Help: Want to take my car to the track in the Bay Area
02-19-2011, 11:31 PM
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Help: Want to take my car to the track in the Bay Area
So, I've never had any sort of driver education, never even seen a track tbo.
I'm desperate to get out there with my new car. Just moved to the Bay Area. PCA shows NOTHING in SF in the next calendar year!
A little help?
I'm desperate to get out there with my new car. Just moved to the Bay Area. PCA shows NOTHING in SF in the next calendar year!
A little help?
02-19-2011, 11:39 PM
#3
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
02-20-2011, 01:12 AM
#4
Hello,
Our chapter PCA Diablo has about 3-4 track days a year at Thunderhill and so does Golden Gate.
As mentioned hooked on driving is also a good option.
See you out there !!!
Our chapter PCA Diablo has about 3-4 track days a year at Thunderhill and so does Golden Gate.
As mentioned hooked on driving is also a good option.
See you out there !!!
02-20-2011, 02:29 AM
#5
Rennlist Member
Basic answers above. www.motorsportsreg.com for a comprehensive calendar. Check out each track's website and have a look at calendars. What it comes down to are the non-profit marque clubs (PCA of various regions, BMWCCA that will take a non-BMW, Lotus Club Golden Gate also takes anyone but zero instruction) or the for-profit (Hooked On Driving, Trackmasters, NCRC, TEAM, to name a few). Each has strengths and weaknesses.
In two weeks at Thunderhill you've got a PCA Diablo on Friday 3/4 with an NCRC weekend event. I'll be racing in a wheel-to-wheel group within the NCRC event. Merely a Spec Miata, though. Trackmasters/Speedventures has something going on at Sears Point (Infineon), too. I'll also be assisting a friend who's transitioning from motorcycle racing to a full race 911, but he'll just be in his wife's 997 this time.
Things will really start picking up next month, and you could probably run 10-12 days a month at the four "local" tracks if you cared to.
In two weeks at Thunderhill you've got a PCA Diablo on Friday 3/4 with an NCRC weekend event. I'll be racing in a wheel-to-wheel group within the NCRC event. Merely a Spec Miata, though. Trackmasters/Speedventures has something going on at Sears Point (Infineon), too. I'll also be assisting a friend who's transitioning from motorcycle racing to a full race 911, but he'll just be in his wife's 997 this time.
Things will really start picking up next month, and you could probably run 10-12 days a month at the four "local" tracks if you cared to.
02-20-2011, 02:31 AM
#6
Rennlist Member
I should add Coastal Driving will pop up too. I think they have a Laguna date in March. It's a defacto PCA group, comprised of long, long time Porsche racers and track drivers.
02-20-2011, 02:35 AM
#7
Rennlist Member
And I'll add another one that escaped me--Your Private Track Day, and there's a Laguna event early March. Haven't run/instructed with his group, but I've only heard positive comments from our pretty hard core local mailing list of racers/track guys.
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02-20-2011, 12:41 PM
#9
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Suggest:
A) Know insurance
B) do some autocross first, which will also be starting soon, if not already. Learn what the limit feels like at 30mph instead of 100 mph, esp if you just started driving your car. Trust me, invest in a some AutoX and you will reap the rewards on the track.
C) Read some like the Skip Barber book or Hank Watts' book
D) Start at Thunderhill...almost no walls to worry about avoiding. Lots of room to go off.
A) Know insurance
B) do some autocross first, which will also be starting soon, if not already. Learn what the limit feels like at 30mph instead of 100 mph, esp if you just started driving your car. Trust me, invest in a some AutoX and you will reap the rewards on the track.
C) Read some like the Skip Barber book or Hank Watts' book
D) Start at Thunderhill...almost no walls to worry about avoiding. Lots of room to go off.
02-20-2011, 12:50 PM
#10
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Suggest:
A) Know insurance
B) do some autocross first, which will also be starting soon, if not already. Learn what the limit feels like at 30mph instead of 100 mph, esp if you just started driving your car. Trust me, invest in a some AutoX and you will reap the rewards on the track.
C) Read some like the Skip Barber book or Hank Watts' book
D) Start at Thunderhill...almost no walls to worry about avoiding. Lots of room to go off.
A) Know insurance
B) do some autocross first, which will also be starting soon, if not already. Learn what the limit feels like at 30mph instead of 100 mph, esp if you just started driving your car. Trust me, invest in a some AutoX and you will reap the rewards on the track.
C) Read some like the Skip Barber book or Hank Watts' book
D) Start at Thunderhill...almost no walls to worry about avoiding. Lots of room to go off.
a) I know that my insurance currently covers anything that qualifies as "Driver Education," so I'll need to ensure that anything I participate in qualifies as such
b) Good call, I think I'll do this.
c) Okay...i might do this haha
d) I am enquiring about Auto Cross with Shannon @ Thunderhill right now.
Thanks!
02-20-2011, 01:45 PM
#11
Rennlist Member
Let's back this down a few notches. A first timer will be going slower on track than he will on the drive to the track. At least with me. You will NOT be reaching triple digits. Period. The corners? You're going to be so overwhelmed on learning the track speed is irrelevant. Think maybe the pace you'd take your nervous mother-in-law for a ride on a twisty road. Yeah, that slow.
Autocross may or may not be beneficial. Again, as a first timer, you're not going to be spinning out. You'll have a hard enough time following the course. And in a completely stock car it will be understeer city. Which you won't find on track until you've run several events. In any case, unless Shannon has some personal interest I doubt there's anything he'll add beyond what we here can on this front.
Bottom line is that track driving, and competence doing it, is a learning process. Difference is that we see first timers who have driven on the street for 5-10-25 years and think they know what's what. It takes time to unlearn the cruise control that street driving is. You won't do it in one day. (Not that it takes two years like some groups claim you need to have under your belt to "solo.") Many times we get a one-time-and-out guy, and I'll do my best to make sure he has an enjoyable day. Just don't go home and tell everyone you "raced."
Autocross may or may not be beneficial. Again, as a first timer, you're not going to be spinning out. You'll have a hard enough time following the course. And in a completely stock car it will be understeer city. Which you won't find on track until you've run several events. In any case, unless Shannon has some personal interest I doubt there's anything he'll add beyond what we here can on this front.
Bottom line is that track driving, and competence doing it, is a learning process. Difference is that we see first timers who have driven on the street for 5-10-25 years and think they know what's what. It takes time to unlearn the cruise control that street driving is. You won't do it in one day. (Not that it takes two years like some groups claim you need to have under your belt to "solo.") Many times we get a one-time-and-out guy, and I'll do my best to make sure he has an enjoyable day. Just don't go home and tell everyone you "raced."
02-20-2011, 03:02 PM
#12
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Let's back this down a few notches. A first timer will be going slower on track than he will on the drive to the track. At least with me. You will NOT be reaching triple digits. Period. The corners? You're going to be so overwhelmed on learning the track speed is irrelevant. Think maybe the pace you'd take your nervous mother-in-law for a ride on a twisty road. Yeah, that slow.
Autocross may or may not be beneficial. Again, as a first timer, you're not going to be spinning out. You'll have a hard enough time following the course. And in a completely stock car it will be understeer city. Which you won't find on track until you've run several events. In any case, unless Shannon has some personal interest I doubt there's anything he'll add beyond what we here can on this front.
Bottom line is that track driving, and competence doing it, is a learning process. Difference is that we see first timers who have driven on the street for 5-10-25 years and think they know what's what. It takes time to unlearn the cruise control that street driving is. You won't do it in one day. (Not that it takes two years like some groups claim you need to have under your belt to "solo.") Many times we get a one-time-and-out guy, and I'll do my best to make sure he has an enjoyable day. Just don't go home and tell everyone you "raced."
Autocross may or may not be beneficial. Again, as a first timer, you're not going to be spinning out. You'll have a hard enough time following the course. And in a completely stock car it will be understeer city. Which you won't find on track until you've run several events. In any case, unless Shannon has some personal interest I doubt there's anything he'll add beyond what we here can on this front.
Bottom line is that track driving, and competence doing it, is a learning process. Difference is that we see first timers who have driven on the street for 5-10-25 years and think they know what's what. It takes time to unlearn the cruise control that street driving is. You won't do it in one day. (Not that it takes two years like some groups claim you need to have under your belt to "solo.") Many times we get a one-time-and-out guy, and I'll do my best to make sure he has an enjoyable day. Just don't go home and tell everyone you "raced."
I will make no pretenses that I am some sort of amazing driver, and I'm not expecting to be flying around corners at 100mph any time soon! All I'm really looking for is a fun afternoon with my car and learning some technical skills. Hopefully I enjoy it and come back for more
Given that, what would YOU recommend I do? It seems you're not recommending autocross? I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
Thanks!
Last edited by asofine; 02-20-2011 at 03:22 PM.
02-20-2011, 03:15 PM
#13
Rennlist Member
Coastal Driving School....
Speed Ventures at Infineon March 5th and 6th. Go to SpeedVentures.com to register
March 16, 2011, Coastal Driving School. Register at motorsportReg.com I believe they have a beginners group.
March 19/20 Hooked On Driving, Thunderhill Raceway.
Also check out Northern California Racing Club. They put on lots of events in NorCal.
All of the above groups have an excellent safety record. Just listen to your instructor and do some reading up on high performance driving before showing up.
Remember driving fast, safely, is not genetic, its learned. Some learn quicker than others, but it is a learned behavior.
For an event to be Drivers Ed, you don't want to be timed.
March 16, 2011, Coastal Driving School. Register at motorsportReg.com I believe they have a beginners group.
March 19/20 Hooked On Driving, Thunderhill Raceway.
Also check out Northern California Racing Club. They put on lots of events in NorCal.
All of the above groups have an excellent safety record. Just listen to your instructor and do some reading up on high performance driving before showing up.
Remember driving fast, safely, is not genetic, its learned. Some learn quicker than others, but it is a learned behavior.
For an event to be Drivers Ed, you don't want to be timed.
02-20-2011, 03:25 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Speed Ventures at Infineon March 5th and 6th. Go to SpeedVentures.com to register
March 16, 2011, Coastal Driving School. Register at motorsportReg.com I believe they have a beginners group.
March 19/20 Hooked On Driving, Thunderhill Raceway.
Also check out Northern California Racing Club. They put on lots of events in NorCal.
All of the above groups have an excellent safety record. Just listen to your instructor and do some reading up on high performance driving before showing up.
Remember driving fast, safely, is not genetic, its learned. Some learn quicker than others, but it is a learned behavior.
For an event to be Drivers Ed, you don't want to be timed.
March 16, 2011, Coastal Driving School. Register at motorsportReg.com I believe they have a beginners group.
March 19/20 Hooked On Driving, Thunderhill Raceway.
Also check out Northern California Racing Club. They put on lots of events in NorCal.
All of the above groups have an excellent safety record. Just listen to your instructor and do some reading up on high performance driving before showing up.
Remember driving fast, safely, is not genetic, its learned. Some learn quicker than others, but it is a learned behavior.
For an event to be Drivers Ed, you don't want to be timed.
02-20-2011, 08:43 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
They are all good...
just get ur dun!
I am signed up for Infineon as well as the Coastal Driving School.
I addition, I am going to Spring Mountain (Pahrump) for 3 days with the Porsche Owners Club.
March will be a fun month!!!
I am signed up for Infineon as well as the Coastal Driving School.
I addition, I am going to Spring Mountain (Pahrump) for 3 days with the Porsche Owners Club.
March will be a fun month!!!