so i'll be attending my first track day in a month at waterford hills (conveniently 15 min from my house!) and would like some advice.

my car: '05 GT 6-spd. stock tires/brakes/rotors/driver.

me: apparently too tall to wear a helmet comfortably in my car so i will have to have the seatback waaay back. not much choice on this.

experience: none. i've been a 1/4 mile guy my whole life.

i'll be lumped in with the rest of the rookie/tards, and we will have experience drivers helping us, but i would like some advice from my rx-8 bretheren.

any helpful hints?

thanks!!!

-dave

 

Have fun.

Change your brake fluid.

 

Go slower than you think you should at the beginning. Listen to the instructor about positioning your car for the turns. Build speed with your confidence - don't scare yourself.

Remember slow into the turn = fast out of the turn.

Have fun!!!!


ps. take lots of water & gatorade to the track. Drink it.

 

Have good vehicle insurance.

 

As mentioned above, at minimum;

-Something like Valvoline Synthetic brake fluid.
-Inspect brake pad to make sure they have at least 1/2 pad thickness remaining.
-Tires at 34 psi.


Have fun.

If you get more into the hobby,

-Fluid like Motul RBF 600 or ATE SuperBlue / Yellow should be freshly bled before track days.
-A trackable brake pad should be used.
-A simple performance oriented alignment will enhance your car's abilities.

Anything further is up to you.

 

don't let the gas gauge go below 1/4. Or else it will suck air in a hard left hand turn.

 

+1 on the gas. I bring an extra 5 gallon filler to the track to make sure its above 1/4 tank at all times. Depending on the amount of track time, that might not even be enough. Also, bring some extra oil and check the level after each session. Last track day I was at, I definately burned more than a quart. When you're getting 7-9mpg, you're burning a lot more oil.

 

thanks for the ideas, guys!

 

Do a search in this section and you will find alot of answers.

Just drive safely.