I want to track/road race my car (first time)

The closest tracks are Infineon Raceway, Thunder Hill. Button Willow is about 100 miles.

What do you usually need to prep you car for track? My car is pretty much stock engine with H&R coilovers.

Where do I sign up NASA SCCA?

 

I'd recommend thunderhill (less stuff to hit). More aggressive pads and fluid and you should be good to go.

 

Go to www.pca.org and find out the DE schedules at your local tracks. They have instructors and classroom sessions to teach you the basics of high performance driving. They also have tech inspection forms so that'll tell you what needs to be checked to prep your car. For a beginner, a stock car with fresh fluids is more than enough to have fun. Make sure you have enough brake pad material left (stock pads are fine) and good tires. It's a lot of fun and quite addictive. Enjoy!

 

Start with PCA or POC and an instructor. NASA can be the wild wild west and SCCA is rule crazy.

 

upgrade brake fluid, check pads and make sure you have fresh fluids.

 

you probably need a fire extinguisher attached inside the cabin.
you may want to look into CG Lock for your seatbelt. It will keep you in the seat a bit better.

as suggested above, new pads and fluids help too.

most events require a helmet. Remember, a $10 head gets a $10 helmet. Not a spot to skimp.

JB

 

Nine_Eleven:

I REALLY encourage you to get on track. You will have "perma-Grin" in an instant and be hooked forever. I have been doing this for several years and LOVE it. I am based in the mid-west, so my impressions of the different organizations is colored by the groups here. You may have to decide for yourself based on what they are like out west.

First, your car was born and bread to RUN - - ON THE TRACK. They are NOT German Garage queens. They are only truely happy at speed and lateral G's. Go have fun and find out what it is capable of. Drop me a note after your first event.

Second, the best group here for beginners is NASA. They have the most organized and professional HPDE group of any of them. The instructors are great, and the experience level is varied. PCA is a very good group also, but very different. Find out which personality type fits you. SCCA has the worst program out there for a newbie to go learn how to drive fast. Their goal is racing and they cater to racers as opposed to HPDE types. Nothing wrong with that....just not what you may be looking for.

Basic car prep is more than enough for you for your first event. Easy.
Check oil, brake fluid, brake pads (enough pad), torque your lug nuts on the wheels, be sure your tread and air pressure are appropriate for the tires, gas it up, clean it out, and have fun.

Warning -
1) Watch your tire pressures during the day of the event. The track will increase pressure huge if there happens to be any moisture in the tires. Street tires can go up 6-12 pounds during a track day. You will likely have to continue to remove air as the day progresses. Keep the rear pressure 2 pounds higer in the rear to start. Keep them all under 40# HOT to start. You will notice that the outside tires will go up even further. Once you learn more, you can play and adjust as you see fit.

2) KEEP YOURSELF Hydrated!! You will lose body fluid during a day faster than you would believe. Best advice - drink water until you are peeing at least once an hour. Hit the head before each on-track. Why? You will begin losing focus and energy as your moisture drops. This is dangerous on a track. Also pop a candy bar during the day to keep the energy up. First timers will be exhausted at the end of the first day.

3) Talk to folks at the track. Talk to EVERYONE you can. Make friends, make contacts, ask questions, and absorb information. Get phone numbers and email addresses from the folks you liked. You will have tons of questions, and some will come after the event.

4) Go there with an open mind. A huge amount of what you learn on the track will be counter-intuitive to what you were taught for the street. Be humble and absorb the learning. You will have a ball!!

READ Everything you can find and be prepared for the morning you arrive. Check out this link. It is good for first-timers.
http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/

Go have fun!!

 

Nine_Eleven:

One more thing. Once you get there, ask your instructor about riding with them on some hot laps that afternoon. (after you have done a couple of stints)

Your first time on track, you will feel like you are going Super Fast since your brain will not be calibrated for the speeds nor the massive input. There is so much input and things to do, and it all will be happening so fast. Do not worry, your brain adapts quickly. After you have done a couple of stints on track, you will begin to settle into it and get more comfortable with the rapid pace of things.

Drive within your comfort zone. Don't go beyond what you are comfortable with. And don't worry if there are faster folks on track waiting to pass you. Just point them by and stay focused on your learning. The speed will come.

Be sure to ride with your instructor in their car before the end of the day. It will give you a huge reality check. No matter how fast you think you are going while driving your first time, the car you are driving is capable of FAR MORE. An instructor driving at even 7/10ths will help you understand how far from the limits you actually are. It will also help you see the lines, brak zones, etc.

 

+1 spot on, I find myself not enjoying my car on the streets as much as I used to, the track is the only safe place to truely enjoy the capability of what P cars are designed for.

 

First time I went to the track I totally overplanned and overpacked

I did get my rear tires, oil, brake fluid & tranny fluid changed then had the car teched out properly at a PCA certified shop. I also made a laundry list of things to take.. way too much stuff.

Bottom line, get the car ready, get a good night sleep, bring water, snacks, beach chair, hat, sunglass, camera, air gauge, torque wrench with lug and you are set.

disclaimer: I am far from a pro at this, just started myself.

 

Good advice all around. Based on the tracks you mentioned, I have to assume you're near Laguna Seca (near Monterey) as well. Actually, it sounds like Thunderhill might be a bit farther out for you. Thunderhill is a great track to learn on -- very few places where you can get in serious trouble. I did a couple of track events there back in the day and it's always a blast.

I just did my second track event (for my 996TT) up at Infineon Raceway. If you end up going there, just be sure you take it a little easier, and don't drive your car anywhere near its (or your) limits. The fun thing about Infineon is that you'll feel challenged even when you're not pushing it.

With a P-car, I don't think you really need to do anything in the way of prepping your car. Good tires, a helmet (which you can usually rent), and passing the tech inspection will be all you'll really need. With these cars, it will be a little while before the car (rather than the driver) is the limiting factor .

Finally, the last two events I've done have been with Hooked on Driving. I highly recommend them. They can be a little pricier, but they run a great event. The organizers, instructors and participants are very friendly -- and no one in the slower run groups is out to get their best track time. Just great fun all around.

Enjoy -- it's definitely addicting!

 

NASA June 11-12, 2011 - Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA
$195 per day