Track or not

Don't do it. Your 1st trackday is like hit of the nastiest meth on the planet. One hit and you will want more. I slipped down that path now racing with the some of the fastest amateur racers in the US. Now everything on 4 wheels bores me unless on a track. I ruined perfectly good Ferrari and a corvette adding performance gear, then roll cage, then a trailer for my racecar, then a larger suburban to tow it, then a nicer diesel ram megacab to pull the trailer, and now I'm paying for big rigs to take my race car to venues too far to tow, and I just mounted up 3 sets of new race tires at 1500 a set to race the national championship race in October. Don't do it. Don't do it. It is way too much addictive fun that will bleed you like a trophy wife.

 

Here are my thoughts on the subject.
Tracking your Ferrari absolutely will not hurt the car per se. It's the idiots you are sharing the track with that have something to prove that will plow into you, run you off the track, cut you off, etc. I had a friend total his NSX because a Viper in front of him blew a radiator hose and dumped slippery coolant onto the track. Nothing either of them could have done but the car was still totaled. I would not worry about your car, just maybe wait for a "Ferrari Day" or get into a situation where you can trust the other track participants as much as is possible.

 

Last time I went to a track I was in my 993TT.
Hit a wall.

Nuff said.

Never again

 

I'd love to, though I don't have the money to track my ferrari and not care about the wear and tear, plus possible damage from an off track excursion. i plan to purchase another used m3 or maybe a 911 once day and get back into tracking. it really is a ton of fun.

 

That pretty much sums it up. I always tell people "there's a reason track rhymes with crack"

 

I bought my 360CS specifically for use on track days

What a great car!

Yes, it demands respect from the driver. But know its characteristics, keep all components fresh (brakes, fluids, tires, belts), warm up the driver and the car prior to going on full attack mode, and there is nothing like it.

My CS has taken a few rock chips from the track but not on the nose - the clear bra has kept it nick-free after all these years.

Why else would you buy a Ferrari if not to drive it like the factory intended?

 

Do it !

 

Track your car. As long as you drive within YOUR limits, you and the car will be fine.

Most street car track days are designed to do everything possible so that you and your car go home in the same condition you arrived in. These groups like NASA, SCCA and the car clubs are there to promote safety and fun. Passing is generally only allowed in specific areas, with point by.

If you are a beginner and the group offers an instructor...... take it! You will learn about you and your abilities and raise your skill level as a result. You will also be a safer, better driver on the road.

Just check your ego at the gate and have fun!

I've been an instructor for a long, long time and when there is a crash in the street car groups, it's usually a beginner or intermediate with a huge ego, an overpowered car and a very optimistic skill level.

 

Do it! It's what these cars were made for. If it's your first track day, just be careful. You can have plenty of fun without running 10/10ths. I took my scud to the track for the first time earlier this year and had a blast. If you want, you can purchase track day insurance.

 

Why would you want to miss out on fun like this? Do it! While ideally you share the track with other Ferraris, don't worry too much about other cars being of lesser value. To their owners, often they hold the same relative values to their income so that their Miata or Mustang is as valuable to them as your Ferrari is to you. Maybe more so if they also depend on the car to get them to work during the week, while your Ferrari most likely is a second or third car.

 

+1!

 

Do it! Great fun, one of the best thing in the world actually

Use your head, dont go out in the first group. When all the hot shots has done there thing it calms down ;-)

 

so what you are saying is that the car was capable but you were not.

 

I'd love to but that's an expensive proposition. ESP Without insurance if you make a mistake. If I track a car its going to be my 928. If I crash it its only $2500-5k lost.

 

LOL enuff said.

 

Some if not most of the best drivers in the world have hit the wall at some point in their career.

 

yes i agree but they get out of the car (if they live) and the team of mechanics either repair it or they build another car for him or her.indy car, f1 for example.

 

What a rude thing to say... What does the community gain by this comment?

 

Never . Not even if you paid me to track mine .

 

Do it, but evaluate the group you go out with before you sign up. Make sure they have a good record and safety precautions. Also try and find a track day that includes cars of a similar value, that way others on the track with you have similar risk. My suggestion is check with regional Fcar clubs and dealerships for organized track days or a run group for exotics. Lastly don't be embarrassed about being a beginner, make sure you get a good instructor and listen to their tips, take it slow and steady and increase your speed as your skill level improves. The most important thing to know about driving a road course is to be smooth. Smooth is fast, fast is smooth.

 

+1 A lot of errors occur when people think they are better than they really are and ignore the advice of their instructors.

 

Go to Bindurant 3 day course. Get great instruction, beat up their cars, liability limited, go home. Very controlled way learn to drive on a track. I have a few track capable cars but do not track them. Go to Bondurant on a year and run their cars. If I can get access to a Radical, on an all Radical track day, will run those. Track use is very very hard on the cars. 10 hours on a track = 1 - 2 sets of tires, 1 set of regular brakes (not ccm), and maybe 100 gallons of fuel. Think of the stress on the mechanicals not to mention damage to nose of car from track debris. The different driving schools are a great way to get started and then you can make a more informed decision.

 

Actually it may be a rough way to put it but the fact is, unless the incident was preceded by a coolant/oil spill or contact from another car, it was caused by the car not being driven within the driver's capabilities. A driver's education event for a novice driver, on a safe track with proper runoff, should be safer than everyday street driving IF the event is run well (only one I know that meets this criteria is PCA) and your car has had a good pre-tech to be sure it's track ready. You should have a trained instructor in the right seat and you should bring NO ego into the car. If you are there to "see how fast you can go", "beat your buddy", or any other reason than to learn how to properly drive your car then you don't belong there at all. As an instructor I make this crystal clear on our first meeting, and that not following my instruction is an instant ticket into the paddock.

To the OP, if the event will have a certified instructor in your car ALL day, and you want to learn how to DRIVE (not "go fast"), I say get HPDE Insurance and go for it. Personally I would stay away from NASA and other events that let anything from a Ford Explorer to a Yugo in if the guy can pay the entry.. Look for PCA or PBOC events or others that let other marques in, they are much better organized in my area. I would say Ferrari Club but I know they had a friend of mine instruct and he was not even a PCA Instructor and had 0 training at the time...

 

+1. Everyone was thinking it, though I'm sure it wasn't the case. 993TT isn't the most forgiving car even in experienced hands.