Hi gang,

When I went to my very first racetrack event, I knew very little. In fact, I didn't even know how little I knew! Today I am still by no means an expert race driver. However, I have picked up a few things along the way, and would like to pass them along so the first-timers that read this might be a little more prepared than I was. For those of you who know alot about tracking your car, please feel free to add some things to the list (tips are not listed in any particular order)... Oh, and if I'm wrong about any of this, please point it out.

1. Use brake pads designed for racing, and bring an extra set just in case. The stock pads will not last 1 day on the track. Hybrid street/race pads are great when you're first learning.

2. Flush your brake fluid and replace it with ATE SuperBlue or Motul 600. The stock fluid will boil too easily (fluid fade), causing your brake pedal to get too mushy to be safe out there.

3. Read "Going Faster" or "Speed Secrets" to familiarize yourself with racetrack driving and the physics of what you'll be feeling out there. It's way, WAY different than driving hard on even the twistiest road.

4. Get familiar with how to bleed your brakes. If your fluid boils you'll have to do this quickly.

5. Remember to be real easy on your brakes during the cool-down lap so your brakes can well, cool down. Failure to cool them down sufficiently will cause your fluid to boil and could crack your rotors.

6. Speaking of rotors, never, ever put your parking brake on right after you come in from a track session. Doing so when your brakes are hot (yes even if you've cooled them down on the cool-down lap) can result in warped rotors.

7. Learn the racing line at each track you run at. For example, you can view turn-by-turn descriptions of Thunderhill, Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow, and Sears Point at this Porsche Club website: http://www.pca-ggr.org/ttvenues.html#thunderhill

8. Ask the event organizers for in-car instruction before the event. This is very important no matter how well you carve up twisty roads. Racetracks are a totally different animal, and are WAY MORE FUN TOO!!!!!

Enjoy!!!

 

(edited)

To clarify, the purpose of this thread is to provide info for the first-timer. I certainly don't want to scare anyone off by making the costs involved seem too prohibitive. If any newbies read this thread and learn something by my mistakes instead of their own then I guess the thread's purpose will be fulfilled.

The reason I emphasized avoiding stock pads and fluid right off the bat is that at the end of my first track day, I had less than 1/8" remaining on my stock front pads and learned my first lesson about brake fade too. I guess I wasn't driving as conservatively as maybe I should have been because I was braking hard enough to cause problems with the stock stuff. But certainly for beginners that drive conservatively, the stock pads/fluid should be fine, and a second set of pads would be overkill.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by monkeymaker
[B]5. Remember to be real easy on your brakes during the cool-down lap so your brakes can well, cool down.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Strike
[B]No offense but given the title of your thread I think you're overemphasizing some things.

 

I boiled my fluid my first time out, had to get someone to help me bleed them. If you use the brakes hard, there's a good chance the stock fluid won't hold up. Probably the track makes a difference. The hairpin at Sebring was where I was really getting on them (120+ to 30ish mph).

I'd just add, if you haven't driven on a track before, take it easy, learn the line, and find a SAFE turn to push the car. Everyone's got their stories, but several of us saw a Brand New M3 go into the tires and on top of the wall. Bent frame, total loss. Car had about 200 miles on it.

 

I've removed my previous comments. Obviously I'm out of touch on this topic

 

Perry,

good writeup!

I made it through my first track event on stock tires, pads and fluid; I think many people will be fine on their first event, but the more aggressive might not.

Here's a link to the thread I maintain for the PacNorthwest folks on track info:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...?threadid=98080

and here's the general info from there:

Track FAQ
The fine print: I'm not a race car driver, mechanic, lawyer or your mother, I'm just a guy who's done a few track days and had a great time; use your own judgement and seek other opinions. Do not sue me.

Q: Is it safe?
A: While nothing is completely safe, especially when it involves cars, there are several reasons why the track is safer place than you would imagine. Everyone is going the same direction, with no cross traffic, hidden driveways, or kids darting out onto the road. Everyone is paying attention to what they're doing, instead of talking on a cell phone, changing radio stations, and reading a map. There are corner workers keeping an eye on all parts of the track, ready to alert you with a flag if there's something you should know about around the next turn. All in all, it's safer to drive fast at the track than on the street.

Q: Are these events really racing?
A: No, no racing is involved at most of these events! Passing is allowed only when the driver being passed gives a 'point-by' to the driver wishing to pass, and even then only at designated 'passing zones' or more accurately 'let-by zones', usually the straights.

Q: What should I do to my car to prepare it for the track?
A: The S2000 is amazingly well suited to go to the track without any major changes. The one area that you might think about changing before your first track day is the brakes: while they are excellent for street driving, the pads and fluid aren't up to the heat produced by the repeated heavy braking you'll do at the track. Some drivers have no problem at their first few events. Good DOT 4 brake fluid and a set of performance brake pads are all you really need. Search this site or ask other owners for recommendations. At the track, you'll want to take anything loose or removable out of your car: floor mats, sunglasses, the spare tire and tools, basically anything that could move around and either hit you, get in your way, or be a distraction. Plus, a light car is a fast car.

Q: Can you tell me more about brake pads and fluid?
A: The stock brake pads may glaze, wear out, or crumble under heavy track braking. Glazed pads result in reduced stopping ability, requiring increased brake pedal effort; glazing will eventually wear off. You don't want to find out about worn out or crumbled pads! Popluar replacement pads inclulde Porterfield R4 (track only), Porterfield R4-S (track/street), BrakeMan #3 (track/street), and Carbotech Panther Plus (track/barely usable on the street), among others. Several site sponsors sell these pads. The stock brake fluid will boil under moderate to heavy track braking. Boiling the brake fluid causes air bubbles in the fluid; the air compresses more easily than the fluid, which you feel as a 'mushy' pedal. This reduces your braking ability, especially your ability to control your braking. Popular replacement fluid includes Ate SuperBlue and Motul RBF 600 fluid; the SuperBlue is, believe it or not, colored blue, so you can tell when you've got all the old fluid out. I alternate between the two. In the Seattle area, SpeedWare Motorsports carries both of these fluids and Proflow Design carries the SuperBlue.

Flushing/bleeding brake fluid FAQ:
https://www.s2ki.com/article/articleview/8/1/33/

Q: What else do I need?
A: You'll need a helmet to participate in track events. If you have a decent motorcycle helmet, many track events will allow you to use it. They may require it to have a 'MA90' or newer rating, and of course it should fit you properly and be in good condition. Some events require 'car' helmets, which carry an 'SAxx' rating, where 'xx' is the last two years of the rating standard. My helmet, for example, is a 'SA95' helmet, because it was designed to the 1995 standard for Special Applications. Some of this site's sponsors sell helmets, or you can ask members for local shops. Some events have loaner helmets available, but be sure to reserve one in advance.

Q: What about rollbars?
A: Those arches behind the seats in the S2000 are designed to support the car in the unlikely event of a rollover. They, along with the windshield frame, are quite beefy under the plastic trim and are attached to the car's frame. There have been reports of S2000 roll-overs where the occupants were protected by the stock roll hoops. It is possible, however, that you will run into a track event where they are uncomfortable with the S2000 as-is, and may require an aftermarket roll bar or cage. In some cases you may be able to convince them with the above information to allow you anyway. Keep in mind, however, that for events where you will have an instructor in the car with you, that instructor must be willing to risk their head, too... I recommend that you verify with the organizers of any event you are signing up for that they will accept the stock S2000 roll hoops at the time you register.

Q: What about tires?
A: The stock Bridgestone Potenza SO-2s that come on the S2000 are probably the best street tires for a track event, other than their high cost. For your first couple of events, they should be fine. You will see the equivalent of several hundered (or thousand) miles of wear after a day at the track, though! That said, R-compound tires (DOT street-legal race tires) are probably the one thing you can change on your S2000 that will reduce your laptimes the most. There are many threads on this site discussing various tires and their tradeoffs.

Q: How do I find out what my lap times are?
A: Disclaimer: Timing could be dangerous, either if it distracts the driver, or if the dirver lets the pursuit of better lap times cloud his or her judgement. It could also potentially cause insurance problems; some policies exclude timed events. Most (probably all) driving schools and many lapping days won't knowingly allow you to use timing, for insurance (and safety) reasons.

That said, here are four methods of timing laps:

1) stopwatch, either strapped down somewhere in the car and operated by the driver (a bit dangerous/distracting), or operated by pit crew (e.g., girlfriend, husband). Subject to significant error. (cost: free if you have a watch with a stopwatch function, otherwise $20-$100.)

2) video tape. Can be fairly accurate if you set up the camera either a) on a tripod where it will catch you crossing a line or b) on an in-car mount if you have a good landmark that you pass in the same position each lap. (cost: free if you have a camcorder and tripod, otherwise $50-$200 for a tripod or in-car mount, $400-$3000 for a camcorder.)

3) Hot Lap timer. Uses an infrared 'flashlight' transmitter shining across the track, an in-car receiver pointed so that it will 'see' the transmitter, and an in-car control/display unit connected to the receiver. The display shows you your most recently completed lap time while you're driving, and records up to 60 laps' times for later review. Quite accurate if you can get the receiver to see the transmitter reliably. (cost: $185 for the in-car pieces, $65 for the transmitter.)

4) AMB transponder/loop/software. The SpeedVentures events use this setup (they rent the transponders to you for the day). Very accurate, tracks all drivers indivdually, gives cool print outs suitable for smack-talking. This is what prefessional races use. (cost: if you have to ask, you can't afford it.)

If you hypothetically wanted to know your lap times at a more restrictive event, you could try to use the Hot Lap equipment without them noticing, although many instructors would probably spot it. You could also use the video or stopwatch method without much chance of detection. Whatever you do, try not to talk about lap times or timing within earshot of the event organizers, as they will likely have issues.

If you have any questions that haven't been covered in this FAQ, please let me know.


Ted

 

Wow! That's good stuff Ted!

I especially liked how you addressed the misperception that we are actually "racing" out there. There isn't any of that going on other than "racing" against the clock. (Though the SpeedVentures guys that run in the red group might argue that point. )

Furthermore, when timing oneself it is very important not to get caught up in the desire to get better and better times because doing so is flat out dangerous. It's best for beginners (maybe even for all but true experts) to look at lap timing as a learning tool. Doing so will help drivers keep their cool and maintain focus. It also helps to note that many times when we think we are slower, the lap timer says we're faster, which is more than likely a result of improved smoothness.

Remember the racing axiom, "slow down to go faster".

 

monkeymaker,

Actually, I would contend that most drivers in the red group are not racing. You'll find that most of the time, they already have the speed (they are in a rhythm from lap to lap) and it's just a matter of working on the details of each corner to pick up some more time. You actually don't need a clock to tell you how fast you are going, and whether or not you are improving your lap times. You can gauge your improvement by the gear/RPMs at each corner (entry, exit, etc.). I'm definitely not the best driver out there but when I'm on the track, I usually work on different corners each session. At the end of the day, I'll try to stitch the whole track together.

 

I've gone to the track four times in as many months. I've seen cars totalled or damaged extensively each time -- and I hit a deer coming out of Turn 9 at Summit Point.

So, I'd add to your list, "check with my insurance company to see if it covers damaged incurred during driver education events." If not -- and it varies by company -- ask yourself if you're prepared to take a total loss in the case of an accident.

I don't mean to send up any reg flags, but tracking a car necessarily involves risk to the car and to the driver. That's something that any newbie should consider *before* making the decision to go.