So I went to track school yesterday at the DDT and it rained up until the last session on the track when it dried up slightly and I gained a little much-needed traction.

There were STi's, S2000s, an RX-8 and 2 gorgeous Vipers (both GTS, one ACR) with just over 495hp at the wheels, among other vehicles. I was surprised how sticky the vipers were on the soaking wet track! They definitely had more traction than me, although my slightly twitchy throttle modulation resulted in some pretty wicked slides. Several cars went off the track, but no damage to anybody except for the RX8 that rolled down through the pit along the rail and into a Mitsu 3000GT. Wasn't much damage but parking in gear (or using the e-brake) would've helped avoid the situation.

I definitely recommend a track day in the rain, as long as it's somewhere forgiving where you can run off track without hitting a wall. It gave me a much greater understanding of the limits of my car and how it reacts to the most minute imputs to the throttle or steering.

Wasn't too impressed when the instructor took my car for a few laps and spun onto the grass, but no damage so it's not so bad.

All in all, a really fun day despite the cold and rain!!

 

^ awesome...was this your first track school? This is the best mod you can ever do hands down. Its good to hear new peeps are taking the schools.

 

Yup this was my first school. I'll be investing in more next year, I've heard good things about the BMW school on the big track as well. It really gave me good insight into how much better my car is than me. It has a lot more to offer than I am able to take advantage of yet, but hopefully that gap will lessen with more track experience!

Got some guidance from a couple folks out on the big track earlier this month, but the in-class is definitely beneficial. Some of what they teach were things I already knew, but it did help confirm them as being the right way. Probably the most useful to me was the in-car instruction where I got to actually use the information they gave on the next lap and see first-hand how it improved my control (and probably lap time, though we weren't timing).

 

Wait till you do a few wet days at the big track!

 

nice!
hope i can make a track day next year

 

Corner 2 in the wet = the suck.

The RX-8 handbrake slips when the rear discs cool off, it's a known problem.

 

I could see 2 getting pretty frightening!

Yeah but 1st gear or Reverse wouldn't slip... parking in Neutral on a windy day at the top of a hill isn't th best idea. It's not rocket surgery

 

Shouldn't be using the handbrake after a lapping session anyway.

Just in gear.

 

ddt is the BEST running counter-clockwise!!!

few schools do it, but it's definitely a lot of fun

 

Why? Cuz you "Look Faster" in that direction?