MSR day

MSR Cresson or MSR Bonney ?

 

...or MSR Houston?

 

MSR Houston is MSR Bonney, and Bonney is much closer; for the same reason Cresson is much closer than Granville.

 

We have scheduled October 9th at MSR Houston..

Here is the email I sent out, should be great safe fun, and an ideal opportunity to treat your Ferrari to a day out too. I do have a 550 which I have taken to 2 track days this year it is really worthwhile..

Any questions please email me: piers.gormly@gmail. com


Lot's of us have high performance cars young and old (cars and drivers), which we regularly drive on the road but many of us do not have experience of high speed driving in a race track environment. Toad Track day has been set up in conjunction with Alara Garage and Sphere Motorsports to give you the possibility of bringing your car out to Motor Sports Ranch 20 miles south of Houston for a day's experience.

What this is all about is to experience driving fast at a track where the only limiting factor will be you and your car, no police, and no one coming in the opposite direction!


After checking with the track Tuesday October 9th is looking to be the most likely day for the event, so please book your calenders.

So first things first... we will be going to MSR :http://msrhouston.com/ please take some time and look at this to look at the track, facilities and so on..

The aim is that everyone will have the opportunity to spend at least 1.5 hours driving during the day. For those of you who have not done this before, this is a LOT of seat time over the day.

The day will be split up into various time slots with individual groups with different levels of experience having their own track time.

This is to do our best to be sure that everyone has the best possible and safe time on track, we do not want any incidents whatsoever, safety for you and all others around you is of paramount importance.

So, let me tell you about the groups:

1) Experienced/Instructors: These are guys and girls who have either a nationally recognized racing license or who are for example PCA (Porsche Club of America) Instructors.

2) Drivers who have participated in 5-10 recognized track day events PCA White/Yellow or equivalent

3) As above with an experience level of 2-5 events PCA Blue or equivalent

4) Novices: Self explanatory no experience. Actually this event is staged for you...

Basic track rules for these classes are:

1) Open track passing everywhere obviously we are not racing

2) Passing on all straights, no passing in corners

3) Passing on designated straights only

4) Very limited if any passing, however you will be with an instructor at all times and as the day progresses and your skills improve so will your overall track speed and subject to the instructors you may be allowed to carry out limited passing maneuvers.

5) Guests: Special category, you may bring guests you will be taken around as passengers in your car which will be driven only by someone in Category 1, or with you in your car during the parade lap session. Just in case you are thinking that this will be a little boring, let me assure you it will not ! You can of course nominate them as drivers too sharing your car which is of course up to you.

The rules for the day will be explained as we get close to the day, all common sense safety first... There will be a session at Alara Garage on Monday night from 6.00pm until 7.30pm to to walk you through the following day, explain the track, how to position the car for smooth cornering etc etc which I strongly encourage all of you who can should attend, as Ara pointed out today to me that information is processed while we sleep, so although many things will whizz over your head the first time of hearing, you will be much better prepared the following morning as some of the discussion will be absorbed I promise!! We will have a repeat at the track before any drivers go out for those who missed the evening, or who want a refresher..

Catering.

Breakfast, Lunch, and drinks will be provided for all drivers and their guests during the day.

On track: We are providing corner workers, Instructors (as above), these are not just for novices, I encourage everyone to grab an instructor during the day to help improve your own skills..

The track itself and the event have insurance this covers them and us for the day, but note this does not cover your car, so check with your insurance company to confirm what coverage you may have if any at all and be sure you understand what they tell you.

Everyone will have to sign a waiver form stating they understand that you are participating entirely at your own risk.

Please bring a helmet if you have one, a limited number of helmets will be made available during the day.
We will make up a sheet of do's and don'ts which will be sent to all participants prior to the day.

OK, the money.

The cost for the day is $300 per driver, $150 per guest, this includes everything at the track for the day including instructors and the catering package.

Checks (only) should be made payable to The Toad Motor and Cycle Club and sent to me at: 1206 Cortlandt Street, Houston, Texas 77008 before the end of September please as I must confirm and pay for the track etc by then.

We need a minimum of 40 drivers to make this work, in the event that we do not sign up 40 participants by the end of September then the event will have to be cancelled and all monies will be returned.

This is the first time that I have done this, so I am sure that I will leave things out, make mistakes but I am learning so please be patient with me..

Just to answer a few questions.

Novice. Novice does not mean slow. Novice just reflects a lack of track experience so this is the starting group. The idea is to build skill and confidence over the day, the instructors will be encouraging you, and as you improve gain confidence, the instructors will 'help' you go go faster and become smoother around the track. My evil plan is to get more people interested in motor sport as participants and have fun.

You do not need a 'sports car'. BMW's, Ford's, Jag's Mercedes are all great cars, Land Cruisers are probably not the best approach for a track day...

Old and new cars are welcome. MG's, XK 140's, Triumphs, Corvette's and so on. Don't be shy, don't think you are going to damage your treasured motor car, just drive appropriately and have fun.

Now we will ask everyone to have their car checked for safety and this should be done in advance. I will send out a form that has to be completed and signed either by your regular service place/dealer, or at Sphere Motorsport, or and this is not recommended at the track. If you need to get your car checked at the track, there will be a higher fee, and if it does not pass then the car will not be allowed on the track. This is for everyone's safety.

The groups are designed to make everyone comfortable, if you have experience in other countries that counts of course and will be used to place drivers in the groups we feel is best for them, this is not hard and fast if you feel that you are in the wrong group, then we will review and take action as necessary. Here's a suggestion; use the instructors to help learn the track, just to get your 'track feet' back, there will be plenty of time during the day, and we will make sure that everyone is in the appropriate group.

Bring friends and let them enjoy the day too.

 

Point taken. I drive past the track regularly as my inlaws live in Angleton, and frankly I'd never even heard of Bonney. (Google assures me it's there, population 384). Maybe MSR Angleton or even Rosharon would be more relevant, although Rosharon IS half a mile further away...

Regardless, I know what place we're talking about now, so thanks.