Allow Teenagers on Private Track Day?

I have a track day planned and am debating letting teenagers on the track.  The gathering will be exclusively friends, friends of friends, and their families.  No one has any track experience except me (the organizer).  I expect around 20-30 people will attend with around 8-10 cars total.  The cars will range from momentum cars (mini cooper, S2000), muscle cars (Mustangs), to sports cars (Porsche Boxster/Cayman).  The course is about 2 miles with three straights (2500 feet, 1000 feet, and 800 feet).

Would you let the teenagers on the track?  If you do, will you allow passing?  On all straights or just the longest?  Limit the number of cars on track?

I know all the teenagers and for the most part they are well behaved, but I am worried the adrenaline and competitiveness might cause a couple of them to get in over their heads or drive dangerously.

I want everyone to have fun, including the kids, but I do not want anyone getting hurt or their car crumpled.  Any advice would be appreciated.

They'd be solo or "instructed"?

What does the insurance policy for the track day say?

I'd agree check insurance policy but if they have a valid drivers license then I'd say game on. NASA Mid Atlantic just had a 15 year old graduate the HPDE program to spec e30 so it can be done.

Teenagers will be the least of your problems trying to host a track day full of beginners.

OT, but what's the white projectile on the dash?

A 13 year old and a 19 year old are both teenagers - do you have a cutoff point in mind?

Racebrick said:

Teenagers will be the least of your problems trying to host a track day full of beginners.

just because your son is a better driver than me... :)

914Driver said:

OT, but what's the white projectile on the dash?

Blower fan.

hosz said:

No one has any track experience except me (the organizer).

This means I wouldn't do it. Coraling adults with no track experience and only one potential instructor will be hard enough. If the adults were mostly track people and we were talking about teenagers who have been around the track and maybe autocrossed some, I'd be a lot more comfortable with it. TBH I'd decline to participate in this event if the teens were involved and be very wary of just adults in your setup. I'd probably just end up spending the day riding with people trying to keep it safe if it were me. Good luck.

Are you comfortable being the only adult in the room and the bad guy to keep people off track who are not behaving correctly?  This seems like a huge amount of work for you, unless it is for a single digit number of people, and even then.  

In my mind a licensed driver is a licensed driver, unless the track has some insurance limitation, typically I'd think they'd be allowed.  

Well behaved teenagers have great reflexes, and have learned less bad habits.  

I'd restrict passing absolutely to the  "easy" straightaway(s), and start the day with paced driving laps and instruction to gain some familiarity before somebody inexperienced goes out and tries a hero lap on cold brakes and street tires and gets over their head.  I've seen plenty of grown adults do stupid things in this regard, so age isn't a limiting factor. 

Sonic said:

Are you comfortable being the only adult in the room and the bad guy to keep people off track who are not behaving correctly?  This seems like a huge amount of work for you, unless it is for a single digit number of people, and even then.  

^^^^^^^This.  Plus Insurance restrictions?   Plus passing.  Plus  +++++

I believe that most track days have no passing in the novice groups. With a track full of total beginners I would say no passing regardless of age. If you want passing restrict it to straights with a point by and only after a session or two without passing. all opinion of course. 

wvumtnbkr said:

What does the insurance policy for the track day say?

This is the most important question.  Liability gets very complicated when minors are involved, so if you're going to allow that then you definitely want the insurance company on board.

Also, the idea of a track day with 30 people at it where you are the only one with any experience sounds... challenging.  Do you have any track friends you can get to come to help provide instruction?

Being the only person with experience is a huge red-flag. The other concern I have is the vehicle prep. Are the cars ready to hit the track? Track Pads, fresh brake fluid, Etc. 

Can you setup a track-sprint autox type course? keep the speeds down with cones out there? Keep it to under 75 MPH as a target? I found those events really fun for all involved and much safer for a group of newbies. 

bmw88rider said:

Can you setup a track-sprint autox type course? keep the speeds down with cones out there? Keep it to under 75 MPH as a target? I found those events really fun for all involved and much safer for a group of newbies. 

I would feel so much better about something like that. A couple chicanes to keep speed to highway speeds. Controlled spacing of drivers so you don't have someone missing their brake point and punting another car. The cars have more time to cool down and less time to heat up. It would also make it a lot easier for you to ride with drivers or maybe even find a couple track buddies as instructors. 3-4 people could probably rotate cars.

I'm much less concerned about the teenagers than I am about other aspects of this event.  Teenagers aren't going to be any worse than the supposedly more mature adults.  In fact they're more used to following rules and instruction than most adults.

One instructor with 20 to 30 rookies is going to be challenging to manage safely. 

Here's the bare minimum structure I'd consider for having a safe, fun day.

1. Fully staffed with corner workers and someone to run race control and steward.
   1. Ideally the steward and race control would be two different people
2. Start the day with a driver's meeting to set expectations and talk about how to get around a racetrack safely
3. Lead car sessions with no more than five cars behind the leader
4. Another driver's meeting to address things observed during the lead car sessions
5. Subsequent sessions with passing only on designated straights and only with point bys
6. Driver's meetings between sessions to address things observed during sessions

April Fools!

No, it wasn't me. Good discussion, though.

Huh, yeah, I guess it was April Fools. But it is funny... I actually see a lot of benefit in getting younger people onto the track. We had a 15-year-old in my SCCA road racing school a couple weeks ago, and he did great. I was thrilled to be on the track with him. I want my kids to do some sort of high-speed events as they learn to drive so they learn how a car behaves in a safe, controlled environment instead of a rainy, wooded back road at 11:30 at night at 70 mph. Plus, all that I wonder how fast my car can go? stuff gets put right out there on that 3,800 foot straight lap after lap... it gets it out of their system.

I'm a fan of track days, but the concept as presented here scares me.  I've done several NASA track days and they are carefully and professionally handled.  Both were at Watkins Glen and both had a NASA instructor aboard with me until I demonstrated that I was capable.  Connected by helmet intercom, that instructor would yell out what braking marker to use as well as where to hit the apex of the coming corner. That on board instructor as well as the post run classroom sessions to tear apart everything that had just happened were invaluable.  Your idea of one instructor for all of those inexperienced drivers I think has potential to go wrong.  As an alternative, organize some of those friends and have them all run a NASA track day together.  

I appreciate all the comments, especially the funny ones.  It is making me rethink this whole thing.  I was hoping to show my friends that track days are nothing to be afraid of and another way for them to enjoy their cars.  They are interested in tracking their cars but are too intimidated to go to a real track day.  Don't argue with me on this.  I know.   They just have whatever fear they have and feel more comfortable if everyone there was part of our friend group.  I figured this would be a low key way to introduce them to the hobby and make them realize there was nothing to be afraid of.

The original plan was it was going to be just me and a couple of my closest friends.  It might be better to go back to the original plan.

In reply to confuZion3 :

Raced with a 12 year old this past weekend. He was more courteous and aware than many of the adults! Was quick to boot.

hosz said:

I appreciate all the comments, especially the funny ones.  It is making me rethink this whole thing.  I was hoping to show my friends that track days are nothing to be afraid of and another way for them to enjoy their cars.  They are interested in tracking their cars but are too intimidated to go to a real track day.  Don't argue with me on this.  I know.   They just have whatever fear they have and feel more comfortable if everyone there was part of our friend group.  I figured this would be a low key way to introduce them to the hobby and make them realize there was nothing to be afraid of.

The original plan was it was going to be just me and a couple of my closest friends.  It might be better to go back to the original plan.

Insurance.  Insurance.  Insurance.

Just saying....

Insurance.

hosz said:

I appreciate all the comments, especially the funny ones.  It is making me rethink this whole thing.  I was hoping to show my friends that track days are nothing to be afraid of and another way for them to enjoy their cars.  They are interested in tracking their cars but are too intimidated to go to a real track day.  Don't argue with me on this.  I know.   They just have whatever fear they have and feel more comfortable if everyone there was part of our friend group.  I figured this would be a low key way to introduce them to the hobby and make them realize there was nothing to be afraid of.

The original plan was it was going to be just me and a couple of my closest friends.  It might be better to go back to the original plan.

Ohhhhmygod you were serious. 

Instead of a private event, why not just foot the bill of getting them all an HPDE entry at the same event? If there are enough of them, then they'll be a majority of the novice group anyway, and they'll meet some new friends. Plus, you'll have access to instructors, classroom training, and the organizers' insurance.

Besides... and people may debate me about this (and I welcome it), but you might not want to be the instructor for close family and friends. I never instructed people I was close to, though, occasionally, I'd go out with them for a session just to see how they're doing.