As a result of a survey of the High Performance Club Membership carried out in the millennium year, the Driving Standards Committee was formed. It was charged with the rather onerous task of reviewing, defining and informally monitoring the driving standards within the Club.

The Committee was also asked to address the issue of the continuity and suitability of expert professional instruction both for people wishing to join the High Performance Club and to provide 'Post Qualifying Experiences' for new and existing members.

The first step was to document the Standard of Driving required to gain membership to the Club, not an easy task in anybody’s book. The DSC has consulted with the finest and most experienced driving coaches in the country at the present time to produce this document which defines the entry standard and that of the Higher Awards.

One of the challenges with a document of this kind is that it could very quickly become out of date. We have decided to publish this document on the Club's website and these standards will be updated on a regular basis for your use; any changes will be made only after full consultation with the Club's approved coaches.

Each section comprises of an introduction to a specific discipline, outlining what we would expect to see from an HPC driver; there are a range of competencies that set out what is expected of you and a demonstration section that allows you to measure your performance against these competencies. This document is not intended to be a 'how to do it' manual; it simply defines the standard of driving that is expected by the High Performance Club.

The driving environment and the cars we now drive have changed dramatically since the days of John Miles and the inception of the High Performance Course. The Club organises track days on a regular basis and as a result of this, we have instituted changes to the Honours Awards, which for the first time in the Club's history recognise excellence in Circuit Driving. These awards will be known as Honours Two and Honours One.

These standards will be monitored by Danny Cooke and Steve Ivermee, together with other circuit experts of their choosing. Danny, Steve and their team have extensive motor sport experience and regularly race at the Nurburgring. The Standard they expect to see is documented in the following pages.

We have also introduced a new Honours award to be known as Honours Three which will look at basic car handling skills. This is in the capable hands of Don Palmer who is internationally known for his Limit Handling expertise. We firmly believe that a basic understanding of this skill is essential in today's environment and this skill needs to be developed prior to attempting the Gold Award.

Our new Gatekeepers have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and will coach new and existing members alike in accordance with the Standards set out in this document.

This is a very exciting time in the history of the High Performance Club. We have taken ownership of our standard of driving; our coaches together with the DSC will ensure that this standard is maintained.

We believe the standard of driving in the High Performance Club to be the highest attainable in the civilian driving world. As the Chairman of the Driving Standards Committee I hope that existing, new and potential new members will appreciate the benefit of having the Standards defined and documented.

Jim Brown, Driving Standards Committee Chairman, October 2005