1st Track day experience coming up

Look ahead. Be smooth. Look further ahead. Be smoother.

Make sure you have *fresh* (as in six months old or less) high performance brake fluid (Ate Type 200 is great, in that it has decent boiling points, as well as lubricants for the ABS system, and it's cheap) and that your pads are at least 50% of their original thickness.

Look ahead. Be smooth.

Do not try to go fast. Let the speed come naturally. Forcing speed just means you're making more mistakes, which means it will ultimately take you longer to become a decent driver.

Look ahead. Be smooth.

Brake early, and in a straight line. Late braking is about the last place you're going to pick up time on the track, but it's very easy to totally screw up a corner (or worse) by carrying too much speed in.

Look ahead. Be smooth.

Watch the corner stations! Doing so will keep you out of a bunch of bad situations. Make it a habit to wave at each manned corner station on every warmup lap, every time you see a new flag displayed at a station, and on the cool down lap.

Look ahead. Be smooth.

If you run out of track, or something bad happens otherwise, drive the car straight off under control. Don't try to save it unless you're *positive* that you can do so. Driving off straight means you're still under control. Going off sideways means you don't know where the car will wind up, and that could mean it could snap back across the track into the path of oncoming cars or even dig in and roll.

Did I mention to look ahead and be smooth?

Watch tons of video of the same configuration you'll be running before you ever get there. That way you'll at least have a clue about the layout of the track.

Look ahead. Be smooth.

Drink lots of water, beginning a few days before the event. HP driving is hard work, both mentally and physically, and your first time out will almost certainly be informational overload. Expect to be worn out afterwards. Proper hydration makes it easier to maintain focus and concentration. Make it a habit to drink at least one bottle of water after every session on track.

Look ahead. Be smooth.

Leave your ego at home. I've been instructing for twenty years and have taught/coached literally thousands of people from all experience levels, from pure novices to people who have already been racing for years, In that time I've had two people actually impress me their first time out, and both were highly accomplished aerobatic pilots. There is always someone with more raw talent or more torque or more money or more cajones than you, so make it about learning more about yourself and your car instead of about showing everybody else how great you are.

Look ahead. Be smooth. Seriously-- look all the way through corners. When you exit a corner onto a straight, glance at your gauges. Then shift your eyes to the next braking zone or the setup for the next corner. As you begin braking, your eyes should be looking for the apex, so you know when to turn in. As you're turning in, your eyes should be at track out, so you know how much power you can put down and how soon. Don't target fixate on any given thing, and especially don't follow cars in front of you-- drive your own line.

Be smooth with your control inputs-- all of them. The brake and the gas are not on/off switches. Roll off the brake pedal gently instead of just side-stepping it. Shift smoothly, instead of popping the clutch. Take care of the car! Feed steering in gradually, and then add gas as you begin to unwind. In other words, look ahead and be smooth!

Good luck. Hope you have a good time. Wringing a Ferrari out on a road course is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. Just remember to look ahead and be smooth.

///Mike

 

Best experience you can have in your own Ferrari! I wish more of us would take these cars out there, it's where they belong!

Tons of great info above and I will reiterate that you need to make sure you have some fresh quality high temp. brake fluid in there along with some pads that can handle some real heat. There's nothing worse then spending a bunch of money on a track day only to spend half of the time in the pits because your fluid is boiling or your pads are fading.

Have fun out there!

 

I typically don't recommend buying go-fast parts for your first time or two out, but in this case Mike makes a very good point. Ferrari pads are expensive and track driving (please don't call it racing!) chews through them in a hurry. So you may very well be better off with a racing compound pad. Feel free to PM me if you want specific recommendations.

BTW, while I've never met or talked with Mike, from my experience with his product it's clear he knows his stuff. A buddy put a set of Girodiscs on his 360 and told me that I would no longer be able to toast the front brakes on that car. I was *highly* skeptical, since the discs aren't any bigger than stock. Well, I proved myself wrong-- those things work! Hard to believe the amount of braking improvement from just upgrading discs (he stayed with the same race compound we'd used on that car from Day 1, so the improvement was solely from the discs). Awesome product. Wish I could afford them for my own 348. One of these days...

Back to the original topic for a moment-- I cannot overstate the importance of fresh high temp fluid, no matter what else you do to the car. Pad fade will at least give some warning, whereas fluid fade usually manifests itself by the brake pedal going to the floor. Happens fairly frequently, almost always to people who aren't told (or don't heed the advice) to change their fluid prior to the event.

 

Hi Tony,

Will you have an instructor with you? Take it easy. Learn the track. Don't try to be a hero. I don't track my cars anymore. My old heart can not take it. But I have been to MMP and run the go carts with my step, son who lives in SLC. Yes, he kicked my butt. Got me back for when he was just a kid and I ran all over his butt.

 

Don't use the e-brake after a session, they can melt to the rotors. Double clutch on downshifts. Don't run out of gas. Check your oil a lot. Listen to everything the above posters told you and you'll have an amazing time. I take my 911 out a bunch for private track days. Way more fun than I ever thought driving could be, and I want to get a Radical
badly!

 

Echoing all the advice regarding hydration, seek shade, ego stays home, fresh fresh fresh brake fluid....

A couple of things that work for me are a cooler full of Gatorade and water - one bottle each after each session; and a bag of Hershey's nuggets. I prefer the dark chocolate with almonds. A few of those between sessions gives just that teeny little bit extra to keep your brain sharp.

Celebrate copiously at the bar... AFTER your track day. The night before you need lots of water and a good night's sleep.

If you have the chance to drive the track beforehand, or even if you just have a track map, before you go to sleep the night before visualize yourself driving a lap. Think of it as the poor man's micro budget simulator.

Most of all, relax and enjoy!!

But beware! Track driving is very, very addictive. I did a Skip Barber school as a birthday present, and now I have a closet full of nomex and a dedicated track car.

Patrick Dempsey did a Skp Barber school as a birthday present, and he is on the grid at LeMans this weekend. (Different budget than me, clearly!)

 

Hey, keep this in mind.. If you are not scaring yourself on every corner you are not going fast.
But, everything they said above sounds safe and correct.
Do scare yourself. It's addicting!
Have fun.

 

The novice upstarting driver should not consider making the car any faster until he/she is capable of driving within 5 seconds of the lap record for that HP, that weight, that kind of tires.

Don't worry, you won't be until you have at least 5 track weekends under your belt.

 

Double clutch is not even remotely necessary on the 355. Rev-matching (heel/toe) certainly helps so you don't lock the rears, but no need to double clutch or every f1 trans car would have grenaded by now.

I ran into pad fade first time at the track after 4 or 5 hard laps, but it was not my first time at the track so I was braking fairly agressively by that time. I had fresh ATE fluid in the car so no soft pedal. I went to Hawk pads for my last time out, but didn't get to push them to see if they solved the fade problem.

Check your oil lines!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jslt7Ogwg4

 

Wonderful stuff! Thank you.
I've got my first (Ferrrari car) track day coming up too, and I'm ****ting myself but this had been a very helpful thread.

 

Interesting, thanks!

 

Lots of advice for you already, but remember you're there to have fun! My first time on track was back in 1992 in a 328 GTS at Watkins Glen, and getting to the track was as much fun as being on track. Good luck and be safe.

 

Mike talked about the driver I'll mention about the car.

Consider leaving all not mission critical stuff that normally lives in the car at home (floor mats, tool kit)
In preparation an annual brake fluid flushing is a great idea or at least brake bleeding
top up oil and if a car uses 0-40w or 10-40W the heavier oils are better on track
don't forget to check power steering levels
the only tools you need are a torque wrench for your lug nuts and a tire gauge
hand wash your car and look at it. Look at fender gaps, body seams, tire wear, camber, outer brake pad thickness, red pain on your calipers, study your engine bay. Know every flaw on your car.

A melding of a basic tech sheet like appendix A from SCCA or this tech sheet from speed ventures is a good start to making your own car specific tech sheet to make sure important items are looked at before your track day.

http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/assets/2014_PDX_CT%20Driver_Rules_final.pdf
https://www.speedventures.com/events/tech.pdf

After every session let the car cool and about 30 mins before you go back on track check every lugnut and check your tire pressures and walk around your car and look for anything out of place. That's why you washed your car. That is how you spot a loose hose connection, a leaky radiator hose, or a missing lugnut. That is how you prevent on track failures that can cost you an engine or oiling down the track costing everyone tracktime. You are looking for things out of place. Cold tire pressures will rise as the day gets hotter and the next morning you will need to air up your tires because of the air you bled off yesterday. A newbie on street tires will probably get a rise of 4-6psi from cold to hot pressures. So let's say your cold start is 30psi and after you get back to the pits it is 35psi. The delta is 5psi. After lunch you are at 32psi and if you want the same "feel" of your car 35psi hot then bleed out 2psi. As the day gets hotter you will bleed more air before each session. In the next morning you will have to add back in some air you bled out yesterday. A newbie is probably not at the level of adjusting handling with tire pressures. There is plenty to learn on day one and tweeking your car is probably not one of them. You want the car to make it through the day and drive you home in the same condition it got you to the track. I would not have an "instructor" drive your car. No one but you can ever wreck it if no one but you ever drives it. 99% instructors are just guys like me who have been at it a long time. That means they can know nothing or know a lot and sometimes know a lot and can't teach. Real instructors are much more rare and go through some kind of credentialing program like a real teacher. It is unlikely you will have one of those on your 1st trackday. The last person you want driving your car is an "instructor" who wants to impress you how fast he is. Good luck and have fun first everything else second.

 

F1 or manual?

 

All I can offer is what was said.
Easy into the turns try to hit the apex and try to go harder on the throttle each time out of the turn.
That should keep you busy for the day
\
How do I know ? I fell down went boom too many times and 90% was too deep in a turn.
Many ouchies


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I wouldn't worry about that chalk, you should be able to see if your car is rolling over on the sidewall by scuff marks.

One thing that helps if you're new is to watch video of pros or instructors on the same track in a similar power/weight car to see the correct line. The braking points and speeds won't be the same (especially if you're early on the learning curve), but the line around the track should be. Get an instructor to help you, preferably one that has experience in a decently powerful mid engined car (like a newer boxster/cayman) as it's a different experience to driving a f/r or f/f car and you have to drive it differently. Be gentle with your steering inputs, if you're jerking the steering wheel back and forth you're probably doing something wrong.

The most important thing is to have fun and stay safe. If you feel yourself getting tired, consider packing it in even if there's a session or two left. Get a gopro as it's a good thing to look at later and analyze for next time and compare to someone who knows what they're doing.

 

stay hydrated.
learn the line and hit your marks consistently. turn in, apex, track out.
be midful of kerbs and how they can upset the car.
use 100% of the track. do a track walk if available.
recognize when you need fast steering input vs slow.
recognize the erratic drivers and don't follow them to closely in corners least they lose it and you collect them. don't be ashamed to point by to give yourself room.
painters tape on whole front of car.
get a microphone system for you and instructor if you can
get a good tire pressure gauge
get a breaker bar and torque wrench. back out wheel bolts and retorque midday when car is cool
bring extra coolant and brake fluid.

relax and have fun!

 

Make sure your tires are current. If not, consider a new set before pushing 10+ year old boots.

 

Watch this video...




[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQRmYMlmdqM[/ame]

 

That's a grear video. Almost forgot about it. Watched it a few years back.


If you are from the school of "smoother is faster," then you need to be mindful of how you approach every input.

Mike pointed out most of the basics and I agree it is important we try to be as smooth as possible and to continue focusing on being smooth as you get faster. It takes lots of practice and seat time and there are things you can start practicing right now on the street to get you to a certain comfort level.

1. Seat position. 9 oclock / 6 oclock hand positions on the steering wheel. Adjust seat closer so your arms/elbows can turn the wheels comfortably/effortlessly as possible. I dont find the 355 seats to be ideal, but try to make the best of it.

2. Mike pointed out the brake is not an on/off switch and stepping on and off should be done in a progressive manner. The point is to try to have as much traction as possible by not shocking the tires. I would like to add letting off the gas in a smooth/progressive manner before braking is just as important.

3. Practice your heel / toe technique now. Plenty of videos. Not everyone does it the same way. I think it is important to find out which technique is most comfortable for you. I like to roll the top of my feet. Others like to blip the gas with their heels. My technique requires a wider brake pedal or gas pedal. If you're not sure, just get the wider gas/brake pedal anyway because you can still try both techniques. you will notice it is difficult to apply constant brake pressure as every revmatched downshift will relieve some pressure because youre turning and twisting your feet. The point is to practice and get to a point where your brake pressure is as constant and progressive as possible. This is the beauty of driving and practicing a manual. The challenge of feeling one with car through practice...

4. Practice shifting in a way that limits jerkiness. The point is to limit the feel of clutch disengaging/engaging. Similar to the feel of an automatic car. Dont slam the gears into place Fast and Furious Style. It is a quick, but progressive feel. Hill engineering slick shift gate will help gauge the timing between gears that cross. As much as like the clicking sound the shifter makes when it hits the gate going from 2nd to 3rd, i could never get the timing to be as good as my straightline (ex 3rd to 4th) shifts on the 355. There's a specific timing you can get gears into place without depressing the clutch pedal. There is only a small opening to engage soon after you lift off the gas pedal. Its very difficult to get this timing down everytime without grinding gears but as you shift you can feel an opening that will allow you to complete the shift, but you need to apply pressure. I tap the clutch slightly to help because i dont want to risk grinding gears. If you can get this timing down, it will result in a smooth shift. It is rewarding when you can master driving a manual smoothly.

 

One of the benefits of a manual vs f1 is being able to select your gear through the downshift as opposed to going through the gears (5,4,3,2) as long as you time it correctly , so you dont over rev the engine. However, your synchro life will diminish. I believe , but not certain, a double-clutch technique could help preserve those synchros. If not, it is at least fun to practice as it is an old-school technique. Comes in handy if you have a worn out synchro.

 

I always try to teach double clutch down shifting. I've heard on this thread that all you need to do is match revs. That may sound good, but in my experience, your smoothness will be better with a proper double clutch down shift and your gearbox will love you..

 

Correction... 9/3 oclock hand position, not 6 .