Lads, you know from posts over the past six months that I have been working the set up of my car to get it ready for track, a daily driver suitable car that can run the roads. This Friday, I got my first chance to test her out.

Laguna Seca, Monterey, on a beautiful sunny day with 51 degree ambient temperature. A full day of running, with three skill level groups (advanced/intermediate/beginner). This is my first time on a high speed circuit, so naturally, in addition to being a beginner, there is a healthy measure of trepidation. One frontal brain lobe is branded with a concern over bending or breaking the car, while the other is tatooed with the thought of doing something unbelievably stupid, and surving to endure the ridicule.

Classroom time to learn all the rules, flag signals etc., after the normal registration, car prep and tech checks etc. Speed Ventures sponsored the event and they were good.

Lots of neat cars. A Ferrari, a Cobra, an NSX, couple of 911 Porsche Carreras, a Boxster, couple of Subie STi's, and a raft of S2000's from a car club. A Mini Cooper turbo was out there too. And a couple of those wild English Radicals ran in the advanced group (pull off the line and point them by as soon as they appear in the rear view mirror...because they boogie and only weigh 1100 pounds!).

We turn several laps with an instructor riding shotgun, having you learn the line, brake points etc. Then you go solo.

I will spare the long story of the day, but in the third session, I pull on the track at the end of the Andretti hairpin turn 2, and there about 400 yards in front is a beautiful Z06. So, the hunt starts. The G is much better in the turns, and comes out faster, so every turn nets about a 20 yard gain, and even in the straights he gets reeled in a little, largely a function of high turn exit speed and later braking into the turns (brembos function beautifully). By two laps I have him at the little straight from turn 2 to turn 3. At the next straight to turn 4 I am up close and at the end of the straight the flagman to turn 5 throws him the stand aside flag. I drop into the turn and drift out, with the accelerator down, he pulls off line going up the hill to turn 6, and with the supercharger screaming to 6300rpm run by him inside, pull back on line, and drip left into turn 6, juke left and then right though 7, and down into the corkscrew at 8. Two laps later....he is nowhere to be seen in the rear mirror. Then a break for lunch.

Tummy full of Z06. Coke and fries was enough.

The car really works in the turns nicely. I was running the stock pilot sports pumped to 40psi, and they were great. The Vette had Hoosier street slicks. Could not haul him down in the straights, but did not lose ground either. It was all about smoothness.

Oodles of fun. Learned a lot. Did not break anything either. Got some more tweaking to do, then will take it out again to get it really set right. No ambitions for Walter Mitty glory......but taking the Vette was sweet.

The little S2000's were nice cars. Good handling, very high reving (they get up to the high 8000rpm ranges at times and sound like big sewing machines, with high compression engines) but they just could not match the FI on the 3.5L G, so they were not a match at all. Passed them like waving off flies. The Subie STi was another story altogether. A little car but mean and fast, it came squealing out of the corners with real high exit speeds. It may not look like a million, but it drives like a million. Nice performer.
The Boxster was hardly an appetizer...might have been the slowest car on the track. The Ferrari was the best sounding, along with the Cobra, but he spun out in front of me on turn 5 (that was an interesting moment). But nobody t-boned him and he got it going again without any damage other than ego. But then that was short lived because.....well...he does own a Ferrari and the rest of us do not!!!

Good fun. Safe. Instructive. Learned a lot. Including how much more I have to learn.

 

Oooh sounds fun. What does it cost to do weekend racing? I am not rich, but I have a Z (daily driver) and a helmet.

 

It is not racing so much as "hot lapping". There are many sponsors of these events, which include instruction, but are distinguished from the true driving schools, which are more intensive and costly. Typically these programs cost from $175 to $300 for a full day of running your car. That usually means four or five track runs, each one lasting about 20 to 25 minutes. At Laguna Seca, that means about 7 to 8 laps each time out. 35 to 40 laps is about 85 miles of flat out driving on that track, which is technically demanding and reasonably fast. And not terribly forgiving. You will feel you got your money's worth for sure.

You get separated by skill level and sometimes by hp, but at Laguna Seca the big hp boys do not necessarily run the fastest times. Driver Skill and set up of the car are important, and the little Subies just waxed the Vipers and Vettes, at least on this day. Acceleration, decceleration, turning and ideal line are what you learn and practice.

What you can do is check out the race course web sites in your region of the country, and pull up their schedules. You will see a number of dates, typically Fridays and Mondays, that are for operations that specialize in reserving track days. Get their website and find a description of their program, what they charge, what the require and so forth. Check them out carefully, for safety, reputation etc., and when you find one that will match up with what you want to do, talk to someone that has gone on one of their outings, and if it sounds good, sign up and go to one. Many of them will do a circuit or rotation, so that if there are three or four good tracks in your area of the country, they will hit them all in a one year, or possibly even six month period.

You do not race, just work on your skills. You do not need to mod your car, just make sure it is in race ready condition. Be careful, be smart, and have fun.