SCCA Tracknight
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,128
Likes: 19
Originally Posted by Greyout' timestamp='1463378742' post='23967620
My wife and I went to one at Harris Hill Raceway in San Marcos, TX
We both are comfortable on track. I was nervous about how loose the organizers seemed to be... No instructors in the car, in any group, and the drivers decide what group they want to be in... yikes...
sure enough, a car in the 'intermediate' group absolutely did not belong there. Wouldn't point anybody by. My wife presented herself into the guys drivers side mirror to draw a point by in a passing zone... didn't get the point by. In the next turn, the guy inexplicably slammed on the brakes and crawled through a 60 mph turn at about 25 mph. She swerved to miss, had a big off, and damaged her car.
When she came in, the organizer told her he saw the whole thing, that "she took one for the team" to avoid a collision, and he would have a talk with the guy. He was bumped down to the slower group... turned out he had never been on a track before.
Yet here he is, in the intermediate group, with no instructor.
We won't be doing track night in america again. It's OBVIOUSLY marketed to newbies, which is fine... but then when the day comes they don't act like they were expecting a bunch of newbies.
We both are comfortable on track. I was nervous about how loose the organizers seemed to be... No instructors in the car, in any group, and the drivers decide what group they want to be in... yikes...
sure enough, a car in the 'intermediate' group absolutely did not belong there. Wouldn't point anybody by. My wife presented herself into the guys drivers side mirror to draw a point by in a passing zone... didn't get the point by. In the next turn, the guy inexplicably slammed on the brakes and crawled through a 60 mph turn at about 25 mph. She swerved to miss, had a big off, and damaged her car.
When she came in, the organizer told her he saw the whole thing, that "she took one for the team" to avoid a collision, and he would have a talk with the guy. He was bumped down to the slower group... turned out he had never been on a track before.
Yet here he is, in the intermediate group, with no instructor.
We won't be doing track night in america again. It's OBVIOUSLY marketed to newbies, which is fine... but then when the day comes they don't act like they were expecting a bunch of newbies.
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 2,730
Likes: 38
From: Portland
Originally Posted by arsenal' timestamp='1463421403' post='23968155
[quote name='Greyout' timestamp='1463378742' post='23967620']
My wife and I went to one at Harris Hill Raceway in San Marcos, TX
We both are comfortable on track. I was nervous about how loose the organizers seemed to be... No instructors in the car, in any group, and the drivers decide what group they want to be in... yikes...
sure enough, a car in the 'intermediate' group absolutely did not belong there. Wouldn't point anybody by. My wife presented herself into the guys drivers side mirror to draw a point by in a passing zone... didn't get the point by. In the next turn, the guy inexplicably slammed on the brakes and crawled through a 60 mph turn at about 25 mph. She swerved to miss, had a big off, and damaged her car.
When she came in, the organizer told her he saw the whole thing, that "she took one for the team" to avoid a collision, and he would have a talk with the guy. He was bumped down to the slower group... turned out he had never been on a track before.
Yet here he is, in the intermediate group, with no instructor.
We won't be doing track night in america again. It's OBVIOUSLY marketed to newbies, which is fine... but then when the day comes they don't act like they were expecting a bunch of newbies.
My wife and I went to one at Harris Hill Raceway in San Marcos, TX
We both are comfortable on track. I was nervous about how loose the organizers seemed to be... No instructors in the car, in any group, and the drivers decide what group they want to be in... yikes...
sure enough, a car in the 'intermediate' group absolutely did not belong there. Wouldn't point anybody by. My wife presented herself into the guys drivers side mirror to draw a point by in a passing zone... didn't get the point by. In the next turn, the guy inexplicably slammed on the brakes and crawled through a 60 mph turn at about 25 mph. She swerved to miss, had a big off, and damaged her car.
When she came in, the organizer told her he saw the whole thing, that "she took one for the team" to avoid a collision, and he would have a talk with the guy. He was bumped down to the slower group... turned out he had never been on a track before.
Yet here he is, in the intermediate group, with no instructor.
We won't be doing track night in america again. It's OBVIOUSLY marketed to newbies, which is fine... but then when the day comes they don't act like they were expecting a bunch of newbies.
[/quote]
I've done quite a few now and the low-level at first is alarming, but as long as you are mature enough to adjust your mindset you will have a great time. It's the drivers that consider it a race or a time attack event that usually end up disappointed. For someone who is looking to drive on the track for a relatively small amount, then drive home afterwards, this is a great opportunity.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: in my garage
I ran Advanced so I saw nothing but good driving and proper point-bys and I only got passed after I pointed people by.
Some bullet points from the online Drivers Meeting that might be appropriate here:
1. This is not a race.
Plain and simple, Track Night events are all about having fun, enjoying your car and the track. Driving that is aggressive toward other drivers, out of control, or that puts yourself or others at risk will not be tolerated.
3. Same Team!
The best way to think about your on track experience is that you, everyone else on the track, the flaggers, and officials are on the same team. The team goal is to have fun and be safe. Being a good teammate means checking mirrors, giving space, having some patience, and generally looking out for one another.
Some bullet points from the online Drivers Meeting that might be appropriate here:
1. This is not a race.
Plain and simple, Track Night events are all about having fun, enjoying your car and the track. Driving that is aggressive toward other drivers, out of control, or that puts yourself or others at risk will not be tolerated.
3. Same Team!
The best way to think about your on track experience is that you, everyone else on the track, the flaggers, and officials are on the same team. The team goal is to have fun and be safe. Being a good teammate means checking mirrors, giving space, having some patience, and generally looking out for one another.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,066
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From: Prince William County, VA
My neighbor is a director for SCCA and there is no question any S2000 is fine pre 2006, supercharged, or completely stock
It's 125 bucks with 3 20 minute sessions to get your feet wet in HDPE or have a summer day off of work and have some real fun with your time off if you are more advanced. Win win all around. It's F'in great to get more people into HPDE's. It keeps our hobby alive and well.
You can also see a lot more tracks for a whole lot less money. I think it's kinda cool what SCCA is doing for the track people with this event.
Some of you must forget, you were all newbies and totally clueless about how to Apex, point by and read flag stations. Haha.
I'm signed up for 2 events and hope to get 4 total TNIA events by the end of the season.
Hope to see some of you out there in the North east region.
It's 125 bucks with 3 20 minute sessions to get your feet wet in HDPE or have a summer day off of work and have some real fun with your time off if you are more advanced. Win win all around. It's F'in great to get more people into HPDE's. It keeps our hobby alive and well.
You can also see a lot more tracks for a whole lot less money. I think it's kinda cool what SCCA is doing for the track people with this event.
Some of you must forget, you were all newbies and totally clueless about how to Apex, point by and read flag stations. Haha.
I'm signed up for 2 events and hope to get 4 total TNIA events by the end of the season.
Hope to see some of you out there in the North east region.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,039
Likes: 6
From: West Hills, CA
Sounds like for a track night event she was following a little too closely - there are specific sections for passing, namely the straights. This isn't a track day event - it's a casual event where one can show up, drive on the track for a bit, then drive home. Perhaps a change in mindset is needed before attending, and remember, it's not a race and definitely not the place for attempting track records.
-He DID state that his wife was trying to get a point-by in a PASSING zone,
-Nowhere in his post does he state that they went there trying to attempt a track record,
-Even one of the organizers admitted the driver she was trying to pass was in the wrong, in a group where he did not belong,
-And that driver was bumped down to the appropriate group.
-It's not a track day event. But it is a track event. It is called a Track Night event.
How do you know she was following too close? You weren't there. If that was the case, she would be the one getting a 'talk' from the organizer, not the driver that wouldn't yield to a car clearly faster than him.
Joined: Mar 2010
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It sounds like you haven't been to a track night. Depending on the track, there are usually one or two passing areas. Novice has one and intermediate has two, and all are on a straight (only expert has open passing). There's no need to be so close to the car in front that if they brake from 60 MPH to 25MPH, which I am sure is an exaggeration, there should be plenty of space to go around them (leave enough space to pass, bro).
This isn't a game. It's a friendly environment and one should go in with that mindset, not the mindset that this is a typical HPDE.
This isn't a game. It's a friendly environment and one should go in with that mindset, not the mindset that this is a typical HPDE.
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 594
Likes: 24
From: Pittsburgh
I have been to 7 or 8 TNiAs since it started. Novices are actually quite safe. It's the slightly faster guys that think they know how to drive who are the problem, like myself, lol. The Advanced group is like a standard HPDE I guess. Though around here even a regular HPDE has point-bys on straights depending on skill level. I guess for all the hardcore racers that would be considered 'watered down', lol.
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Joined: Jul 2013
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So I survived the TNIA. For what it was it was actually fine. It felt like a budget track day. Here is what I would say were the issues:
Only three run groups and too many people on the track at once. Pretty much no open laps.
A wide range of cars and speeds in every group. There were advanced drivers that belonged in intermediate, intermediates that belonged in expert, intermediates that belonged in novice, etc.
The only cars that I saw that struck me as dangerous were in the expert group, and this was the minority and I have seen worse. It was not the speed, it was the way they drove. A few spin outs, but no one got hurt
The condensed format means you dont have as much time to repair or change the car if needed.
The lack of instructors, is probably the biggest difference. At any level, having another experienced person to ride with is valuable.
Overall it costs less than 1/2 the price of a regular track day, well worth it for a little track time.
Only three run groups and too many people on the track at once. Pretty much no open laps.
A wide range of cars and speeds in every group. There were advanced drivers that belonged in intermediate, intermediates that belonged in expert, intermediates that belonged in novice, etc.
The only cars that I saw that struck me as dangerous were in the expert group, and this was the minority and I have seen worse. It was not the speed, it was the way they drove. A few spin outs, but no one got hurt
The condensed format means you dont have as much time to repair or change the car if needed.
The lack of instructors, is probably the biggest difference. At any level, having another experienced person to ride with is valuable.
Overall it costs less than 1/2 the price of a regular track day, well worth it for a little track time.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,066
Likes: 11
From: Prince William County, VA
I think the biggest danger on any track is not having the proper safety equipment like seats, 6 point harness, and a hans device.
I was blown away at how many cars have nothing. Kinda crazy imo.
Anyway, if you are doing a TNIA and want to set course records, I'm pretty sure you have the wrong view on this type of event.
I was blown away at how many cars have nothing. Kinda crazy imo.
Anyway, if you are doing a TNIA and want to set course records, I'm pretty sure you have the wrong view on this type of event.