Questions about "Trackdays"...
 

Hello all.

I've been thinking about running my car in one/some of the "trackday" type events that are out there, like the one sponsored by Mazda Driving Associates for the Summit Point raceway. I have never run my own car before at a raceway, but am very interested to see what our 8's can do on a closed track. But I do have some questions:

1.) What precautions and steps do you take, if any, before running your car at such high speeds over extended periods of time?

2.) What post-lap and post-session care should be done once the event is over?

3.) How hard do you think the 8 can be run, with regards to top speed and cornering speed? IOW, is it safe for the car to explore the upper reaches of its limits?

Thanks for any thoughts or info!

Arvin

Re: Questions about "Trackdays"...
 

Do a routine inspection of everything before you go. All hoses, clamps, lugs, etc. - make sure everything is secure.

Change your brake fluid before the event.

Install better brake pads. Take a spare set with you, along with spare brake fluid and tools needed to change the set if need be. Trust me ;)

Let your car cool down a bit before shutting it off, and pop open the hood when you do to vent the heat.

Be prepared to lose 6 months of tire wear and brake pads in an afternoon, lol...

They'll teach you the do's and don't before they let you on the track ;)

Re: Questions about "Trackdays"...
 

Also, for the last lap (after you see the checkered flag) back off and go really easy on your brakes. I typically will also do a slow lap or two in the pits to let everything cool a bit further. Finally, when you park your car, DON'T set the e-brake. Instead, just put your car in gear to hold it in place. Setting the e-brake will act as a heat sink for the rear brakes and can potentially warp your rear rotors.

You may also want to find out what number your car is before the event and pre-number it with tape (on the windshield, typically). All of the events I've been to they use shoe polish or "liquid chalk" and it can make a mess...especially if it gets wet.

- Matt

Also, track days put about 6mos of normal streed driving wear on your tires in a single day. Be ready to replace tires (much)sooner than you would normally expect.

Re: Questions about "Trackdays"...
 

It's not a question of how safe the car is at the limits, it's a question of how safe are you at the limits?

Track days are a great and fun way to exercise your driving skills regardless of the car you are in, but go in with the right attitude. Not to say this pertains to you, but going in thinking you are Fangio is going to get you in trouble very quickly. If you have never done any performance driving (speeding on a freeway does not count) then I suggest you try an auto X or two prior to a track event. Auto X speeds are much slower and it teaches you precision. Once you have a few under your belt, track sessions are cake. If you can get an instructor, even better. Even experienced track veterans have something new to learn.

As far as your car... Make sure it's in good condition and it will do just fine. :D

Re: Questions about "Trackdays"...
 

hi, I see you are in the area, and are interested in doing MazdaDriver's driving school events.

this is a great way to learn A LOT about just how wonderful your car is to drive when driven under track condition.

damn I sound like a salesman lol

anyways, I have participated in 1 MazdaDriver event already (VIR back in March), and will be going down there for another MazdaDriver event at VIR (this time the FULL course!) next weekend, so i figure I can give you some advice in terms of how things are done by MazdaDrivers.

1. actually, if your car is still stock, and you have yet to push the car really hard in terms of brake use, you should be ready to go right away. The stock brakes/tires on the RX-8 is more than sufficient for recreational track driving. I would suggest to have a fresh oil change before attending to give some extra protection on the engine. speaking of engine, how many miles are on your engine right now?

when you register for the Summit Point event in August, once you send in the money and are officially registered, they will send you an inspection form, listing all the key mechanical components you should inspect before taking onto the track. Just about all these inspections can be done by yourself, and most likely you will be all good to go, since you have a new car and all :)

2. the track times are broken down into 8 25-minute sessions each day. at the end of each session, instead of coming right off the track, you will be instructed to run a 'cool-down' lap (aka running at normal highway speed) to allow the brakes and the engine to cool down. once you are back in the paddock, you can park the car (DO NOT engage the handbrake, use something like a large piece of rock to wedge under the tires to keep car from rolling) and lift the hood up to help the car cool down faster. Then you can just walk around and check your tire pressure, make sure everything is all good for next session.

3. don't worry about reading speed and whatnot, you're here to learn how to drive first and foremost. seeing this will be your very first time driving on a track, you will be put in the beginners group, where the instructor will bring you up to speed slowly on the first day as you get more comfortable. the instructor (you will have ONE instructor for the whole weekend, so you can have very personalized instructions) will gauge your ability and bring you up to speed accordingly. usually you will be going pretty fast by the end of first day. As for how fast you'll actually go, well, that's for you to find out on the track ;)

oh yeah, don't worry about numbers, MazdaDrivers will hand you these fancy vinyl number stickers that you stick on your windshield when you check-in Friday evening/Saturday morning.

and yes there will be classroom instructions as well as on-track in-car instructions. These guys are pretty good at keeping things safe :)

while we're discussing VIR/track driving, here's me driving my RX-7 on VIR (Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA) :D

notice the fancy number stickers on the top corner of windshield :D

Man, ZoomZoomH...
 

...you sure have me sold!! I've been studying the MazdaDrivers' site for a while now, and am very impressed with the way they run these events.

Hopefully, I'll be able to drive in the Summit Point event. My big thing is schedualing conflicts here at work (SO MANY co-workers have vacation dates put in already) and the fear and apprehension of running my new (and only!) car that hard! :p

What I may try to do is head down to VIR next weekend to watch that event. I already know, it'll probably make me want to drive at Summit more!

Thanks for the info!

Arvin

P.S. My car is all stock...just got the M-flash with an oil change and tire rotation yesterday...milage is 4208.

ah 4208, your motor is ready for prime time! muahahahha

are you gonna stay down at VIR for the weekend, or you gonna drive down and back in 1 day? it's about a 4 hour drive, FYI.

one thing that was highly recommended before i went on the track is to change your brake fluid from the factory DOT3 to DOT4... this ensures your brake fluids dont boil under the constant heavy braking... (u dont want to be going into the 1st corner after the straight with little/no brakes)

i think usually driving schools have a car-prep sheet they recommend you to follow...

if your really paranoid, you can also put racing tape on your front lights incase you get a rock flung at your car from the guy in front, which may crack your lights, expensive fix...

Since we're on the topic of brakes...

After your run session, make sure you don't use the E-brake. Your Rotors will be quite hot and using it may warp the rotors as they cool. ;)

I'll probably head down for the day and drive back...not sure which day to attend though, will be easiest for me to go down for the Saturday session.

Arvin

Thanks for the tips...
 

...guys! To be honest, I'm not as worried about the engine or transmission as I am my brakes, tires, suspension, cooling and body work! ;)

I really believe, as been stated, that the driveline of our 8s is extremely robust. I just want to make sure the rest of the car will hold up to the stresses the engine can dish out. I am sure my bravery will run out before the ability of the car does!

My only "course" driving/racing has involved Mazda Rev-It-Up (of course!) and BMW Performance Driving school, which were mostly autocross-type events. My real intentions are to really get to know my car better and to learn high-performance driving techniques on a course that has some real pace to it.

Arvin

For what it is worth and against the extensive checklists I see here, I just drive my car to the track and drive home as is. No change of brake fluid, stock tire pressure of 32psi, stock brake pads, and tires are lasting fine. Nothing beyond what I would do as standard maintenance anyway. It is a new car and a well built one at that.

Oh, I also have 16k miles now and stock tires only now needing to be replaced. This is with two track days so far in this car.

Things of note are expect to burn a quart of oil in a single day. Check often. Expect around 7-8mpg. This is what I am getting at least. Expect to have fun.

That sums up my check list.

during the inspection you need to check every bolt to make sure theyre tight. this is a pain in the ass, but is required by most track events. its already been said, but you should bleed your breaks as well. ive seen/known a few people who have cooked their roaters but you shouldnt need to worry about bringing extra pads. also, you need to make sure everything is out of the car; nothing in the glove box, trunk, console, cd player....everything!

I've never had the 8 on the track, but I'm guessing that with it's huge rotors, the pads might be fine for a track day.

But when I used to run my CRX on the track, I'd burn through 1/2 pad material per day... so unless the pads were fairly new, there was always a chance they'd be gone by end of day. I only burned through a set completely once, but once was enough to remind myself to always have an extra set just in case :)

And don't forget sunscreen, lol...

Clutch Fluid Capacity
 

For those of you that have refilled the hydraulic fluids - about how much do you estimate is needed to completely fill the clutch hydraulics?

I haven't seen it mentioned yet - you need a helmet!! The organizers should specify the minimum certification, but it's typically SNELL M95 or M2000 (M for motorcycle), or SA95 or SA2000 (SA for automobile motorsport). The organizers may be able to make helmets available, but double-check first.

Also - empty your car! Get ALL the junk out of the trunk, door pockets, console boxes, glove box. Bring a box, bag, or something to leave all that stuff in in the pit area.

Regards,
Gordon