So I convinced my friend to sign up for a track day with me this coming Saturday. I will bring my XK, he will bring his WRX. This will be track day lite, which is for people who have not done a track day before. There is a class, then (2) 20 minute sessions on the track, which is a 2.75 mile course. I believe the sessions are no passing, follow the leader sessions, to show the proper lines to take etc. This qualifies you for later track heavy days, where you are able to pass. I have never done this before, so I am looking forward to it. (NOLA raceway)

 

Sounds awesome. Let us know how you make out!

 

That sounds really cool. Are you required to do any safety modifications to get on the track? On the private track in my area, convertibles are required to have roll bars (don't know if the pop-up ones on the XK qualify).

 

I did ask, because they said that some convertibles were not allowed. He wrote me back and said mine was OK. Not sure if it was because of the pop-up roll bars or why.

 

I love track days, but my Jag (XK or XKR) has never been to one. Track insurance is about $300 on top of entry fees. Makes for a spendy afternoon. Fire up the GoPro and have fun!

 

Suggestions:

1. Don't track your car with old fluids. If you are close to change period for your engine or transmission oil - do it prior track day.

2. Proper tire pressures are very important. This includes not over-inflating your tires. Keep in mind, while driving fast tires heat up and this increases pressure. Over-inflated tires tend to be slippery, over-over-over-over inflated tires can blow up.

 

You don't have to buy track insurance. Crashes are possible, but always avoidable if you check your ego at the door.

 

He should also check to make sure his personal car insurance does not have a clause that won't cover the car if track used.

 

I was not intending to get track insurance. This session will be a follow the leader type thing - I don't think I can get in too much trouble doing that. Oil was just changed. I believe tire pressures are OK, there is a cryptic statement about tire pressure on the form I have to fill out, something about 5 psi over pressure - I am assuming it is saying that I am not more than 5 psig over recommended pressure. I will most likely not push anything very hard because of the format and because I never did this before, and because I don't want to wreck the car or me. Plus, I am 56 and no longer the invincible person I once was. I am a little nervous though.

 

You should also have your brake fluid completely flushed and replaced at least once a year if you are doing track days. Old brake fluid can boil from brake heat during track sessions and leave you with NO BRAKES. Believe me, you do not want that.

Tire pressure for street tires is usually recommended to be 5 psi over normal to prevent pulling the tires off the rims. Modern low profile tires are less prone to that than older style 60 series tires were. you can always check between sessions and bleed air, but you can't as easily add air unless you bring a tank or compressor.

Good luck, have fun.

 

Check front and rear pads

 

Dead accurate advice here.... I've taken an emergency runoff road, as my brake peddle went straight to the floor like stepping on a plum! Since that time, brake fluid has been at the top of my list.

Along similar lines, street tires tend to roll over on their sidewalls in hard cornering, so the raised pressure helps control that. I pointed out before that many name brand tires have marking on the sidewall showing where the tread ends and sidewalls begin. I use white chalk, or white shoe polish to mark my lower sidewalls to see just how far I am scrubbing them. Inflate to avoid this. (see tire markings below) These can vary by manufacturer (Michelin used their flying foot at one time)

 

Convinced a friend of mine to go with me to do the Track Day at the New Orleans Motor Park. I had never done this before so I was very concerned, especially about damaging my car. But it turned out to be great fun. We did "Track Day Light" where you get a teaching session, then (2) 20 minute sessions on the track, where you follow the instructor around on the track and learn the line - no passing. There are "track day heavy" where you can pass, but I didn't do that today. There has been Indy races on this track, so it is a real track. The configuration that we used today was a 2.75 mile circuit.
I brought my Jaguar and my friend brought his WRX STI

Pulling onto the track:

Coming down the straightaway:

The racecar driver:

 

When we got there, there was a Cars and Coffee going on, so we walked around and looked at all the cool cars.

 

 

 

 

They also had drift racing going on over on another track. Those guys are just plain nuts!

 

Brakes got a bit hot going into a downhill hairpin surprisingly the brake fluid was only just 1% moisture but obviously sufficient to cause boiling in the front calipers. Must admit the track was moist and the ABS was working a fair amount of the time. I was much more circumspect the second time on the track

 

Did you scrape the guardrail?