WARNING long and boring for experienced drivers, but may be of interest to other noobs like me

First, let me say this is not a story of conquest or triumph. This is a story of humility, modesty, and respect for our car.

First off, I've never been on a race track, so my hope is that those of you that are in the same situation as I (was/still am) may gain some insight to the experience. For those of you who have been through this experience (as most have unless you came out of the womb with a steering wheel in your hand) and have moved on to bigger and better things, hopefully it will provide a laugh or two, or at least a stroll down memory lane

A month ago I signed up for a "track day" put on by Seattime http://www.seat-time.com/html/main.htm at Roebling Road just outside Savannah, GA., which was put on this past Friday. I was very impressed with the professionalism of John and the rest of the Seattime Crew, as well as the staff at Roebling Road. The event was very well organized with an empahsis on getting on the track as much as possible and keeping everyone safe. We spent a quick session in the classroom to review the various flags, rules for safety, and an overview of the racetrack.

For a noob, this was the only shortcoming of the program as "I" would have benefitted more form understanding the differences from driving fast on a deserted highway or street vs. driving fast on a racetrack. Believe me the differences are night and day. The instructor I was paired with was a nice guy who has been racing competitivley for a number of years.

So, after all the morning formalities (sign waiver, tech inspection, drivers meeting, etc.) we go for a cruise around the track (max. 45 mph.) So me being the good "student" I downloaded the track layout and comments (similar to a fancy yardage book in golf) a few days before. During the track tour I'm thinking "oh yea, I remember this turn on paper, OK, here's the apex, blah, blah, blah." I'm not overly confident by any means, but my fear of destroying my 8 has diminished. In retrospect, it would have been great to have the instructor in the car with me during the tour as this would have been a great time to point out where to be on the track, not just be on the track.

So, time for the first run! I'm eager, so I'm the second in line behind a Civic hatchback. MISTAKE ONE don't be the second in line in a group of 10 cars if you've never been on a racetrack before. There's a bit of everything in the group from a VW Beetle to a 425 hp $50,000 350Z, all with varying degrees of track experience, but no one "ready" for Solo status.

We start out of the pits and accelerate down the straight to the first turn. I'm right behind the Civic and that is when everything starts to blur. My instructor is trying to tell me "the line" of the first turn and I'm driving the line as if I'm on a highway exit ramp, staying toward the middle/inside. I feel myself going too fast and thinking I'm going to lose control of the car and end up in the tires, I start to brake to slow down and lose all momentum in the turn. I know I'm doing something wrong because the Civic is now long gone and I'm heading up a conga line of cars coming out of the turn. I can't hear well as both windows are open and my helment's on and I can't hear my instructor too well as he talks through his helmet, I can't hear the redline beep. I'm now erratic on the acclerator, bogging down to 3-4K rpm's because I'm trying to listen to what my instructor is saying, going to where I think the line is, worrying about being "smooth" (and I'm now about as smooth a barbed wire) and forgetting to downshift to pick up rpm's.

We finally get to a passing point on the course (one of three in 2 miles) and my instructor tells me to point the car behind me by. Totally flabberagsted at this point in time I forget to move LEFT as compared to right in the real drivers world and end up holding up the same group of cars for another 1/2 mile of so. Now I know what the blue haried ladies think when they are being tailgated while driving 30 in a 55 zone.

Finally, I let a group of cars go by, and feel less pressured. I begin to drive the car and do a bit better on the 2nd lap after seeing the racetrack, but I come to the realization that I have no idea what the limits of the 8 are.....I just don't trust the car because I've never been in a situation where I've had to trust it. So the 20 minutes come to an end without incident. I cruise off the track and feel embarrassed and discouraged. Now I'm not a complete athletic moron. I played hockey all my life (which is a "high speed" reactionary game) at a farily high level so I have "decent" reflexes, but I felt like I might have been better off driving blind.

The guy that parked next to me was a Solo racer in a Spec Miata. He was on his way out for his session and asked me how it went. I told him that it was brutal and he just laughs and says "I'll talk to you when I get back." I go out to watch the Solo group and the one Test and Tune formula car and think about what just transpired. Although I could point to 100 things, two things hit me....1.) if you're afraid of wrecking your car, you'll never drive it, so either go home or accept the fact that you might end up in the grass. 2.) If these other cars can be driving these turns at 75 mph, there's no reason that the 8 can't.

The Solo Miata guy get's back form his run and is real helpful. He tells me not to get discouraged and says it takes a while to get used to driving on the track if all you're used to is the street. "When was the last time you were on the street and took an exit ramp at 80 mph and let your car drift into 2 lanes of merging traffic to set up your next turn?" The light then shined on Marble-head and I finally "got" what using the "whole track" meant.

Well, I'm not going to bore you with my "progress" but the second run was alot of fun...I only got passed by two or three cars (as compared to the entire field the first time) and I realized a trust I had with the 8 that I would have never realized if I had never taken it on the track. It was mind-boggling to me how I could drive that car and how stable it was....I can only imagine how much fun it will be when I get better.

The Solo Miata guy asked me if I wanted to drive with him during his session (which was a very nice gesture) so I jumped in and we took off when it started to rain. It was a great experience to drive with someone that has been racing for 12 years. I picked up so much in those 20 minutes it was amazing. He was so good in the turns that he's catching the modded Evo's and 911's with his little Miata, only to have the "big boys" pull away in the straights.

I have to mention the 8 in the rain. Before my third run, it had been raining for about 20 minutes. I kept the DSC/TCS on for the run, and with my new-found knowledge from my Miata buddy, I really tried to emulate what he was doing re: the line, the RPM's, braking, throttle manipulation, etc.

The 8 in the rain was 'freaking unbelievable. My instructor couldn't believe how well the car performed. He said that he would have been sideways in his car at the speed we were doing in the turns. The last turn at the track puts you into a long straight where some of the big boys can get to 145+ mph. My second run (dry) we got to about 115-120 and it all depends on how much speed you carry out of the turn. In the rain the 8 got to almost 115, so we lost very little time. The other thing was that 4-5 cars (especially the 911 x 2) ended up in the grass during the run. A true testament to the DCS/TCS system on the 8.

The last run of the day was done in the rain....I was the only one out there because no one else wanted to go. Pulling in after the run the Miata guy (who was loading his car back on the trailer to go home) said "was that you out there?" I said yes...."Man you sounded great..I thought it was a 3rd gen because of the sound the thing was making coming up the stright....I guess you finally figured out how to shift"

I was happy....

I'm still a sucky driver, but I now know my car better than any car I've ever known, and I have a new found appreciation for what the car has to offer beyond the fancy wheels, body kit, and other semi-useless stuff....I'm very proud to own this car.

 

Congrats on losing your virginity.......

 

it's amazing on how humbling these experiences can be. You should try a few autocrosses. They allow a safe method for finding the limit of your car. To put things into perspective... On your best run at the track you were probably only at 3/10 of the cars ability . Had you been able to see your lap times, you'd be curious to see how great an improvement your next time out is (and that's probably only 4/10, maybe 5/10 after a couple of autoXs).

What you probably have also noticed is that this experience has made you a better street driver. Wives and teens should not pass on these events as it will truly make you a safer driver.

 

Nice post.

 

good read, i need to pop my cherry too

 

Nice post, and remarkably similar to my first track day in the Cobra. Letting folks pass didn't bother me though...being in a convertible with no rollbar and a passenger (instructor) kept me from pushing it too much.

While I was not really afraid of running off the track or even crashing, as far as hurting myself that is, I still didn't want the expense of fixing the damage that such an event might have created, so I rarely ran as fast as I "could" have.

It is an amazing feeling when you finally hit the right line and don't have to fight the turns, the car just seems to flow smoothly without excessive roll or G forces. Smoothness is key, and more fun than jerkiness.

The amount of confidence and ability greatly increases with more laps (and instruction), but at the same time, toward the end of the day a bit of fatigue set in, so that as my driving ability increased, my ability to drive safely probably decreased. They say that most wrecks occur late in the day at those events.

I wish I could have taken my 8 out there before it was totalled. It would have been fun to feel the difference in handling.

We had a two way radio with earpiece and microphone headset which made a huge difference. I highly recommend buying one for events that don't provide them.

 

I had a very similar experience last week at lvms. I told myself to try to learn the line and technique in that order. By the middle of the weekend I was trying to figure out why I was going so slow and all the civics and miatas were passing/lapping me , (much less the maserati, shelby cobras, and elise ) in the beginner's group.

this is when I realized that 1) I had DSC on full, and 2) my shifting kept the car in the 3-6k rpm range... just anemic, and 3) I wasn't really braking hard enough to trigger the ABS. Basically I had the driver set on "highway cruise" mode. Unfortunately it began to rain soon afterwards so I could only drive the car the way I had been doing so, considering how many cars spun off track at that point. I turned DSC to the initial off setting, and nearly spun only once but I think DSC kicked in. The corner worker saw and gave me the thumbs up. Hopefully that will be the last time I take credit for the DSC's driving

Some conclusions I left the weekend with:

- I think roll bars will help alot. The car felt floaty at times. Weight transfer seemed strong in degree and also subjectively took a lot of time to accomodate in complex turns. I wonder how much more cornering force can be had with lesser weight imbalance

- There's a lot I don't know about shifting and, surprisingly, braking. For instance, should I push the pedal with enough force to trigger ABS? If I should be just under that threshold, how do I know?

Also, suppose for turn that is a bit more obtuse than 90 degrees with wide entry/exits and is after a long straightaway, and if I don't know how to toe-heel, at which point during the turn should I shift into the corner's gear?

Would anyone care to provide general tips for shifting technique?

 

That was a good post man, thanks.

I remember my first time on the track in a car, it was nerve racking to say the least. It was at a porsche club track day at Mosport when I was 17. My dad and I went in a 944 turbo. Not only is that track intimidating with all the elevation changes resulting in blind corners, but feeling other cars sucking your helmet out the window because they pass so fast is damn scary! I could barely hold the wheel at the end of my first lap because of all the sweat on my hands. Everyone was really helpful though, and I got bit by the racing bug. My dad and I went for years after that and once you get comfortable with a track and car, there is nothing like driving ***** to the wall on a track.

Unfortunately, I don't have a car anymore that is track worthy, but cross your fingers, one is on the way . To bad it won't get here before snow fall

Now, my first time on a bike at a track....It was fun for the first 5 minutes, then it all goes fuzzy. Biggest mistake I made in that instance was the belief that if I can drive it in a car, I can do it on a bike.

 

Nice post. Welcome to the club. Did my first track day in October at Road Atlanta and will do it again Dec 11th. I like AlexCisneros advice too. I did my first ever autocross today and I am in awe at how fantastic the RX8 is. I am proud to have bought a sports car and then treat it as such.

 

Thanks to all for the replys!

I'm looking forward to doing an autocross at the end of the month. It will be interesting to see the difference between the track and an autocross set up.

I came away from the experience with a new-found respect for the youngsters in the Civic's. It was interesting to see... there were about 6-7 old Civic hatchbacks (I think they were the SI's) None of them were "riced out." They had basic aftermarket exhausts, and lightweight wheels (ssr's, kosei, etc.) racing tires, and that's about it.

None of the Civic's had riced-out body kits or any of that crap. They were just there to race....pretty neat.

With the exception of an '03 Vette, there was not an American car to be seen. (Says alot for the Mustang crowd) The S2000's ran well. The highly modified 350Z that was there was really cool.

I was most impressed by the 3 Evo's that were there. I thought they were so much nicer looking than the Sti's. I was told that one of the modded Evo's there was close to 475 hp at the wheels. The other two were basically stock except for wheels and tires. They were by far the fastest cars on the track...simply crushed the 911's.

 

I noticed that when I went to a couple SOLO events to watch over the summer. I am going to be so lonely when my car comes .
I will always have the rx8club though :D and I am bringing it to Tail of the Dragon!!

 

Come out to willow springs when JBA runs their test mustangs. They'll run circles around the import crowd.