TrackDaze Summit Point 10-3,4-2009
10-09-2009, 10:34 AM
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TrackDaze Summit Point 10-3,4-2009
I really have to give it to the guys at TrackDaze. They really know how to put on a HPDE here on the East coast. You show up at 7 am on Saturday to get your car teched and they’re ready to go. A few minutes and you’re through and on to registration which is also smooth, short and painless. They make clear announcements leading up to the next event (classroom or track time) and kept everyone on schedule. Each group gets 30 minutes of track time four times during the day. Rungroups were beginner, intermediate, advanced and instructor with a 1 hour break for lunch. During lunch they also allowed parade laps with family members or whomever you may have brought along. Seatbelts only, no helmets needed. There are also 2 classroom sessions with a very knowledgeable instructor.
The in car instructor I had was his first time instructing but he was very good and patient. He helped me a lot. I had some motion sickness issues and he tried to get me to concentrate on looking up and to the next corner to get over it. Dramamine helped quite a bit on the second day, also his suggestion. I also had a problem in one particular corner trying something the classroom instructor told us to try in that corner. Start a turn a split second earlier on the uphill side to get the weight of the car on the front tires to add more grip and take the corner on the other side of the hill pretty tight. Both times I tried it, the car got tail happy so the instructor suggested reducing the air in the rear tires to add more grip. In fact, we checked the hot pressures and ended up letting 3 lbs out of all the tires which cured the tail happy problem in the corner and made the car handle better in my inexperienced hands. This instructor was much better than either of the SCCA PDX instructors I had experienced before.
The in class instructor was also great. I think he was born at the track. Kid looked maybe late 20s but you could tell he knew his way around the Shenandoah circuit. This is the most technical track on the East coast, according to him. (May have had something to do with my motion sickness). He went through the usual safety briefing and what the flags mean. He spent a lot of time on asking us what corners or places we found the most troublesome so he could walk us through his line. The first class he went over the danger spots on the track to be aware of. In the last session of class, he went through specific areas and told us about landmarks we could use to get lined up correctly. He also went over tire pressures and tuning our balance of the car much like my in car instructor did but not in great detail. The best part was, this guy should be a comedian. He was hilarious but did not promote grab *** or tolerate any sort of BS that might get someone hurt. For example, he took attendance and if you were supposed to be in class but weren’t, you did not go back out on track. No cutting class here, ladies and gents. The class was not so structured as an educational class would be, but it was very application oriented and practical to getting folks introduced to high speed driving on that track.
All in all, I highly recommend the Trackdaze experience. Someone on here suggested before that guys spend all this money on their cars but few do anything for the driver's ability. I can tell you with absolute certainty, that is a BIG mistake. There was a kid there from Virginia (sorry don't remember his name) in a bone stock 350Z pretty much same issue as mine. I've spent a fair amount of money modding my car and this kid KILLED me out on the track. OK, so part of it was the motion sickness deal on the first day but even when I got a good hot lap (to the point where my tires started to get greasy and go away), he was still faster by a long shot. Don't remember all the cars he could hang with but all were mostly way over a Z's power level. Says a lot for the Z's handling and that it is a large part driver skill especially on a road circuit that is tight like this one.
This was my 3rd such event with the other 2 being SCCA sponsored. I will definitely be back at Trackdaze again. My goal is to have fun and use the modifications I have made to my car. This will help me enjoy watching motorsports more and understand what the drivers are doing. I am glad the guys on the Time Attack Forum recommended these guys and have to say, they were 100% correct. Here's a few pictures from the event:
The in car instructor I had was his first time instructing but he was very good and patient. He helped me a lot. I had some motion sickness issues and he tried to get me to concentrate on looking up and to the next corner to get over it. Dramamine helped quite a bit on the second day, also his suggestion. I also had a problem in one particular corner trying something the classroom instructor told us to try in that corner. Start a turn a split second earlier on the uphill side to get the weight of the car on the front tires to add more grip and take the corner on the other side of the hill pretty tight. Both times I tried it, the car got tail happy so the instructor suggested reducing the air in the rear tires to add more grip. In fact, we checked the hot pressures and ended up letting 3 lbs out of all the tires which cured the tail happy problem in the corner and made the car handle better in my inexperienced hands. This instructor was much better than either of the SCCA PDX instructors I had experienced before.
The in class instructor was also great. I think he was born at the track. Kid looked maybe late 20s but you could tell he knew his way around the Shenandoah circuit. This is the most technical track on the East coast, according to him. (May have had something to do with my motion sickness). He went through the usual safety briefing and what the flags mean. He spent a lot of time on asking us what corners or places we found the most troublesome so he could walk us through his line. The first class he went over the danger spots on the track to be aware of. In the last session of class, he went through specific areas and told us about landmarks we could use to get lined up correctly. He also went over tire pressures and tuning our balance of the car much like my in car instructor did but not in great detail. The best part was, this guy should be a comedian. He was hilarious but did not promote grab *** or tolerate any sort of BS that might get someone hurt. For example, he took attendance and if you were supposed to be in class but weren’t, you did not go back out on track. No cutting class here, ladies and gents. The class was not so structured as an educational class would be, but it was very application oriented and practical to getting folks introduced to high speed driving on that track.
All in all, I highly recommend the Trackdaze experience. Someone on here suggested before that guys spend all this money on their cars but few do anything for the driver's ability. I can tell you with absolute certainty, that is a BIG mistake. There was a kid there from Virginia (sorry don't remember his name) in a bone stock 350Z pretty much same issue as mine. I've spent a fair amount of money modding my car and this kid KILLED me out on the track. OK, so part of it was the motion sickness deal on the first day but even when I got a good hot lap (to the point where my tires started to get greasy and go away), he was still faster by a long shot. Don't remember all the cars he could hang with but all were mostly way over a Z's power level. Says a lot for the Z's handling and that it is a large part driver skill especially on a road circuit that is tight like this one.
This was my 3rd such event with the other 2 being SCCA sponsored. I will definitely be back at Trackdaze again. My goal is to have fun and use the modifications I have made to my car. This will help me enjoy watching motorsports more and understand what the drivers are doing. I am glad the guys on the Time Attack Forum recommended these guys and have to say, they were 100% correct. Here's a few pictures from the event:
10-09-2009, 10:44 AM
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In car video
10-12-2009, 04:16 AM
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Nice video 
The audio is really good - you can actually hear the engine instead of just the constant roar of wind noise. What is your camera set-up?????
BTW I also agree Trackdaze gives good value. Many groups only give you 3 sessions per day. Four sessions means more driving and less sitting around waiting!!!!! If you are interested for next year, if you sign up in advance for 3 of their events, you get a 10% discount. Track time is expensive, but that deal gives you some nice savings.
The audio is really good - you can actually hear the engine instead of just the constant roar of wind noise. What is your camera set-up?????BTW I also agree Trackdaze gives good value. Many groups only give you 3 sessions per day. Four sessions means more driving and less sitting around waiting!!!!! If you are interested for next year, if you sign up in advance for 3 of their events, you get a 10% discount. Track time is expensive, but that deal gives you some nice savings.
10-12-2009, 06:03 AM
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I wish these events catered toward more Z guys. Seems like most would rather spend $100 on a popcharger than on a track event... or go to a meet where you stand around and look at stuff (that's free) Besides.. Summit Point is an hr or 2 away for some.. not 10 mins down the street! =P
If any1 hasn't gone yet, I highly recommend you get some seat time w/ an instructor. Your driving will improve x2.
If any1 hasn't gone yet, I highly recommend you get some seat time w/ an instructor. Your driving will improve x2.
10-13-2009, 06:02 AM
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Nice video The audio is really good - you can actually hear the engine instead of just the constant roar of wind noise. What is your camera set-up?????
BTW I also agree Trackdaze gives good value. Many groups only give you 3 sessions per day. Four sessions means more driving and less sitting around waiting!!!!! If you are interested for next year, if you sign up in advance for 3 of their events, you get a 10% discount. Track time is expensive, but that deal gives you some nice savings.
The audio is really good - you can actually hear the engine instead of just the constant roar of wind noise. What is your camera set-up?????BTW I also agree Trackdaze gives good value. Many groups only give you 3 sessions per day. Four sessions means more driving and less sitting around waiting!!!!! If you are interested for next year, if you sign up in advance for 3 of their events, you get a 10% discount. Track time is expensive, but that deal gives you some nice savings.
10-13-2009, 06:16 AM
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I wish these events catered toward more Z guys. Seems like most would rather spend $100 on a popcharger than on a track event... or go to a meet where you stand around and look at stuff (that's free) Besides.. Summit Point is an hr or 2 away for some.. not 10 mins down the street! =P
If any1 hasn't gone yet, I highly recommend you get some seat time w/ an instructor. Your driving will improve x2.
If any1 hasn't gone yet, I highly recommend you get some seat time w/ an instructor. Your driving will improve x2.
There were 3 other Zs there besides mine. One was a beginner like me, one was an intermediate driver and the last was an instructor who brought it in on a trailer from North Carolina. The guy in my class was bone stock and said he had never done one of these. He kicked my a$$ and I have probably $20k in mods on my car at least. Driver is way more than 50% of the equation, IMO. If you're interested in going fast and using your car to its potential, investing in the driver is where it's at but most don't do it that way. The guy in the intermediate class had a very nice looking black Z with tasteful Nismo body kit, some nice rims and tires but no major engine mods. I think it was a track model so it had the factory Brembos with Hawk pads. Don't know how he was running but I'm sire it was very good. The guy in the instructor group also had basic upgrades as far as I could see. Not a single one was FI.
10-13-2009, 06:46 AM
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^ Lots of those FI guys are freakin' jokes. The majority of the FI crowd only wants to go fast in a straight line or improve their 1/4 times, hence that's probably why they got it in the first place... with no real interest in improving the driver mod. I've noticed that these threads tend to get maybe 10-15 posts at MOST. The majority of Z owners tend to not be track guys, it's pretty sad that only 3 Z's would show up to those events compared to how many we get at our regular local meets? 100+ if not more? So that's roughly... 1-2% of the crowd are actually "Driving Enthusiasts."
I have a co-worker who has a maxed out NSX (suspension/chassis wise) and got raped by a 60 yr old man with a stock 93' NSX; it really shows the difference between a good driver and a professional driver.
In the real world, those obsessed with HP/torque numbers may get there faster from A to B, but too bad the real world isn't a flat straight surface.
I have a co-worker who has a maxed out NSX (suspension/chassis wise) and got raped by a 60 yr old man with a stock 93' NSX; it really shows the difference between a good driver and a professional driver.
In the real world, those obsessed with HP/torque numbers may get there faster from A to B, but too bad the real world isn't a flat straight surface.
Last edited by abui01; 10-13-2009 at 06:47 AM.
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10-13-2009, 08:21 AM
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^ Lots of those FI guys are freakin' jokes. The majority of the FI crowd only wants to go fast in a straight line or improve their 1/4 times, hence that's probably why they got it in the first place... with no real interest in improving the driver mod. I've noticed that these threads tend to get maybe 10-15 posts at MOST. The majority of Z owners tend to not be track guys, it's pretty sad that only 3 Z's would show up to those events compared to how many we get at our regular local meets? 100+ if not more? So that's roughly... 1-2% of the crowd are actually "Driving Enthusiasts."
I have a co-worker who has a maxed out NSX (suspension/chassis wise) and got raped by a 60 yr old man with a stock 93' NSX; it really shows the difference between a good driver and a professional driver.
In the real world, those obsessed with HP/torque numbers may get there faster from A to B, but too bad the real world isn't a flat straight surface.
I have a co-worker who has a maxed out NSX (suspension/chassis wise) and got raped by a 60 yr old man with a stock 93' NSX; it really shows the difference between a good driver and a professional driver.
In the real world, those obsessed with HP/torque numbers may get there faster from A to B, but too bad the real world isn't a flat straight surface.
Wait a minute...........aren't you FI?
10-13-2009, 08:55 AM
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Make that 4 Z's!!! I was there also in the beginner group. (black HR Z). I had a blast! Took it easy on the car at first trying to learn the track in the first session, but then in the second session I was pretty aggressive. I was pretty dizzy myself after a session in my instructor's GT3 Porsche 911.
The car handles very well in stock trim. I can't wait to get some suspension mods and take her out again. I'm heading to New Jersey Motorsports Park in the spring!
HERE ARE SOME PICS
The car handles very well in stock trim. I can't wait to get some suspension mods and take her out again. I'm heading to New Jersey Motorsports Park in the spring!
HERE ARE SOME PICS
Last edited by Jose2008Z; 10-13-2009 at 09:00 AM.
10-13-2009, 09:28 AM
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Make that 4 Z's!!! I was there also in the beginner group. (black HR Z). I had a blast! Took it easy on the car at first trying to learn the track in the first session, but then in the second session I was pretty aggressive. I was pretty dizzy myself after a session in my instructor's GT3 Porsche 911.
The car handles very well in stock trim. I can't wait to get some suspension mods and take her out again. I'm heading to New Jersey Motorsports Park in the spring!
HERE ARE SOME PICS
The car handles very well in stock trim. I can't wait to get some suspension mods and take her out again. I'm heading to New Jersey Motorsports Park in the spring!
HERE ARE SOME PICS
Man, you're right. You were only there Sunday. The black Z I referred to earlier was there Saturday only. Now I do remember 5 Zs including my silverstone(Yellow instructor guy, silverstone, daytona blue, black X2).
There were at least 3 GT3s there (all black as I remember). One guy pulled his GT3 up beside my car to detail it before he rolled it on the trailer to take it home. Then he hooked the trailer up to a Porsche Cyanne turbo to pull his $130K+ GT3 back to his crib. GEEZ! The other guy I liked for style was the guy with the AMG 63 out there in the instructor group just flogging the crap outa' that expensive *** car!
I plan to make the track daze at the main circuit summit point next year. This shenandoah circuit is just tight and hurts my head. I hear VIR is good also.
Maybe a few of the Z crowd should make an event of it. It is great fun, you learn something and NO TICKETS. That alone can pay for the event. You need to leave your ego at the door, however.
10-13-2009, 09:43 AM
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Haha, YES! There's a right way to FI and a wrong way... solely dependent on the driver mod. For example you wouldn't put an inexperienced 16 yr old in a 500whp 350z, you'd stick em in a Honda Civic with 90hp. Same concept applies with your driving skills. Most folks can't even handle the Z in it's stock form let alone an additional 300+ whp over stock. For beginners, I suggest you learn the car's limits in it's stock N/A form with stock everything before even adding the simplist of mods (ex. an intake, springs, swaybars etc.) Once you add in additional stuff, it totally changes everything.
Wish my $hitbox was running so I can join the festivities. Maybe next season =)
Wish my $hitbox was running so I can join the festivities. Maybe next season =)
10-13-2009, 02:04 PM
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Any of you guys coming to VIR with PCA on Nov. 21-22? I'm planning on being out there running the full course for the first time (not counting numerous parade laps). I was planning on doing Hyperdrive with NASA at Summit Point but it looks like its canceled now. I havent been to SP yet so I will have to get out there next season for sure and along with CMP down in south Charlotte. Mosdef will make it out to some Trackdaze events fo sho...
Few pics from CircuitX on the Patriot
Few pics from CircuitX on the Patriot
10-13-2009, 03:09 PM
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I wish these events catered toward more Z guys. Seems like most would rather spend $100 on a popcharger than on a track event... or go to a meet where you stand around and look at stuff (that's free) Besides.. Summit Point is an hr or 2 away for some.. not 10 mins down the street! =P
If any1 hasn't gone yet, I highly recommend you get some seat time w/ an instructor. Your driving will improve x2.
If any1 hasn't gone yet, I highly recommend you get some seat time w/ an instructor. Your driving will improve x2.
10-14-2009, 05:32 AM
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Z33@SIM- I don't plan to do VIR although my instructor said I might like it better. The course is not as tight so less chance of motion sickness. TrackDaze is doing VIR in November. My experience with these things in November (last hear at Summit Point) is it can be really windy and cold. They do VIR several times during the year. I'd rather do one in spring or summer. TrackDaze does have an event in June on the Summit Point Main circuit. I did that last year and it was a blast! Will definitely do that one every chance I get.
BTW- Redline Time Attack did not do Summit Point Shenandoah this year because in 2008 they had so many crashes (K-rails growing out of the ground everywhere and little to no run off). I really hope they come back and do the main circuit. The closest they got this year was NJ Englishtown and Kershaw in Carolina. I think they are going to concentrate on the West coast due to the economy.
BTW- Redline Time Attack did not do Summit Point Shenandoah this year because in 2008 they had so many crashes (K-rails growing out of the ground everywhere and little to no run off). I really hope they come back and do the main circuit. The closest they got this year was NJ Englishtown and Kershaw in Carolina. I think they are going to concentrate on the West coast due to the economy.
Last edited by Gator; 10-14-2009 at 05:39 AM.
10-15-2009, 05:01 PM
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Any of you guys coming to VIR with PCA on Nov. 21-22? I'm planning on being out there running the full course for the first time (not counting numerous parade laps). I was planning on doing Hyperdrive with NASA at Summit Point but it looks like its canceled now. I havent been to SP yet so I will have to get out there next season for sure and along with CMP down in south Charlotte. Mosdef will make it out to some Trackdaze events fo sho...
10-17-2009, 04:10 PM
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That would actually be a miracle! I could get probably 5-7 guys out to pitch in, but none of them drive Z's. Z's cater toward a different type of car enthusiast. You hardly find any track guys.
10-17-2009, 04:53 PM
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^^^What he said.
I mean thats an awesome idea and I would mosdef be up for that but I dont see it happening. I too would have probably 5-7 people that would be interested in doing this but only one of them is a Z.
As far as track days goes let me know when and where you guys are heading and I'll try my best to make it out there. There is not enough of us that take our cars to the track fo sho.
I mean thats an awesome idea and I would mosdef be up for that but I dont see it happening. I too would have probably 5-7 people that would be interested in doing this but only one of them is a Z.
As far as track days goes let me know when and where you guys are heading and I'll try my best to make it out there. There is not enough of us that take our cars to the track fo sho.
10-18-2009, 09:52 AM
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I think it would be great to rent the track but probably a bit of a hassle. I don't know if that price includes corner workers and EMS, which you have to have. I likely know some SCCA guys who would help us out with track stewardship and tech and the like. I don't really care if it's all Z/Gs or not, to tell the truth.
I think it would be easier just to sign up for a TrackDaze. They were at Summit Point 3 times this past year. 2 times on Shenandoah and 1 on the main. I like the main as it does not tend to induce motion sickness like Shenandoah with all its quick switchbacks. Plus with TrackDaze you get good instructors, if you need them. Just a thought. Here is their schedule from 2009. https://www.trackdaze.com/index.php?...=80&Itemid=129
I think it would be easier just to sign up for a TrackDaze. They were at Summit Point 3 times this past year. 2 times on Shenandoah and 1 on the main. I like the main as it does not tend to induce motion sickness like Shenandoah with all its quick switchbacks. Plus with TrackDaze you get good instructors, if you need them. Just a thought. Here is their schedule from 2009. https://www.trackdaze.com/index.php?...=80&Itemid=129
10-18-2009, 09:57 AM
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Forgot to add if you're really interested, the SCCA is having a PDX Halloween weekend, the 31st and November 1st. It is on the Shenandoah and be forewarned, it can get cold up there that time of year although it may be lucky and be a great 60 degree weekend. The instructors can be good but the price is the same and the time is shorter on track for beginners especially. The PDX is basically their way to get people interested in Time Trials (their version of Time Attack) or Club Racing.
http://www.wdcr-scca.org/
http://www.wdcr-scca.org/