Track day tires collision - what was your aftermath?
 

Hi

We're planning to hit track day event together with friend. I'm tracking my MX5 quite regularly and I've been to track with my daily driver BRZ few times as well however for my friend it's gonna be the first time and understandably, like all of us, he's a bit worried about going off track and totaling his car. As such we're looking for possibly "easy", slower track that shouldn't result in catastrophic damage even in case something goes wrong. For now we're considering two options:

https://d-art.ppstatic.pl/kadry/k/r/...f1e_o_full.jpg
This one, which is a bit faster track and while it doesn't have too many tires, it has steel barriers around outer turns. Exact path depends on particular track day so I can't tell exactly what would be path chosen on particular track day we'd attend to.

https://www.tormodlin.pl/wp-content/...4518234757.jpg
Or this one. It's considerably smaller, tighter and in general slower track. Plus it has tires everywhere. Again exact path depends on particular track day but typically the'yre chosing relatively full course (that is visible when you trace rubber).

I'm personally more convinced to second one since it's simply slower track and despite having more barriers, all of them are protected by tires. In fact I did crash on this track once into tires and damage was quite minimal:
http://lapsio.lapsio.dev/public/inet/mx5/f.jpeg
http://lapsio.lapsio.dev/public/inet/mx5/g.jpeg
http://lapsio.lapsio.dev/public/inet/mx5/h.jpeg

My reasoning is that even if there's more things to hit, it's always better to hit them at lower speeds and if they're soft. Hitting steel barrier will almost always be catastrophic "bad ending". Mistakes will always happen and it's always better if they're fixable within reasonable budget.

As such I'd like to ask you guys, whether you ended up in tires some day and what was aftermath after such event - was it expensive to fix? was it fixable / worth fixing? What was your story?

I paid around 200$ to get my MX5 to current state which is mosly indistinguishable from what it looked like before accident (the only difference is that now there are rivets on bumper since all monting holes cracked. But I could buy new bumper and it probably wouldn't be much more expensive)

It depends on the tires! At Palmer Motorsports Park in Massachusetts, they use dirt-track racing tires which are super soft big fat tires that weigh almost *nothing* (10 lb!), I've been into them a couple of times (once driving a friend's 981 Cayman S that went into ICE MODE) with practically no damage (had to replace his ppf film).

In either case, just reminder to drive well well within limits for first track days, you'll be fine...

I don't really feel like going into the story since it still irks me a bit, but I put a Miata through a tire wall about four years ago in the first session of the first event I ran it after buying due to a brake issue.

https://i.imgur.com/YMOUmwQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZC4yjuX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3UNv0Ab.jpg

The wing being caught in the tires pulled down both quarter panels where it was mounted, obviously the passenger quarter was entirely toasted, passenger door, driver front fender, driver front light pocket, front bumper, etc.

I did all of the work myself minus painting the car, first time welding or anything.

https://i.imgur.com/x74CDe4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QKoFJ3D.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sFbXQ0o.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8SB17Y9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Sho82Dc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/n235Rap.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BfZB3ow.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oeGdIPd.jpg

Track damage was $2k, oem quarter panel, oem door skin, oem radiator support, painted the back half of the car, new $2k Singular wing kit, etc. Also cost me the regional TT4 championship for that year since I missed a few events before I beat the car into shape enough to run and I'd already sold the TT4 S2000 I was replacing with the Miata.

Miatas, according to the 69th law of thermodynamics, are incapable of being on track without hitting something, anything.. doesn't matter. The easiest answer for the OP is: just don't take a Miata to the track, therefore avoiding the tire barriers and other cars or deer, or people, or even being launched into orbit somehow... should be easy.

/s

seriously though, these cars CRUMPLE. It's not just a fender or a bumper skin that need to replaced if you kiss a tire wall.. it's 50 other little metal and plastic bits and bobs underneath that crumple with them. This is why i don't like sharing the track with Pinatas since they're designed with crashing in mind.

More folks should put this sort of contingency planning and thought into potential outcomes before doing things like this - it's a smart exercise.

The MX-5 is likely the most cost effective to repair if I'm being honest. I've replaced just about every exterior panel on my FRS, as well as the supporting infrastructure beneath it (some more than once) and it's not the biggest set back, but there's a lot of stuff to purchase to make things right again vs the MX5.

Unsolicited advice: keep in mind the capabilities of the car evolve each lap. The tires get hot, the brakes will fade, the brain will fade and the dynamics of the car will change. Be mindful of the car each lap as to not get in over your head. How deep you went into that corner last lap may not be applicable this lap. This is especially true on streetable parts (street pads, street tires etc) which "evolve" faster lap over lap.

Both those tracks look like a blast - upload video when you're done!

Great advice. Also to add, think of all of this as driver's training with the added benefit that there is nothing to win other than experience and a good time.

I just ran a track day yesterday and I pointed almost the entire field by in our first session. The track was cold, my tires were cold and I was cold. On the third session I was at the head of the pack and finished ahead of the group passing the only car in front of me. I felt comfortable and within my realm of safety, fun and performance. As my experience increases, my skills improve and comfort goes up. New drivers can do the same thing.