I am planning to take my evo to the race track for the first time this summer.
What should I plan to bring and should be aware of on my first trip?

 

helmet is a good thing to own.little bit of cash for brakes/tires/wear&tear.

 

What track? What kind of event? Give us some details.

 

if you thinking of doing a drivers education event here are some tips:
1. bring lots of water and food. it gets hot being outside and you work a lot harder then you think driving like that
2. inspect your car the week before you head out there. that means pull all the wheels off, check for tire wear, brake pad wear, ball joints, lugs properly torqued, brake fluid must be CLEAR (that usually means bleeding them with new fluid. if it is not clear it can boil over and no brakes = bad). check oil, and coolant. usually the people putting on the DE event will have a full checklist for you to follow.
3. before you leave clear out everything from the car considered non-essential. that means floormats, papers, garbage, loose change, subwoofers. anything not secured down must go. when you get there it's nice to remove the spare tire and tools, and anything you took with to get you through the day (tools, food, water chair, camera...).
4. make sure you get a good nights sleep before.
5. i'm sure you will need a helmet. sometimes the places have loaners and others rent them... but IMO it is better to be safe then sorry, and helmets can be used at any DE or autoX. also, usually they like you to weat pants, not shorts, and full shoes, not sandles or flip flops.
6. bring more water!!!!!!!


this is just a short list, and check the people putting on the track day for a checklist cause i'm sure they will have one. if your looking at doing club racing or something like that, i have no idea what you need to do, and usually people who club race have been to the track many times and understand the routine... if not your in for a world of hurt.

 

All of what Kevin said, plus an open mind and a positive attitude. If its a DE type event you have a lot of people putting in a great deal of time and effort. All this work is for YOU. Clubs put on DE's to welcome other people to the sport and they want you to have a good time and come back. If you are unsure about something just ask.

Also be aware of your level of energy. I used to get so excited that I didnt sleep well the first night before an event. By the end of the first day some people run into trouble because they have learned some things during the day, and are beginning to get faster. You might not realize how tired you are during that last session, but going fast feels so good that you push hard right at the time you are physicaly exhausted. Crashes somtimes result.

Saturday night might be the best sleep you ever have, and you will be amazed how much faster you are on sunday morning.

Good Luck, Have Fun.

 

thanks guys for your inputs. i m planning to run a few laps around the gingerman raceway in michigan. how much should i expect to take to the track?

 

eXreme, are you by any chance looking to attend one of the CGI Motorsports schools? I'm thinking of going to one of their events in late May or soon after.

l8r)

 

eXtreme: How much of what should you take to the track?

Gingerman is a great learning track & one of my favorites. There are lots of run off areas and top speed is only about 95 mph. It emphasizes handling over horsepower so some theoretically slower cars may be faster.

 

Ludikraut, i am thinking about attending one of the schools but was hoping to get a chance to drive around the track a few times before attending. CincyEvo, thanks for the info on the track. I heard it's a nice little fun track. i was asking for around how much money should i take to the track? i heard it could get pretty costy.

 

I think you'd really want to have someone who knows the track with you. Getting on track alone, without knowing the right line, is more likely to develop bad habits. Check for NASA, BMWCCA, or PCA events. You're not far from Grattan, right? Though I've heard it's a tough track.

Dave

 

eXtreme:

Typically lapping day/driver's schools dont let you pay by the lap. Instead you pay a fixed price in advance, around $200-400. Virtually no one will let you on the track on your own as a first -timer. Instead you will be riding with an instructor who will teach you the line and how to drive at speed. If you have found a place that allows track time without instruction, I would skip it since you will not know what you are doing and will not have fun. Some of the best programs are run by marque clubs, like Porche, BMW & Audi. For a reasonable price they will give you instruction and all the track time you can handle. They are open to non-marque cars, like the Evo, altho you usually have to join their club.

 

gingerman is fun. i actually did a CGI motorsports driving school there as well. i love their evo... it was pretty neat. so yeah, do a drivers ed event before you go to the track by yourself. you will learn more and have more fun. once that is done then check out the test and tune days gingerman offers (isn't it 50 dollars for all the laps you want ?)

grattan is a sweet course. although i have never driven it, i have about 40+ hours on it with my road bike (the bike clubs rented it thursday nights over the summers. great fun). the hills and off camber turns are what make it pretty crazy.

 

If only they would let us drive on GM's Milford Road Course [sigh]...



l8r)

 

thanks for the feedbacks! you guys are awesome! now i have so much better idea of what to expect. i plan on attending one of the cgi motorsports driving school sometime this summer.