Postby Lazza » Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:43 pm
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.
Lazza
2001 Mk2.5 MX5 1.8 Sport
Hard Dog Deuce
GAZ Gold Pro
Mk3 seats
17” OZ Racing Superturissmo wheels (for the toad)
15” Rota Circuit 10 wheels (for track use)