First track day! Now with 140% more pics!

**Sasquatch** · 09-22-2012 05:03 PM

https://www.trackdaze.com/index.php?...temid=0&did=35

http://www.njmp.com/wp-content/uploa...bers-clean.pdf

Top Gear UK says you cannot be a true Petrolhead until you've owned an Alfa Romeo. After experiencing a race track I do not think you can be a true performance car enthusiast without participating in a track day. 4 - 30 minute sessions felt more like 5 minutes each. It toys with your sense of time as everything happens so fast. I was expecting to get fatigued driving all out for two hours - I did not. The moderate to heavy traffic on the way home did.

The instructor I had for the first 3 runs turned out to be an insensitive dork. His expectations of my learning ability were far too high. Very little encouragement or positive comments, mostly pointed out when I did wrong, even yelling and dropped a few F-bombs. No need to yell as they use something called a Chatterbox - a very effective wired intercom system that tucks neatly into the helmet.

I got a lecture from him how poor of a listener I was after the third run. Made me feel awful, never wanting to try the track again. I seriously thought about leaving right then and there. The Trackdaze staff have heard and will hear more about it. They set me up with the guy who was the classroom instructor for my final run.

This instructor was the exact opposite telling me everything I needed to know. Within a couple of laps I was going much faster, finally passing other drivers. My goal was to hit 120 down the straight – I did twice. I left the track once, thanks to throttle induced oversteer at about 70 mph. No harm done - gracefully spun off off into the grass.

The WRX performed beyond my expectations and then some. No brake fade with the Hawk HP Plus and ATE DOT 4 fluid. Brembos would have been nice I suppose. Plenty of power and torque minimized the need to shift from 3rd to 4th / 4th to 3rd. I did data logging including vehicle speed using a Tactrix module, so I was able to see what my top speed was and how fast I was going when I spun out.

Some pics and a video below. I ordered a really pricey photo CD of me WRX on the track - should see it sometime next week.

Porsche p0rn for Ray. This car had the same wheels as my WRX.

**SD_GR** · 09-22-2012 05:22 PM

What a nice time despite the rude guy, congrats. Great info on the pads too! Good for you. I bet you'll become addicted.

**EJ257** · 09-22-2012 05:32 PM

Good deal. Sorry you had such a poor experience with your instructor. I've always wanted to try one of these. Did you go with a club?

**Sasquatch** · 09-22-2012 05:38 PM

Addicted? We'll see. It is much pricier than autox. My tuner suggested I top off with some 100 octane available at the track to minimize any potential knock. It was $9.99 a gallon - I bought ~9.

Should have calculated mileage.

The WRX is my daily driver. It totaled 90 - 100 miles of track driving, much harder on the WRX than autox.

~100 miles has got to be over an entire season of autox. I'd like to keep the WRX for a few more relatively trouble free years. Track days will surely not help. On the other hand, I cannot ever remember having so much adrenaline laced fun!

Originally Posted by EJ257

Good deal. Sorry you had such a poor experience with your instructor. I've always wanted to try one of these. Did you go with a club?

Club? No. Trackdaze rents out the track and organizes the entire event. It was not affiliated with the SCCA which I'm a 6+ year member of.

**Heide264** · 09-23-2012 01:21 AM

Good stuff!

A bad instructor could easily screw the day up. Both of mine I have had were great luckily.

Careful with adding too much race gas.. More ya add the further from ideal timing you go. Could cause some massive egts if it's a conservative tune.

If you go again, keep an eye on the brakes. Mine felt invincible the first day for the most part. The second day I started to learn they weren't perfect lol. You start to push it a bit harder each time.

If you plan on doing it a lot, there are some upfront costs you could throw in to save being nickel and dimed. I am sure you see the benefit of a set of track wheels already (If they are stickier, consider the added braking force.) The less commonly noticed one is a bbk that uses a more standard pad size. A set of ferodo brake pads for my calipers cost almost twice as much as a more common (and thicker) sized pad of the same compound.

I know you probably aren't gonna start going every week, but some things to consider down the line.

**Calvinball** · 09-23-2012 05:21 AM

That's awesome and I am jealous.

***mycologist*** · 09-23-2012 05:49 AM

Sounds awesome Bill. I don't know why some people have to be ****s like that.

**Sasquatch** · 09-23-2012 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Heide264

Good stuff!

A bad instructor could easily screw the day up. Both of mine I have had were great luckily.

Careful with adding too much race gas.. More ya add the further from ideal timing you go. Could cause some massive egts if it's a conservative tune.

If you go again, keep an eye on the brakes. Mine felt invincible the first day for the most part. The second day I started to learn they weren't perfect lol. You start to push it a bit harder each time.

If you plan on doing it a lot, there are some upfront costs you could throw in to save being nickel and dimed. I am sure you see the benefit of a set of track wheels already (If they are stickier, consider the added braking force.) The less commonly noticed one is a bbk that uses a more standard pad size. A set of ferodo brake pads for my calipers cost almost twice as much as a more common (and thicker) sized pad of the same compound.

I know you probably aren't gonna start going every week, but some things to consider down the line.

The gas is back to mostly 93. I could feel the limitations of the brakes, especially on the last run as I was going faster. It is quite a feeling hitting 120, then stabbing the brakes to go into the first corner. Putting that much faith into them going so fast was a real rush.

Setting up for the straight was equally intense. Knowing the WRX had enough grip into the last 3 corners while I was in 4th at WOT was counter intuitive to street or autox driving. I got a tiny bit of the fearless attitude of real race car drivers. Amazing!

**BenchTT** · 09-23-2012 02:17 PM

Obviously not all instructors are alike. I always tell people that if you don't get along with your instructor or aren't in synch, ASK for a change after the first session. Every club will accomodate and give you an instructor that is more compatible with you and your needs.
NJMSP is my home track and I absolutely love thunderbolt. It sounds like you are already addicted

***RayfieldsWRX*** · 09-24-2012 06:43 AM

Thanks for the Porsche pr0n!
Sounds like a mixed instructor experience, but good for you for sticking with it. I need to do one of these, some day.

**Ruh Roh** · 09-24-2012 07:04 AM

glad you had a good, safe time, post up the pics from the cd when it comes in

**maus** · 09-24-2012 07:11 AM

Whats up with that exhaust on the GT3???

**Heide264** · 09-24-2012 08:07 AM

Oh, and for what it is worth... we call them "Off road excursions". I had a pretty good one last time. The classroom lesson guy actually complemented me because he said that is the turn to learn it at.

I did get the "you've been bad" flag following that, haha. Luckily it was at the end of the session and I needed to dump another 5g into the cow anyhow.

**Donkey** · 09-24-2012 10:48 AM

Nice Bill! I wouldn't let that A-hole ruin your expierence. Logs looked pretty good from the quick skim over I did (lots of data!). What camber settings are you running?

**Sasquatch** · 09-27-2012 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by Donkey

Nice Bill! I wouldn't let that A-hole ruin your expierence. Logs looked pretty good from the quick skim over I did (lots of data!). What camber settings are you running?

Was -1.5 all around. Next time ... if there is a next time I'll slam in the fronts more with the plates.

Still waiting for the too expen$ive CD ...