Anyone wanna go on a Saturday? Been itching to get some actual seat time in, haven’t done any “real” racing since some autocross in 09. I’ve never been to TMP, any tips/hints?
Must’ve been influenced by our discussion Saturday. :lol:
I’d be in to ride with and give some pointers…but only if you co-pilot the sidecar when I track that, haha.
Saturday will probably be far more busy over a Friday evening.
Same tips/hints for any track day. Go faster in little bits not huge chunks. When you’re learning a track late apex is your friend and will keep you safer.
My favorite section there is the little kink in the middle of the track. The Fiero on RT615s that was a no lift zone. Never did get the GTO up there but I’m guessing I would have needed to lift.
Sure, come on up, moral support. And yeah, you’re a bad (good) influence.
:tup: I hear there are lots of places to run off in case things go wrong.
In, just give me a heads up as my schedule is jam packed.
TMP has a lot of run-off, just not in the last turn before the straight. T1 is a double apex turn that has a gnarly bump mid way through that will rattle your balls if you take it for granted with the right line and speed.
I’d consider Friday night. Not sure I’d want to do sat. I’m cheap. Haha
There is, but you’re better off thinking about it in a “I really don’t want to go off” kind of way. Things go wrong really fast when you get off onto uneven grass/dirt and your sideways sliding car digs into the ground.
I too am cheap. How far is it, 90 mins? Plus border crossings? Plus setup time at the track? That’s why I’d prefer a Sat., just so I’m not rushing to get seat time. Although I guess I could leave early on a Friday and still have a ton of time, while avoiding a crowded track.
Fuck it, how about this Friday?
I went off twice last time on the bike at the end of the chicane on the back-half…I could’ve possibly made it just simply didn’t want to try especially on a fancy expensive motorcycle.
Usually takes an hour to get there once you’ve crossed. Setup time is nothing in your case…empty the car, take the mats out, check fluids/tires, helmet on and go lol.
I can’t Friday, I’ll be in ADK.
As a first timer, you will get more track time than you will be able to mentally handle from 5-dusk. I usually leave at 3pm, drop my shit and go. As a first timer, if you leave at 230 you’ll have more than plety of time to get prepared. My only concern is that it’s gonna be hot as hell friday.
Fyi, they are cash only and I believe this year are now taking USD at par.
You can pay online FYI. Otherwise, better off getting some Canadian currency to not risk them taking USD at par. As others said, setup is literally nothing unless you plan on swapping tires or brakes etc. when you get there. Most people just show up and go if the car isn’t being trailered there. It’s about 90 minutes depending on border traffic. Bring your vette chairs, hat, and other apparel obviously, you have to look the part. And bring some food and drink in a cooler. Some people bring pop up canopies but you can also seek some shade under the bleachers by the drag strip if nothing’s going on over there.
You can only pay online 7 days or more in advance. Less than 7 days out you need to pay at the track.
Oh really? Was not aware of that change. Paid online less than 7 days out a couple years back.
i liked going wednesdays last fall. there was only 4 or 5 cars there. might plan a day between the 14th and 25th before i go to mid ohio but depends how far along the car is
My tip for learning any track is to drive lazy;
Stay in a higher than normal gear. I will usually try to do a whole track in 4th gear. This usually reduces the effect of engine braking, torque steer, power oversteer, and any lack of smoothness. This helps me find mid corner equilibrium. It will also punish you to find the fastest line through the corner. Of course there will be tight corners where you’ll have to down shift, but in general stay a gear higher than the “OMG bro, I hit redline every shift!”. Start finding visual markers for braking, figure out brake points first, knowing when to accelerate will come easy.
Steer with just your thumb and pointer and middle fingers (think sipping a tea cup), not a death grip. This helps in driving smooth and feeling feedback. Also helps finding what speed the car likes for a normal track out on corner exit. Steering shouldn’t be forced.
Look ahead. If you are already off the line in the corner you’re currently in it’s too late to fix it. Look at where you want to be and don’t worry about where you are (other cars and going off the track being the exception).
2nd and 3rd sessions;
Now you can start banging through gears finding visual markers of where and what gear you want to be in. Play with the throttle mid corner and brake later. But still stay relaxed with steering and look ahead.
^ Definitely listen to this guy
i concur with the “staying in higher gear” recommendation for the first session
Recommendation for session length, in terms of laps or time? I think an amateur could do 15-20 mins before needing a break to let the brain relax and decompress.
What have you done to the brakes? The GTO got two hot laps at Dunnville before the stock brakes failed spectacularly. I was pushing it decently hard with a lot of autocross experience and a couple track days with my old Fiero though. I dialed it back and finished the day but ended up driving home on the backing plate. The pads were basically new when I started. The GTO was a bit heavier than your Vette but similar HP.
I’m asking because my guess is if you’re running stock pads/fluid your brakes will fade well before the end of a 15-20 minute session. At a minimum I’d flush the brake fluid to something like ATE Type 200 and make sure the pads are almost new.
If the car holds up run what ever sessions they’re doing. Start out with a couple easier laps each session and give yourself time at the end of the session to do a couple easier laps to let everything cool down if you’ve been pushing hard. I wouldn’t recommend running back to back sessions unless your car is really track prepped. At every track day I’ve been to that became on option later in the day as the novice guys and less prepared cars stopped running and the run groups get really empty. Running back to back 20 minute sessions in a street prepped car with nothing but a cool down lap and a couple minutes lining up in grid is really tough on your equipment. A 20 minute session with a 20 minute break isn’t as bad. After your cool down lap let the car idle for 5 minutes or so when you park too, AC off, so it can circulate that coolant for a bit.
unknown pads on the car, probably unfortunately original fluid in the car, unless it was changed at some point. The rotors are in awesome shape but the pads are probably just OEM replacements.