Yeah, if I was to do it, I would want the instructor riding shotgun to school me.

 

One more picture. We were hauling ass here.

I got the S2K to 120mph in the long straight (start/finish area); probably could have gone faster, but Turn 1, which came right afterwards, was the hardest for me and I could not get it off my mind during the straight.

 

Next week, 7/11-7/12, both Tim S2K and I are attending a 2-day Track Time performance driving school at Watkins Glen.

You really have my attention now. A few questions, please?

What kind of prep did you do for your car's braking?

We are running with Porterfield R4-S pads and ATE Superblue. (Thanks to Ben and Sime)

Any mods to your suspension?

Stock for Tim. All I have is a Spoon X-brace, which is excellent on the street.

What would you do differently for your first track day?

Just curious.

Did your instructors "loosen up" on the speed restrictions after judging your capabilities?

What did you get out of the class?

Was it what you expected? More than what you expected or less?

Thanks for the response!!!

John

 

What kind of prep did you do for your car's braking? Any mods to your suspension?

I am 100% stock. I did not do any prep to the brakes or the car. I probably should have, but since I was not pre-registered, I mainly went to see what FATT was all about; I was gladly surprised when they said they had a spot available.


What would you do differently for your first track day?

I would definitely prepare my car. There are several posts here with regards to tire pressure, brakes, etc. I would have reviewed that more.


Did your instructors "loosen up" on the speed restrictions after judging your capabilities?

Are you kidding? These guys kept asking me to gas it on the straights, slam on the breaks before the turn, upshift, gas it through the turn and floor it coming out. Maybe I am too cautious, but I felt they were pushing more than they were holding me back. I loved it though.


What did you get out of the class?

Practical awareness. That is what I got out of the class. One can read or hear all you want about braking, finding the line, transfering weight, etc. But trying this out lap after lap makes it sink in. I have lots more to learn of course, but now I know how it feels to take a take a good line at speed. The tires, the car all close to maximum grip, that sensation is something I had not felt on the S2000 on the street (not daring enough I guess).


Was it what you expected? More than what you expected or less?

It completely surpassed expectations; but then again, my expectations were low; I was not even sure if I was going to get in the class

 

There are all kinds of instructors. I had two good ones and two mediocre ones. One of them only used three words over and over, "GAS, GAS, GAS!"

 

Good point: instructors. I forgot to mention this. The trick at FATT is to stick with a good instructor the whole time; in that way the instructor can track your progress. My first instructor was terrible; for the second time I asked Miriam (our class instructor) to ride with me. She rode the remaining times with me and it made the whole difference.

 

One more FATT trick: Ask your instructor to take you on a ride in their cars during the instructor sessions. FATT instructors get to do laps by themselves during portions of the day.

I got to ride with Miriam on her Porshe, and believe me, that lady can fly! I thought we were going to hit the gravel several times, but then she magically brought the car around. It is great to see the braking, upshifting, toe heeling up close.

Her top speed during the straight away: 150MPH! How she made it into Turn 1 at that speed is beyond me. Watching her break hard, go from 5th to 2nd, rev the car in the turn... by the time I figured out all the things she was doing we were out of the turn... Amazing!

PS> Turn 1, to give this some context.


PS2> Can you tell I had fun? I am going to sleep now, the adrenaline is starting to wear off, finally.

 

That's a good idea to ride with the instructor. This way you can see and feel what a good driver can do with a car.

 

HELLO Race Fans ! My very first time to visit with you! I am so excited after reading about going to the track! I really NEED to go, and soon. Can anyone tell me where a North Texan might go for a day at the track? I live out in the country, and I am finding myself testing the cars abilities as well as my own. I am quite certain, I would be much safer on a track, with an instructor! I would appreciate any info you have! I don't know about all of you, but my S2K is a metal adrenal shot !! *alesaw* North Central Texas

 

Be very careful to check your pads/rotors FREQUENTLY if you are using stock stuff on the track. The'll go from just fine to totaly fried in a single 20 minute track session when you start to brake aggressively...

ask me how I know