2025 March Driver Education Event at NJMP

Schattenbaum held its first Driver Education event the weekend of March 22-23 on the Thunderbolt track at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). The weather this time of year is unpredictable, but we were lucky with no rain on either day and lots of sunshine. Saturday was a bit warmer, about 60 degrees. Sunday started out near freezing, but warmed up considerably in the sunshine in the afternoon.
There was no rain, but as you can guess from the adjacent picture, there was plenty of wind to remind you that we’re not yet enjoying beach days.

In keeping with the unpredictable weather, the event hosted only about 50 drivers on
Saturday, and bit fewer on Sunday. Drivers brought a range of cars. Street cars included
models that you see every day on the highway as well as a group of recent Porsche GT3 RS models. Other drivers brought dedicated track cars, like these driven by members of Schattenbaum.

March DE

We were hoping for close to 80 registrants, but the smaller turnout meant those present got to enjoy lots of open track time as a reward for coming out to this first DE of the year. With the smaller turnout, we divided the cars into three run groups, with new track participants having the chance to acquaint themselves to Thunderbolt without being preoccupied by traffic. Everyone’s cars went home in the same shape as when they arrived, but for using up some gasoline, tire rubber, and brake pads.

Parade Laps

The driver turnout for this DE might have been smaller than usual, but we had a big turnout for parade laps on the track.

At lunchtime on Saturday and Sunday, we welcomed about 20 Schattenbaum members each day to drive their street car on the track. Parade laps resemble driving on a regular highway. Speeds are limited behind a pace car, you don’t need a helmet, and you’re stuck behind the car in front of you. What parade laps offer that is special is a chance to see a racetrack from the driver’s point of view. That’s particularly special if you’ve had a chance to watch cars on the track negotiating the course at speeds that reach upwards of 140 MPH.

Upcoming Events

Don’t worry if you didn’t register for this event or participate in the parade laps. More
opportunities are on the way.

Here is a list of all the upcoming track events in 2025:

The team of Schattenbaum volunteers who run DE events is planning to host parade laps at lunchtime during our next DE event. That’s on Saturday, May 10, the day before Mother’s Day. Hope to see you there!

2025 DE and Club Race Dates

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