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Good note on the NASA passport or other log book. I like to read over mine before every weekend to figure out what I need to improve on. I think every club has some form of logbook for students, be sure to get one. They all vary slightly, but generally they have a list of skills graded 1-5 or 1-10 and a small notes section for instructor comments. When all your skills are very good or great for your run level, you get soloed/promoted. Instructors usually have a duplicate sheet to fill out and turn in to the club for their record of your progress. Instructors can also put this info on Motorsportreg so you have a record online too. Your logbook is basically proof of your skills. When you jump around to different clubs, use your logbook to place yourself in the correct group. I've never actually been asked for skills proof before, but I've only just graduated into NASA Group 3. Maybe they do when you're in the full solo groups. I've run with NASA Mid Atlantic and Southeast, THSCC, and PCA Carolinas. Hopefully I'll get to VIR twice this year with NASA again
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Jun 14, 2012 04:19
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One time in class, the instructor goes over the scenario of damaging your car on the track and realizing what that means to you. He asks people who owns their cars, and the answers are the typical "I do," "My husband does," and "I'm still making payments." Then one guy goes "Yeah, my car belongs to Avis." That's one way to rent a racer.
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Jun 15, 2012 01:49
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I time my laps by how long it takes me to cross start/finish on my videos. I really need some kind of stand alone GPS unit. Neons are actually a decent choice, especially if you want to do autocross as well. They aren't terrible cars, are durable, and very cheap. Those are some excellent criteria for a beater. Dodge even put out a homologated Neon racer as the ACR for SCCA. Don't rule out E36s as well. They can be had for cheap and can go nasty fast. The worst part of an E36 is the interior falls to pieces quickly, but who cares about that for a track rat? My brother can fit 4 wheels in the trunk of his E30 and has plenty of room inside for all his tools and gear (moreso after pulling the rear seat). I'm really jealous of that.
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Jun 17, 2012 05:26
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Dr JonboyG posted:Traqmate is a pretty good solution. The Traqdash gives you real-time feedback over a lap, like in a video game. I am sure that if I got a heads-up lap timer, my track days would end up much like my Forza sessions: stuffed in a wall. How does the Traqmate sync stuff work? Do I have to use Traqmate software to get the overlays? Is there a way to get it to spit out the raw GPS data?
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Jun 17, 2012 20:38
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A good weekend for me is one I get to drive home from. Most of my track days are with NASA, and it seems like a weekend without a racer or TTer moving a tire wall or dumping oil all over the track from a blown motor is a rare occurrence. As long as it's not me. Dr JonboyG posted:Yes, you need to use their software to get it out, but you get a copy and a license with the camera controller thingy. It's relatively intuitive but I do wish they'd make an OS X version. No, I don't think there's a way to get raw GPS data, but don't forget that the Traqmate can collect more than just GPS, you can also acquire data from the car. That stinks. I'll be using multiple cameras. Overlaying to make one video, then taking that and using it with the Traqmate software would be too much work.
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Jun 19, 2012 03:31
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Good ventilation is key. I have a cheap Bell but it still keeps my head cool enough. I heard a tale of an in-car fire taking someone's vision, and ever since I've run visor down.
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Jun 19, 2012 05:39
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One my very first track day, my car had to pull double duty with a slightly more experienced driver. With NASA, I was in Group 1, and he was in Group 2. It had regular stock pads (not sure on the compound, very likely OEM) and regular summer tires (BFG g-Force sport). Both held up. On your first track day, in a normal street car, you will probably not be fast enough to necessitate anything above stock. Do a weekend, then assess what you need.
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Jun 20, 2012 03:14
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How do the V12s hold up? My Star Specs are about done for and I don't know if they have another weekend in them. Not really looking forward to buying new tires, so I'm hoping my street V12s can take a little abuse if need be. Grassroots Motorsports, NASA Mid Atlantic, and VIR is hosting this year's Ultimate Track Car Challenge next Friday 7/20. I'll be spectating and then driving Saturday and Sunday. NASA Mid Atlantic also has Hyperdrives on Saturday. One morning class and one track session at lunch for $50, a good way to try track days without too much of a commitment.
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Jul 12, 2012 01:33
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DJ Commie posted:Note that its a 1500lb car with 120hp and proper camber/toe/caster so it doesn't needlessly chew through tires. I have a 3700lb 400hp car so it chews through them fairly regularly 
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Jul 12, 2012 05:55
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Admirable Gusto posted:Or perhaps it's time to say gently caress it and get a dedicated track car This is my plan, and I don't want to accumulate a bunch of parts I won't use on my current car. Sounds like V12s won't disintegrate on me, so I should be good. I've found that as I get faster it's easier physically because I'm fighting the car less and using less force. But yeah, still pretty demanding. Just a few free weight exercises for triceps, biceps, and back daily goes a long way. Seating position is critical too. If you have a heavy car, get closer to the steering wheel. If you've ever wondered why NASCAR drivers almost have the wheel under their chin, it's because they need more leverage to muscle the car around.
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Jul 13, 2012 04:16
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c355n4 posted:Another reason to practice getting the gently caress out of your car in an emergency. I thought that car looked suspiciously pink, and turns out it was NASA-SE director Jim Pantas's car. RIP Pink Panther. I heard the driver in the Porsche that burst into flames put on his harness with the latch against his body. Safety equipment is only effective if you use it properly! Also a motivator for closed-face helmets, because your eyeballs are not fireproof.
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Sep 22, 2012 03:58
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Sadi posted:Any critique is appreciated. I'd pinch 1 more on the backend and straighten 2, that sets you up proper for 3. Nice save on 3, it's a bad turn to screw up on because you got tirewall and armco all around. It's a critical turn though because it leads to a straight. Notice the dirt patch at the turn-in to three. There are actually some cinder blocks there. You can put your right tires in that dirt and brake hard and fast, it won't upset the car. Climb the gators on 3 and let the car drift out. The 3-4 stright looks good. Your tires should kiss the very end of the gators at trackright after 3 where they meet the dirt patch. That will set you for a straight line to 4 carrying good speed. Through 4 and 5, climb those gators if your car likes it. Your turn in looks a little late at 7, your apex little early. I like to ride that line through 6 where the asphalt joins. At the apex for 6 (mid track) there is a weird patch of asphalt. The car will jutter a little bit and chirp the tires, that is my signal to run in and lay into the throttle. The apex at 7 is the dirt patch 1ft past the inside gator. Aim for the last marker pole and you will hit it every time. Between 7 and 8, you are hugging the left too much. That section is actually a "straight" and you want to make it really straight. You want to be ~midtrack at the flag stand and a little more right just after at the dip. You want a straight line from trackout at 7 to turnin at 8. From 8 on looks good. I like how you track out at 11, I still always fight the car through there. 12-13 looks really good. Have you found the J? 14 just sucks for everyone, it's >90 degrees and the outside gators are the worst on the track. Just get it pointed right ASAP and on the throttle. Besides the tank slapper, nothing stands out as being bad. Just tighten up your apexes and find the right turn-ins. It comes with seat time. Keys to CMP: inside gators are smooth so ride them, dirt patches are there because racers killed the grass driving over them, use track surface irregualrities to locate your car. Unfortunately I don't have a good momentum car lap uploaded to share.
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Sep 26, 2012 01:55
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Bumming Your Scene posted:General question: If your car is brand new, what do you really need to bring to a track day? Brake fluid and pads and tools to change those? That would be my bare minimum, plus a quart or two of engine oil, a tire gauge, and painter's tape for numbers and headlights.
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Dec 11, 2012 01:15
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Yes, with who?  I'm eyeing Star Specs are Tire Rack. They are supposed to be on closeout, but it looks more like a JCPenney "sale". One dollar less per tire than the new ZII is not a deal!
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Jan 24, 2013 03:01
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MY LEATHERS I've never talked to anyone personally that's done a Chin trackday, but they really seem to run it fast and loose from what I have heard secondhand. Maybe you get a lot of seat time, but $500 is still a lot. AND they charge for instructors? Pffffffft. GOOD LUCK let us know how it goes and if your seats survive. grover posted:With the new BFG Rival coming out and rumored to be as good and possibly better than the ZII (which already looks fantastic), could be a very tough choice. When's Bridgestone's RE11 replacement coming out, isn't that rumored to be soon, too? I was just hoping for cheap tires, then buy a dozen. For some reason, the new tires are neglecting my 245/45-17 size. ZIIs got it, RS-3s don't, Rivals won't, don't know about Bridgestone's next but at $250 each for RE-11s I think it might be worth it to just get a spec tire. ARGH
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Jan 24, 2013 07:19
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The E30's not mine, I only get to drive it when we split time and I drop to DE2. And it's track days are numbered if not done for already. It being a 4cyl, way down on power, we'll get run over in higher run groups. Cars are just getting FAST. We've bought our own separate cars to turn into no holds barred track toys now. Hopefully we can get them to an event this year, but I need a stop gap either way.
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Jan 25, 2013 06:08
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I've seen SpecE30 racers with interiors and plates. Street legal ones do exist. Look for SpecE30 cars to drop in price as racers dump them for something else. That series is dying but the cars are still competent for HPDE/TT. And E30 knowledge base and support are huge. E36s are good candidates too. Spec3 (E36 chassis) is emerging as a series. I'd be running an E30 or E36 325 if I didn't have a stupid obsession with V8s and horsepower. AW11s are a bad idea. There were a bunch of them in a track day that I did once, pretty sure each one spun at least once and some more than that. You can turn anything in to a track day car. What are your goals and ambitions? If the answer is "just have fun", the door is wide open, especially so if you'll consider FWD.
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Feb 10, 2013 05:14
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Aw shucks. No better time to start tracking a worthless piece of crap then, I guess
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Mar 12, 2013 00:40
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Get a dedicated track car or get a dedicated daily driver. My biggest fear was always how to get my mangled heap back home. I need a worthless piece of crap tow vehicle too.
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Mar 13, 2013 03:18
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I've already scratched that one off my bucket list.
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Mar 13, 2013 04:46
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Has anyone used Takata belts? I'm thinking about picking up a set but I've never actually been in a car with them. Or seen a car in person with them.
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Apr 8, 2013 23:12
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Octopus Magic posted:They're nice but they're overpriced unless you really have a thing for Takata. I guess I'm asking because I might be able to get some that are not so overpriced. I've just never seen anybody ever use them outside of genuine racecars on TV and was wondering if that was price or something else. And they're green wOOOOOOOOOOO!
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Apr 10, 2013 04:33
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NinjaTech posted:Does anyone know of any track day clubs that have groups for formula cars in Washington? Since I don't have a racing license it's looking like I can only run my car at autocross but I'd like to do some higher speed testing. If you are signed off for solo and the car meets tech, there isn't a reason you can't run it. I've seen people in Thunder Roadsters and Lotus 7s driving DE, not a huge step to a formula car from that. Call your local director
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Apr 21, 2013 17:25
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nm posted:I'd imagine that having other brake pad deposits on the rotor could impact the bed in process. That's why they tell you to use new rotors, to get a good bedding. Usually it's OK if you stick with different compounds of the same brand, or scuff the rotors with Scotchbrite or sandpaper when you swap pads. Some race pads are abrasive enough when cold to remove the deposits of street pads too (XP8s probably aren't). If you need dedicated race pads, it's wise to get dedicated rotors too. Eventually you'll crack one, and it sucks driving home like that. Buy a set or two of spare rotors, take a free weekend and bed your pads in good and season the rotors a bit. Your brakes will last longer by doing it.
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May 10, 2013 05:08
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I wish I liked autocross, because track days are expensive. But my one and only autocross day was not a good experience, so I started tracking and never looked back.
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Jun 6, 2013 23:41
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Phone posted:Welp, the Mid-Atlantic region just lost an icon: the Oak Tree at VIR has fallen. It's going to be really different driving around there now. Article I blame the new curbing.
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Jul 3, 2013 01:24
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FatCow posted:Does anyone happen to run TT with NASA SE or Mid-Atlantic? Have some questions on their format. I only do DE with NASA but I know some TTers. What questions do you have?
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Sep 6, 2013 22:50
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I bring enough tools to change and bleed brakes, extra fluids (brake and motor oil), painters tape for numbers, glass cleaner, paper towels, a cooler with water, a folding chair, sunscreen, a disposable poncho, trash bags, and cash. I also have a pair of square boards to rest jackstands on. Most paddocks are grass/dirt/gravel, and even on asphalt the stands can sink.
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Sep 29, 2013 21:09
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How are brake pads measured? I'm debating whether I need a new set of rears or not. New pads list a thickness of 16mm. Is that overall or just the friction material? If the former, it looks like I have 60% left. I really don't want to buy new pads that I might never use. This is hopefully the last weekend this car will do.
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Oct 2, 2013 03:10
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Phone posted:Last weekend did a DE with BMWCCA Tarheel chapter at VIR and a E92 M3 caught fire in D group. How was the track? Have they done all the repaving yet? I'm pretty anxious to hit the front straight without the tree now.
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Nov 29, 2013 22:56
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bald and fail II posted:I'm most inclined to go with the carbotech xp8s as i've had good experience with carbotech already, but I dont realy know much about porterfield and hawk. Ebc i've used in the past but have not been impressed, but apparently their compounds have changed since. The only thing I dont like about carbotechs are the amount of dust they produce. Do you remember which EBC compounds you used? I've tracked yellow and blue in a heavy car without much issue. I know they've gone through a couple formula revisions in the past couple years, but the latest blues were really good to me. I think they are the mystical unicorn dual duty pad. Don't be afraid to mix and match pads front and rear. I have to because of my limited selection. You might be happier doing that in a car like an MR2 that likes to spin.
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Jan 15, 2014 16:52
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Unless the CCR changed since I last looked, NASA allows 4 points if they are tagged with FMVSS compliance for that specific vehicle. Which basically means only Schroth.
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Feb 15, 2014 02:33
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I liked XP10s on my GTO. No real complaints, but it probably could have used XP12s. It is rather portly.
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Apr 4, 2014 03:09
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eriddy posted:What do you guys think about HPS pads? They seem like a good upgrade to the current OEM pads on my 2007 GTi and I can use them on the street as well as the few track days I do each year. Am I wrong for thinking this? Any recommendations for a single set of pads that are better than OEM but also not strictly for the track? I say try the HPS out, see if you like them. They are better than OEM, they'll be fine if you are not having trouble with OEM. Just keep stepping up the aggressiveness when they wear out until you find something you like or need to go full track pad. That's what I did.
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Apr 13, 2014 22:52
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Phone posted:Hyperdrive is a short, run what you brung, "DE" where some of the rules are a bit more lax as to what can drive, but speeds are generally lower because the expectations of everything associated on track is lower. My understanding of it is parade laps, but you can open it up a little bit. Perfect for bragging how you were totally ripping it up on a track this weekend and doesn't have the commitment of a full track weekend. Hyderdrives aren't any more lax than a DE. It's the same as a DE but with just one classroom session and one track session. That is not to say that DE rules and tech are not lax.
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Jun 10, 2014 04:31
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Don't turn your AC on. You'll be dumping water all over the track.aventari posted:Honestly it's still a hell of a lot safer than commuting to work everyday. Safety from the car perspective is probably OK. Cars are getting faster and faster, and safety equipment is keeping an equal pace. The issue I see is that track safety is not keeping an equal pace. When any knucklehead can pick up a 400hp rocket ship like a Corvette or this incident's GTO for pennies and launch off the track at ridiculous speeds, we might need to start thinking about changing the barriers that served us for decades of slower cars. Adding to the problem is that bikes and cars can have a dichotomy of safety requirements, and tracks need to cut one revenue stream to serve the other. I'm sure there is no good solution, but I'll continue to dream. I think I'll add Summit Point to the list of tracks that I never want to run at. I haven't seen the layout, but it seems like a gross oversight to have unprotected trees in an area that can collect cars.
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Jun 11, 2014 00:31
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You are chewing through brakes because they are getting too hot. More aggresive compounds won't help that. Find a way to keep them cool.
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Aug 1, 2014 03:35
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So is Spec3 already dead?
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Oct 17, 2014 05:51
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Maybe it means bringing it up to modern safety standards? Pulling ARMCO away from the pavement, adding SAFER barriers/tire walls, and putting down more FIA rumble strips.
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Dec 12, 2014 00:08
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I'm not going to be driving at VIR in July because I'll be at a beer festival instead (priorities). Anyone going to UTCC that Friday? I might take that day off work. Sigma, if you want to do Road Atlanta with NASA-SE, check their holiday pricing over the winter for next year. I usually book all my stuff then to get a discount. sig11 posted:Step up to the Silver (XP12) for a real strong change. :P Are they that big of a jump? I tried to get a set of XP12s to run on the front my last weekend, but they were out of stock. Had to settle for XP10s again, which are OK but I wanted just a little extra. New XP10s are decidedly better than glazed XP10s I've discovered.
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Jul 8, 2015 00:08
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