First Ever Track Day
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 672
Likes: 15
From: Orlando, FL
First Ever Track Day
Hey all,
So I just did my first ever track day and it was a blast. I've had my S for just over a year and it was my first ever stick. I started AutoXing back in July last year and enjoyed it so took it one step further to the track. Did an event with NASA and it was great... Currently I have a few mods including test pipe and exhaust, drop in filter, stiffer springs on stock shocks, a square tire set up on 17x8.5 wheels running ZII's, a stiff front sway bar, and a sparco seat with stock belt still. Got a lot of plans to do more but money is always the struggle. Below is the video of my last session. I was in HPDE1 so only passing in straights with a point by. Got held up from time to time but typically I got a point by as soon as the next straight came along.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qggp...aeF2g8o1sBHWJQ
So I just did my first ever track day and it was a blast. I've had my S for just over a year and it was my first ever stick. I started AutoXing back in July last year and enjoyed it so took it one step further to the track. Did an event with NASA and it was great... Currently I have a few mods including test pipe and exhaust, drop in filter, stiffer springs on stock shocks, a square tire set up on 17x8.5 wheels running ZII's, a stiff front sway bar, and a sparco seat with stock belt still. Got a lot of plans to do more but money is always the struggle. Below is the video of my last session. I was in HPDE1 so only passing in straights with a point by. Got held up from time to time but typically I got a point by as soon as the next straight came along.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qggp...aeF2g8o1sBHWJQ
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,662
Likes: 4
Glad you got out to the track 
I was in your boat just a couple years ago, it's great fun and very addicting. I would leave your setup alone til you get more track time, it is better to pay for seat time, and when you get more experience you will appreciate mods more and how they affect the car.
I was in your boat just a couple years ago, it's great fun and very addicting. I would leave your setup alone til you get more track time, it is better to pay for seat time, and when you get more experience you will appreciate mods more and how they affect the car.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,189
Likes: 275
From: Wilton, NY, formerly New Milford, CT
Taruffi’s Rules
1. You must never lift your foot in a corner, but must keep just enough throttle on during the central phase to hold your speed constant, so as to be ready to open up as you leave the corner, widening the radius as you go. TTO?? Page 85.
2. The really important thing is that, once you open up again halfway around the corner, you must not lift your foot for any reason at all – either through coming in too fast, taking the wrong line, accelerating too hard, or miscalculating the slipperiness of the road surface on the way out. Page 91.
3. When cornering rapidly it can happen, through excessive speed or an unexpectedly slippery patch, that the … two back wheels … lose their grip. … [When the] back wheels … lose adhesion in this way, and the rear part of the car starts sliding towards the outside of the corner … [y]ou must unwind the steering wheel immediately, to bring the car back in the right direction. At the same time you should apply a little engine torque to induce a slight pitching movement, thus transferring weight to the rear wheels. To lift your foot right off, or worse still, to use the brakes (and also on … powerful cars, to open the throttle too wide) will turn an already desperate situation into a disaster. Page 92-93
4. When it is the front wheels that go (one of the most unpleasant situations to be found in racing) … you can only lift your foot and turn the steering so that the wheels are pointing straight, hoping that they will regain their grip before the car goes off the road; if this succeeds you must lock over again to get around the corner. Page 93
Welcome to the addiction! Unfortunately there is no cure that I've been able to find - not even a menacing spousal unit.
There is an older, 90 minute video. I think the title is "Skip Barber - Going Faster". See if you can find it on You-Tube, but if not there is a link on page 5 of the Upstate (New York) 2014 Track Day thread. It's worth watching, as it takes you essentially through the three day race school. Very worthwhile as it takes you through the 3 day school.
1. You must never lift your foot in a corner, but must keep just enough throttle on during the central phase to hold your speed constant, so as to be ready to open up as you leave the corner, widening the radius as you go. TTO?? Page 85.
2. The really important thing is that, once you open up again halfway around the corner, you must not lift your foot for any reason at all – either through coming in too fast, taking the wrong line, accelerating too hard, or miscalculating the slipperiness of the road surface on the way out. Page 91.
3. When cornering rapidly it can happen, through excessive speed or an unexpectedly slippery patch, that the … two back wheels … lose their grip. … [When the] back wheels … lose adhesion in this way, and the rear part of the car starts sliding towards the outside of the corner … [y]ou must unwind the steering wheel immediately, to bring the car back in the right direction. At the same time you should apply a little engine torque to induce a slight pitching movement, thus transferring weight to the rear wheels. To lift your foot right off, or worse still, to use the brakes (and also on … powerful cars, to open the throttle too wide) will turn an already desperate situation into a disaster. Page 92-93
4. When it is the front wheels that go (one of the most unpleasant situations to be found in racing) … you can only lift your foot and turn the steering so that the wheels are pointing straight, hoping that they will regain their grip before the car goes off the road; if this succeeds you must lock over again to get around the corner. Page 93
Welcome to the addiction! Unfortunately there is no cure that I've been able to find - not even a menacing spousal unit.
There is an older, 90 minute video. I think the title is "Skip Barber - Going Faster". See if you can find it on You-Tube, but if not there is a link on page 5 of the Upstate (New York) 2014 Track Day thread. It's worth watching, as it takes you essentially through the three day race school. Very worthwhile as it takes you through the 3 day school.
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 4,742
Likes: 211
Nice to hear you made it to the track! It's a blast and I'm sorry to say but you won't want to go back to autoxing.. 
Looks like you picked up the track quick. Don't have much advice as I'm new to the track myself. My instructor pointed me to his website last year which has some useful info on it. Figured I'd pass it along: http://winhpde.com/
Looks like you "won."
It's a blast and I'm sorry to say but you won't want to go back to autoxing.. Looks like you picked up the track quick. Don't have much advice as I'm new to the track myself. My instructor pointed me to his website last year which has some useful info on it. Figured I'd pass it along: http://winhpde.com/
Looks like you "won."
