Flat Out Classic at Heartland Park Topeka

The 4th annual Flat Out Classic High Performance Driving School was held at Heartland Park Topeka, Kansas from June 9-11, 2017. The Flat Out Classic (FOC) featured several events for a diverse group of auto enthusiasts. From high-performance driving school to autocross and car show, FOC offered a little something for everyone.

The Heartland Park (HPT) road course features 16 turns, and is 2.5 miles in length. The course features several signature corners and elevation changes across the course. It also has great safe, run-off areas—should they be needed. This is a purpose-built pro course, designed for road course driving.

The HPT track surface underwent a complete makeover this past winter so it was a perfect opportunity to drive the freshly repaved track. For those of us who have been to RPM track located near Glenwood, Iowa, elevation changes made it an interesting, challenging, but very rewarding drive.

While BMW was the featured marque other brands such as Porsche, Corvette, Ford, MINI, Pontiac, Subaru and Volkswagen were well represented.

Our host hotel this year was the Super 8 at Forbes Landing. With Heartland Park located only a stone’s throw from the hotel, it was a convenient location with ample amenities. The hotel also offered a special event rate just for our FOC participants!

An event like FOC requires methodical preparation and resources from multiple chapters. The Great Plains, Iowa, Kansas City, Sunbelt and St. Louis chapters of the BMW Car Club of America joined forces to make this event a fun weekend.

All driving schools take a group of dedicated volunteers to make it happen and FOC was no exception. Many volunteers from participating chapters spent countless hours to put together a well organized, educational, and fun driving school. Many thanks to all who helped out!