First track day/training experience.

So I've never been on a track.  Im hoping to change that soon.

What im wondering is what would you guys recommend for someone's FIRST high speed, technical experience.  (Im attempting to avoid just track day) Since road racing isn't exactly legal.

Would you guys recommend just showing up to a track meet?

Or would a racing class be the best option (dirt fish is the only I've heard of but that's rally)  

Im hoping this can be a tool for other people searching.  

So information like what budget you need.  What things you should bring.  Where to go what to expect would be great. 

Some beginner track recommendations would be great.  

Thanks! 

For your first time, you car as-in should be OK. If nervous, take it to a mechanic for a once-over the week before. Most events will have a basic tech inspection but sometimes these are far too brief.

I highly recommend getting an instructor to ride with you. I didn't for a long time, thinking I "knew what I was doing." I did and also did not. You will do so much better with instruction and no one is beyond learning more. I have been doing track days for 15 years and will always get an instructor at a new track. 

Most/many track day organizations will offer instructors for new people, but that's often kind of casual and unfocused.  Personally I recommend looking for a dedicated track day school for your very first event, those tend to be better organized.  There are a bunch out there and the best is likely to depend on where you live and what you're driving, but as a general recommendation the one offered by BMWCCA is excellent:  https://www.bmwcca.org/events/hpde

Note that this is not a "racing school".  Racing schools often assume you already know how to drive on track and are more focused on making sure you know how to race safely.

SCCA Track Night in America would be a great place for you to start. 

Klayfish said:

SCCA Track Night in America would be a great place for you to start. 

Personally I haven't heard great things about TNIA.  Maybe it varies by location?

This should answer your questions 

https://driver61.com/resources/track-day-guide/

codrus said:

Klayfish said:

SCCA Track Night in America would be a great place for you to start. 

Personally I haven't heard great things about TNIA.  Maybe it varies by location?

 

Here in New England TNIA seemed to be well organized and run smoothly.

There’s no “right seat” instruction available whatsoever, just a few brief classroom sessions.  If you’re willing/able to take it easy and control yourself it can be a fine place to start.  However, if you have any motorsport experience at all (like me – I’ve autocrossed for a few years) you may find yourself pretty comfortable by the end of the first session and just cruising around the track waiting for point-by’s the rest of the night. 

If you want one-on-one in car instruction you’ll need to look elsewhere.

therieldeal said:

codrus said:

Klayfish said:

SCCA Track Night in America would be a great place for you to start. 

Personally I haven't heard great things about TNIA.  Maybe it varies by location?

 

Here in New England TNIA seemed to be well organized and run smoothly.

There’s no “right seat” instruction available whatsoever, just a few brief classroom sessions.  If you’re willing/able to take it easy and control yourself it can be a fine place to start.  However, if you have any motorsport experience at all (like me – I’ve autocrossed for a few years) you may find yourself pretty comfortable by the end of the first session and just cruising around the track waiting for point-by’s the rest of the night. 

If you want one-on-one in car instruction you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Here in the Oregon region, TNiA uses the Experienced drivers as available right-seat riders for Novices.  Not required, but available if desired. 

The Novice groups get paced around the track for the first few laps of their session to ensure they understand the track, the turn worker stations and the flags, etc.

So like many aspects of the SCCA, some of it is over the top with rules and legislature and some of it is pretty lazily managed (pretty much what happens with volunteer orgs).

I would look at a TNiA or better, an HPDE event versus just a track day.

In reply to TrulySpooky :

Whatever your choice, it is at first scary, and then just full-throttle awesome!

Good on ya for going for it! You will love the experience.

Go to a track day event and just ride along with the intermediate and advanced drivers all day.  Most organizations like Chin, Jzilla, Just Track It, and so on do not even charge you an entry fee if you are just there to ride along.  Most will also welcome you to sit in on their novice classroom sessions.  Bring a helmet and a good attitude and there are not many guys/gals that will turn you down if you ask to ride along.  Watch, listen, learn, ask questions in the paddock, find a car similar to yours and show an interest and you will be richly rewarded.  You will not be able to video your rides unless you bring a camera with a mount, you cannot hold a camera on course, but a cell phone loaded with Harry's Lap Timer and a good windshield mount will let you record the session and you can review it at home a hundred times to learn the line and pick up technique pointers.  Then take your car to the track as a novice.  If the track day organization doesn't supply an instructor, ask an experienced guy to ride with you, maybe one of the friends you made on your ride-along day.  I have found that the general population of track day participants are among the friendliest, most personable bunch of folks I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

I've been involved with high-performance driving schools as an instructor for about 20 years. I've run with pretty much every organization you can think of. For my money, no one runs a better program than the BMW CCA for the novice-intermediate driver. 

My first time on track was in a slow and reliable lemons car. One that has little power and understeers a bit making it a bit safer for a first time track driver. Can't say that was a bad way to get track experience. I spent about $5/hour for that first time on track and got loads of experience that has set me up for many many more hours of track time in a plethora of very different cars.

LanEvo said:

I've been involved with high-performance driving schools as an instructor for about 20 years. I've run with pretty much every organization you can think of. For my money, no one runs a better program than the BMW CCA for the novice-intermediate driver. 

Do they welcome owners of cars that aren't BMWs?  The best instructor I've ever had hailed from the a BMW club, which I assume is yours. 

MrFancypants said:

LanEvo said:

I've been involved with high-performance driving schools as an instructor for about 20 years. I've run with pretty much every organization you can think of. For my money, no one runs a better program than the BMW CCA for the novice-intermediate driver. 

Do they welcome owners of cars that aren't BMWs?  The best instructor I've ever had hailed from the a BMW club, which I assume is yours. 

They do (at least in my region).  One caveat is that the safety gear rules for convertibles are stricter than any other group I've seen outside of sanctioned race events, so they aren't friendly to Miatas.

MrFancypants said:

Do they welcome owners of cars that aren't BMWs?  The best instructor I've ever had hailed from the a BMW club, which I assume is yours. 

Yes they do. I showed up at my first ever BMWCCA event in the least powerful Nissan ever built in the 90s. They welcomed me all the same, and even went out of the way to find an instructor whose track car had a similarly hopeless power to weight ratio. The instructor was great, and it ended up being the best novice Lime Rock event I had ever attended.

Thanks! I'll add the BMW CCA to the list of organizations to run with. I've got a fixed tin top so no worries.

There are loads of good track days out there; the big key is show up with the mind set that you want to learn rather than I want to drive fast. For your first event make sure you have an instructor. What you learn will have you going faster than you would if you were hacking around trying to "go fast" on your own.

Before you go read; learn what all the basic terms mean, such as turn in point, apex, exit, trail braking and throttle steering etc.

My only track day so far was at a Porsche Club event at Roebling road. They take novice training VERY seriously - you are paired with an instructor for in car and there's mandatory classroom time. Very well done. I learned a lot and would love to do another event with them.

Their tech inspection is no joke, they send you a checklist pre event. Then a crew techs your car at the event. They almost wouldn't let me run because I did the checklist myself and didnt pay a shop to do it and sign off. Trust issues, probably valid.

Ive been instructing for 10 years.  Go with a club that has instructors. PCA, BMWCCA, Chin are a few that require certified instructors.  You need an experienced person riding shotgun if you've never done track before.  Most don't require you to own one of their marque cars to participate.

Make sure your car is ready - flush the brake fluid (not just a bleed, all new fluid), brake pads with enough thickness (at least 50%), no leaks, no loose suspension parts, etc. Our club requires a tech inspection by an ASE certified tech before the track day and the instructor then does a quick trackside tech. 

Check any ego at the gate and open your mind. You'll learn so much by listening to a good instructor.  Don't focus on speed; focus on correct technique, line, and smoothness and speed will come later.  If you don't mesh with your instructor, talk to them and the chief instructor and you can maybe swap with someone. Different people like methods of instruction. Don't get discouraged.  Ask questions. 

Go for a ride with an instructor after you go out for track session. Don't try to go as fast as they do right away. You won't impress them. Impress them by listening and showing improvements first.  They'll only let you go as fast as you can handle. 

Our two biggest rules.

1. Be safe.

2. Have fun!

MrFancypants said:

Do they welcome owners of cars that aren't BMWs?  The best instructor I've ever had hailed from the a BMW club, which I assume is yours. 

Absolutely. Back in 2005 I was the Chief Instructor of the Quebec chapter ... and my trackcar was a Mitsubishi. Now, I race with the BMW CCA ... and my racecar is a Mercedes. You'll see all kinds of makes/models in the paddock; no one cares.

BMWCCA for sure. Best novice training in the biz IMO due to their amazing ITS program.

Good thinking guys.. I think I'll try to peddle my miata to the BMWCCA...

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Good thinking guys.. I think I'll try to peddle my miata to the BMWCCA...

Much better going to the PCA with a miata since the BMWCCA is NOT convertible friendly....

Olemiss540 said:

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Good thinking guys.. I think I'll try to peddle my miata to the BMWCCA...

Much better going to the PCA with a miata since the BMWCCA is NOT convertible friendly....

just figured that out...  the audi club around here is supposed to be good.

Also tried a bunch of clubs in my region (incl. BMWCCA, but not PCA), would encourage you to check out NASA in your region for HDPE1.  I've learned a ton climbing the ladder in the great lakes region.