The Alpine Mountain Region Porsche Club will close its 2021 driving season with a High-Performance Drivers Education event followed by an end-of-season dinner at La Junta Raceway. La Junta’s 1.3-mile 7 turn track is the perfect track for novice and experienced drivers alike! Its low 4000-foot elevation will enhance the power of your sports car. And we expect beautiful early fall weather at our HPDE. Come spend the weekend in La Junta and enjoy the comradery with your fellow Porsche Club members. A track-walk followed by a banquet is included with your registration and will be held at the track on Saturday. The cost is free to all registered participants! Additional dinner tickets can be purchased for $15.
We will be offering a commemorative event long-sleeve t-shirt for purchase. Please choose size and quantity in your registration. The cost is $25. We will have a limited supply on hand at the event for sale.
Registration closes Monday, September 27th. Be sure to register early! Your priority in being confirmed for an event will depend on the date and time you register. All drivers will be Waitlisted upon registration until the event CDI confirms your driving status and can confirm that an instructor is available if you need one. Solo/Instructed driving status will be at the sole discretion of the AMR CDI Committee. Instruction priority will be given to students who registered for two days.
Saturday and Sunday the gates open at 7:00 AM – Mandatory Driver Meeting at 8:00 AM
Coffee/Juice and Breakfast Snacks at the Driver’s Meeting
Junction Burgers will be on site offering lunch
Saturday Dinner @ the Track Catered by Mexico City
Drive both Days for only $255, Single Day $185
NOTE: This event will be using Deferred Billing. If you are paying with a credit card, it will not be charged until registration closes.
La Junta Raceway 30267 1st Ave, La Junta, CO 81050
Lodging Information: – You must call the hotel to reserve club pricing!
Holiday Inn Express – $109 plus tax 719-384-2900
27994 US Hwy. 50
La Junta, CO 81050
Hampton Inn – $96 plus tax 719-384-4444
27800 US Hwy.50
La Junta, CO 81050
IMPORTANT: We will be using Speed Waivers for participants to sign remotely. You will receive a link to sign the waivers after registering.
All attendees will be required to follow Federal, State, and Local Government COVID-19 guidelines in effect at the time of the event. Participants and volunteers should stay at home if they are at higher risk for severe illness. Participants that are sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, must stay home.
If you have any QUESTIONS, please contact the Event Chair or Chief Driving Instructor
Event Chair: Robin Dillon (robin80906@gmail.com)
OktoberFAST HPDE 2021 wrap-up
The “Junction” of Safe & Fast
It was a dark and stormy night….no, wait, sorry wrong story. The final HPDE of the 2021 season at La Junta Raceway actually began on Friday night. Participants gathered at the hottest spot in La Junta – The Hampton Inn – for beer, pizza and early registration. After a slight SNAFU with the local Domino’s Pizza (who would have thought there were 2 very similar parties planned at the Hampton at the same time!) the pizza arrived and was devoured. With about 60% of those registered checking in early it made registration the next day a lot smoother.
Saturday dawned a bit overcast and cool with some rain that we’d gotten overnight, but the forecast predicted dry and warming temps and it did not disappoint. The drivers meeting got underway on time with Event Lead CDI (Chief Driving Instructor) Steve Carlson requesting the advanced group dry out the puddles on the track for everyone! Novice students paired up with their instructors, and the advanced drivers went out to dry the track. By noon, the temps were in the upper 70s, sunny Colorado-blue skies prevailed as a tarantula made its way safely across the paddock checking out the cars as he went under them! As the track heated up, so did the driving. A day of spirited fast and safe driving ensued for all. La Junta is the perfect track for all levels of driving. It looks very simple from the layout, but the more you drive La Junta the more you realize the level of finesse some of the corners require. It’s almost as if the more you challenge the course, the more it challenges you – the driver.
With the track cold for the day, Beer 30 commenced and with beverages in hand CDI Jeremy Vreeman led willing participants on a track walk. A track walk is exactly that – a walk around the track with various stops along to way to discuss or even look at things you can’t see while driving 100 mph. Given the historical nature of La Junta Raceway, the participants learned a bit more about LJR than they probably anticipated. Meanwhile back at the classroom trailer we all eagerly awaited the banquet from Mexico City. Once dinner arrived, drivers and guests gathered outside on picnic tables as well as inside and enjoyed a long-time AMR favorite restaurant. Dinner entertainment was provided by the one and only, Allan Lasater on his electric guitar. Allan’s not just a great driver, and the track manager in La Junta – he’s an amazing singer and guitar player! Taking requests, providing a “name that tune” segment, it was a hit with everyone present.
Sunday, while nice and cool in the morning, heated up and found all ditching sweatshirts for sunscreen. Another beautiful day of driving. With slightly fewer people driving on Sunday, the day ran a bit shorter. After the final run group and the track was once again cold, the coveted John Deere Award was given out by Steve Carlson to Gary Muller from Durango, CO for his amazing spin out 300’ from the track entrance. While there were fewer people hanging around on Sunday afternoon as many get on the road back home and back to reality, there was one thing that was certain: it was a great weekend and a good time was had by all!
Special thanks to sponsors that helped make this weekend so perfect: Big Mission Motorsports, Creative Consortium, State Farm Kelly Muse Agency, and 314 ½ LLC!
If this sounds like fun, you’re right it was! Never been to an HPDE? You should try it. Stay tuned for information about events during the “off season,” how to get involved if you DON’T want to drive (yes, we need volunteers), and HPDE-101 a non-driving event (Feb/March 2022) to kick off the track season.