There were plenty of replies on the "track" thread but i find it hard to imagine that i am the only person who has never tracked my cars.

Two schools of thought -(short version)

Track
1) to experience the car's potential
2)way to develop skills
3) fun
4) some opt for competition.
5) social

Non track -
1) cost
2) wear and tear
3) time management
4) satisfied with less grunt than the full blast
5) Social too.

Quite often i see the track segment post that something is missing without the experience .
I've hada few of thse Porsches and I can think of a lot fun had in them --even driving slow . Even parked

Heck --I even have fun sometimes just looking at the car standing outside of it -- or thinking about it . I can even be on a vacation and think about my car and when I get home it's happy feeling to climb into the car again .

So .. happiness with the car .. differently defined by different people.

So --I figured I would post this thread to ask those about what they like about having their car without the track in it's miles.

 

I come from two schools of thought. The first, is me as an owner before I tracked my car. I appreciated my car for it's heritage, it's status as a Porsche, as well as detailing the paint and appreciating its beauty when waxed and displayed at the car shows and meets I brought it to. The second is me as an owner, after tracking my car. The car never felt more at home, and the car as a Porsche never made more sense to me than it did when I brought it to the track. The suspension felt 'right' on the track like this is what it was made for all along, and I learned more about the car and its dynamics more than I could ever had during a regular commute.
Happiness for the car is definitely defined differently but happiness doesn't need to be confined to one category, as I am evidence of appreciating the static beauty of my car as well as the physical prowess it possesses on a track.

 

I've yet to take my car to the track. But have no inclination to do so at the moment because I enjoy my car regardless whether I'm doing 25 mph or 95 mph on short bursts on the highways of the White Mountains here in NH. Heck, I even just enjoy detailing the car when it's just standing still in my garage, while classic rock is playing on the radio with a nice cold beer! I know that I don't drive my car to it's potential. But, I'm sure that I will have the opportunity to do so one of these days. Perhaps once I experience going to Porsche's Driving School sometime in October. I plan to attend a 2 day course with them. Then afterwards, would I probably have the itch to take my car to track...or maybe not. LOL.

Vince.

 

There are thousands of owners who have never taken there cars to a track. What does it matter? They own a prosche. It means they have great taste and enjoy life. On or off the track. Maybe they sky-drive or fly planes for thrills. To eachhis own.

I think the wear and tear thing is really being overstated her. Doing a couple of DE's a year is not going to effect the car at all.

Time Managment? Unless you work all the time I don't see that as a probelem. Most people have one free weekend a year to do something for themselves.

It boils down to what do you want to do. All this posting about DE's is nice but no amount of writing will give you a clue about the true sensations of a DE untill you try it. Then you will know if its right for you.


I'll will never forget the first time I was able to take the lightbulb turn on the Lightening track at NJMP without moving the steering wheel at high speed thru the whole turn. It was an amazing feeling to see what the car could do at high speed when you were completely relaxed and confident in its ability. I will never have that feeling on a public road.

Either jump in the pool or stay dry. Its really up to you.

 

I'm currently tracking my air cooled '85 911 and will readily admit I had absolutely no idea what the capability of the car was prior to DE.

I certainly understand those with newer P-cars hesitation regarding wear and tear and the (remote) possibility of damaging their cars. I also have a 997 Targa 4S and haven't tracked that for a number of reasons:
1. I want to advance my driving skill on a vehicle not quite as advanced as the 997 and
2. My wife has a very strong attachment and I'd most likely catch a lot of flack.....at least until the car gets a little older. But man the 997 must be an absolute blast on the track.

 

I'm on the fence with it.
I read through 6 pages or so of replies from about 10 people who claim the track is all that it's caked up to be .
But that thread (first post) also asked about the flip side . Wear and tear is one of them but there's a variety of reasons why owners don't track . There are probably quite a few who once upon a time did track the car and don't want to anymore and i am interested to read why .

Ultimately --I make my own decision .
But the replies provide is a multitude of insight and information . I learned some things , agree on some and disagree on others . I've enjoyed the replies.

I feel that when i make my choice I can at least make an informed choice .

Why not hear out both sides ?
If every person who went to the track left with a smile then no one would say his car was harder to sell, or expensive to upkeep, or tedious to travel to and from the event .. but it seems like discussing those things are taboo ? "overrated" ?

It's not a cheap car to play with.
The car means a lot to me .
It's not without risk .
It's not without effort .
It;s not without cost.
It's not without time and decication .

I don't just jump into the pool . I dip my toes first and sometimes I think it over-- but at least when I dive in I am ready ,

 

The costs, wear and tear are relavant to the level at which you push your car. I have seen people drive their car close to the same intensity that they drive on the road. Then there are others, they push their car close to their limits (not the car) and both have fun doing it. The only difference is the amount of consumables you use (brakes, tires, gas). In the last few years about half the milage on my car was on the track, and my car has been trouble free. These cars are designed to be driven, the harder the better IMO.

 

As my car is paid in full and combined with the fact that we can't get track insurance I've not yet had my car out there.

I have explored its limits here in Dubai on some empty road ways where I'll hurt myself and no one else and it makes me jones for the track. But until someone offers track insurance I'll keep waiting...

Plus I have sequence photos of a mate crashing his GT3 and he's an accomplished driver!

 

You and I are very like-minded!

Jason

 

I've never tracked my car and probably won't ever, either. I've never 4-wheeled my Land Rover either. Yes, I've had it in 4-wheel, going camping, etc....but I've never gone out just to 4-wheel with no other destination or point. I think track driving/racing would be fun, but I'd buy a car just for that purpose (Radical looks fun ), before I'd bring my C2S. I'd also buy a Jeep If I were going to pursue 4-wheeling as a hobby.

J

 

Larry,

Just on a side note. I have been following your threads on this and so far every "track guy" has told you he loves the track, still loves the track, and expressed all the reasons why they love the track. I dont think I have seen a single person post up that they went to the track and did not like it or stopped going for whatever reason-This should tell you something. Now, I posted that I new a guy that took his RUF CTR to the track as a novice and had a bad experience. I think his car was just too much for him but that is the only story I know of.

Its really hard to describe why I love the track. I guess like trying to describe to someone what its like to fly or plane, ride a motorcycle, or what its like to go scuba diving on a reef. You really just need to jump into this!

Jason

 

I have done one AX and have an AX class tomorrow. After that, I'd like to do a DE but might wait until next year. I learned a little about the breaking and steering limits of the car just from the AX and I'm sure a DE is more educational.

 

I have never tracked mine.
I just wanna drive.

 

But what you asking applies to any hobby. Costs, time, risk, dedication, are present in anything you do. And for many these factors are a no-go for the hobby. Your pro and con lists are very good.

I saw a new 997.2 PDK S hit a guard rail and damage its rear end with no others cars around it because the driver did something that his ego drove him to do. He was back a month later with the car fixed and was driving the hell out of it. For him the costs are worth the thrill.

I'll give you one reason people stop. They are getting IMO more popular and they are starting to get very crowded. U need to drive with the right group so that safety and skill building are key. Get stuck in some DE school with a punch of bozo’s and your will not be going back.


That’s why the PCA events are so good. The drivers in the green and yellow groups (lower levels) understand they are driving expensive cars and they want to keep them intact. It’s a great place to start.

 

I was asked by a Subaru forum member why I bought my STI as a commuter as it was made for AX and track day events. I told him I knew how fast the car was and didn’t need the added liability to find out what the exact limits where. He didn’t get it.

Now with this car the liability has been doubled if not tripled. I cannot afford to have something go wrong on a track and be denied insurance coverage. I have no idea what track insurance cost but my guess is a lot. I would love to track my car; I have wanted to race/track since I was a kid. For me it all comes down to financials. Someday I will, but my guess is it will either be in a car that is cheap or I have the ability to write off 50k-100k and not lose sleep over it.