying track days are pretty much the same – a safe, suitable car, a helmet and an event.Track days, like autocrossing, go by many different names depending on the club or organization that's putting it on; High Performance Driving Event, the term used by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is one of the more prevalent, but most follow a similar theme. If it's your first time, you'll get some classroom time and be paired with an instructor. Your first laps may be riding with the instructor before it's your turn to get on the track with the instructor in the passenger seat. As you progress, you'll be able to get out on track without an instructor. Some organizations also tier the sessions, so new drivers don't share the track with more experienced track day participants and vice-versa.NASA's HPDE events are usually run within their racing weekends, so if you're interested in stepping up to wheel-to-wheel racing, you'll be able to get a good look at what goes on there as well. While many participants don't have an interest in moving to Time Trials or wheel-to-wheel racing – and for them an HPDE can be treated as nothing more than an opportunity to get on track – NASA's program is structured to allow progression from HPDE to club racing.

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