Latest / BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show / TL:DR - I wanna go fast! ... things I wish I knew as a noob.

Transcript

TL:DR - I wanna go fast! ... things I wish I knew as a noob. · BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

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Grand touring motorsports started as a social group of car enthusiasts,
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but we've expanded into all sorts of motorsports disciplines.
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And we want to share our stories with you.
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Years of racing, wrenching and motorsports experience brings together
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a top notch collection of knowledge and information through our podcast break fix.
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Hey, what's going on everybody.
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This is Brad, your host of the grand touring motorsports podcast
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break fix with me as always is Eric.
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Uh, we have a special guest tonight.
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It's, uh, Mike Crutchfield.
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You've heard him on a couple other, uh, podcasts with us.
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He's gonna lend us some expertise.
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Tonight's topic is things we wish we knew when we were new first,
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getting into this, uh, the track day sport, uh, HPDE, which stands for
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High Performance Driver Education.
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Now, I'm sure.
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Some of you out there have come to track days before.
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Some of you may not have when we first started out, we all started somewhere.
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When I know when I first started out, there were lots of things that I wish
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that I knew and having a podcast like this, we hope is insightful to the
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rest of you and hope it gets you off the ledge to come out and dip your
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toe into the sport and see if you like it or not, we're going to talk about.
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Things you should do before the event.
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Things you should know and understand.
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We're going to dabble a little bit on track insurance, which is something
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that you should know before the event.
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We're going to talk about the pre track inspection.
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A lot of these events all require an inspection of your vehicle
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and of you before you come out.
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We're going to talk about things you should bring with you to the track.
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Come on, man.
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I just want to go fast.
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I want to go fast.
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Don't just come out in your jorts and your Crocs and expect to
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go out there like Ricky Bobby.
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and be the fastest person on the track.
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That's cold trickle.
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Thank you very much.
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Excuse me.
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I'm on fire.
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And then we're also going to talk about things that you are going
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to do on the day of the event.
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And that's where we're hoping Mike can, you know, give us some insight
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as he's been a classroom instructor for a lot of these a students or
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beginner students at these events.
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So Eric, what are some things that people need to know
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before they come to the event?
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So what are some things that you wish that you knew of going into this?
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Before you get out there and let it rip tater chip style, you really need
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to find an organization that suits your personality, your schedule.
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And I will say I wish I had known, but I found out through some other people
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about a resource that we use very often now, which is Motorsport Reg.
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Now, not every organization uses Motorsports Reg, and
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that's motorsportsreg.
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com.
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You can check it out now while we're talking.
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And inside of there, it's basically a large scheduling tool database where you
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can search based on your geographical area, you know, what track days, what
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autocross, carding event, et cetera.
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Is near your location.
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So that's kind of cool within, you know, X amount of miles.
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I usually search 300 mile radius or so.
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There are other websites similar to that, like club registration.
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net hooked on driving, uses their own chin.
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Motorsports uses theirs.
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A lot of them do cross pollinate and advertise on motorsports reg.
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So that is kind of the gold standard to go to, to find events.
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So if you're really kind of looking to see what's out there, I would say going to a
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website like that is, is the first thing.
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Because otherwise.
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Unless you have friends that are already in the sport and are kind
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of driving you towards a location.
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You're really unsure where to look to begin with.
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And do people need to have a dedicated track car to come
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out and have a good time?
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No.
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And we talked about this a lot in a previous episode.
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So if you're just tuning in for the first time, go back and revisit the first,
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what should I buy starter cars episode.
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And we talk about, you know, if you don't have.
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A let's say track car.
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That doesn't necessarily mean you need to run out and buy one.
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We have some that we recommend because if you're driving around in a 1980
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Chevette, probably not the best option to go to the track with, but you know,
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if you're like a lot of us that have commuter cars, maybe you bought a Ford
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Fiesta or you have a VW GTI or, you know, a Nissan Sentra or something like that.
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Those are actually perfect starter cars to go to an event.
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That for you novices out there, their first time out at the track,
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you're probably not going to hit the limits of your vehicle because I've
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had students who had an absolute blast and a just Honda Accord.
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So it doesn't have to be anything fancy.
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It doesn't even have to be anything fast because odds are your first
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event, you're not going to be driving beyond the capabilities of your car and
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you're still going to have a good time.
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I'm sure there's a lot of you out there listening right now that drive in some
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maybe more sporty cars or what we call Boulevard Grand Tours or something more
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luxury or maybe you bought a McLaren.
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I don't know.
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Either way, what you have is usually good enough and in some cases if you
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drive a, you know, 570S McLaren, it's better than what everybody has and
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there's really nothing wrong with that.
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Don't let that be a stopping point.
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Don't sit back and say, Oh, I have to have a fully caged, you know, 944 cup
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car to be able to go to the track, or I have to have a Miata, spec Miata
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race car or something like that.
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You really don't get, you need to get over that.
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I think another barrier to entry is a lot of people, because of the
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way the registration systems are built, you don't get to see the price
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of the event until you're further into the registration process.
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It's not up front in your face to say, Hey, look at the bargain.
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I'm getting for the amount of track time I'm receiving.
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So if you do the math.
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And you compare it to other disciplines and I'm and this is not to downplay
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other disciplines in any respect and they all have their Their purpose and
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their place and their value If you look at rally cross or you look at autocross
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where it's, you know One lap timed and you wait around for a while and then
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it's one lap time you wait around some more, you know Bs check your torques,
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you know that kind of stuff you pay let's say maybe 50 60 bucks and you get Four
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runs, six runs, eight runs at maximum.
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They're really not good value for money.
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If you think about, okay, it's a 45 second quote unquote lap for
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50 or 60 bucks versus track time.
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If you add in classroom, which Mike's going to talk about here
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in a little bit and you add in.
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The social aspect of it, you add in the, your actual sessions on track,
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which can vary anywhere from on the short side, 22 minutes on the
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long side to 35 minutes at a time.
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And part of that is for your safety.
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And part of that is for the vehicle to, to get a break because unless
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you're driving a dedicated track car, there's a lot of stress there.
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But with all that in mind, $300, which a lot of clubs vary, let's say 300 to 400
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is, is a good average price for a weekend.
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You're averaging anywhere and gentlemen, correct me if I'm wrong, you'll
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average anywhere on the low end, four hours of track time to the higher
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end to closer to maybe six and a half hours of track time in a weekend.
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And one thing Eric forgot to mention, you get the classroom instruction,
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but in many cases, you're also getting instruction from someone who's
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watching your driving either in your vehicle or following another vehicle.
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That can give you feedback on what you're actually doing on track.
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It's not just, well, your lap time was five seconds faster.
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This time is well, when you enter turn one, you were in a different position
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and thus that made it actually the car handle better and those skills
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translate driving on the road because you start to learn good behaviors
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while you're driving on the road.
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That might actually save you from accidents down the line too.
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And we want to emphasize that we're specifically talking about HPD or
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high performance driver education.
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We're not talking about club racing or time trials or anything like that.
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Those are things you can do after you've gotten the HPD bug.
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But the main purpose of HPD other than Getting out there and having a good time
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is to learn and Mike is exactly right.
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Things you learn on the racetrack are going to help you throughout
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the rest of your driving career on the street or in races or
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whatever, whatever you decide to do.
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Just for everybody that's listening, you know, Mike, Brad and I are also
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coaches for various organizations, or it also helps you in accident avoidance.
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And I don't want to put a guarantee on that, but what I'm getting at here,
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and we'll talk about this more a little bit later is getting your eyes up.
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Being situationally aware, watching things unfold on the road.
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I mean, my wife gets on me all the time.
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She's like, I don't know how you spot cars across a divided highway, four lanes away,
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and you're going, Hey, look, that's a 57 Bel Air because I'm constantly scanning
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and I'm looking way out in the distance and I'm trying to watch, you know,
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traffic patterns and things like that.
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And I learned that by going to the track, you're not going to get that
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experience really anywhere else.
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And I'm sure there's plenty of people that will disagree.
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Well, I've been driving for 40 years.
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What do you know?
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Well, it's a lot different at, you know, triple digits than being on the highway.
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We do run very close to each other.
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It's not, we're not out there doing parade laps, keeping social distance.
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The cars are up against each other.
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Now, Rubbin is not racing in HPDE, you know, full disclaimer there.
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Well, and, and to Eric's point of, I've been driving for 40 years.
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I had an 85 year old student that I taught new things about driving.
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He had been driving all his life.
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He learned new things from driving on track for the first time.
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So what we're trying to get across is these events are fun.
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It's great to come out and have a good time.
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You know, get your Ricky Bobby on, but also come out and learn a few things
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that you can take with you, not just at the track, but back on the street.
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Step one is to find an event.
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As Eric explained, go on motorsportreg.
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com or Hooked on Driving or Chin Motorsports or some of the other clubs.
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Find an event that fits your schedule.
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Don't worry about which club it's with.
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Uh, that doesn't really matter.
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They all operate fairly the same, uh, with a couple of little nuances.
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Uh, pick a day on your schedule, pick a weekend on your schedule that works, pick
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a racetrack that's near you in the DMV.
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We've got a plethora of racetracks that are within five to six hours of us.
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And we're very lucky in that respect.
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If you're in the DMV and you've got two facilities you can go to within
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an hour, hour and a half, you can go to Summit Point in West Virginia.
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They've got three racetracks there.
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And you can go to Dominion Raceway, which is right down 95 on the way to Richmond.
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So there's, there's tracks that are in the area.
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Once you pick a day, once you pick your track, you pick your organization, you
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sign up, you think you're good to go.
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You're not good to go.
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There's plenty of other things to do in preparation for your event.
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So the next thing we're going to talk about is track insurance.
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I don't know if you all know this, but most insurance companies, if
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not all insurance companies that handle your, your regular automobile
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insurance will not cover anything that happens at a racetrack.
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Some insurance policies, you got to be very careful and make sure you read
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your policy and all the disclaimers.
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They may even cancel you for even going to a racetrack.
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So you got to be very careful.
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With your car insurance.
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There's a lot of people that play games with hiding their license
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plates and things like that We're not here to advocate for that.
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You mean rolling the car outside the gates of the track is not a good
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thing After you've broken down we are not advocating for that at all.
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We do not wish for you to do anything That's illegal.
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Please make sure you consult your insurance agent and your insurance policy
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For anything regarding this sport or any type of thing on a track, even drag
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racing, you should probably check your insurance policy, even if you're going
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for a test and autocross to autocross.
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Even if you're doing a road rally, if they find out that you've been
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participating in a road rally, who knows what the insurance companies will do.
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Yeah.
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And, and to your point, even road rally, because you're on a public
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road and by the time this airs, you guys have probably heard another.
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where I actually speak to a gentleman who is involved in a lot
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of road rally touring and Gymkhana.
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The real asterisk here when it comes to insurance is Competitive events, right?
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And HPDE because the E in HPDE stands for education.
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It is not a competitive event.
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And that's very important to, to denote there.
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Now, what Brad's saying is very true.
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You need to check and make sure.
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That a your insurance company is okay with it and when they say no hang up really
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quick because they didn't hear what you just said But but in reality a lot of
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the other disciplines be it autocross drag racing road rally, etc Where there
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might be a competitive component to it You have to be very careful with that.
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And especially something like road rally, where it is done on public roads.
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We're not saying all of these things to scare you away from HPT and track events.
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We're, we want to make sure that everyone enters this sport with eyes wide open,
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because we've known people who have had very unpleasant surprises when they've
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thought they've been covered, including, uh, one student whose car had an
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electrical fault and caught fire on track.
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I was, was helping with recovery of that vehicle at some point.
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And he called his insurance company.
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from the track and goes, I was just driving on the track and my
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car caught fire because there was an electrical fire under the hood.
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And they immediately canceled his policy.
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If you're wanting to get things covered for things that happen on
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track, look into track insurance.
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Do not expect your actual insurance company, unless you've read that thing
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cover to cover to, to be there for you.
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If something happens on track.
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So let's explain what track insurance is and how it works.
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So track insurance is specific to events.
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Just on a racetrack.
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There's a specialty companies out there.
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1 that we're familiar with because a few of our members have used it.
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It's called locked in insurance.
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It's a specialty track insurance company.
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You buy policies either by event, or you can buy a block of events for a season.
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I believe you go through their process of selecting your events, and then you also
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get to choose the value of your vehicle and how much that they will pay out.
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Now there's gonna be a deductible.
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It's a fairly high deductible, I believe.
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But all said and done, they will cover you.
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We've had a couple club members that have had accidents with Locked in insurance
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minimizes the out of pocket expense to get the vehicle back on the road.
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They swear by it.
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We did an article not too long ago that we'll put a link for describes and kind
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of gives a review of track insurance and locked in insurance specifically.
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Don't be scared off by, Oh my God, my insurance company's not going to cover me.
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We've got something for you.
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We got you.
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We got something to cover you.
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Yeah, and there's now some organizations that are including track insurance
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as part of the registration.
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I know hooked on driving is doing this.
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They use open track insurance.
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I believe it's called.
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It's a competitor to locked in affinity.
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And some of those groups that are out there track insurance is really designed
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to cover you when you're on campus.
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Right?
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And that could be.
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Another car hits you in the paddock, your car fell off the trailer.
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You hit a wall while on track, you know, whatever it might be, it's
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a completely different policy.
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And in the unfortunate event that something does happen, you file your claim
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through locked in or whoever you're using instead of your normal car insurance.
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So then that way.
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It's you're not really hiding it from your insurance company, but it's
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being taken care of by a third party.
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And in the case of you totaled your car because you have a declared
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value policy, they write you a check.
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No questions asked.
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It happened at the track.
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Now, just like the insurance company doesn't.
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Cover you when you're at the track.
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Track.
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Insurance doesn't cover you when you're on the road.
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However, there are transport exceptions.
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You will pay extra for that.
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So if you have a car carrier or a large trailer, a value, some sort
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of enclosed trailer you've invested in, you can actually get specialty
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policies to cover you while transporting the vehicle from your, your home
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or, or wherever the car is kept.
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To the facility and storage policies as well Because if you do end up later
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down the road having a dedicated track car, you might want theft protection
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But you can't get theft protection through your regular insurance company
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because it's not a registered vehicle So you can actually also get the theft
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prevention policies from locked in as well For anybody that's listening,
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that's part of a different discipline.
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Track insurance counts at an autocross, say for you have an unforeseen incident
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where you slid and hit a telephone pole in the middle of the parking lot,
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or drag racing, you know, the car's out of control, hit the jersey wall,
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you know, whatever the barrier between the lanes, whatever it might be.
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So again, do your research because it applies to more than just going
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to circuit racing and to road racing.
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So we've picked our track day.
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We we've got our event organizer.
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We're signed up.
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We're registered with them.
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You know, we've got our track insurance to cover our Audi s4 or our Chevy
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Corvette that we just went to the dealership and bought and we're ready
16:29
to rip and roar with the C8 that we got.
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What do we do now?
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Well, now you have to do the basics, right?
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You have to make sure that your maintenance is on par with the
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guidelines set out by the organization.
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And in most cases, they're really looking for you to make sure that
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your seat belts are in good shape.
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There's no rips and tears, things like that.
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They want to make sure that all your fluids have been changed pretty recently.
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They want to make sure that, you know, you got new wiper blades in case it
16:56
rains or stuff like that's condition of your tires to really a safety concern.
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Right.
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If you haven't done any maintenance on your car in the last 10 years, and
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you think you're going to go to the track with it, I got some news for you.
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The things you really do need to invest in.
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Don't worry about tires.
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If you got fresh tread, deep tread, that's good enough.
17:14
You don't need to go buy racing slicks and things like that.
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But what you do need to invest in upfront, new brake fluid
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and new brake pads, because you will destroy what you have left.
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But you have an option.
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If you're a wrench turner, bring a set of pads and change them.
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That way you don't kill your street pads.
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Maybe buy something a little bit better.
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If you're not a wrench turner, get somebody to help you.
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They can put fresh pads on there.
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Yeah.
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For those of us, we're all instructors here.
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If you've had your student have break fail, say, I.
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I and a brake failure is most common, especially when the brake fluid looks
17:49
like Coca Cola rather than seven up.
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If you are having to get a brake flush and you think you might do this regularly,
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look into a better quality brake fluid.
18:00
that has a higher temperature.
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And as Eric mentioned, you might want to look at a better brake pad.
18:04
There are many pads that are a little bit better for the track than street pads.
18:09
They have pads that are a compromise between street and track.
18:12
They won't be the best at, at track, but they will stand the heat of it
18:16
better and they're good for a novice.
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As you start to progress, you'll find you need better brake pads because you're,
18:22
you're being harder on your equipment, you're running longer and stuff like that.
18:25
Really?
18:25
You just want to look for high quality parts for your first event.
18:29
It's funny.
18:29
You mentioned that I was working on an X5M today and I went part of the
18:33
list of things that needed to be done was a brake fluid flush and I showed
18:37
the owner what came out versus what we put in, which was DOT 4 ATE gold
18:42
for having anybody actually cared.
18:43
What came out was.
18:44
It's Ecto Cooler from the 1990s and this car only had 55, 000
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miles on it and it was a 2013.
18:51
It didn't get driven very much, but I was shocked by the color
18:54
of the brake fluid that came out.
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And I know that's not a standard BMW brake fluid color.
18:59
It should be gold.
19:01
It looked like what we would put as power steering fluid in a Volkswagen.
19:04
So pretty bad.
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Again, if you're not doing regular maintenance, you need to get it done.
19:09
Now I will say this for the States.
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Like Virginia, Pennsylvania and others, New Jersey that require annual
19:17
inspections of their vehicles, especially mechanical inspections of their vehicles.
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You're probably at a better position or a more of an advantage than a
19:25
state like ours were in Maryland, DC and some others where you get
19:29
it inspected when you bought it.
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And after that, they don't really care.
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Now I'm not advocating for annual inspections in Maryland.
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If anybody's listening, I prefer it the way it is, but I will say
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for those folks that are out there.
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They are at an advantage because their maintenance is
19:44
probably more up to up to speed.
19:47
So we're talking about the track day tech inspection now Not every club
19:52
requires it as some clubs do like audi club of north america porsche club Scca
19:59
requires one but they allow you to do it yourselves for audi club and porsche
20:03
club and maybe some others Usually the the marquee brands like bmw as well.
20:09
You need to go to a tech I mean you need to go to a certified mechanic
20:14
Or have a certified mechanic sign off on that so you don't have to fret.
20:17
You don't have to worry about it.
20:18
You'll get the form from the club when you register, you take
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it with you to your mechanic.
20:23
You schedule the tech inspection.
20:24
They'll go over the car with you.
20:26
They'll give you a clean bill of health, or they'll tell you what needs to be
20:28
changed before the track event based on the information on that tech sheet.
20:32
But again, use the guidelines on the tech sheet.
20:35
And as Eric was saying, break pads, break fluid.
20:38
You may not have to run out and get brand new brake pads before you go to the track,
20:43
but yes, make sure you have them with you because you are going to burn through
20:46
them going 100 miles and going from 100 miles an hour to 40 to enter the turn.
20:51
You do that a couple times.
20:52
You're gonna run out of brake pads.
20:53
Another part of the tech inspection.
20:55
They're also going to check, like you said.
20:57
They're going to make sure you've got good safety gear, your seatbelts work properly.
21:01
There's no leaks.
21:02
You don't have any, uh, power steering leaks or transmission leaks
21:05
or any type of fluid leaks at all.
21:06
They check to make sure your brake lights and your turn signals are working.
21:09
Coincidentally enough, some of the clubs actually require
21:14
Uh, turn signals for passing.
21:16
Traditionally, if you stick your arm out the window in various, you know,
21:19
configurations to let somebody know that they can pass, but some of the clubs are
21:23
using the more European style of using your turn signal, primarily Audi club
21:27
is one that we've run with a couple of times, uh, that requires the turn signal.
21:30
So you've got to make sure that those things work if
21:33
you're bringing a street car.
21:34
Yeah.
21:34
My, my blinker fluid is always fresh.
21:36
I change it every year.
21:38
All right.
21:39
So you've signed up.
21:41
You've got your track insurance, you've done your due diligence and you've got
21:44
your track day tech inspection done.
21:46
It's a week before the event.
21:48
You're starting to think about, well, what do I need to take with me?
21:50
Do I just show up in my Birkenstocks and my, my, uh, my flannel shirt or
21:55
what do, what do I need to bring?
21:56
I'd say first and foremost, proper clothing.
21:59
And what does that exactly mean?
22:01
Jeans are a great anywhere.
22:03
Anything.
22:04
pants for the track because they're known for being less
22:07
flammable than any other material.
22:09
You know, they're cotton based long sleeve shirts for a lot
22:12
of organizations are mandatory.
22:14
Some clubs have relaxed that, especially on days where, you know,
22:17
we're at Barbara motor sports park and the average temperature is 147.
22:23
You know, being in long clothing is not always the best thing in the world.
22:27
There's a very high probability you will not be wearing shorts.
22:30
ever.
22:31
You also want to wear, uh, you know, socks.
22:34
You want to wear some thin sold shoes because if you're starting to learn
22:37
how to heel toe, some of maybe more of the advanced techniques, you don't want
22:41
to be wearing steel toed Doc Martens while you're out driving the track.
22:44
Although I have done that.
22:45
And I will say pressing the accelerator down is much, much easier that way.
22:49
Or six inch platforms.
22:51
Yeah.
22:51
I had a student do that too.
22:53
I recommend, because a lot of people may have these in their closet, a good driving
22:58
shoe, you know, you don't need to run out and buy OMPs and Sparkos and Pilates
23:03
and there's a bunch of brands out there.
23:06
I recommend Adidas Sambas, which are the old school, you know, indoor soccer shoes.
23:11
Or Converse Chucks All Stars, because again, they're a thin, flat
23:15
shoe, they're very comfortable when you're in the car, they're very
23:18
comparable to a proper driving shoe, and they're cheap alternatives.
23:21
You can pick up a set of Chucks for like 40 bucks at Target, I mean, why not?
23:25
You want to be comfortable.
23:26
But you will also want to be able to drive the car without any issues.
23:29
So as Mike said, six inch platforms and pink feather Boas and stuff like that.
23:34
Just, just leave that at home, bring appropriate clothing for weather
23:38
changes, because we have been to some events where we will go, let's
23:42
say in April to the Glen and it will be beautiful at 72 degrees and.
23:47
Very low humidity, and on Saturday morning, it's raining, and by Saturday
23:51
afternoon, it's snowing somehow, and that is not an exaggeration, that
23:55
actually happened to us one year, and they closed the track on the last day, it
24:00
was because of snow and fog, we couldn't see anything, so again, you need to be
24:04
prepared and bring appropriate clothing, but be comfortable, be safe, no artificial
24:10
fabrics, that's a big one, because if something were to happen, in the case of
24:14
a fire, God forbid, artificial fabrics, Are more flammable than, than cotton and
24:19
remember instructors, if you're listening, the volunteer fire department is you on
24:24
top of that list after clothing, after the appropriate clothing, you need a helmet.
24:29
Now, if you do not have a helmet already, don't worry about it.
24:32
So a lot of the clubs will let you rent a helmet.
24:35
If you're in the DMV region, uh, some of the safety companies like
24:39
OG racing, it's a great resource.
24:41
They will let you rent helmets organizations like hooked driving.
24:44
And I think Audi club may have a couple.
24:46
Spares.
24:46
If not, you can borrow a helmet from a friend.
24:50
Now be mindful, you cannot use a motorcycle helmet.
24:52
You can't use a dirt bike helmet or motocross or anything like that.
24:56
A car helmet is very specific for this sport because it's got fire retardant
25:03
materials inside and they're designed differently to handle different types
25:07
of stresses than those other helmets.
25:09
So you want to have one of those.
25:11
Read very carefully the requirements for the event.
25:14
Because in addition to different clubs having different rules, sometimes
25:18
different states have different rules.
25:20
For instance, New Jersey, if you do not have a factory airbag,
25:24
they require a closed face helmet.
25:26
Since New Jersey tracks are actually policed by the New Jersey State Police,
25:30
they are very strict about that because they might get randomly audited by
25:34
the State Police to make sure that everyone's following the regulations.
25:37
So it's not just club regulations, it is also Facility and
25:42
state regulations as well.
25:43
Just so you know, if you do go full bore and decide, Hey, I'm going to
25:47
buy a helmet And it ends up being a centerpiece on your coffee table
25:50
or on the shelf in your office.
25:52
That's fine, too.
25:52
Bear in mind Your helmet is good for 11 years from the date
25:59
stamped inside of its production.
26:01
So as an example, right now, the 2020 helmets probably have not released yet.
26:08
Most of us are running 2015 helmets, which are going to be good until 2026.
26:14
So you get 11 years because there's a there's a crossover year there, where
26:18
a 2020 dated helmet, as an example, really doesn't become available almost
26:23
until the fall going into the next year.
26:26
So let's say those 2020s will be readily available for everybody
26:29
to, to purchase closer to 2021.
26:32
So they give you that extra year, that grace period, their helmets.
26:35
You don't have to go crazy.
26:37
You don't have to have the IMSA.
26:39
Microphone ports and the water jack and the cooling thing
26:43
and the air condition port.
26:44
I mean, helmets are crazy.
26:46
They range from like 120 bucks on Amazon to like five grand.
26:50
I mean, and that's on the low end of the high end, because I mean, you could
26:53
have a fully painted and airbrushed and God knows you could probably buy
26:57
Ayrton Senna's helmet if you wanted to.
26:59
But you don't need to be that extreme.
27:01
Just get something that's comfortable, go to somewhere like
27:03
OG racing and get fitted for one.
27:05
Because just because you think, you know, your head size doesn't
27:07
mean a helmet will be comfortable.
27:10
And in an XL in a bell is not the same as an XL Cause everything Italian is cut
27:15
smaller for God knows what reason, but it's a true fact, just like the Ferraris.
27:19
Moving on.
27:20
Amen to that.
27:22
There are convertible helmets I've seen.
27:24
I know that those are usually verboten at most places where it can become an open
27:28
face helmet and a closed face helmet.
27:30
I think those are usually motorcycle helmets.
27:32
I've got one sitting on my mantel right now that does that.
27:36
Helmets are a good thing if you can't get a loaner.
27:39
Buy a cheap one first.
27:40
It's going to last you a long time It might not be the fanciest thing in the
27:44
world put some stickers on it We'll send you some and consider getting a head
27:48
sock to put on before you put on the helmet So the helmet doesn't smell like
27:52
the louisiana swamp after two weekends.
27:55
Yeah, I will say helmet maintenance We could probably do a whole episode
27:58
on that Put it in a dry place when you're done, leave it open to air out.
28:03
I actually use a little portable fan so that mine doesn't, doesn't
28:06
smell like a gym bag after a while.
28:08
I leave it in the, in the truck when I'm driving home to air out.
28:11
I don't, I don't ever put it back in my bag after a long weekend, but
28:14
yeah, a head sock is really good.
28:16
I would avoid a balaclava until you're doing something a little bit more club
28:20
racing related where you're going to be in the car for longer stint at a time.
28:23
Balaclava tends to get in your face and make you really, really
28:26
hot versus the head sock just covers your hair and keeps you from
28:29
really sweating into the material.
28:31
Let's talk about gloves.
28:33
They are not a requirement, but they are extremely useful and
28:37
they're really not that expensive.
28:38
If you are going to get a helmet driving gloves, you can pick up a set of
28:42
sparkos for, or whatever brand you like.
28:45
If you like, uh, Alpine star or OMP or whatever it might be, you're looking.
28:50
50 bucks on the low end, 40 bucks.
28:51
And you probably find something cheap on Amazon.
28:54
You can use G force, the carding gloves.
28:56
If you want, you can use cutoffs.
28:58
Basically the idea of the glove is if your hands perspire and they probably
29:02
will, especially if you're nervous, the idea is to keep your hands dry because
29:05
the last thing you want is the steering wheel to get slippery when you're out
29:08
there, especially if you're on, let's say a more complex track, like Shenandoah.
29:12
Where your hands are never really at rest.
29:14
You're constantly moving or even something like an autocross.
29:17
I mean, the gloves are just helpful in general and they're not a status thing.
29:21
Like in the 1920s, you know, it's not Catherine Hepburn
29:24
putting on her long white gloves.
29:26
This is really about your safety and your driving experience.
29:28
That's how I do it.
29:29
What are you talking about?
29:30
Well, and they help in one other thing when you're at that April event, it
29:34
keeps your hand from freezing when you put it out the window for point
29:36
buys, especially if you drive a Miata.
29:38
And realistically, the glove is also protection because if you are doing
29:42
point buys, which is very common in a beginner run group, there's
29:46
a very good chance maybe some tire slag could come up and hit you or
29:50
maybe a rock or something like that.
29:51
Or in the case of if you're chasing a certain red Miata and it.
29:54
A portion of his body flies off the car and hits you as you're trying to fit in.
29:59
You know, you could bruise your hand.
30:00
Luckily, the glove saved me from losing a digit.
30:03
So we were, we were all good there, but you know, true story, no experience.
30:06
And one thing we recommend with the gloves, I don't know if
30:09
Eric said this or not, is we recommend something bright colored.
30:12
Black is nice and everything.
30:13
And if you want to have a black glove, go ahead and have a black glove.
30:17
But if you're driving a Miata and you're going to stick your hand
30:20
out the window, the car behind you wants to get that point by they're
30:24
five, six, 700 feet away from you.
30:26
They can't really see this little teeny thing going out the window, get
30:30
something bright blue or red or whatever.
30:32
It makes it easily identifiable that, Hey, this guy just gave
30:35
me a point by I saw his glove.
30:37
And it also works especially well if you're giving any, Hey, I see you
30:41
back there, signal inside the car.
30:43
Because outside the car, your hand can be fairly visible.
30:45
And your hand inside the car saying, I see you behind me.
30:48
That bright colored glove, especially, you know, nice safety
30:51
orange or safety yellow will really stand out, make it easier to see.
30:55
I mean, I wear black, so you can't see me flipping you off, Mike.
30:58
I mean, just letting you know, full disclosure.
31:00
Yeah, but everything you do is in black.
31:02
That's very true.
31:03
I mean, there's only one color in my wardrobe.
31:06
It's black, 100%.
31:08
Next, obviously, you want to be able to feed and satisfy your thirst at the track.
31:13
You want to make sure you've got food and drink with you.
31:15
So bring a cooler, make sure you've got plenty of water.
31:18
Most tracks have water fountains and water there.
31:21
But if you've got something specific that you want to drink, I know Mike.
31:23
He has a problem with drinking regular water.
31:25
So he's got a special, the, uh, Propel Gatorade water that
31:30
he's always bringing with him.
31:32
You guys are laughing, but it's true.
31:33
He doesn't drink regular water.
31:35
It makes me feel sick.
31:35
I know.
31:36
Yeah.
31:36
See, and he's not the only one I've talked to other people where
31:40
regular water, they, for some reason, they just can't stomach it.
31:42
It's, it's just, it's a thing.
31:44
Trust me, read about it.
31:45
But anyway, make sure you've got plenty of water, sports drinks, sports
31:48
drinks are good because they've got electrolytes so they help replenish
31:51
your, your body and give you a little bit of energy and the carbohydrates.
31:54
And then you also want to make sure that you've got plenty of food, you
31:57
want to have some energy bars with you.
31:59
Surprisingly, going around a racetrack takes a lot out of you.
32:03
This uses a lot of energy, just steering the wheel and all the, the
32:07
mental things that you are doing while you're out there to make
32:10
sure that you bring plenty of food.
32:12
Some clubs will provide lunch like HOD.
32:14
It's one of their things about them is they provide lunch and dinner.
32:18
SCCA provides dinner after the first day.
32:20
It's usually like a barbecue.
32:21
It's a nice little party to say thank you.
32:24
Some of the tracks have food.
32:26
I know that Summit Point has food facilities at both their Shenandoah
32:31
circuit and their main circuit.
32:33
But you don't want to rely on that.
32:35
So you want to make sure that you can eat and drink throughout the day,
32:37
because you are going to need to.
32:38
You want to be mindful of what you're bringing.
32:40
And there is an article on GTM's website about track nutrition, because
32:45
you want to make sure that you don't suffer that carb crash later in the
32:48
day, because you're going to need to be able to be focused now, granted, if you
32:52
stop by GCM village at any track day, it's covered in doughnuts and candy.
32:56
But that's beside the point.
32:58
Be mindful of what you're eating because you can lose focus easily if you get a
33:03
little out of whack with, uh, especially with sugar, but with other things too.
33:07
So, be very careful about that.
33:09
A slight correction there, Mike.
33:10
The GTM diet is White Monster, Haribo Gummy Bears, and Fig Newtons.
33:15
That is a staple.
33:16
And these are all provided by the biggest health nuts in the club.
33:20
It never makes any sense to me whatsoever.
33:23
Great.
33:23
So we're going to have Andrew and Sam on.
33:26
a follow on episode to talk about nutrition, to talk about the track,
33:29
hangover, hydration, all that.
33:31
And I will say this.
33:32
I have a big issue, especially in the summertime.
33:34
I mentioned this on a previous episode.
33:36
I don't like eating when it's super hot.
33:37
It actually makes me nauseous.
33:39
It makes me nauseous in the car.
33:40
It's something that goes back to my carting days where all of a
33:43
sudden the G's starts to just react with my stomach and I get kind of
33:46
herpy for lack of a better term.
33:48
but also stay away from carbonated things because that will give you the
33:51
same effect and it will tend on a, especially on a track like Shenandoah
33:55
where it's super busy and you don't get a break and the car is always
33:59
kind of shifting from side to side.
34:01
It tends to shift your stomach as well.
34:03
So be mindful of what you're eating.
34:05
And also to Mike's point, you don't want to have that car
34:07
crash and also save the Jaeger.
34:09
For after the event, right?
34:12
And we're giving you some tips and things that we live by, but you can always
34:17
consult with your doctor, or if you've got a nutritionist or some, uh, someone
34:20
that you know, that is very knowledgeable about these things, because everybody's
34:24
got different kinds of health conditions to make sure you talk to a professional.
34:28
Actually, we recommend it's not on our list here that we're going to talk about.
34:31
But if you're just getting into the sport, you might want to get a physical
34:34
from your doctor before you come to the track, just to make sure that you're okay.
34:39
All right, so we've got food, we're ready to eat.
34:41
We're always ready to eat.
34:43
I'm going to defer the next section to Eric and Mike.
34:46
Eric is my mechanic, he's fantastic.
34:49
So tools, what type of tools should a novice person bring to the track?
34:52
Uh, a complete snap on set, you know, rollback on your trailer.
34:56
That's really what you need.
34:58
I thought it was gear wrench now.
35:00
Oh yeah.
35:00
A hundred percent gear.
35:01
Shout out to one of our sponsors.
35:05
So you don't need that.
35:07
You don't even need really the starter set from Sears where
35:10
the Sears doesn't exist anymore.
35:11
You know, the 900 piece craftsman set is too much.
35:15
You really just need some basic stuff.
35:17
You, I recommend bringing a low profile jack.
35:20
A couple of jack stands, a torque wrench, basic set of sockets.
35:24
If your car's domestic, obviously SAE sockets.
35:26
If your car's a European metric, if you have a Honda, you only need an 11
35:31
and a 13 and a 17 throw the rest away.
35:34
Just stuff you need to take your wheels off.
35:36
Check your brakes, change your pad, change some rotors, tire
35:40
gauge, you know, stuff like that.
35:41
The basics.
35:43
If you're in deep trouble, you break an axle like Brad does on the regular.
35:47
The rest of us are going to have the tools that you need.
35:49
You're going to be able to go around the paddock and find that, you know,
35:51
your trunk space is probably going to be limited and you don't want to be
35:54
carrying 500 pounds of tools around.
35:57
There's going to be a lot of seasoned and veteran track rats there that
36:00
are going to be able to help you out.
36:01
And on multiple occasions.
36:04
We will hear over the paddock loudspeakers.
36:07
Does anybody have a 10 millimeter socket?
36:10
If you need something, you can go to the event organizer and they'll
36:12
make an announcement and you'll have a hundred different people.
36:15
Come into your aid because they're all very friendly and they all want to help.
36:19
By the way, if you found my 10 millimeter socket, please call 202 630 1770 I
36:24
am in desperate need of that socket.
36:27
I would say number one thing to have in your bag is an air pressure gauge.
36:32
Because for a novice, you're only going to set your tire pressures
36:36
to factory recommended, unless your instructor suggests something else.
36:40
You want to actually make sure that you're at that pressure, because those
36:44
four pieces of rubber are the only things keeping you in contact with the track.
36:48
So that is number one.
36:50
And then number two is just go to Harbor Freight, buy a cheap torque wrench
36:55
and the socket that fits your wheels.
36:57
Because loose wheel Has happened to me and happened to many other people and is scary
37:02
and loud and could be very expensive.
37:05
I thought the loose nut was the one behind the wheel.
37:07
Well, yeah.
37:08
Well, at that time I was still using lug bolts.
37:10
So the loose nut was behind the wheel.
37:11
The loose bolt was in the wheel.
37:13
There you go.
37:14
So tire pressure gauge, torque wrench and socket are really for your first event.
37:20
I'd recommend those because that will solve most of your problems that
37:25
you're going to have as a novice.
37:27
So extra parts, we talked about this on the starter car episode, which is episode
37:32
three of the podcast, extra parts is not necessarily a bad thing as Brad mentioned
37:36
in that episode, call around, if you've never searched for parts, if you know
37:40
what you're doing, by all means, you know, bring the brake pads, you know,
37:43
where to get it, you know, if you got to order them from Bimmer world or ECS
37:46
tuning, or, you know, let's say you're in the European market, or maybe you're just
37:48
getting them from rock auto, that's fine.
37:50
But if you're a newbie and you're just bringing your Nissan Sentra out, make
37:54
sure that the local advanced auto or AutoZone or Pep Boys or Napa or whoever's
37:58
in the area has some stuff in stock.
38:01
And the reason I say that is you don't want to be in the middle of nowhere,
38:04
which is where most tracks are.
38:06
Most people think, Oh, the track is near.
38:07
It's in the middle of nothing.
38:09
Usually farmland side of a mountain top of a mountain.
38:12
We've.
38:13
We've seen them.
38:13
I mean, they're just, they're not in places that are,
38:16
are close to civilization.
38:17
Usually civilization is, you know, a 10, 20 minute drive away.
38:20
So having that stuff there with people that are willing to help you right away,
38:24
if you have the parts is essential.
38:26
So picking up an extra set of brake pads, a lot of cars, you're talking 40 bucks,
38:31
you know, in some cars, a rotor is like 7.
38:33
I mean, You've spent more on a case of beer than the extra parts that you
38:36
need to bring with you to the track.
38:38
In addition to that, a quart of the oil that's specific to your engine.
38:42
Maybe you run the new Oh, w 20, which a lot of us don't, you know, we
38:45
have all sorts of different motors.
38:47
I always have extra oil on hand.
38:49
A little bit of engine coolant isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in a
38:53
pinch, you can always use a bottle of water that you have in your cooler that
38:57
you brought with you as part of your food and drink list, so that's fine.
39:00
And somebody else may have coolant there if you need it or
39:03
you happen to have a problem.
39:05
Again, you don't need to bring a lot of stuff.
39:07
We're harping on the same things.
39:08
Tires and brakes are really the most important once you get
39:10
past that safety inspection.
39:12
So any miscellaneous things, Brad, that people may not have
39:15
thought of that they want to bring?
39:17
Many of you may not know, but to go around the racetrack at these events,
39:20
you need to have numbers on your car so that the flaggers can identify you
39:23
as you're going around the racetrack.
39:25
A lot of times.
39:27
Some clubs like HOD and I think Chin, uh, will provide numbers
39:31
for you if you tell them ahead of time the number that you want.
39:34
Uh, if not, don't fret.
39:37
I mean, you get a a a a spool or a roll of the blue painter's tape.
39:41
It's, it stays on the car during the event.
39:43
It's very easy to come off.
39:44
It doesn't harm your paint.
39:45
It's a good, good in a pinch, uh, for things like that also, and your
39:50
instructor will talk to you about this.
39:51
You want to mark your tires.
39:54
With either chalk or shoe polish or a liquid paint pen, and that's so
39:58
you can kind of tell where the tires are wearing when you're going out on
40:01
track, and that'll help you identify if you're at the right tire pressure.
40:05
If you need to increase it or decrease it or whatever, that's
40:08
something good to have with you.
40:09
Not a necessity, but if you have it around the house, if you've got some white
40:13
shoe polish, you might as well use it.
40:15
What about gasoline?
40:16
You know, we're burning it at a very fast rate.
40:19
So most racetracks have fuel and if they don't, uh, it's a minion.
40:25
For example, the, there's a gas station literally right across
40:28
the street from the main entrance.
40:30
A lot of the tracks that we go to in the northeast here,
40:33
they're, they hold major events.
40:35
Uh, like EMSA or even NASCAR or whatever.
40:37
So they all have fuel stations there at the track.
40:41
If you want to, or if you're money conscious, you might want to get
40:45
a couple cans to bring with you.
40:46
A couple, we've got a couple five gallon jugs that we bring with us.
40:50
We also have pickup trucks and tow vehicles and stuff to haul that thing.
40:54
But gas is usually.
40:56
What 30 to 40 percent more expensive at the racetrack.
41:00
They usually have the lowest grade they usually have is 93.
41:05
And you can guarantee that you can almost guarantee it's a dollar
41:09
more per gallon than off track.
41:11
It's almost always exactly a dollar more per gallon than off track.
41:14
The other thing to bear in mind, uh, listeners is do not transport.
41:19
Full fuel containers from let's say your house or something like that.
41:23
Try to get gas closer to the track.
41:25
Uh, you don't want to have containers that may potentially spill in the car.
41:29
You know, you don't want to get fumes and breathe that in.
41:31
And in a lot of States, you can't transport fuel like that
41:34
because it's considered hazmat.
41:36
So you have to be very careful.
41:37
A lot of States like New Jersey also becomes extremely difficult because they
41:41
don't allow you to pump your own fuel.
41:43
So New Jersey's law is really confusing.
41:46
They are required to pump gasoline if it's going into a car.
41:53
They are not required to pump diesel or gasoline into gas tanks.
41:58
So I had a hilarious experience where he had to put the nozzle in my car, but
42:04
then I was also filling up gas tanks.
42:06
So he goes, okay, you got this and walked away.
42:08
So nozzle in my car for me to then fill up my tanks.
42:13
Luckily, this is only a problem in New Jersey and in Oregon.
42:17
Otherwise, the rest of the normal people out there, Pump their own
42:20
fuel, but fill up right before you go to the track so that hopefully
42:28
you can make it at least two on track sessions before you need to refill
42:33
and watch that fuel gauge like a hawk.
42:35
And if you have a Miata, you will fill up after your third track weekend.
42:39
So don't worry about it.
42:40
You're okay.
42:41
Now you may be sitting there thinking, fuel, why do I need to fill up?
42:44
My car gets 30, 35 miles to the gallon.
42:47
Not on a racetrack, you're getting closer to 10.
42:50
To 10?
42:51
10?
42:52
I'd be lucky if I get 3.
42:53
These are A, these are A students we're talking about here.
42:56
Oh, okay, never mind.
42:57
Yeah, when you're really burning that gas off your chest, yeah,
43:00
you're in the single digits.
43:02
If you, there's a Top Gear episode where they do the one gallon challenge.
43:06
If anybody's hasn't seen it, I recommend it.
43:09
Go search for it on YouTube and they show how quickly a gallon of gas is burned
43:14
in a supercar at wide open throttle.
43:16
It's incredible.
43:17
What is, what is that?
43:18
A Bugatti burn at top speed?
43:21
How many gallons per minute?
43:22
It's, it's insane.
43:24
The gas, the gas gauge is a flow meter at that point.
43:27
But anyway, you don't have to really worry about fuel.
43:29
Most of the racetracks, I think all the racetracks we've
43:31
been to have fuel on site.
43:33
So if you get there and you're, you're a little low or you come off track and
43:36
you need to fill up, they've got you.
43:38
Now you may want to consider bringing an air compressor or befriending
43:42
somebody who has one that's coming to the track because not all the tracks
43:45
that we've been to have air, or at least they don't have it readily available.
43:49
So if you're going to be filling up your tires after a track session,
43:53
you got to be able to, and.
43:55
If the track doesn't have air, you need to have it with you.
43:57
Yeah.
43:58
And I want to make a recommendation there too.
43:59
And if you search the website and look at the GTM holiday shopping
44:03
guide, I think it was 2018.
44:06
We first featured the Ryobi cordless 18 volt air compressor, which is
44:11
actually smaller than a drill.
44:13
Cause in the old days, we were all caught carrying around these large
44:16
air tanks, which, you know, they're a little sketch when you think about
44:19
it, you're like, man, or something.
44:21
And it's not, I mean, they're very thick walled metal and all that,
44:24
but something portable, something small, something battery powered.
44:28
I don't really recommend cigarette light powered ones anymore because
44:31
they have a tendency to pop fuses, especially when you run them too long.
44:34
And it's just as easy, you know, if you're a Milwaukee fan or if you're a,
44:39
you know, a Bosch or a Ryobi, somebody is going to have cordless power tools.
44:43
Cause that's kind of the new standard.
44:45
Ryobi was pretty much the first one to market with their cordless air compressor.
44:49
It's really, really nice.
44:50
So if you already have a bunch of yellow power tools in your garage,
44:53
just get the air compressor on Amazon or look on our website for the link.
44:57
And it's like kind of less than 30 bucks and it'll save you even at home
45:01
or on the road or on a long trip.
45:02
You just pack it in the car and go.
45:04
So what's next?
45:05
What should people bring with them?
45:06
You're bringing all this stuff with you, even if the weather forecast doesn't
45:10
say it, with some of these areas, you need to account for it anyway.
45:13
So have something you can put all of your things that are sensitive
45:18
to getting wet in a Rubbermaid container, or at least have a tarp.
45:22
Although a tarp is not always the best option when you happen to accidentally
45:27
park exactly where the river forms in the paddock at some point.
45:31
It makes a really good slip and slide though, so I would definitely bring one.
45:35
That's one thing we didn't actually really mention.
45:37
When you go to the track, you've got to empty out your car.
45:40
You've got to take everything out of your car.
45:41
So Mike's suggestion is perfect.
45:43
You need a Rubbermaid container or something to
45:45
protect your things from rain.
45:47
Even if you've got a canopy or something like that.
45:50
Don't want a container that you can keep your, your things water free.
45:54
If you have a canopy, make sure you have something to attach that canopy down to.
45:59
Because we've also had cars get damaged from canopies flying across the paddock.
46:02
It's like, it looked like a scene from the Wizard of Oz.
46:05
But, uh, the next thing you really need to bring to the track is a great attitude.
46:10
You've got to check your ego at the door.
46:13
Let's be honest.
46:14
Most of us that get into this sport.
46:16
We didn't start out as a kid cart racing on a private race track in
46:20
our backyard or whatever it might be.
46:22
Those folks are already professionals, right?
46:25
So let's be a little humble.
46:27
No one Schumacher or Lewis Hamilton on the first day.
46:29
And just because you played Forza doesn't mean you know how to drive at the track.
46:34
I'm sorry.
46:34
It's probably offensive, but it's the honest to God truth.
46:37
And we've seen between Mike and I, especially, I mean, we've.
46:41
Seen a lot of different scenarios and a lot of different people.
46:44
And, and our job as coaches is to make sure a, you're
46:47
safe B, you have a good time.
46:49
And thirdly, that you learn something at the end of the day.
46:52
And I guarantee you will learn something, something that you didn't know before.
46:56
And coaches still learn.
46:57
So, Oh yeah, we learned from each other.
46:59
I mean, it goes, it goes without saying so come with a happy and positive attitude,
47:02
a desire to learn a desire to be taught.
47:05
You know, we're trained to.
47:08
To ease you into the criticism.
47:10
And I know that, and I'm, I'm, I'm being very careful here because we
47:14
don't want to offend anybody, right?
47:15
And it's not our job to put anybody down.
47:17
If you've got a coach that is just, just being mean to you, then
47:21
talk to somebody higher up in the food chain and say, Hey, I need.
47:24
Somebody different.
47:25
But our job is to make sure that, like I said, you're having a good time,
47:28
but you're learning something and you will make mistakes in order to learn.
47:32
But again, we're here to catch you.
47:34
You're not out there by yourself.
47:35
You have somebody talking in your ear.
47:37
And there's a process we go through.
47:39
And here at GTM, the coaches have a very particular process that we developed
47:42
that we use with students in the car.
47:44
And we'll go into that in another episode.
47:46
But again, Coming with a bad attitude or having a chip on your shoulder makes it
47:51
difficult, even for the coaches, because it means you're not receptive to learning.
47:55
And so it just, the day is just kind of meh at the end of it.
47:59
So again, be happy.
48:01
So there's two things that, that Eric just made me think of.
48:04
One, you all seem to show up at the track, knowing how to drive.
48:09
I had a student who really didn't know how to drive.
48:12
Two, if you show up at the track in something with a stick shift, you
48:15
better know how to drive stick shift.
48:17
I've also had that problem.
48:18
Those seem like minor oversights, but they've happened to me in
48:22
just the span of like five years.
48:23
So just something to keep in mind.
48:27
Yeah.
48:27
And, and, and if you're a younger driver, make sure you look into the
48:31
organization's policy on minimum age.
48:34
Some of them are as low as 16.
48:37
Most of them are 18, 19 years old.
48:39
There are some disciplines that allow you to drive at 15 with a
48:42
parent's consent, which is really weird when you're on autocross and
48:45
your mom's sitting next to you and you're trying to compete for points.
48:48
I mean, whatever, I've seen it.
48:49
But again, consult the organization's handbook and their guidelines.
48:53
It'll usually be on their website just to kind of get a feel for what that means.
48:57
So Brad, what's the last thing you need to bring?
48:59
Bring your friends.
49:01
You don't have to be alone.
49:02
Bring your friends, preferably to drive their own cars, even.
49:05
I mean, the more, the merrier, uh, also bring your family.
49:08
If you are one of those younger drivers, if you're 16 and you really want to get
49:11
out there with your 1991 Honda Civic and talk your dad into bringing his, uh.
49:17
Chevelle or something like that.
49:19
I don't know, bring your friends, bring your family.
49:21
Even if your family don't want to go out, they don't want to go out on track.
49:24
There's usually designated times throughout the day where you can
49:27
take parade laps around the track.
49:29
It's low speed, no helmets, no safety stuff required.
49:32
It's a fun time to kind of just show people and give them a little
49:36
taste of what it's all about.
49:39
Also, if you want to have somebody go out for a ride, many of the instructors
49:43
are friendly and nice and they'll.
49:45
Take somebody out for a joy ride for a lap or two.
49:49
Uh, it usually doesn't disrupt their day too much unless they're extremely busy.
49:53
So yeah, bring people out and show them and share your, you know, passion
49:58
and enthusiasm with other people.
49:59
I charge a whopping free 99 for all thrill rides in my vehicles.
50:03
Uh, you said all instructors are friendly and nice.
50:06
Have you met Eric?
50:09
It's like riding with Darth Vader.
50:13
We mentioned the all black before.
50:15
Thank you.
50:16
Next up is the Cylon red sweeping LEDs.
50:19
It's coming.
50:20
All right.
50:20
So the day of the event, Brad, let's kind of walk us through what happens.
50:24
First thing is to find out about the schedule, but you have to get there first.
50:28
So you show up to the track, you go through the Usually at the
50:33
sign of disclaimer at the gate.
50:34
That's for the track itself.
50:36
Meet up at the track registration tent.
50:40
Many organizations will have it easily identifiable.
50:45
Um, you go through registration, you, you give them your name.
50:48
You get the.
50:49
Whatever their welcome package is, uh, some companies or some of the
50:53
organizers will give you a free t shirt.
50:55
Uh, some of them will just give you your track numbers, whatever,
50:58
they'll give you your, your wristband.
50:59
Uh, that's very important.
51:01
The wristband identifies what run group you're going to be in.
51:04
For most of you, you'll probably have a green wristband for novice.
51:08
I mean, I usually come to the track post rave, you know, with my glow sticks,
51:12
uh, hopped up on monster and Jaeger.
51:15
I mean, is that a good plan for everybody?
51:17
If you come like that, you're going to have a bad time.
51:22
I'm joking.
51:23
I don't do that.
51:24
But my point is he's not joking.
51:26
He's serious.
51:28
My point is come to the track.
51:31
Well rested.
51:31
You are going to be nervous.
51:33
You probably will not sleep well the night before.
51:36
Come rested, have a good breakfast, try to clear your mind.
51:40
We all go through it.
51:41
Even I, after many, many years of doing this, I get the jitters the night before,
51:45
because I'm, I'm actually overly anxious.
51:47
I'm overly excited and I have to calm myself down because I'm really
51:50
looking forward to the weekend.
51:51
I'm looking forward to the event.
51:52
He's saying come well rested, but also.
51:55
Don't differ too much from your routine.
51:57
If you're someone who normally needs two cups of coffee to wake up in the
52:00
morning, and you don't take that coffee, you're probably not going to be with it.
52:03
But if you're someone who normally doesn't drink coffee, and you show
52:06
up to the track with a cup or two in, you're also probably going to
52:09
not be in the right state of mind.
52:11
So, so be mindful of what your normal routine is to be
52:14
a generally awake alert state.
52:17
Because It's, it's easy to think, Oh, this is, this is nothing.
52:22
I'll be fine.
52:23
But it really, you want to be you when you first show up.
52:26
Cause I've had a student show up who was just in the wrong state of mind.
52:31
And that was actually the last event he ever did.
52:34
Because he just was not in the right state of mind, got very frustrated, got
52:36
very angry, and just said, I'm done.
52:39
And really the only thing that happened there is he didn't get a good night
52:41
of sleep, according to his friend.
52:43
So, you just, you need to be, you need to be ready for that.
52:46
And if your normal routine is to be up and eating breakfast at 9 a.
52:52
m.
52:52
That's not going to work for you folks.
52:54
Most of the track events, the driver meeting mean, meaning you've got to
52:59
be registered and everything else before this and ready to, you've got
53:02
to be at the driver meeting at 8 a.
53:04
m.
53:05
So you've got to get to the track at least an hour before.
53:09
I think most of us get to the track hour and a half before
53:12
two hours before, so come early.
53:15
If you show up at eight o'clock, you're, you're too late.
53:17
You've already missed it.
53:19
If your, if your session is at the crack of, you know, 10 30 in the
53:22
morning, don't show up at 10 20.
53:24
You've missed everything you need to, including your first classroom
53:28
session, a lot of other things.
53:29
So to, you know, to Brad's point, be punctual.
53:33
Uh, you know, we, we pride ourselves on.
53:35
Staying on a schedule.
53:36
We only have the track for a certain window during the day where it can be
53:39
active and we don't wait for anybody.
53:42
So once the green flag drops, we are active all day long until the final
53:46
checker, you know, so we're running from, let's say eight to six every day.
53:50
So it's very important that you're there.
53:52
I know it can be extremely boring.
53:53
That's why it's good to have your friends and your family and
53:56
something to distract yourself with.
53:57
But the schedule.
53:58
Is your go to that whole weekend and it doesn't usually deviate unless
54:03
something catastrophic happens.
54:05
So if you missed a session that's on you Nobody's waiting for you.
54:08
So As a students you're gonna get both track sessions And classroom sessions.
54:15
So we're going to go into now the differences between those two.
54:19
Both are educational and, and both can be fun depending on who you
54:22
have for your classroom instructor.
54:24
But we've got Mike now, uh, who has been a classroom instructor
54:27
many times with Hooked on Driving.
54:30
I don't know if he may have even done it for SCCA once.
54:32
And it varies by organization.
54:33
Some organizations actually.
54:36
We'll cover the essentials only in the morning meeting.
54:39
And then a student, novice students might be out first and then go to classroom.
54:43
But most of the organizations I've run with, there'll be the morning meeting
54:46
where they'll go over the basics, things like what flags mean when you're out
54:50
on track and, you know, basic flow of the event, but then they'll take
54:55
all the novice students and put them in a classroom and they will go over
54:58
that exact same information again, because your first time at track,
55:02
it's complete information overload.
55:05
We'll throw 100 facts at you, and 10 will stick.
55:08
And then the second classroom session, we'll throw another 100
55:11
facts at you, and 15 will stick.
55:13
It will feel repetitive, but it's for a reason.
55:16
But dammit, I wanna go fast!
55:18
Nothin you have said makes me fast!
55:23
So, so your first classroom session, while you're still probably half asleep,
55:27
just because, uh, that's how it always works, uh, they're gonna go over things
55:31
like How to tell someone you want them to pass you, which is usually with a
55:35
point by or without a club, it'll be turn signals, pass me on the right
55:39
hand side by putting your hand out the window and up and over the roof.
55:42
So they'll go over those basics and might even role play how you give a point by
55:47
they'll talk about what the different flag stations, where the different
55:51
flag stations are on the track and what the flags that they will display mean.
55:55
because as you're going around the racetrack, you'll notice
55:57
that there's usually all these little gazebos all over the place.
56:00
There's actually people in those and their job is to keep you safe
56:04
and to keep everyone else safe.
56:06
They have different flags that have different meanings and the
56:08
classroom will go over that.
56:11
Once they get all the, the, the administrative stuff out of the way and,
56:14
and the, the basic safety stuff out of the way, various clubs will start going into.
56:20
Theory about driving on, on the track and how you need to
56:23
approach driving on the track.
56:26
It might be something as basic as where you want to position your car to, to
56:31
have the best movement across the track.
56:33
You know, you want to start on the outside of the corner and
56:36
then you turn in, you'll learn the terminology like apex and track out.
56:40
And as the day progresses, they might start going into more advanced
56:43
topics such as threshold breaking or, you know, car control for rotation.
56:48
That's where you start to go fast.
56:50
Your classroom sessions through the day at times might feel very dry.
56:53
It really is informative.
56:54
Try to pay as much attention as possible.
56:57
Try to get to all your classroom sessions.
56:59
Some, some organizations even enforce it, where if you haven't been at the classroom
57:03
session, you can't get back out on track.
57:05
But don't be afraid to approach your classroom instructor, classroom
57:08
instructor, after the fact, if you have questions or concerns,
57:12
because they are there to teach you, they are there to keep you safe.
57:16
They're there to make sure you learn and make sure you have a good time.
57:19
So don't be afraid to ask them.
57:21
And if you have questions about maybe what your coach said versus what the instructor
57:24
said, have those conversations, you know, every, everyone who teaches the class and
57:29
all the organizations I've worked with.
57:31
They, they've all been very receptive to talking to students, clarifying
57:35
things, and if you ever come across a classroom instructor that is not willing
57:41
to do those things, Then personally, I would actually suggest going to a
57:44
different club because that is their job.
57:46
They're there to, to keep you safe, to teach you, to, to let you have fun.
57:52
And they're there as you know, you're their customer at that point when you're
57:55
in that classroom, it's what you paid for.
57:57
It's what you signed up for at the beginning of this on motorsport
58:00
reg, your, your, the whole package, the track experience, the classroom
58:04
experience, the white glove with the instructor in the right seat with you,
58:07
you know, everything is part of that.
58:09
And, and you hit the nail on the head.
58:10
It's Safety is paramount.
58:12
And I joke about going fast, but at the end of the day, fast will come.
58:16
There's so many other things going on that, as Mike said,
58:19
you're going to be overloaded.
58:20
You have to process it.
58:22
These are not parade laps.
58:23
These are not, you know, 65 miles an hour down 95 or route one or
58:28
whatever highway, you know, you're at.
58:30
These are.
58:32
At speed and we're going to try to go as quickly as we can within your
58:36
physical limits and the car's limits And you're going to have a good time.
58:39
So the speed is going to be there It's going to be like it's going to
58:41
be unlike anything you've ever done before taking a corner safely at
58:46
you know, 75 80 miles an hour That's not something you do on the street.
58:50
I mean, do it.
58:50
Go.
58:51
You could have tried once, but I'm sure you have a really good story to tell me.
58:55
It's, it is about safety.
58:56
It's about learning and the speed will come.
59:00
That is, that is a guarantee.
59:01
And every, every driving organization says the same thing.
59:04
Speed is always the last part of the equation.
59:07
And for very good reason.
59:08
And when you do your first track day, you'll see.
59:11
So after your first classroom session, It's time to go out
59:15
on track with your instructor.
59:17
Now, before your first classroom session, usually at the all hands meeting at
59:21
8 AM, you know, sometimes 7 40 AM, if you're dealing with certain people at
59:26
certain clubs, just cause they like me waking people up extra early at the
59:29
end of the meeting, they're going to.
59:31
Break everybody away.
59:32
The other, you know, more intermediate people and the advanced
59:35
are going to go their own way.
59:37
You're going to be left there with the instructors.
59:38
The chief instructor is going to introduce each of the a drivers or each of the
59:43
novice drivers to their instructor.
59:46
You're going to have about 510 minutes or whatever to Go through introductions,
59:50
talk about your car, be honest with the instructor about your experience and about
59:55
your car, things you know, things you want to learn, they're there to help you learn.
59:59
Make sure that they understand kind of what you want to get out of the weekend.
1:00:04
But after your classroom session, we're fast forwarding there.
1:00:06
You're going to meet with your instructor.
1:00:08
Again, your instructor is the brave soul willing to get in the car with you, but
1:00:11
it's a high stress and very dangerous situation where they try and teach you
1:00:15
all at the same time, keeping you safe.
1:00:18
Uh, as well as themselves, the instructors don't get paid.
1:00:21
They are volunteers.
1:00:23
They don't get paid monetarily.
1:00:24
They do at some clubs get free track time.
1:00:27
It's one of the benefits of being an instructor, but I would say 90 percent
1:00:32
of the instructors that go to these events do it because they want to.
1:00:35
They want to teach.
1:00:35
They want to grow the sport.
1:00:37
They're not doing it just for the free track time.
1:00:39
Those guys are usually weeded out within the first year or
1:00:41
two of them being instructors.
1:00:43
So they're there.
1:00:45
They're volunteers.
1:00:46
They're there to help you.
1:00:47
They want to make sure that you're safe because if you're safe, then they're safe.
1:00:51
So the other thing I'll say about teaching on the track, you know, and you talked
1:00:56
about that introduction and being honest with your, your student, being honest
1:00:59
with you as a coach, one of the things that's really important to understand
1:01:02
is you may have watched all the really cool track videos and I'm not going to
1:01:07
name any groups of, you know, Oh, this Corvette goes around VIR at this lap
1:01:11
time and blah, blah, blah, and all this kind of thing, or maybe you played.
1:01:14
Like me and Brad, we've done 10, 000 laps of Roto Lana.
1:01:17
Well, guess what?
1:01:18
When you get there, it's a completely different reality.
1:01:21
What you don't get in those videos is the G forces, the speeds, or the elevation.
1:01:27
Everything looks flat.
1:01:29
And even in a video game that tries to show you Watkins Glenn, if you've played
1:01:34
Forza seven, just as an example, or iRacing, the true elevation of the boot.
1:01:39
You're talking 160 foot rise in less than a quarter mile.
1:01:43
No video game can, can present that to you.
1:01:46
So again, be honest about your experiences and be prepared for something that
1:01:51
you've never experienced before.
1:01:53
So I will say worse than Watkins Len is that first time you cross
1:01:57
under the bridge at Rhode Atlanta.
1:01:58
A hundred percent.
1:01:59
It was on your phone off a building.
1:02:01
Again, I'm not joking.
1:02:02
I've probably done 5, 000 laps at Rhode Atlanta in a simulator, but
1:02:06
until I drove it for real, I heard you in the back of my head, look at
1:02:10
the paint markers and be prepared.
1:02:13
And when you came down the hill the first time, you're, you felt
1:02:15
like you were on a roller coaster.
1:02:16
You had no idea what was on the other side of that hill.
1:02:20
I love that track.
1:02:20
It was bonkers.
1:02:22
I love it.
1:02:22
And when are we going back?
1:02:25
I want to go back.
1:02:26
It's been too long since I've been down there.
1:02:28
But I do want to add one other thing.
1:02:29
The experience of meeting your instructor beforehand and all that is,
1:02:33
is not consistent across all clubs.
1:02:35
Some clubs do a round robin style instructor.
1:02:38
I've instructed many times for summit point at Friday at the track, where
1:02:43
their official stance is you just walk down the grid and find a car at that
1:02:47
point, just hop in with whoever's there.
1:02:50
The instructors who care the most will walk around the paddock early in the
1:02:54
morning and find a student before they even start talking about instructor
1:02:59
assignments, introduce themselves, talk to the student, learn about what
1:03:03
the student wants to do, and offer to be their coach for that day, because
1:03:07
good coaches want to have a consistent.
1:03:10
Student instructor relationship because you want to grow the experience
1:03:14
through the day, and they also want to establish a good working rapport by
1:03:18
by putting themselves out there first.
1:03:21
So even if you're at a club with a round robin style instructing method, you know,
1:03:26
you might be approached by an instructor.
1:03:28
And if you if you are.
1:03:30
Consider that instructor someone you probably want to consider
1:03:33
having get in your car with you because they actually care the most.
1:03:36
In talking about instructors, during the introductory period, you may find
1:03:42
that for some reason your personalities clash or you don't get along or whatever.
1:03:46
Don't worry about it.
1:03:47
You know, it happens.
1:03:48
Not everybody's going to like everybody else.
1:03:50
If this happens and you find that you just don't mesh with your instructor
1:03:55
for the betterment of your time and theirs, tell your instructors, like,
1:03:59
Hey, I, I, I think that I, I would be better off with somebody else.
1:04:03
They won't take it to heart.
1:04:05
You know, it's nothing personal.
1:04:06
It's just, maybe your learning style doesn't mesh with their
1:04:09
teaching style, whatever.
1:04:11
They'll go to the chief instructor.
1:04:13
They'll get somebody else.
1:04:14
They'll shuffle the deck a little bit and we'll find somebody.
1:04:17
That is better suited to your needs because ultimately you're
1:04:20
the customer where the employees were there to, to help you.
1:04:25
So if you don't click with your instructor, don't worry about it.
1:04:28
It happens.
1:04:28
I wish that I had done this before when I was first coming
1:04:32
up, I had a couple instructors that were just terrible for me.
1:04:35
They weren't terrible instructors.
1:04:36
They were just terrible for me.
1:04:38
Uh, and I wish that I had asked for somebody else.
1:04:40
So if, if you feel that you need to ask for somebody else, do it,
1:04:44
you'll both have a better time and it'll be better in the long run.
1:04:47
To add a personal story to that as well, I mean, as I was coming up through the
1:04:50
system, I had a different background than a lot of people, being in carding,
1:04:54
being in autocross, all of the stuff we talked about the very first episode.
1:04:57
I went to an event.
1:04:58
I had an instructor who, as I, as I am now a coach and instructor, I look back
1:05:03
and go, you know, that guy was really good with a, what we would call an A
1:05:06
student, novice, beginner, green student, you know, all these different colors
1:05:10
and acronyms we use for these groups.
1:05:13
It wasn't for me and his teaching style didn't work for me and I
1:05:16
was having a really hard time and I just kind of just swallowed it.
1:05:19
And I was just like, you know, I'm just going to put up with this.
1:05:22
I'm going to participate and graduate and move on from this event.
1:05:25
And it was just, I had a terrible weekend.
1:05:27
And my group leader at that event came to me and said, Hey, you don't
1:05:31
look like you're having a good time.
1:05:33
What's wrong?
1:05:34
He jumped in the car with me and said, show me what you've been learning.
1:05:38
And so I showed him what I was being taught.
1:05:40
And he's like, man, this doesn't work for you.
1:05:43
your car, your driving style, anything.
1:05:45
And granted, he knew me immediately.
1:05:48
He was like, yeah, we had a meeting and he's like, this really isn't working
1:05:51
out for him, you know, this and that.
1:05:52
And they paired me with somebody else.
1:05:54
And that changed my whole perception.
1:05:56
And it was, it's actually kind of funny because it had left.
1:05:59
such a terrible taste in my mouth for a very particular track, and I'm not
1:06:02
going to call it out that I almost thought I would never go back to it.
1:06:05
And now it's actually one of the ones I make a pilgrimage
1:06:08
there multiple times a year.
1:06:10
So having the right instructor changed my whole attitude with
1:06:14
respect to the organization.
1:06:15
The event, the track, all of it.
1:06:17
So don't, don't write it off.
1:06:19
There's always options.
1:06:20
You know, there's, there's a lot of different instructors out there.
1:06:23
Finally, the fun part.
1:06:24
We're going to go fast.
1:06:25
We're going to go fast.
1:06:27
I'm so hold, hold on there.
1:06:29
Ricky Bobby, hold on.
1:06:30
You, you are not Dale jr.
1:06:34
Yes, you gotta learn the basics, right?
1:06:37
And those basics aren't going to come by you just going out by yourself.
1:06:40
Your instructor is in the right seat telling you what
1:06:44
to do your first session out.
1:06:46
If it's not an orientation session, which is generally.
1:06:49
Without helmets at lower speed at highway speeds, which is still
1:06:53
relatively quick around the track.
1:06:54
I mean, let you say you're averaging 60 miles an hour around the track.
1:06:58
When you really get out there the first time you're going
1:07:01
to have a parrot in your ear.
1:07:02
Break here.
1:07:03
Turn here.
1:07:04
Accelerate now.
1:07:05
This and that.
1:07:06
It's going to be a little bit more wordy than that.
1:07:08
We try to keep it concise because on a very busy track, let's say
1:07:11
like summit point Shenandoah.
1:07:14
It's extremely difficult for us to teach.
1:07:16
It's probably one of the most challenging tracks to teach on.
1:07:18
And it's a track they use actually to certify a lot of instructors
1:07:21
because 17 turns in two miles.
1:07:24
So it's busy for everybody, but you go to somewhere like Watkins Glen.
1:07:27
I've got 11 turns in three and a half miles.
1:07:30
I can read war and peace.
1:07:32
Between turn two and turn four.
1:07:33
I mean, you just got all this straight away to deal with.
1:07:36
So it's a little less stressful.
1:07:37
So taking a look at the complexity of the track, if you're nervous, try to find
1:07:41
a track that maybe it's a little less intimidating right up front summit point.
1:07:45
Main circuit is great.
1:07:47
10 turns, two miles, much more relaxed than Shenandoah.
1:07:51
That being said, we got to walk you through it.
1:07:54
You've got to walk before you run, before you go fast.
1:07:57
But the speed will come and it will come in the sense that you'll become
1:08:01
familiar with the track, you'll have memorized it, you'll become consistent.
1:08:05
And once you've mastered those three things, those are really
1:08:08
the basics, then you can apply speed, then you can go faster.
1:08:12
And then also you've built a relationship with your instructor at that point.
1:08:15
And you can say, Hey, let's, can we, you know, can we pick up the pace or
1:08:18
he'll push you or whatever it might be to get you to that point where
1:08:21
you are moving at a very brisk pace.
1:08:23
You are now no longer giving those point buys.
1:08:26
You're getting those 5s and but don't feel obligated to advance too quickly.
1:08:31
If you're uncomfortable with something, talk to your instructor.
1:08:34
Go at your own pace.
1:08:35
You're not out there racing anybody.
1:08:38
You may be in a C8 Corvette.
1:08:41
You may be getting passed by somebody in a Miata.
1:08:43
That person may have a little bit more experience than you.
1:08:45
It's fine.
1:08:46
It doesn't matter.
1:08:48
And you're not racing for money.
1:08:49
There's no prize at the end of the day.
1:08:50
There's no trophy.
1:08:51
None of us, except for Eric or HPDE champions out there.
1:08:55
Uh, so I mean, the prize, the prize at the end of the day is taking your
1:08:59
car home in one piece and having had a good time and having a lasting memory.
1:09:03
That's your trophy in HPDE.
1:09:05
Going back to the 85 year old student I had, I actually instructed both
1:09:10
the father, who was 85, and the son.
1:09:12
They were doing it kind of as a bucket list thing.
1:09:14
And they were both in Mini Cooper S, and we were at Summit Point, Maine.
1:09:18
And the son was having a blast, driving really hard, driving as hard as he could.
1:09:23
He quickly ramped up and was The father was more timid.
1:09:27
Because the father was doing it as, as just a bucket list thing.
1:09:31
Like, you know, someone might want to jump out of an airplane
1:09:33
just once in their life.
1:09:34
You might show up and find it's not for you, but I still strongly encourage
1:09:39
you to try and make it through the day because he never went above highway
1:09:42
speeds on the front stretch, but he still had fun and he still learned things.
1:09:48
So don't, don't feel bad if you aren't comfortable going at, at flat out speed,
1:09:54
keeping your foot all the way down to the gas pedal at the last second.
1:09:57
Try and, at that point, transform it into something that is useful and still is fun.
1:10:02
You know, let yourself be slowed down to just be able to
1:10:04
enjoy it and learn some things.
1:10:07
If you feel like your coach is pushing you too fast and you aren't comfortable, Just
1:10:13
say something, he'll let you slow down.
1:10:15
We always act as the voice of reason when we feel like you're going too fast.
1:10:19
And so we might even tell you to go faster.
1:10:21
Cause we, we, we know we're comfortable with you going faster, but if you
1:10:25
weren't comfortable with going that speed, say something, it's perfectly
1:10:28
fine to back off a bit and drive slower, especially as a novice, especially
1:10:32
your first time out, because ultimately you're there for your enjoyment.
1:10:38
And instructors get this really cool tool over the years.
1:10:43
A lot of people call it a sphinctometer.
1:10:45
It's used to, it's used as a butt dyno.
1:10:48
It's also used to feel the car.
1:10:50
We do some sensory exercises sometimes where it's like you're in the
1:10:53
right seat with another instructor.
1:10:54
Close your eyes to really develop, you know, to really refine that tool.
1:10:58
And we sense a lot of things.
1:11:00
We know things.
1:11:00
Things are coming before even the driver realizes a half the time.
1:11:03
So again, we're there as your safety net.
1:11:06
We're there to help you.
1:11:07
We've been through a lot.
1:11:08
I mean, if you listen to episode number two of the podcast, not only have we
1:11:12
broken stuff, but we've been in some, some interesting situations as coaches,
1:11:16
you know, in the right seat with other students that they're, they're life
1:11:20
lessons for us as well, and we want to.
1:11:22
You know, we've compiled that and we want to share that with you guys to make
1:11:25
sure that you have a good time and that you're safe and that you come back again.
1:11:28
And with that, there is a natural progression to this sport.
1:11:31
And that's the other thing I want to point out.
1:11:33
This isn't just driving, right?
1:11:34
So don't approach it as I'm just going for a drive around a piece of
1:11:37
asphalt on the side of a mountain.
1:11:39
This is a sport.
1:11:39
It's motor sport, right?
1:11:41
And DE is the entry, the gateway into other disciplines and other
1:11:45
variants of circuit racing, be it club racing, be it time trials,
1:11:49
whatever your aspirations might be.
1:11:50
Maybe it's formula one or group B like me.
1:11:53
Some people stop at DE.
1:11:55
Oh yeah, some people stop at Dean, that's true.
1:11:56
But at the end of the day, don't worry about what other
1:11:59
people on track are doing.
1:12:00
Yes, you're going to learn a lot of situational awareness.
1:12:02
Um, you're going to learn to recognize the cars coming up behind you,
1:12:07
uh, and your instructors should be paying attention and helping you.
1:12:10
Manage traffic.
1:12:11
If you aren't having that, if you aren't doing that well of it yourself,
1:12:14
if you're not doing that well at any of this stuff, don't worry about it.
1:12:18
It's your first time out.
1:12:19
You're going to learn the skills and the experience will come.
1:12:24
Just stick with it more times than not.
1:12:26
A lot of people come for some reason they have a bad experience.
1:12:29
They don't come back.
1:12:30
That's not what we want.
1:12:31
We want to grow the sport.
1:12:32
We want more people to come because the more people that
1:12:35
are there, the more fun we have.
1:12:36
I mean, that's that's why G.
1:12:37
T.
1:12:37
M.
1:12:37
Is The way it is because everybody likes going to the track with their
1:12:40
friends and with other people.
1:12:41
It just makes things that much better.
1:12:43
So don't worry about it.
1:12:44
If you're, if you're not Ricky Bobby the first time out, you'll, you'll get there.
1:12:49
You'll get there eventually.
1:12:50
And then the last thing in between your sessions.
1:12:53
I mean, just because you've gone out on track a couple of times, you've got
1:12:55
your classroom sessions and everything.
1:12:56
You want to take some time to rest.
1:12:58
You want to speak with your instructor, debrief about
1:13:01
everything that you've learned.
1:13:02
If you've got questions for them, ask them, just have a conversation with your
1:13:05
instructor, talk about the car and make sure the car's got plenty of fuel in it.
1:13:09
After your sessions, some of our coaches even have gone out and.
1:13:13
Ran out of fuel on track.
1:13:15
It's very embarrassing, but it happens.
1:13:18
It happens to the best of us.
1:13:19
If it happens to you, it's not the end of the day.
1:13:21
You'll get ribbed a little bit for it, but whatever, who cares?
1:13:24
Make sure that you're fueled up, drink plenty and plenty of water and make sure
1:13:27
that you're eating throughout the day.
1:13:29
If you're not going to the bathroom every hour, then you're.
1:13:31
You're not drinking enough water.
1:13:33
You've got to make sure that you're drinking.
1:13:35
It's usually all these events are usually during the summer when it's hot out, you
1:13:39
are going to be dehydrated very quickly.
1:13:41
If you're not taking care of yourself and then check on the car and make
1:13:44
sure that it's higher pressure is good to make sure that your brake
1:13:47
pad, your brake wear is good.
1:13:49
Check your oil levels and your coolant levels.
1:13:50
When the car is cool, don't touch your, your wheels when they're hot.
1:13:55
When you first get off track, you can touch the tires, check the tire
1:13:57
pressure, but don't torque your wheels or anything, or you may break a stud.
1:14:00
But check on your car, check on yourself, uh, and just make sure
1:14:03
that you're, you're good to go.
1:14:04
So that's it.
1:14:05
Those are our tips.
1:14:06
That's really a summary of how your first track day would go.
1:14:09
Obviously there's a corresponding article with this.
1:14:11
So you don't have to try to remember.
1:14:12
Everything that we said, you know, go to our website, www.
1:14:16
gtmotorsparks.
1:14:17
org.
1:14:17
And you can do a quick search for the word noob, N O O B.
1:14:20
And this article will come up.
1:14:22
It corresponds directly with the podcast and you can revisit everything
1:14:25
that we talked about here, but just bear in mind, obviously there's
1:14:28
going to be some subtle differences.
1:14:29
between clubs, between driving organizations that
1:14:32
you run with, but don't fret.
1:14:34
Most of them operate the same way, but the most important thing to remember
1:14:38
is to have fun and be safe and try to make some new friends because the
1:14:42
longer you're in this, you're going to see a lot of the same people.
1:14:44
It is a small community.
1:14:46
We do want it to grow, you know, when it comes down to it.
1:14:51
And before we sign off this week, a couple of shout outs.
1:14:55
This one in particular goes to the Chivalry family.
1:14:58
We're sorry to hear that Chris, son of member Nick, is in the hospital
1:15:02
after a motorcycle accident.
1:15:04
And Chris, if you're out there listening, we really appreciate
1:15:07
you tuning in every week.
1:15:09
And we hope that we're helping with your speedy recovery.
1:15:12
And we look forward to seeing you again out in an event sometime soon.
1:15:15
So get well.
1:15:16
In addition to that, a quick shout out to the Novak family for becoming a
1:15:20
Patreon member this month, as well as Racer Ron, also known as Uncle Sparky.
1:15:25
Thank you again for contributing and continuing to support
1:15:28
GTM and everything we do.
1:15:34
Hey listeners, did you enjoy this particular episode?
1:15:38
Did you know you can learn more about what we just talked about
1:15:40
by visiting the GTM website?
1:15:43
If you want to learn more or just review the materials from this
1:15:46
episode, be sure to log on to www.
1:15:49
gtmotorsports.
1:15:51
org today and search for this particular episode.
1:15:55
From all of us at GTM.
1:15:57
Never stop learning.
1:15:58
If you like what you heard and want to learn more about GTM,
1:16:01
be sure to check us out at www.
1:16:03
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1:16:05
You can also find us on Instagram at GrandTouringMotorsports.
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1:16:19
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1:16:20
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1:16:21
Hey, listeners, crew, chief Eric here.
1:16:23
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1:16:27
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