How to Get Into Tracking: A Beginner's Guide

[JClark]

A few people on this forum and others have shot me some questions about getting into tracking so I figured I’d slap together an FAQ-type thread with some answers. Another reason is that I would’ve killed for something like this back in the day so I wouldn’t have had to jump into motorsports blind. Some of these points are my own, some are paraphrased from experts I’ve learned from, and some are straight quoted from Bimmerforums.com Track forum (an awesome place to search for answers to detailed track-related questions).

TRACK JUNKIES: Please respond with your input! I'm sure theres things I left out on this topic so please fill in the gaps.

Watching/Riding

If you don’t want to jump in ride away and drive, go and watch an event first. This isn’t a must and some people don’t have the time, but it is definitely helpful.

---Find an event that fits your schedule.
www.trackschedule.com – The most comprehensive list of events I’ve found.
---Contact the organization putting on the event (BMWCCA, PCA, TrackMasters, etc) and ask to be put on the guest list. Try your best to get details as to what time the gates will open for guests. Some organizations are the best with this part because they have lots of other stuff to do that morning. You can also call the track’s main office and make sure you are on. If all else fails, casually pull up to the gate say “I’m ____, with _____(the organization)” and you’ll sign the waiver and be on your way. That worked for me once.
---Bring bottled water, comfortable shoes, folding chair, camera, helmet (will explain later), etc. There’s usually no food at road courses and the stadium seating is usually on straights behind fencing, not giving the view you’re going to want. Also, bring a friend who’s also interested in this stuff or a significant other; it’s a lot more fun to be there with someone else who’s interested in it. There are often things to do in the surrounding town if you need something other than a race track to get them to come. You’re going to need to arrive early in the morning to get the most out of your day. Play the rest of the afternoon by ear for when you’re ready to leave.
---Watch videos of the track ahead of time if you can (search www.bimmerforums.com ‘s track forum) and try to have a copy of the track map (usually available on-site). This will give you a feel for where you are when you’re walking around.
---Sit on a turn and watch the cars. Watch for turn in, apex, and track out points. Move around the turn so you can first see turn in and then shift so you can watch track out. Look for braking points both when they start braking and when they let off. Listen for the sound of the engine and how much gas they are giving it at what time.
Here are some pictures I took next to Turn 11 at Watkins Glen (see map for T11). Notice how they are from different spots to see both angles.



Here's the track out view of T11. Notice the orange cone on the left. You're looking for how close the car is to the cone coming out of the turn. The previous view off to your right would be the turn in and you'd be looking for the same thing: how close the car is to the cone when they dig into the corner.


---Meet track people. Tell them you’re brand new to this and want to get involved. They’ll love to give you their opinions and all of them will be different. Get some of these people to remember you so you’ll have some helping hands should you need them next time you’re there (chances are they’ll be there too). Introduce yourself to the chief instructor. Meet some people that have your same car. They’re advice will be invaluable when you return. Listen more than talk. These guys know more than you and they know it, so don’t try to make them think you get what they are saying before they say it.

RIDES:
This is where the helmet part comes in. You’ll need one that fits the organization’s requirements (usually anything Snell 95 and up, some require Snell SA). Don’t complain about this part; by now you’re in far enough where you’re going to be doing this yourself pretty soon, so you’ll need one anyway.


Some important things to know about rides:
---You can only get rides with instructors or open track drivers (Organizations like TrackMasters have open track sessions for professional drivers).
---Only some of those instructors will actually give you a ride. Some don’t want the responsibility, so just respect that and thank him for his time.
---Don’t only choose a driver based on his car. The guy with the GT3 is going to get 10x the requests for rides as the Spec Miata guy so who do you think is going to be most willing to give a ride?
---When you approach a driver for a ride, tell him your scenario honestly. You’re a noob. You’re looking to come back and do this for yourself. Ask him to take you out and show you the line and point out his marks through a turn. This is the way you get the most out of your ride.



Watching for the first time gives you an advantage over just jumping into driving. You’ll know the course for when you come back and you’ll remember a lot of good points from riding. You’ll know what to expect and won’t be lost when you’re in the garage waiting to go out.


Driving: You’re First Track Day

Just like watching, find an organization putting on an event at the track you want and contact them and register for it. Make sure your car is ready for the event. DO NOT be irresponsible and say it will be fine out there when you know it won’t. Get a copy of the org’s tech inspection sheet and go over it ahead of time.

---The Golden Rule: Leave your balls at home. Not the time to show-off. You’re here to learn, not do a top speed run on the straights. Relax and have fun, no one will be impressed by you driving above your skill level.
---If you’re nervous, all that will go away by turn 2. Don’t be pre-occupied about your run; there are plenty of people in your shoes there too and your instructor has had noobs before (hopefully).
---Be up front with your instructor. Tell him your experience and what you want to accomplish.
---Make your pit area comfortable. See list below for what to bring.
---Get plenty of sleep (i.e. more than 8 hours if possible). Don’t drink the night before.
---Check tire pressures before and after every run. Your instructor can write a book on the profound effect pressures have in track driving so ask for the Cliff’s Notes. Tighten your lug nuts after every run. They loosen.
---You’re going to run rain or shine so be prepared. You’ll be windows down no matter what.
---READ ALL THE INFORMATION GIVEN TO YOU when you register. Little things you’ll miss like long pants/sleeves will NOT LET YOU RUN the event. Don’t get called out on a technicality.
---Eat light meals, DRINK A LOT OF WATER.
---Leave unnecessary crap at home. You need to empty your car of everything when you go out (everything, including the floormats) and you want as little as possible left in the garage when you go out.

On Track:
---Go slow to go fast. You need to master the elements of track driving before you add speed. Or else you’ll get stuck at “rookie driving hard around the wrong line doing crappy lap times.” Work on your line, your braking points, acceleration scale through the turn, etc. Once these things evolve and become natural, speed will come without you even thinking about it.
---Don’t push yourself harder than you want to go. Don’t let your instructor do that either. If he is, tell him to chill. If you aren’t getting along with your instructor ask for a new one, usually a good instructor will understand. This is rare, but just in case.
---For the opposite, if you have a really great time with your instructor, get his contact information at the end so you can throw him questions you’ll think of later (and you will).
---Get rides from several instructors. Watch his marks and have him walk you through parts of the course that you aren’t doing correctly.
---Your instructor will have set ways of teaching so do what he says. But always remember that there are different ways of taking that turn and one racer’s line isn’t the same as another.
---If you are caught behind another car, do not focus on their line. Their line will be different from yours. An ability you should acquire is being able to drive your own line when another car in front of you takes a totally different one. Afterwards, notice how far away from them you are from when you entered the turn. Did you gain on them? A good instructor will walk you through this.
---Each session, take two relatively easy laps. This lets the car and the driver warm up.
---Brake in a straight line.
---If you’re brakes fail, pump them.
---If you miss your marks on too consecutive turns, you’re driving over your head. Slow down. Hitting your marks is your most important task.
---DE is NOT racing.
---This goes along with the above. In novice group, you’re going to get stuck in trains (use your imagination if you don’t know what a train is yet). Use this time when you’re slowed down to again refresh your line and get your head on straight. It’s also a good time to talk with your instructor. If you get stuck in a train for a long time and want to get back out in the open, pit in and wait for one average lap time and then go back out, putting you ahead of the train.
---Be generous with point-by’s. If someone is close on your butt, point them by. Once you do, if you are riding their butt for a few turns, I’d expect them to point you by. Don’t be frustrated by this part. It isn’t a competition, and don’t think that others are doing better than you are by passing. Remember go slow to go fast. Passing is one thing you need to master early. Also, exchanging point bys for a consecutive laps gives you more to talk about in the garage or at the bar later. (taken from Geo of bimmerforums)
---Somewhere in there is have fun. If you remember the above, you will. Be prepared to be addicted to the sport.

List of Stuff to Bring:
(Please add to this if you think of anything!!) This list is for the beginner. You’ll think of other things to bring as you get more experienced.
-WATER: Drink lots of it. You will get dehydrated out there. The flow of adrenaline will wipe you out by 2pm if you don’t stay hydrated.
-Eat light meals. Snack light in between those meals.
-Chair and sun umbrella or "event tent" if you have one.
-Tarp to lay your stuff on.
-Oil
-Coolant
-Brake Fluid
-Tire pressure gauge
-Rags
-Windex
-Basic hand tools
-ZIPTIES!!!!! - My front bumper made it 7 hrs home secured with these great inventions.
-Painter's tape if you are concerned with rock chips.
-Full size spare if you have one. Dont think that weight reduction will make that much of a difference yet. Bring it just in case.
-Tow hook or make sure you have something to attach a tow strap to on the front of your car.

This list obviously expands as you get more experienced, this is just the early on stuff. You know your car. You're going to be driving it pretty damn hard out there so you know what kind of maintenance it will need in between runs. Plan accordingly.


The night after your event, all you'll see when you close your eyes is the track. You'll run through laps in your head until you fall asleep.
Prepare to get addicted. Nothing compares to it.

---If there’s interest, we could add in a list of nearby tracks and the best hotels to stay at while there.

FAQ
Questions from all over, often not my answers.

So how dangerous is it really, both for me and my car?

There's no short answer to this one, just a couple good points of info. Driving events are as controlled as can be when you have 3000lb chunks of metal flying around a course. If you are taking the time to read this thread, you are most likely going to be just fine out there. Most of the danger comes in interaction with other cars such as passing and being passed This kind of stuff can freak some new drivers and make them do weird stuff, BUT that is what the instructor is for. Bottom line is it's a risk, but anything thrilling will be. Keep your head on straight, listen to your instructor, and dont drive beyond your limits. If you are still worried about it, go watch an event, otherwise put your worries to rest, go out there and have fun and be safe.

How fast do I get to go?

Thats between you, your instructor, and your driving ability. Your instructor wont let you drive above yourself, so if he tells you to only bring it up to 100 on this straight, then do it because he's leading into something else. Master the track and speed will come.
Example: My first event I was carrying around 105mph down the back straight of a course and I believed that that was as fast as my car could go at that point. After the instruction throughout the 2 days, I was doing 130mph consistantly in the same spot.
Now then, if you're looking for an exact figure it obviously depends on the course and your cars power. But expect to be going plenty faster than highway speeds in certain areas.


Feel free to fire away any questions you have that I might've missed and I'm sure someone here has an answer.

[whitejdmse-r]

good write up bro

[RUReadyForThis32]

That was awesome J...I got a book from my Panoz school that had a writeup similar to that...great stuff.

[MNIMNIAC]

i just need to go. need to find the next day, and i think i need new wheels and tires, cuse my stock one suck.

[JClark]

If anyone is looking to go out and watch, a few friends and I are going to be heading out to WGI sometime in August, 05. We know some people running so we're there for track-side help. Anyone is welcome to tag along.

[mikecentola]

lemme know the dates jesse and maybe i can get out there for some pics. Depends on if its a weekend or not though.

also can you resize that track map pic, it extends the window too much.

Great writeup though. Couldn't have said it better myself. Water and hydration is VERY key. Keeping your body "tech-inspected" is just as important as your car.

[crazybrew609]

i got a question..i have a friend and he drives a car thats mostly not going to be their modded for track driving... what shoul i..i mean he look for when it comes to talking to somebody that will help him out the most.. look for a car thats FWD or look for a similar power numbers or weight or what

[mikecentola]

Originally Posted by crazybrew609

i got a question..i have a friend and he drives a car thats mostly not going to be their modded for track driving... what shoul i..i mean he look for when it comes to talking to somebody that will help him out the most.. look for a car thats FWD or look for a similar power numbers or weight or what

wtf ? lol

just come with me sometime next year noob.

[MNIMNIAC]

yeah i'd like to tag along at some pont as well. like to see whats going on.

[JClark]

Originally Posted by crazybrew609

i got a question..i have a friend and he drives a car thats mostly not going to be their modded for track driving... what shoul i..i mean he look for when it comes to talking to somebody that will help him out the most.. look for a car thats FWD or look for a similar power numbers or weight or what

I'm not sure what you mean by "talk to someone that will help him out the most." I've seen plenty of FWD cars track. Tony Funicello, one of the best classroom instructors in this area (BMWCCA, TM, etc) drives one sick ITR.

[bigjorge3g]

Awesome write up, I can't wait to try some next season!