AutoTrackDay

Making the Leap from Track Days to Racing: Racing Schools

Okay, so you have begun to think about transitioning from track days to racing. What do you do? How does it work? Well Chad Morehead took the leap and he shares his journey.

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen.../hpde-how-to-s

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AutoTrackDay

2018 Camaro ZL1: The Most Track Capable Camaro Ever

The Camaro Z/28 was once described by Chevy as “the most track-capable Camaro ever.” Well, the new 2018 Camaro ZL1 has taken over that title. We directed our track day questions to Matt Scrase - Performance Variant Manager, Camaro.

"The owner’s manual supplement outlines what prep is needed for heavy track use. Specifically, suspension alignment and oil specs."

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http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...kcars-articles

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AutoTrackDay

New original article:

iLaps Transforms Your Smart Phone into an Intelligent Data Logger

"Measuring motor sport performance is a serious task and requires an accuracy that mobile phone sensor chips are incapable of."

Read more at:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...car-technology

AutoTrackDay

New original article:

Hooked On Driving Southeast Region Co-owner, Tony Franco

"Drivers need to get fulfillment, that joy out of being able to make a car perform. It is not only that, but the stress relief, the mental focus, the sheer pleasure of just being out there."

Read more at:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...ures/yourtrack

AutoTrackDay

New Original Content

Responsible. Not Responsible: Marketing the Demon to Create Outlaw Image for Dodge Brand

“With Demon, our goal was to build a car that would tattoo the Dodge logo into the subconscious of the general market, beyond even our loyal enthusiasts” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America. “To do so, we had to set records that have never been set before, do more than has ever been done before, go beyond even the legendary Hellcat. The result: an 840¬horsepower, 9¬second muscle car unlike anything that has ever come before it.”

The quote was from a press release issued by Dodge. If you read other car magazines, you may have noticed that Dodge is running ads with the title “Sorry. Not Sorry” and the tag line “Officially banned by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association)” to promote the newly released Dodge Challenger Demon and, it seems, to create an outlaw image for the Dodge brand. The ads also include a letter from Glen Gray, NHRA Vice President for Technical Operations. Here it is:

To: FCA US LLC, regarding its Dodge brand
Date: November 30, 2016
This letter verifies that on Monday, November 21st, 2016 at Gainesville Raceway at Gainesville, Florida, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon ran the quarter mile in an elapsed time of 9.650 seconds at 140.09 miles per hour. Both the elapsed time and the speed on this run exceeded the limits on 2008 OEM (Original Equipment Model) model-year and newer production cars and therefore violate our rules. The car exceeded our limits of 9.99 seconds and 135 miles per hour. Therefore, before this car can be run again at an NHRA Member Track, it must be brought into compliance with the rules and regulations found in Section 4 of the NHRA Rulebook. If you have any questions concerning this letter or the rules in Section 4 of the NHRA Rulebook, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Glen Gray
NHRA
Vice President, Technical Operations

We spoke with two law enforcement officers who also happen to have founded organizations to discourage street racing by encouraging people to come out and race with their members at drag strips.

“I know it is a marketing draw,” says Sgt. Scott Graham of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Motorsports organization. “They are trying to be like the outlaws with these cars. Dodge is.”

We asked Brown and Graham to weigh in on safety issues and the Demon. "They start selling these cars - it’s going to be less than 30 minutes before there will be major incidents and some fatalities. An 840 horsepower street car - it just don’t make sense to me” said Lt. Tom Brown of Beat the Heat.

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http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...etrackarticles

AutoTrackDay

"Tires that can be reliably driven to and from a track and used effectively on the track are generally grouped into three categories, with each category favoring a different balance of performance:”

Track Day Tires Explained
by
Steve Calder, Ultra High Performance (UHP) Tire Designer, Michelin North America

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...car-technology

Also get 15% off your next track day;
Hooked on Driving Southeast Region has events at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, June 17th and Roebling Road Raceway on Monday, June 19th!
And from now until June 17th - Pre-register for either of these events using Promo Code
Fathersday17
to get 15% off your registration fees!

https://www.hookedondriving.com/hook...utheast-Region

Finally, please visit our online store for all of your track day needs. We have selected the products most relevant for HPDE participants and shipping is free:

http://trackdayzone.com/online-store/visit-store

AutoTrackDay

Message to Valtteri Bottas: Swerving Doesn’t Heat the Tires
by Paul Haney

"How quickly a racing tire comes up to a good operating temperature, at least 180 degrees F, depends on the load, car speed, ambient temperature and the track surface temperature."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...car-technology

AutoTrackDay

New original article:

Suspension Tuning with Mike Skeen, Jade Buford, Matt Romanowski, Dave Scott and Robert Metcalf

"Most of the focus for the setup with this type of car is in getting it comfortable and preserving the tire--this also happens to be where the tire is working best."

We posed a hypothetical question to our team of professional driving coaches:

You are asked to coach an experienced solo level track day driver (not necessarily a racer) with a new car. Let's say he or she has just purchased the 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE. The driver has no experience with suspension set up, but understands it in theory. How would you go about teaching this driver the basics of suspension set up over the course of a weekend HPDE event? Assume he is familiarized with the new car on track. Would the skills be specific to the particular track or would the knowledge be transferable to other tracks? If one weekend is not enough to accomplish this, how much training would be required for the driver to be able to do his/her own experimentation? Would data logging help? How would it be used? Assuming there is a track support person to take tire temps in the hot pits, would those be useful? How would tire temps be used?

Read what our experts had to say:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...ving-technique

Thanks coaches!

AutoTrackDay

New original article:

BMW Ultimate Driving Experience

“...drivers participating in the teen driving school, autocross or M control clinic will develop their own skills, gaining experience and confidence while learning under the guidance of our BMW Performance Center instructors.”

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...ures/yourtrack

AutoTrackDay

Two new original articles:

Why Smooth is Fast by Paul Haney

"Jerky, violent driving means abrupt accelerations that transfer weight quickly. The tires don’t like that."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...car-technology

And

2018 Mustang GT

"There are three drive modes for the new Mustang- Normal, Sport and Track."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/…/featured-a...kcars-articles

AutoTrackDay

The previous post had broken links. Let's try again. Sorry.

Two new original articles:

Why Smooth is Fast

"Jerky, violent driving means abrupt accelerations that transfer weight quickly. The tires don’t like that."

Read more:
http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...car-technology

And

2018 Mustang GT

“We are delighted to announce that the 2018 Mustang offers an available Performance Pack that will be among the first vehicles on the road to offer the Y-rated Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires."

Read more:
http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...kcars-articles

AutoTrackDay

New Driving Technique Article:

The Visuals of Braking
by Vivek Goel

"Corner entry is arguably the single most challenging aspect of competitive driving."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...ving-technique

Also, visit our online store for all of your track day needs:

http://trackdayzone.com/online-store/visit-store

Thanks and enjoy!
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AutoTrackDay

New original article:

Dave Scott: Race Coach

"...he was able to mentally disconnect from the mechanics of driving, from the ‘oh where do I have to hit the brakes, how slow do I have to go, where do I need to start my turn in, when do I have to go to the gas,’ to the mental aspect of paying attention to what the car was telling him and making minute changes as he looked farther and farther ahead. It fundamentally changed his driving and allowed him to execute properly with the brake pedal.”

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...rackdaydrivers

http://trackdayzone.com/

AutoTrackDay

New Article:

Making the Leap from HPDE to Racing Part II: What goes into picking a car and a series

"I began following the development of the class about a year ago, watching their forum and Facebook page to see how things panned out. Any racing is a big investment, and it can be a gamble to test a new class. No one wants to race in a class with only a handful of cars."

We followed Chad Morehead as he navigated BMW CCA and NASA race schools in the leap from HPDE to club racing. What follows is a discussion of the thought process he went through in choosing a car and a series to race in.

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...rackdaydrivers

AutoTrackDay

New original article:

HAGERTY ANNOUNCES NEW ‘TRACK DAY’ INSURANCE PACKAGE

"In the past decade, most auto insurance companies have added exclusions to their policies eliminating coverage of vehicles for HPDE events."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...es/trackextras

AutoTrackDay

New original article:

Robert Metcalf of Metcalf Racing

"As far as the things that need to be mastered I would think the top three are smoothness, carrying speed in the turns and braking."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...rackdaydrivers

AutoTrackDay

New original article:

Jeff McKague of EventMatrix.ca: Driving Coach and Certified Sports Vision Trainer

"As you approach a corner look into the corner, glance into the corner and see the angle. When I say glance, it literally can just be a flash of looking at the exit of the corner so that you see the change of angle that you have to make."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-general/yourtrack

AutoTrackDay

New Driving Technique Article:

False choice #1: Smoothness vs. Aggression

"Clearly, we want to avoid weight transfer spikes. This is the simplest explanation of why being smooth is preferable to being abrupt."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...ving-technique

Also, please consider clicking on the Hagerty Ad for track day insurance located on our home page. Your support is appreciated.

Thanks and enjoy.

AutoTrackDay

New Article:

Fred Pack: Fifty Years and Overcoming Fears

"Our instinct for self-preservation leads us to repeat a few bad habits on the track. The key manifestations of fear are coasting, being timid on the brakes and applying throttle late in a corner exit."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-gen...rackdaydrivers

AutoTrackDay

New How To Article:

Homebrew Trailer Tire Rack
By Chad Morehead

"Up until recently I have been carrying my extra race slicks and rain tires in the back of my truck."

Read more:

http://trackdayzone.com/articles-general/hpde-how-to-s

http://trackdayzone.com/