bigdo26

I've been attending some car company sponsored driving events, such as Taste of Lexus, Mazda's Rev It Up, etc, and have become very very interested in becoming involved with recreational racing. I've been doing some research about track days at Limerock here in CT, and some others such as Watkins Glen, however I really don't know anything about the events. Have any of you attended these or know more about them than myself?

Mainly looking to find out:
1. Good clubs to join that host the track days
2. How much driving time do you get (couple laps, 30 minutes, etc?)
3. Would I be laughed at for bringing my TL-S, or would it hold its own?
4. Is there driver training available at the events? I have no real racing experience, just what I've taught myself at the driving events, and of course regular, 'spirited' driving experience.

Any other information is also welcome, I did a search for this kind of topic but didn't come up with anything.

Finally, any other TL people out there interested in doing this in the New England region? I think it would be a blast, chance to drive at my and my car's limits without breaking any laws.

THanks for any info!

S1CK TypeS

keep me informed too im interested. i have a buddy with a c230 and 3 series and he goes to limerock for events all the time.

bigdo26

I've found some info online about the events, I think I've got the basic information down. For anyone interested, below are links to organizations that do events at Limerock.

Still looking for anyone's input who have done recreational racing, I'd like to talk to someone who has first hand experience.

http://www.comscc.org/
http://www.neqclub.org/index.php?opt...tpage&Itemid=1
http://www.pdadrivingschool.com/tracks/LimeRockPark.jsp
http://www.cartct.com/index1.shtml
http://www.scda1.com/

stiletto

if you have NO experience, why not invest in a PS2 with a LOGITEC wheel and pedals, and GT4? Learn the basics without risking life nor limb and without spending gass money. Once you have hours on that, you can learn about physics, what adjustments to make to the suspention, what modifications will give best overall curves for power and speed...

Then, when you do get to the track, you'll be able to fully take advantage of that newfound knowledge and will appreciate the nuances of racing so much more.

bigdo26

umm.... not a real good idea in my opinion... somehow I dont feel that playing a video game would get me "driving experience" useful for the track. Most of the track days put on have instruction by professional drivers, i.e. ~1 hour classroom time, 20 minutes driving with the pro riding shot gun, another hour classroom, another 20 driving w/pro, and so on. This is only what I've discovered in doing research online and through some of the websites I posted above.

I hold my own on the road just fine and while I don't have experience on a race course, I have an excellent feel for the car and have participated in enough drive events in which you basically autocross that I feel plenty confident to hit the a real road course (with the above listed instruction) and start developing actual skills behind the wheel... as opposed to racing a video game.

I don't have a desire to be "fast and furious," not sure if thats what GT4 is (I don't know video games.)

bigdo26

didn't mean to sound so hostile in the above post - i just can't imagine that any virtual experience could truly benefit actual on road experience

stiletto

bro, no hostility felt, however, I didn't like asparragus until I tried it...

I looked for the video, but now that U-TUBE SUCKS DINGLEBERRIES... well, let's just say I can't find it, but Wikipedia has thiis to say: "An advanced player will be able to judge his performance by the realistic lap times. According to the developers, a professional driver was invited to set times using the same car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, and the GT4 lap times were within 2% of the real life equivalent. However, in stark comparison, Jeremy Clarkson of the British automobile show Top Gear attempted to beat his GT4 time on Laguna Seca in a Honda NSX , but came up short. His fastest real life time of 1:57 was greater than his GT4 time of 1:41.148. It is disputed, though not confirmed, that Clarkson may have used an NSX-R to clock the lap time in the game, judging by the video footage[2] which shows both a standard NSX and an NSX-R. The NSX-R is a lighter and faster version of the standard NSX. Therefore, Clarkson's virtual and real-world comparison could have been flawed. Furthermore, Clarkson also mentioned that in the game, he is compelled to take bigger risks than he would in real life and that in the game, the car did not suffer from brake fade."

basicaly: you put rookies in simulators before you put them in an actual airplne...

stiletto

oops... here it is in case you missed it (yes, it is a repost)

GT4 (Grand Turismo 4) is NOT fast and furious

hehehe...

By the way, also... in this thread I posted number 9, so you can see how I feel about the whole driving school thing...

bigdo26

I'll watch that when I get home from work, site is blocked here...

I can see your point though, pilot trainees with flight simulators is the perfect example.

And in regards to the driving school, its been a dream of mine to do the Skip Barber school for quite some time now, however from the sounds of the track events that go on, good instruction is available there as well for far less $$. Only "downside" (in regards to car wear and tear) is that you drive your own car, not an M5 or some other very expensive car....

bigdo26

and PS thanks for the link to that other thread, some helpful info in there!

dennisil

bigdo26 GT4 Is a simulation game dont be closed minded to it i dont play any games at all but i used to play GT 1-3, I never played 4 and the one thing I noticed was that its very realistic. heres a link to a you tube video of Top Gears Jeremy Clarkson comparing GT4 to the real thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGWC-2A0HtQ

ps its no thte same but not bad to get started.

S1CK TypeS

yea that game is very realistic. sadly i suck at it maybe cause i dont play it often, i hope im not as bad on track as i am in that game. it takes a long time to get used to it.

bigdo26

guess i have been out of the computer gaming thing too long, didn't realize it could be that realistic! when I get some spare time maybe I will end up checking that out... guess it would be the next best thing seeing as we have winter approaching up here in CT

01clsstock

i hate winter.. but love cold air for the engine

01tl4tl

As a pilot and race driver I can say the training with simulators before flying and driving are very different. For the car, seat time with an instructor is best. If you already are a race driver learning a new track, games are excellent cheap training.

Most people do not start with a basic understanding of flght, most people DO know how to make the car go and stop. Track days offer a fairly safe way to learn to drive with precision at increasing speeds,to limits you were not aware of!

Check scca.org for a list of tracks near you. Also try nasaracing.com.

Here in Sacramento California, the local SCCA track-Thunderhill.com, offers 1 day schools for $225.

The TL will more than hold its own on track.

Normal track day starts with 30 minute ground school then 20 minutes on track, debrief, check car, another track session, repeat for total of 5 on track sessions and 1.5 hours ground school. Different groups for drivers of different experience levels.

Seatbelts save lives
Driving School saves airbags

TL

01tl4tl

Also look in this forum Acurazine Meets section. Lots of postings on local track days

01tl4tl

Wikipedia has thiis to say: "An advanced player will be able to judge his performance by the realistic lap times. According to the developers, a professional driver was invited to set times using the same car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, and the GT4 lap ..............

Wikipedia lol

Look up elephants and see what The Cobert Nation did with Wikipedia