Track events are getting out of hand 7 run groups at BW!!
 

Maybe this is normal to some of you but its new to me. Just checked the schedule for Speed Ventures Buttonwillow event and it has 7 run groups. 20 Minutes of run time…2 hours of wait, rinse and repeat for a total of 4 runs. Come in at 7:45, leave at 5pm, 1 hour of track time if you are lucky, $219 price tag.


I dont know if I am spoiled but this just sounds ridiculous. I wish the schedule was out before we commit to track days.

Here is the schedule

https://imgur.com/a/CfyV5Xs

SpeedVentures has gone down as far as exclusivity over the past few years.

You used to be able to get on-track with them for 5 sessions, 20 people per session. That's pretty good seat time since they're usually on-point with schedule plus pre-gridding. These days, pre-gridding helps but sessions run a much higher risk of getting shortened and having traffic with larger grid counts



If I don't have to go on a specific day or for a specific event, I prefer to register with smaller organizations on less popular/off-days like Fri or Sun. Get less people and way more seat time.

It looks like the Tesla groups are the problem. 4 run groups according to experience seems to be optimum.

Track costs $X dollars to rent no matter what group is hosting, if you want more seat time, gotta pay more money, it’s always been that way. :iono:

It’s the fact that there are 7 run groups, they can call them whatever, but dividing an 8 hour track day into 7 pieces means each group is going to get only slightly more then an hour of seat time, and that’s if nobody bins it and causes a yellow or red flag.

If the car count is low between groups and the emphasis is on kind of a time trial program I can see where this setup makes sense, given that they host 86cup and others, time trialers don’t want 2+ hours of seat time, they want 5-6 flying laps with clear track. That’s how gridlife and scca run their TT program iirc, the dollar per seat time value looks bad, but the competitive experience makes up for it. There’s other groups that emphasize track time, I think the golden gate lotus club does three groups, 20 minute sessions and by the end of the day the old guys are tired and you basically have a clear track and can get like three hours of seat time.

Small operations like this is where money talks OP.

If you can't run all 5 stints save your juju for the last one as yeah, there is a smaller group. Chuck last Nov, I was the last group. Sun had JUST gone down so still light but no sun in your eyes, 3 cars on track, absolutely magic session....

I’m used to 3 run groups, maybe 4 at most. 7 is madness.

There were unfortunately only 4 groups. Supposedly there was this “bonus” point by but it was 2+ hours after my last session and I did not have the confidence that it was going to worth the extra wait.

They are…but the main issue is SpeedVentures selling 2 whole sessions to Tesla AND running a full track day on top of that. Individual run groups were super duper packed too. I was in the fastest point by group, stock car with street tires am not a particularly fast or good driver and was constantly in traffic.

And no, come in to the pits and ask for space did not help. in 3 corners I was behind a 3-4 car bubble slowing me down and a couple cars behind me who are being slowed down by that same bubble and me.


0 clean laps, just an “also ran” kind of day. Second lowest quality track day I have done so far. First being “tracked” at SoW.

How many Tesla's were there? Man it just seems like EV's are being catered to more and more all the time. Cant they just go have their own track days on their own. Could be time to boycott these events where EV's are given their own run groups at the expense of our ICE's.

That is a Speedventures problem, not an EV problem. Don't blame them.

I’m lucky to now be retired. TMP (Toronto Motorsport Park) runs open track days most Mondays, Fridays and Sundays plus evening sessions. These are not organized (no run groups) with only one marshal at pit out to ensure spacing and no emergency services. Basic passing rules in specific areas apply.
We used to go on Sunday before retirement and it was a zoo. All the rich boys from TO would show up with Daddy's Beemer or Merc to play. Damn, those SUV’s go fast down the straights but do create a logjam at every turn and with zero courtesy for us momentum cars trapped behind.
Anyway, on Mondays only less than 20 cars with mature drivers show, including some open wheel race teams. Unlimited lapping 10am-5 pm for $200 CAD (~US$150). God help our tires!
I suppose we’re spoiled.

Correct. Those organizers need to have EV exclusive days if EV run groups are compromising the ICE run group sessions. I've been on track several times with EV's and not sure why they need their own groups anyway.

Look at other vendors. Speed District and So Cal Driver Club are my current fav's A bit more money but way more track time.