ksjcorpus

thanks for all the great advice and links guys. im totally going to memorize that track and do my homework. greg that's what i thought about the price ............... i thought it was pricey to sit beside someone for $600. jeff ....... just bought the book. pete you said that if your instructor wants to drive your car, you should get another instructor. why? i would imagine that all instructors would first want to drive your car before telling you what to do in it.

ksjcorpus

yes believe it or not they'll allow you to do a track day even if it's your first time ever. they discourage it of course but then again ........ this is texas. i didn't want to pay the $600 but still wanted to go out with my colleagues and enjoy part of the day just zooming around.

STLPCA

Great advice above. I'll add:
1. Park your ego (& your attitude) at the front gate.
2. Go to learn, NOT to race.
3. Work on being a smooth driver, not a fast driver.
4. Don't try to impress your instructor.
5. Accept that you will be passed by better drivers in slower cars.
6. If you're concerned about whether you "stand a chance," you need to rethink the purpose of a DE, what you are seeking to accomplish & whether or not you should have a tow truck on call.

User 4621

Actually, I said if he wants to "drove" your car. Sorry, it's an inside joke, check out the racing forum for details. An instructor may well drive your car, or you can ride in his. This is usually fine.

However, I am also concerned about a track day org that let's first-timers out without instructors. This is irresponsible in my opinion. It's not just you, it's the other first-timer with delusions of racing grandeur that will trash your car by slamming into it.

George A

Karim,

The track map doesn't show all the elevation changes. Also, it's completely different when you are driving it. Just try to remember what is coming up, a left or a right. It's actually an easy track to learn. Just be careful as Ben said, because most of the corners are off camber, meaning the slope away from the turn. Just think of it as negative banking....

Like everyone else has mentioned, take it easy for the first couple of sessions.

George

Glen

Karim, if You want some help give me a call at home. Check your PM. Ask anyone at MSR and they will tell You whatever You do, dont listen to me...lol

okindao

as mentioned by all having a good instructor is vital, also recommend driving with an instructor in his or her car to actually better understand the turn in apex and track out concepts.

Have fun and remember smooth is far more important than speed, it will probably take 2 weeks to get the smile off your face afterword's !!!!!

Ben in Plano, TX

Karim,

Don't take advice from either George or Glen...

They are both toooooo fast...

Hope to meet you and see you at the track soon!

Ben

Martin S.

Whoooooooa there!

As mentioned above this is DE, a non-competitive event. Just have fun...and don't bend anything. In my humble opinion, if I were just getting started in DEs and I had a serious interest in coming back for more, I would sign up for Bondurant, Jim Russell, etc. Get a feel for what it is like to go really fast on a track, with some expert instruction. These schools feed the speed to you in incrments...baby steps, one at a time. Get a 993 out of shape and start heading toward the ARMACO at 80 or 90 mph...that will not be fun.

I started with 4 days at Bondurant and went right into a Time Trial series with Porsche Owners Club in California. At Bondurant we got 5 1/2 hours behind the wheels, every day (4 days) + class room time.

ksjcorpus

of the two schools you mentioned and the others as well, which would you recommend the most?

ksjcorpus

and all of you guys thanks for the sensible advice ........... ben, george and glen i look forward to meeting you one of these days at a pca event in the metroplex. if i enjoy my track day tomorrow, i think im going to join. glen i want to see the tt you have for sale ........ i'll call you in the coming days.

mooty

DE is for fun and for learning. if you want to race, go some where else.

NEVER go without instructor on an unfamiliar track, i don' t care if you have a map or not. even if you are good, there are ALWAYS someone who's better. WE can always benefit from good instructors. plus, you paid for them.

Derrick B.

Karim,
I was going to write a long preachy post about following "the line" and not trying to "prove" anything, but I thought you might need some more practical advice.

- Make sure that you grid behind your buddies. If they are faster than you, they'll drive off into the distance, but they'll probably never lap you. They may pass you, but they won't LAP you. Sessions are generally too short to truly lap someone even if they're much slower than you. Fooling with your helmet is a good stall tactic to make sure that they hit the track a bit before you.

- Make sure that your friends know that their car is much faster than yours. Say things like, "with your twin turbo you should lap me three times a session." That puts the pressure on them to go faster than you, allowing you to simply enjoy the day.

- Have some excuses handy. I like "I pointed you by to pass me because I was working on my [heel and toe technique/apex points/braking points] and didn't want to hold you back."

- "I had something in my eye" also works (once).

- If they pass you (and there's no guarantee of that, faster car or not), you can say things like, "Wow, you really put it all on the line. With a nice car like yours, I thought you'd be much more careful than that." And "THAT was an interesting line into turn seven" also works well.

- If you are feeling cocky, when the guys in the twin turbo go to lap you, give a point by early, but wait a while to lift and let them by. (Make sure you're not forcing them into a late pass though.) Then after the session say that you were surprised how long it took them to pass you. Why were they taking their time? With a faster car, they should have blown your doors off.

Have fun, don't try and set any speed records and have fun and GET AN INSTRUCTOR IF YOU CAN. Even if it's just an experienced guy from the advanced group, you will learn a lot more with a coach along for the ride.

ksjcorpus

derrick ..... you're the man. your advice reminds me of when a few years ago i was playing polo and got bucked off the horse and landed on my feet ungracefully .......... anyway i told people i was checking my tack.

Rezal

Just like polo, you don't want to cross someone else's line. One of the things that an instructor will teach you is situational awareness. Since DEs aren't about racing, be conscientious in letting a faster person pass you.

If I would to grade myself in driving skills vs. the others on the track, I would be a -2 or -1 goaler!