I took the Evo X out to Grattan Raceway in early October for my first HPDE. I had been debating tracking the Evo for a year or two and finally decided to pull the trigger with a little encouragement from a co-worker. We ran with the Great Lakes Lotus Club who were really supportive for a first timer like myself.

For short attention spans, here's my / with pictures and videos.

Pre-event
Really I didn't have to do too much pre-event. We booked a hotel for the weekend. I also changed my brake fluid to a high temp fluid. I already had a fairly fresh set of RacingBrake ET500 brake pads that I thought might hold up to a beginner's track abuse. My tires were pretty worn, but I figured there was no sense putting money into a new set right before a track day. With all of that set, we emptied the car of any possible projectiles and hit the road the night before the event.

Day One
First things first, Grattan is beautiful. The track has a lot of elevation changes and is surrounded by ponds, lakes, and trees. We showed up around 7am, not really sure what to expect. We registered and got settled in the paddock. The driver's meeting began early in the morning, though slightly behind schedule. I was assigned smike as an instructor. Luckily he's a forum member, evo enthusiast, and all-around awesome driver. We spent each 20-minute session practicing car control and working on lines. Amazingly the first day I never really had to leave fourth gear to get around the track. By the end of the day we were flying past other cars in the beginner group. There's no competition in an HPDE, but passing is still really satisfying. I was worried about holding up traffic, but the evo was flying past Z06 and Shelby GT500s like nothing.

Day Two
smike and I began to work on gear changes and where to shift on the track. The Evo X isn't the easiest car to heel toe in, especially when you're slamming on the brake at 80mph. I still have some work to do there. By mid-day I felt pretty confident. The last lap of the day, I finally got the "hairpin" turn correct. In case you're wondering.. you charge at the trees full speed, SLAM the brakes, dive in as tight as possible, and nail the gas on the way out.

Retrospective
I'll be back! It was a total blast. The event was the most fun I've had with the car to date. Next time I think I'll have a little more confidence to turn ASC off and really push the car. A timing device or in-car cam would help me figure out if I was improving lap times or not. My last take away: the track needs moar evos ! Another Evo X showed up on day two, but I was surprised by the lack of evos. So please sign up for an event next year.

Thanks again to smike who was running around Saturday and Sunday hopping from car to car. He barely got to eat lunch both days.

Shot of me and the wife out on a "parade lap" - 60 mph limit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmr/6237818770/
Evo cooling down between sessions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmr/6228172725/
Smike taking us out for a spin
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmr/6228671608/

 

Cool, sounds like you had fun!

 

Thats awesome man. Glad it went well for you.

 

Looks fun...cant wait till spring!

 

Doesn't take much to get hooked on HPDE, does it? Wait until you do a few more events!

I got say, something about a track surrounded by trees, ponds and lakes is a little nail-biting to me.

 

It's like a drug. Save your pennies for track pads and the rest, once the track has a hold of you it is hard to resist.

 

I did 1 day in 2010, then I did 12 in 2011. Once you catch the bug its hard to deny. Glad you made it out there, it only gets better.

Get some real track pads before your next event. Those ET500's are not the greatest even on the street (I know, thats my street pad). Carbotech XP10's will treat you right.

 

Jon did really really well for his first ever track event. Perfect mindset, there to learn his limits and the cars. Took instruction fantastically and progressed well though the two days. And dead on nailed that hairpin on his last lap.

My car is blurred because its that fast

What the track looks like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vftm0U_wAYI

 

I like this action shot!

 

Grat for the first track day.
This thread is awesome. It is really shows why you need to take your car on the track. If you are bone stock, it is doesn't matter!!!
You will have sooo much fun, and you gain so much experience and knolidge.
I am on the same opinion, every evo driver should take his car for a track day. There is million reason for that.
You don't have to race, but a legal - safe spirited driving is a must in the evo.

Thank you for the thread, and it was a pleasure to read it !

Rob

 

I just looked it up, this track is only 2.5hours away from me. I definitely want to try this in the spring. What does a HPDE usually cost?

 

$150-400 depending on days and organizers. NASA GL makes a stop here. I am a big fan of their HPDE levels.

 

Handling package FTW!

 

Not at all. I was pretty nervous the first day, but once we settled in it was a ton of fun. Now I'm just holding out for spring.

The track is surrounded by nature but has some pretty lengthy run offs. There's only two spots that I think you could get in real trouble. The first is the end of the front straight.. there's a small run off area, then it just sort of ends. They have a large berm there, but stories were told of people launching their cars over the berm.. The last is at the end of the back straight. There's a barrier before the pond, but if you were going at speed and hit wet grass, I could see it ending badly. All that said, I never felt in danger on the track. Even when charging full speed at trees.

I was worried about how the ET500s would hold up. I think if I pushed harder they may not have made it through a full weekend. When smike took the evo out, they were literally smoking. I'll check out the Carbotechs. I've also heard good things about the Raybestos ST43 pads.

Exactly, even bone stock on somewhat worn tires the evo proved to be pretty competent on the track. That said, I think the track day may have changed my mind about modding the evo... We'll see after a couple more events.

This one was 350, you could also do 1 day for less money. For a first-timer I'd recommend sticking with two days. The second day is when I really started to feel comfortable. It was also nice because there were a lot less people which gave me more room on the track... less traffic I had to deal with.

 

I love reading thread like these.

Congrats man, you did yourself and your car well! Getting out to your first event is the hardest thing to do... once you get past that its a very slippery downhill slope.