CAMARO6 - View Single Post - Is tracking worth it?

N Camarolina · 11-19-2023, 12:24 PM

That was an excellent video. It's the best one I've ever seen on what to consider and to expect from your first HPDE. I'd also say that it's nearly 100% accurate in terms of what you'll feel mentally and physically when you are out there for the first time. Glad you gave it a try and that you had a good time. Can we make this video a sticky?

I've just completed 3 years and 22 track days (individual days) and thought it would be helpful to point out a few small edits/caveats to your post in order to help others who are considering trying HPDE:

- Tire life consumption per event will depend on a lot of factors, biggest of which (assuming alignment is appropriate) are nature of the track (all turns vs mix of turns and long straights) and how hard you drive the car. For your first event, I know you were driving a curvy/demanding track (AMP, way to go!!), but I'd guess you didn't consume 20% of the tire life because you are a novice and likely driving below the very high G limits of the 1LE.

- The feeling of "being overwhelmed" by all the mental tasks you have do behind the wheel is standard for someone just starting but does get considerably easier with subsequent track days. As you learn the track line and get in the habit of constant situational awareness (flag condition at each flag station, where are the cars around you and what are they doing) your brain starts to do these things automatically and that allows you to focus more on other, more rewarding aspects: 1) learning the limits of car and increasing your pace towards that limit. 2)Positioning the car exactly where you want it. 3)Taking other lines through corners ("off-line" if you are making a late pass, etc) 4)Having fun doing coordinated passes with other cars in places other than the straight aways (as you move up to higher HPDE run groups).

-Cost per event, while being accurate to what you said for the first event, will be lower for subsequent events you do in the same year. Why? Because you don't need to do track alignments very often, fluid changes can be done once year (oil likely twice) and cost averaged across all track days, and you already purchased your track gear (helmet, +/- gloves, chair). Having said that, brake pads and eventually tire cost will start to enter the picture with repeated events and add back toward your "per track day" cost.

11-19-2023, 12:24 PM	#6
N Camarolina Drives: 2021 2SS 1LE Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 960	That was an excellent video. It's the best one I've ever seen on what to consider and to expect from your first HPDE. I'd also say that it's nearly 100% accurate in terms of what you'll feel mentally and physically when you are out there for the first time. Glad you gave it a try and that you had a good time. Can we make this video a sticky? I've just completed 3 years and 22 track days (individual days) and thought it would be helpful to point out a few small edits/caveats to your post in order to help others who are considering trying HPDE: - Tire life consumption per event will depend on a lot of factors, biggest of which (assuming alignment is appropriate) are nature of the track (all turns vs mix of turns and long straights) and how hard you drive the car. For your first event, I know you were driving a curvy/demanding track (AMP, way to go!!), but I'd guess you didn't consume 20% of the tire life because you are a novice and likely driving below the very high G limits of the 1LE. - The feeling of "being overwhelmed" by all the mental tasks you have do behind the wheel is standard for someone just starting but does get considerably easier with subsequent track days. As you learn the track line and get in the habit of constant situational awareness (flag condition at each flag station, where are the cars around you and what are they doing) your brain starts to do these things automatically and that allows you to focus more on other, more rewarding aspects: 1) learning the limits of car and increasing your pace towards that limit. 2)Positioning the car exactly where you want it. 3)Taking other lines through corners ("off-line" if you are making a late pass, etc) 4)Having fun doing coordinated passes with other cars in places other than the straight aways (as you move up to higher HPDE run groups). -Cost per event, while being accurate to what you said for the first event, will be lower for subsequent events you do in the same year. Why? Because you don't need to do track alignments very often, fluid changes can be done once year (oil likely twice) and cost averaged across all track days, and you already purchased your track gear (helmet, +/- gloves, chair). Having said that, brake pads and eventually tire cost will start to enter the picture with repeated events and add back toward your "per track day" cost.