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Originally Posted by Docdoc
I did not bring the best of shoes - I had a plan to bring a nicely broken in pair of converse all star shoes, though I left them behind and had a hard sole leather shoe that worked, at the end of the 2 and half hours on the track, my feet were hurting. I may grab the pair of driving shoes I have been eyeing on Amazon.
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Being comfortable is important!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Docdoc
My tires were good but they could have been better - I was running Bridgestone s-04 pole position tires that had good grip, but I was fighting them though most of the more difficult corners, and I think dedicated track tires may have helped. *I ran with what I came down on the car with.
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Your tires can almost always be better...what's important for someone that is new to the track especially is a tire that is communicative and consistent. An ultra-sticky tire might make the car faster, but it won't make you a better driver.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Docdoc
I was having trouble with shifting - Since it was my first time on the track, I was shifting in the corner when I should have just stuck with a gear while downshifting before the corner. This sometimes made the car jerk a bit mid turn, I was able to keep it under control but, During the last two rounds I was able to focus on the apex more by having it all done before the corner.
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This can be a tough thing to get a feel for but also something that an instructor *in your car* can really help you with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Docdoc
I pushed my car to the limit - I made sure to ring out the engine were ever I could and if the tires were not fighting for grip I felt I was not pushing it enough so I went faster. I believe I hit ~110 MPH on the straight before I had to hard break for the upcoming S turn. This was good and bad, first I was able to keep up with a 400+ hp Cadillac, Mainly cause he weighs so much and has to brake before a turn much earlier then me. I also spun out the car twice. I did not damage it, and I just waited till their was a opening in cars on the track and pulled back on the track.
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You almost certainly had a lot left on the table in places you don't realize. Do you have in-car video?
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Originally Posted by Docdoc
The engine was fine - I made sure to keep a eye on the engine temp and did not see it get to hot, however it was in the 50's, Though I think I may still get a oil cooler and a way to log the temps. As if I run in the summer the engine may need the oil cooler. I did however see a Honda s2000 bring it in early one session for a overheating engine. I think he may have had a bigger cooling issue however.
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Get an oil cooler and a way to track oil temps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Docdoc
Find a good Instructor - I asked the presenters of the event if their is a instructor I could go with. They handed me off to William, that was basically a race car driver with a highly modified s2000. I went with him for his warm up lap and he ended up passing about 4 cars even though his back tires kept losing grip. He was a impressive driver and I learned a lot from him. I suggest finding someone at the event that knows the track and drives a rear wheel car similar to the GT86.
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Yes. I'm surprised you didn't have an instructor in your car with you?
For your first track day you really shouldn't be that concerned about laptimes or which cars you pass. It's about getting comfortable with your car at speed and getting to know the track day process. It does sound like you made some progress and just getting out there once is huge so that's great! Keep going and make sure your car is properly maintained (brakes, oil cooler, tires, etc). Set yourself up with some in-car video and maybe a datalogger so you can start doing some post-trackday analysis. You're doing great so far.
- Andrew