Ditto. My only caveat is that I wouldn't mind having a daily driver that can also be used as a track car when rain is in the forecast. Sometimes I pay for a track day way in advance (to reserve a spot), not knowing what the weather will be like. If I wake up and it is raining, it would be nice if my daily driver is an RS4, so I can leave the Z06 at home.

 

Too many replies to read through them all, so forgive me if I repeat something.

I think there are a few different "groups" of people. There are those like me that bought a car and decided to go learn how to drive it at DE. The car at the time was a BMW M3 and I didn't think good or bad about whether it was a good, better, or best car for DE - it's what I owned at the time. I started with that car and ended up driving the wheels off it (in a good and controlled manner) until I was in the most advanced group and asked to instruct. I loved the car and didn't even think about changing it. At that time I felt I had pretty much the basic skills down and knew my limits. From there, it didn't really matter to me what platform I slipped into - I went to a 997S, a 964, and now a GT3. New school with PSM, old school with nothing but ABS, and new school with just TC.

Another group include people I see arrive at the track for their first (or 5th) DE and they have a fully modified race car with R-compound tires. BMWCCA chapters will not allow R-comps under the White group equivalent - so that's a good safety valve. I have seen some guys start DE and buy a used race prepared car and end up in the weeds because it's so tuned a machine running on racing tires - bad idea. Others show up in a brand new car (ie: E46 M3 years ago when that was pretty new) and they had put $20k into a Ground Control suspension, sways, wheels, tires, intake, exhaust, software, etc. I'd think "Why would you start DE in such a machine" and unfortunately a few of these ended up in the wall. Heck, with one of them (he was in yellow equivalent) the guy spun and hit the wall at Lime Rock and a few people asked "Hmm, I wonder why DSC didn't kick in to straighten you out - that was a preventable spin" and the answer was "DSC, I don't need no stinkin DSC, I'm a good drover..." Enough said. Then there are hybrids of this - those that do a DE or two and then put $20k of performance mods into the car before they even know how to drive the base car with stock alignment - another recipe for disaster.

Another group, like Paolo and Gary, were very methodical and thoughtful about how they approached the sport / hobby. Had a car and decided to try DE. Loved it and realized "Hmm, this may not be the best tool to learn the craft" (for whatever reason including the thought of balling up a $60-90k car) so they picked up a good platform to perfect the skills.

Also consider that everything is relative. To some the thought of balling up a $10k car may be more severe than others balling up a $100k car. Some have enough constraint to know when to hold back and keep it safe, while others may not even know where the limit is and when they find it, it's too late.

My personal biggest issue with this sport / hobby is what is outside of my control. To date, I've not spun or had an off-track excursion (other than on One Lap where I had sleep deprivation for 6 days), though I've had many close calls. Almost every time I've had an "Uh Oh" moment, it's been due to something outside of my control (long list including: Gopher crossing T2 at WGI, Bird impact at 130, Cone thrown into the line between T2 and T3 at WGI, Coolant on the line between Big Bend and the Left Hander at LRP), Oil going into T8 at WGI, oil going up the Esses at WGI, 993TT race car spinning 720 right in front of me going into the Bus Stop at WGI, Rock 1 into 997S and then Rock 2 at next event - both at WGI, etc.). If not for other cars doing what they did (throw up rocks, dump coolant and oil, spin, etc.) then my history would have been much more calm. I consider myself to be conservative and not willing to push too hard and I suspect that is why my own caused issues are ones that I can get myself out of with corrective measures. I do feel for those that get balled up when the cause is outside of their control. I've seen several cars that have hit fluid on the track and ended up with $5-30k in damage.

 

It is something out there. I have noticed that we get more first timers to the track with very fast cars. I agree that they would be better off to start with slower cars. I was instructing a guy that was on the track for the first time ever in his new 997GT3. F*ck!! Even in advanced groups the difference in cars on the track at the same time is like and ALMS event.

 

roberga,
Not only is the difference in cars notable, but so are the various levels of "skill" some of these guys show too not just at a DE but in SCCA, NASA, Grand AM, and ALMS. Its amazing to watch some of these guys at a "pro" level just absolutely not have a clue. But they got the bucks to rent the seat.

 

I was thinking about this the other day, and the one thing no one has mentioned is how capable these modern street cars are, GT3's, GT2's, Z06's, the new V8 M3's are all as good as if not better than alot of race cars from 15-20 years ago. The cars capabilities have changed, and improved greatly, yet the skills of the average beginner driver have not. So when a typical beginner driver from 1990 got into a typical performance orientated car on the track, it most likely had less than 300hp, far narrower tires, sliding calipers, and far less tuned handling. Now that same beginner driver with a performance orientated car starts with, over 400hp, super wide sticky tires that are almost race compounds for the street, giant fixed piston brembo's or something equivilent, and suspension tuned by the factory race department.

 

I'm sure for my first few "pro" races (or most people for their first few pro level races) are going to be either non-competitive or sketchy, but the arrive-and-drive programs that so many of these people run now are a great way to not only weed out people who don't need to be in that class, but also a good way to infuse racing teams and therefore drivers in general with "sponsorship cash", especially for multicar teams in koni challenge, etc.

there is a learning curve, and in racing I think we can all agree that lots of mistakes are made (hamilton @ canada???) on all levels of skill. the more "noobs" that enter SCCA, wrec miata, spec boxster, SRF, ad infinitum- the more likely all those classes and regions will survive.

I enjoy driving my street cars on the track (never on slicks, no point), and my track car on the track (200hp with slicks) and each one makes me faster and smoother in the other. Like AmondC- I'm driving a relatively cheap, bendable car- unlike him or the other experienced guys- I am a novice.

I know I'm a novice, and OTE and possibly contact is inevitable- and it's better to do it in my MX5 and get it out of my system than do it to a gt3 cup car. But the whole point of slowmentum cars is to drive them at their limits, and at the limits is where "stuff happens"...well it's gonna happen when people are alone on the track or during races- either way.



One guy in a spec miata went off today at the track (member day lapping session) and shattered his back window somehow...glass everywhere. I'm glad he didn't do that in a ferrari challenge or something, he might have flipped and burst into flames. Nobody was hurt, I just missed a few laps waiting for them to zamboni the glass off the turn.

this hobby is not economical, in any way- except for those of you who are professional instructors, or hired guns.