Thought I would post this FAQ to help anybody interested in taking their car to the race track (one with turns) but didn't know where to start or what is required. If anybody has suggestions, contributions, questions, etc. post up!
Q. What kind of events are you talking about?
A. Well, there are quite a few different types of events that involve driving your car on a road course. Here are some examples:
HPDE's - My main focus of this FAQ will be HPDE's or High Performance Driving Events/Education, which can also be considered a driving school. These are non-competitive events and timing equipment is usually prohibited. Most groups (novice, intermediate) only allow passing with a "point-by" (driver in front signals that it is OK to pass him/her). Some events welcome any/all brand of cars, while others are marquee-specific (like club events).
Car club driving events - These are HPDE's hosted by a non-profit car club such as
BMWCCA or other marquee clubs. Some events are open to other brand of cars, but all will require a membership to their national organization and sometimes a pledge to the local chapter. Other events limit the participants to a specific marquee or give their local members first dibs at registration.
Most HPDE's and club driving events offer some sort of instruction, be it classroom-led instruction and/or an in-car instructor. If you are planning your first event, MAKE SURE some instruction is available for first-time track drivers. Naturally, some events have better instruction than others.
Time Attack or Solo I - This is a timed (competitive) event that involves a road course instead of a parking lot with cones. Most parking lot autocross is called Solo-II and a road course autocross is called Solo-I. From the name "solo", these events are just you against the clock, without any overtaking (passing) or other cars to trade paint with. Also, the safety requirements for Solo-I is usually less than it would be if you were going Wheel-to-wheel (w2w) racing.
Here is a local organization that hosts Solo-I events in the Midwest.
Stepping up the ladder is wheel-to-wheel racing, which exponentially increases the cost, risk, committment, and amount of prep required. W2W racing is beyond the scope of this FAQ, but some racing links are provided at bottom of this post.
Q. What kind of race track are you talking about?
A. This FAQ deals with road courses, you may see these types of race tracks while watching a
ALMS or
Speed World Challenge race on TV. Most road courses are usually between one to four miles long and have somewhere between 9 to 14 corners. Most tracks are permanent fixtures (i.e. Road America, Autobahn CC, Blackhawk Farms), some are paved infield connected to an oval (sometimes called rovals, see Gateway International Raceway), and others are temporary circuits made from roads or airstrips for the weekend of racing. Most of these events I am talking about are on permanent courses or rovals.
Q. What tracks are in our (Central IL) area?
A. See my links near bottom of post (Near-by Tracks)
Q. Is this racing?
A. No. Track events are usually considered drivers education or driving schools. One train of thought is that a school or drivers education would be more likely to be covered by your auto insurance.
Q. How different is this from autocross?
A. You will reach much faster speeds at HPDE and get a lot more seat time. Typical DE's get between 90-120 minutes of driving per day (where autocross is about 5-8 minutes). You WILL use more brakes at a DE, you WILL do more shifting.
Autocross skills are a great foundation for road courses.
Q. Where do I sign up? What groups/companies run these events?
A. See the Driving School links near bottom of post. Also see if your brand of car has a car club and regional chapter.
Q. When should I register?
A. Most events fill up really quick... get your applications in ASAP! Try sending in your registration the first day you can.
Q. How much does it cost?
A. It varies. I have seen events range from $175 to $350 per day. Depends on the track too... a course like Road America or Road Atlanta will be more expensive than a smaller track (like Autobahn or Blackhawk)
Q. When is the next event? How can I find a calendar of events?
A. Couple of ways.
1.
trackschedule.com
2. Check local car club and driving schools for upcoming schedules (see links at bottom)
3. Check the track's calendar on their web sites, sometimes you can see who is renting the track and maybe join
4. Check other forums with a track section (i.e.
bimmerforums)
I plan on putting together a thread with upcoming HPDE events soon. Keep an eye out for it.
Q. My own car? What are the requirements?
A. Depends on the organizers, but there are usually some common requirements:
1. Brakes in great shape and recent brake fluid FLUSH (not just bleed)
2. No play or bad bushings in your suspension
3. no noticeable fluid leaks
4. Battery must be secured
5. Working brake lights
6. Windshield wipers and no major windshield cracks
Also, some events offer rental track cars or there might be nearby companies/people who will rent track/race cars for the weekend (but usually not cheap, expect to pay $300+ per day)
Q. Any special apparel or equipment needed?
A. Yes, you need a helmet. I highly recommend a Snell SA2000 or above. Some events/tracks allow motorcycle helmets (snell rating starts with M instead of SA) but others do not. For example, Motorcycle helmets are not allowed at Putnam (track rule). Expect to pay about $260+ for a decent helmet.
You will need close-toed shoes and long pants. Most events require a long-sleeve shirt too. Optionally you can bring some gloves (I use some old batting gloves, works just fine!)
Q. How fast do you go?
A. Depends on the track and car. I hit ~130 mph on the back straight at Road Atlanta. Would expect that or close to it on either straight at Road America next time I visit. Just depends on the car and the track.
Q. Sounds dangerous... will I crash?
A. Accidents DO happen! I have seen cars get totalled. It happens. How often? About 50% of the events I have been to have had atleast one major crash. Some BMWCCA weekends at Road Atlanta can claim 5-6 totalled cars in two days! Nuts. Just know your limits and dial it back a lil bit. I try not to exceed 8/10ths and take a gradual approach to exploring the limits.
Q. What if I crash my car?
A. I have heard some insurance companies will cover it, some won't. State Farm is supposed to be pretty good about it, but don't quote me.
Q. How can I be best prepared?
A. Leave your ego at home, especially for your first event. It's not a contest and no winner/loser unless you crash (definate loser). There is a lot to learn and might be initially overwhelming all the things you need to do at once (like heel-toe shifting)
Ways to be prepared - I highly recommend the book "Speed Secrets" by Ross Bentley before your first event. This book will give you some foundational concepts
so you can more easily follow along with what your instructor is saying.
You can learn/practice heel-toe shifting before your first event. It's a lot easier to learn this on the streets than under the pressure of your first track day. Also, practice your rev-matching as you want to do this on both up and downshifts. (less disruptive to your drive wheels, which may be near their limits of adhesion). Also, get in the habit of accelerating through your turns (slow in, fast out) and NOT braking in the turns (brake before the turn). Practice being smooth with your inputs. Do not abruptly lift the throttle during cornering, etc. (hint: read Speed Secrets)
Q. What is Heel-Toe shifting?
A. I'm glad you asked.
In a nutshell, its downshifting (and rev-matching) WHILE you are braking for the next turn. Here are some how-to's that should help:
http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving_heeltoe.shtml
http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/heelandtoe.html
Q. What should I bring on track day?
A. Plenty of fluids (not beer), a folding chair, tire pressure gauge, some windex and paper towels (for cleaning the windshield), maybe a 12V air compressor if you have one. Torque wrench to make sure the lug nuts are on tight (only when the hub is cooled down)
Q. I don't have a car for this, what are some cheap recommendations?
A. Check out
GrassRoots Motorsports magazine. Some good choices on a budget would be Miata, 240SX, BMW 3-series, RX-7, GTI, Corvette, plus many more.
Q. Any track you recommend for a first event? What is your favorite track?
A. More important, find an event with great instruction for your first one.
Additional Links and Sources:
Sports Car Club of America
TrackSchedule.com
GrassRoots Motorsports magazine
MotorsportReg national calendar
Driving/Racing Schools:
Track Time Inc. Driving Schools
Panoz Racing School
NASA HPDE Program
Near-by Tracks:
Autobahn Country Club Joliet, IL
Gateway International Raceway roval in E. St. Louis
Blackhawk Farms Raceway near Beloit, WI
Putnam Park Mt. Meridian, IN
GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, MI
Grattan Raceway in Belding, MI
Road America in Elkart Lake, WI
Local car clubs or chapters:
Midwestern Council Sports Car Club
Wisconsin BMW CCA
Chicagoland Chapter Audi Car Club
Central Division SCCA
Windy City BMW CCA
Midwest NASA
Marquee specific clubs:
BMW Car Club of America
Audi Club North America
Phil Wicks Driving Academy (mostly geared towards Mini's)
Any questions, lemme know!