August 2020
Brought my car back to calabogie for two 30 minute lapping sessions. The Track requires you to be signed off to run solo. They run a program to sign you off that's around $650 for the day and they teach you how HPDE works and will only sign you off if they feel confident. Meaning you could require another day if you aren't up to snuff.
Alternatively Twice a year they run a novice even which is $75 for 30 minutes and a instructor. Nice way to have cheap fun and crazy good deal to have an instructor shotgun.
The event runs from 9am-1:30pm and you can sign up as much as you'd like if there is space in the time slot. I managed to grab 2 slots as they tend to fill up quick.
They split the track in half and run the novice sessions on the west track and run a test and tune on the east track for race events which happen for the rest of the weekend.
My first run group looked mostly like this. Couple more showed up in the rear later. E36 BMW and a Audi.
This 300zx was clean! Owner had just redone all of the bushings
Some photos a friend and track photographer snapped
Front left outer tire got a little chewed up. Lower camber bolt at -1.4° is not enough
It's basically a run what you bring event, no vans of trucks. I didn't run with this legend but you see all sorts of stuff on these days
Also got some video footage I thought I'd share.
A friend taking trackside of my first session
Dashcam of my second session with audio. I asked the instructor for line information, so that's what he did. He was really good, he had a track prepped 400hp Lotus Elise that was at the event.
I was warming up chasing a BRZ tS. We spoke afterwards and the car is bone stock. I realized I need some form of oil cooler after this. The Forester oil cooler is on my short list as a DD all year setup. A friend running there mentioned is kept his oil temps at 260f compared to 280f+ running the full circuit.
Had a blast and the instructor had kind words for me. He also offered a loop hole to bring him or another instructor along to a lapping night and allow me to get signed off that way. Considerably cheaper, Not really the official way of doing things but I will take it.