So my buddy has a friend that is arranging a private track day at Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm. When I first found out, I jumped at the opportunity to sign up for this puppy as the track has a hard limit of 10 cars for a private session. From what I understand, there are going to be a couple of former professional drivers out there, 3 or so instructors, and the rest just out to have a good time. The field consists of a few Porsches (don't know which models), a Ferrari of some sorts, my buddies RX8, and of course my Z. My ride is a completely bone stock Touring 6sp so I don't know how track worthy this puppy is but I'm stoked.

This is my first time out at a track so does anyone have any advice?

Thanks,

Dan

 

Wear a helmet and don't lose.

 

Well, besides that, here's a few tips that may be helpful:

First off, lets set up the car. Plan the trip out so that you will arrive at the track with no more than 1/4 of a tank of gas. If you are able to, get there with approx. 1/8th, and fill up to like 1/3 with the race gas that you can buy at the track. High octane helps this car out alot.

Next, remove all non-necessary components. This only works if ya do everything. That means, empty your glove boxes, compartments, spare tire, floor mats, sun glasses, cell phones - you get the idea. Two reasons - saves weight, and less sh*t to slam around and hit you/distract you. You've got a car to race!

Then, you wanna think about adjusting your tire pressues. There is no definate answer with this one. Just make sure they are all balanced and a few lbs higher than your normal driving psi's.

Finally, the fun part. Drive a lap, slowly, and have a passenger make notes (like they do in WRC). This way, you can look the track over by driving it, and remember it because you have notation. Take the turns, and think to yourself "Yeah, I could have hit that much faster" or, "holy sh*t!!"

Lastly, it's time to put all this preparation to work. Go out, have fun, and keep within your limits. Wear your seatbelt as tight as it will go (not easy with standard car seatbelts), wear a helmet, and keep both hands on the wheel as much as you can (hand positions at 3 and 9, NOT 10 and 2, or god forbid one hand at 12). Hand off to shift, then back on right away.

Good luck, and take pics!!!!

 

Important: At least flush your brake system and refill with a high boiling point brake fluid, so you can enjoy the car more!

Visit the road racing forum for more info

 

Thanks for the tips. I was told this is not a "racing" session but more of a "hot lap" session. Does anyone know about insurance? and also (this is gonna sound gay but) what kind of shoes?

 

Check with you're insurance company- don't be direct and let them know you are going to the track- just call pretending like you're a new customer and ask what their policy is. Not sure how your buddies are setting it up but if they are not timing it they can usually present it as a "high performance driving school" which some insurance companies will cover. Find out if your specific insurance covers this type of event.

As for shoes- just some comfortable tennis shoes. I wear my Pumas or Adidas.

Most important have fun- good luck.

 

I could be wrong, but I think insurance is part of the cost of getting the private session.

 

Possibly liability but doubtful for comp and collision.

 

Ok...got some other stupid questions:

1) Do you leave VDC on when you track?

2) Roll the windows up, or leave them down?

3) Ever listen to music when your lapping? or is that illegal?

Thanks,

Dan

 

1) Off.
2) You have to leave them open
3) Not.

 

Do tracks let roadster drivers drive with the top down?

 

If you feel up for it, here's my amateurishly written attempt at describing the experience of going to a track for the first time:

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze2yxsu/Track.html

 

Almost every insurance company will not cover a "timed" or "racing" event at a track.

AllState will not cover any track events, driver's education or not.

StateFarm and Amica have been known to cover an occurence on a track as long as it wasn't "timed" or a "racing" event.

If you're not comfortable with your insurance you can try out American Collector's Insurace. They offer insurance for HPDE's (I'm not sure they'll cover private sessions like yours).\

And most definitely do NOT call your insurance agent to ask about their coverage (some have reported that they were NOT renewed for doing this, unconfirmed though.) It's best to call up on the sly...

 

There's always just reading the policy. Insurance is no big secret--if there's an exclusion in the policy, it will be clearly set forth.

 

Jason, thanks for sharing your experiences. So if you guys track the car, are you doing it at a risk with no insurance? Also, any experience with Progressive?

Thanks,

Dan

 

I'm going to my first track session a week from this coming Tuesday. I personally can't wait. I'll definitely look into all of these suggestions. No matter what happens I plan on having fun. Would you guys recommend I get an oil change before I track?

 

Only if you haven't done it recently. I don't adapt my oil change intervals for track events. I would recommend fresh brake fluid if yours is more than 6 months old. And while you're doing that, get a good high-temp fluid like ATE superblue or TYP200 or Motul RBF600. Also make sure your brake pads are relatively fresh (if they're more than halfway down, get a spare set).

 

Thanks for the information/suggestion. I am definitely going to change to brake fluid although I think i'll wait on changing the oil. Have you been to many track events Jason?

 

Many, many events. I started out 5 years ago and have been instructing for a variety of clubs for the past 2 years.

 

funkymonkey - I've never seen an event where convertibles were allowed with the tops down. But the Northeast is not very convertible friendly. The vast majority of organizers don't allow convertibles *at all*. Some allow convertibles with hardtops or aftermarket roll bars and a handful allow convertibles with tops up. The tracks tend to be a little bit more tolerant of convertibles. Ultimately, it's usually the instructors who tend to drive the decision. There are many instructors who don't want to ride in convertibles.