First trackday - prep advice?

[timb]

Hi all, I've finally taken a brave pill and booked my first track day next month (Brands Hatch indy) . It'll be my first time on a proper track at speed (have done some drifting before but that's on open areas with nothing but cones to hit, and in someone elses car too!) so apart from concerns about my driving skillz I'm a bit anxious about the mechanical side of things.

What would you recommend in the way of prep for the car? Apart from a SS exhaust it's a completely standard 94 1.8. It's in overall very good condition as far as I can tell (went through MOT this week with no advisories) and I service it regularly.
I've ordered a set of Roddisons brake pads as they get good reviews for fast road/mild track driving (will probably swap the part-worn current ones back in after the day), then thinking to do a coolant flush and oil change (oil is reasonably fresh, is it worth it?). I replaced the brake fluid just over a year ago (~3000km) so assume it's not worth doing that again? Anything else I should consider?

TIA!

[Zed.]

I've not trackday'd but from a ralling background would suggest...

water (for you & car -including screenwash)
oils / fluids.
small spares like fuses etc.
matching spare wheels / tyres, also check that they fit the car (inside bodywork AND over brakes ) - also if you have spare wheelnuts...
are you driving or trailoring the car there? important to consider this as a minor incident & driving home becomes amusing

theres no limit to how much you could have but where do you draw the line?

Rich.

[blackyb]

Have never tracked a car, (bikes when young and daft) but I would think that unless you have a hard top fitted they may require you to wear an approved helmet.

Plenty of track minded buddies on here so hang fire till they have finnished tinkering and eating

[Lazza]

Yes you will need a helmet. Doesn’t matter if the car has a roof or not,na helmet is always required on track days. With the top down, you will need long trousers and long sleeves too.

Do you have a tyre pump & pressure gauge? You will want to adjust the pressures once the tyres get hot. Keep them around 28psi.
If the coolant, oil & brake fluid are fairly fresh then they will be fine but plan to change the all after.
Is there plenty of meat on the tyres? You will wear them out a lot quicker than you expect. The police know this and often pull over cars driving from track days to check.
If the pads have plenty of meat on them, I’d leave them in. They will work better than you think on track and Brands doesn’t really have any heavy braking points. Change after and leave them like that. Swapping pads in/out/back is not good as they have to be bedded in each time.
When you come off of a session on track, always do a slower cool down lap before commng in. A whole lap. The car will need it, especially the brakes. When you park in the paddock, do NOT put the hand brake on.
Keep sessions quite short. 15-20 minutes is plenty. Partly to keep the car from overheating but mostly to keep yourself from overheating & over-driving.
I never go out in the last hour. I just use that time to watch others. It’s always during that time some go out to do their “hero laps”. Better to avoid them. You also get a chance to drain the adrenaline before heading back onto public roads.
Take a lot of water to drink. You’ll need it. Keep well hydrated. Even on a cool day you will need a lot.
Most of all, don’t forget to enjoy it. It’s supposed to be fun! Talk to other drivers, especially those that seem to know what they are doing. Get passenger rides if you can. If you ask, few drivers will say no. If it’s available, get an instructor for a session, they really are worth it.

[timb]

Thanks for all the replies, some good points I hadn't thought about. My OH will be driving the 'support van' with spare wheels etc. so I'll add your suggestions to the list.

I have booked a tuition session and have a full-face helmet so i can drop the top :) just hope the weather is good!

In terms of the car I think I'm most worried about overheating, as I know the temp gauge is not particularly useful. If I turn on the AC I think that turns on the 2nd radiator fan, would it be sensible to leave AC on for that reason or am I overthinking it?

[Lazza]

No, using the AC adds extra load to the engine, which is why it needs the extra fan. Traveling at 100mph causes more flow through the radiator than fans would anyway.
Just keep an eye on the water temp gauge. If it starts to move above “normal”, do a bit of “lift & coast” to cool it down a bit.

[Lazza]

What date is the track day?

[timb]

It's 19th August. Evening only, ideally wanted a novice only one but at least there's no race cars allowed!

Thanks again for the advice

[timb]

Just wanted to say thanks again for the advice - I had an awesome time at BH, none of my fears materialised - everyone was respectful to each other on track, despite some people pretty fast others quite slow, and the organisation by MSV was really good - friendly and very efficient with the blue flags. I even benefitted from the flags a couple of times as I couldn't pass slower cars on the straights.

I was waiting to see if MSV uploaded any pics but it looks like they didn't have a photographer there so sadly no photographic evidence although I have some dash-cam footage which I might upload at some point.

So if anyone is nervous about doing their first trackday I'd say just do it! There was never any pressure to drive faster than you wanted to or aggressive driving.

Only downside is I have a new oil leak now - front crank seal I think. Cambelt is due anyway so time to get reading the guide on that!

Tim

[Mazda Mender]

Only downside is I have a new oil leak now - front crank seal I think. Cambelt is due anyway so time to get reading the guide on that!

Tim

Easy enough to do we are here if needed buddy
M-m