Just booked my first HPDE weekend for this spring. I have read some articles online as far as some dos and donts but some shared life experiences would be appreciated. Looking for guidance regarding the 997 - what are some must brings items/tools? Thanks in advance.

 

Congrats, you made the right choice! Which event did you sign up for?

If this is you first event ever then there is nothing you need to bring, except a helmet if they don't offer to rent you one. This is because you are not going to stretch the car's performance at your first event.

Of course, the car needs to be checked beforehand and make sure that the brake fluid has been flushed in the last six months. Might be a good idea to flush it anyway.
Otherwise bring an open mind and lots of fluids and snacks to keep yourself energized and hydrated during the day. You're going to have a blast!

If you continue with the hobby you will start bringing a torque wrench & tire pressure gauge plus other paraphernalia to the track. Also might want to experiment with different brake pads, trying out other tires etc. But that's all down the line. Enjoy!

 

Thank you for the advice. I plan not to stress the car, or myself, too much at my first event but still plan on having coverage. I assume most people opt for track insurance?

I will be going to MORPCA Mid-Ohio Raceway in April. I went to an Indy race at Mid-Ohio last year and I am very excited to drive it myself.

 

Track insurance is a must. Your regular coverage will not cover you, and even if you "take it easy" someone else who isn't doing so may crash into you (very rare BTW). Anyway, both Haggerty and Lockton have good track insurance. Get a stated value policy. It isn't expensive.

I ran Mid-O last year for the first time - it was a tremendous experience - that track is incredible. I run in the more advanced groups (Group A at some tracks, Group B at others). You won't run anywhere near the limits, but by all means, do not be whimpy either - push the car, push yourself. You will be richly rewarded. You really can't hurt the car by tracking it. Make sure your tires are in decent shape, and as roadie said, have new brake fluid - hi-temp stuff, and make sure your pads are good.

Have fun and share pictures after you do it.

PS - do bring a tire guage and measure pressures after each run - keep on the low side. Also a torque wrench and socket and at mid-day, recheck torque on all lugs, and again before your final run. Windex for the windshield and paper towels.

 

Track days are super fun!
Track insurance seems like a waste to me. Makes a track day so expensive. I got a quote and it was twice as much as the track day costs... BUT mid-Ohio has walls, so if it makes you feel better, get it. Most of the tracks I run here on the east coast have minimal or no walls. So I may run one corner East to mitigate that risk...

Otherwise, your first couple events, you won't need anything but good oil. (I like the driven oils). As you get out of the novice group, my opinion, mods probably should occur to help with cooling and oil starvation in the 997.1. If you're a .2, I don't know the changes needed.

Cw

 

Besides your helmet and your pre-teched car you'll want more food and water than you think - driving on the track is taxing and you'll be hungry from the physical, mental, and probably emotional effort! Fresh fruit, trail mix, a turkey sandwich will treat ya right. You'll want somewhere to sit so bring a folding chair and if you don't have a shady place to put it, bring shade - a canopy is great, but a hat works fine too... Make sure you are prepared to take everything out of the car that isn't bolted down - a buddy was surprised he had to take his speaker box out of the back (not OEM). And wear the right shoes for driving, I made a mistake and wore shoes with weird soles for heel/toeing.

+1 to pressure gauge & torque wrench, but you shouldn't need much else if you aren't going to push really hard - and all the hardcore guys will let you borrow any tools you need as long as you return them!

Most important, be ready to listen to your instructor. My experience has been fantastic and I've learned a ton from them every time! And have a blast!

 

It's really easy to get carried away and forget about just simple fun. I would avoid using any lap timing software and cameras as it's just a distraction
and you'll look back after a few events and hang your head in shame at how slow you actually were.
Be safe, courteous and have a fantastic time. Be warned, it's very addictive and will most likely cause marital strife :-)

Track Insurance, I like Ontrack.com
Empty the car from anything that is loose.
Helmet if you've got one, or rent
Check Organizer's Clothing requirements.
Car Tech Inspections (The PCA Tech Checklist is great) http://pca-ggr.org/wp-content/upload...orm-2019-6.pdf
Blue Painter's tape
Ear plugs (you'll most likely be doing 100mph with the windows down and some cars are loud.)
Sunscreen
Drinking Water
Snacks
A camping chair
Some nice to haves:
Tourque wrench to check wheels
Tire pressure gauge
Tire Air Pump
Bug & Tar removal spray
A few Microfiber towels
Windshield Cleaner
I like an extra set of clean clothes for the drive home, but that's me.
Pre Ordered Track Numbers trackdecals.com

 

Guys, some great insight! Really appreciate the time you took. The only other experience I have driving a vehicle at 10/10 is snowmobiling through the woods in New York. If track time is anything like that I know I'll be hooked. Thanks for the ear plugs note, 100% would have overlooked.

 

A second set of driving shoes encase the first ones get wet. I take two tarps and big nail like tent pegs and a short hammer: one on the ground and another to cover everything if it rains. I set up on the grass making sure I'm not in a low spot. If you set up on the pavement you'll need something to hold down the canopy. Old rotors with bailing wire works. As already mentioned don't take anything you don't need because you have to empty your car. I take a small icebox that sits in the passenger seat with the canopy on top. I have a big deep tote with a lid that fits in my frunk You will not need to take a jack, there will be plenty to borrow if you need one along with help. Make sure you have plenty of brake pad. Worn out brake pads is probably the number two reason you see a car on a jacket. Number one is switching from street to track tires.

Do you have PPF on the nose? One DE won't do much if any harm, but if you continue to DE suggest PPF for at least the bumper and leading edge of the hood. Its not just the stone chips, but the tiny sand blast effect.

An inexpensive racing brake fluid like ATE 200 should be plenty good for your first DE on OEM brake pads. If you don't have one find a good Indy to do your brake flush. Check the brake fluid flush requirements for your event. PCA Potomac requires every six months on racing brake fluid and 90 days on OEM.

Racing brake pads, a track alignment (negative camber to save the left edge of the front tire) and a set of 18" track wheels and tires are further down the slippery slope.

BE SAFE, HAVE FUN

 

Some great replies here from many with likely more track day experience than myself. That being said, my checklist for each track day is as follows:
- tech inspection and brake fluid flush by my shop (many clubs will have a tech inspection form on their website for printing and completing by your shop)
- tire pressure gauge - agree with above advice of airing your tires down to start, monitoring immediately after each session - I usually start 4-6 lb down and then adjust as needed, which often means lowering even more depending on what I'm seeing at the end of previous session
- air compressor so I don't have to wait for air afterward when I need to re-inflate before leaving to drive home
- torque wrench to check lugs before first run. I don't usually re-torque the lug nuts on warm metal. If you don't have one there are usually plenty of very nice people with more tools than you that are happy to lend you one, and will likely keep lending you one, as long as you bring it back to them
- spare quart of oil. I check the level between each run
- Blue painter's tape (I actually used Track Armour www.trackarmour.com when I had my bmw as I didn't have ppf) - tape can be helpful for other things as well
- glass cleaner and microfiber/paper towels - you will want to clean your windshield at least once during the day
- helmet, obviously
- sunglasses (that fit in my helmet)
- sunscreen
- long sleeved shirt and long pants, as some clubs require this; also enough clothing during cooler months, as you'll more than likely have windows down during all runs
- change of socks and shoes in case of weather
- cooler with drinks, snacks and lunch - as mentioned above, bring more than you think. In the summer I go through 4-5L of water in a day and eat a decent amount
- not for this weekend, but when warm I bring a small popup tent
- folding camp chair to have somewhere to sit outside my car between runs
- blue tarp for everything to rest on

When I arrive, I check-in, get my wristband and numbers (I've since gotten magnetic decals with my usually-requested number, but occasionally you may need to get others depending on the club). Then it's removal of everything loose (floormats, air-vent or dash mount for phone, E-Z pass, everything in glove compartment and center console, tools, cables etc - place on blue tarp to keep dry/organized. Then go through tech inspection, and off to the drivers' meeting.

Regarding insurance, I usually use ontrackinsurance.com but I'm sure there are plenty of others as noted above. It's usually about 350/day when I've gotten it. I think this is cheap insurance should the worst occur (it's very unlikely it will, but my attitude is why chance it). Also to echo the above, the every instructor I ever had when starting was awesome - listen and learn a lot. Have fun!

 

Lots of great information. Time to make my list and attempt to patiently wait until spring!

 

HPDE is an amazing experience

 

Best I noticed was monitor tire pressure. Going out in street pressures will make the car feel loose. Drop the pressure considerably to track recommended pressures (which will sound low to you), and the car feels and sticks so much better

 

Don't worry that your low pressure warning light is on. Keep your PCM screen on the tire pressure, ask around to see if anyone else is running your tires, and see if they have cold pressure suggestions.

Also, KEEP ALL THE TRACTION CONTROL ON!
Don't try to be ballsy and cut everything "off". Remember that standard has all the nanny's, sport mode reduces them, and the PSM reduces them further. But they are never totally off. Get used to the car. If you like the sport mode throttling, use it, but I can tell a difference in how the car rotates with and without sport mode on. I believe it to be a fantastic system, that allows you to have tons of fun, without feeling like it's interfering. I wouldn't use the PSM button for quite some time. Just use the standard setting and sport setting.

Cw.

 

Harry's LapTimer for your smartphone to record your driving.

The app itself isn't expensive. Depending on your budget, you can also spring for an external GPS (more accurate positioning) and OBD2 adapter (record braking and accel.) to work with the app.

If you happen to pass another newbie in an expensive exotic (e.g. Lambo), the video makes a great bragging tool for sharing with your non-car friends.