My First Track Experience
 

Went to Hyperfest at Summit Point today and had my first track experience there. It was just a 20 min hyperdrive session, but it was fvcking awesome! I was sad when it ended because I just wanted to go around more and more. It was a relatively short track around the Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point (1.12 miles I think), but I got a total of 12 laps in.

It was definitely different from any other driving experience I've had before. This was the first time I could feel some of the limitations of my all season tires. I wasn't really pushing it to the point where I was at the limit of my tires, but I could hear and feel them sliding like I was in a controlled drift. That's the best way I can explain it. I'm guessing that with summer tires, the limit where this starts to happen is higher so you can carry more speed into turns with more grip and control. I have bought a set of used summer tires and I'm planning on using them the next time I go out on the track.

The instructor helped me a lot too. I could feel myself getting faster and more confident with every lap. I tried to go a little bit faster each lap around, but I was "drifting" a lot coming into some of the turns hard. Around midway into the session I think the instructor asked me to slow it down on some of the turns and try to focus more on car control. I went a little bit faster than he wanted at first just because I was having so much fun. The main section he wanted me to do this at was the last series of turns right before the finish line. This is why a bunch of people were passing me coming into that straight at the start of the course. I didn't mind it though, I just wanted to improve my skills.

I think the one thing that I really want to work on next time is knowing when to start braking. I feel like I was braking too early a lot of the times, but then again I wasn't really trying to push the car as hard as I could. Wanted to take it at a decent pace for my first time and not try to get overconfident. My oil temps were over 260 early in the session, but I didn't really look at it again after that. Did the early part of the session mostly in 3rd gear and switched to 4th after that.

My gopro video is posted below. Any thoughts, comments, advice, criticism, etc. is welcomed and greatly appreciated :tiphat:

Nice. Gotta watch the vid later, but sounds like a good time

Glad you enjoyed it my good man.

awesome, one time is all it takes to get hooked! Its more addictive than crack

I haven't even watched the whole video myself yet :icon17:

Yup I'm definitely hooked. Just wish it wasn't so expensive. I'm already broke and now I'm gonna be extra broke :p

You were getting a good bit of tire talk by about your halfway point, and I think your instructor realized that much more would be pushing it. When you talk of "drifting" coming INTO a corner, were you talking about the front end plowing forward and the actual turning didn't happen til you slowed down? Or was it happening after you began your turn, and the car would begin to slide?

In the end, he kept you safe, and the shiny side up. And you still learned something and gained confidence. Sounds like he did his job :)

Awesome ! :tup:

It was definitely happening right after I began to turn. I was still able to control and direct the car where I wanted it, just a lot of tire talk like you said.

Yeah I can't wait to get out there again :tup:

Then you were finding your limit - the tires were likely kinda "greasy", being all-seasons and all, and all that heat was pushing them.

I know you wanted to go faster, but learning the corners is easily the most important part...

How was the braking?

Yeah I thought that was it. I know that learning corners was the most important part, but I was having a bit too much fun drifting it around :icon17:
I should have my summer tires installed tomorrow and the cruise next Saturday should be a good way to get a feel of how it's like to drive on them.

Brakes were good, but I feel like I was braking way early and not hard enough (that's what she said) instead of waiting and then braking hard. That is one thing I need to work on. Not used to carrying that much speed into a turn and then braking hard to get to the proper speed and I need more practice with that.

Another thing I want to do is drive a more high speed course with faster turns. I guess the main course at Summit Point would be better with this than the Jefferson circuit. Though the Jefferson circuit is the one where I'll be driving the Lamborghini next month.

Very common to do this as a beginner. Threshold braking is definitely a skill that takes practice. But look at it this way: early braking is a LOT better than late braking. It takes time to learn a track, and you always early brake into corners until you know it better. And you make MINOR adjustments (5-10 feet at a time), slowly working your way to the limit of when you can brake hard, and as soon as you start taking your foot off the brake, your turn-in is beginning or already begun (trail-braking).

Main course at Summit is definitely the faster course, but I feel Shenandoah is much better at learning driving than Main. There are a LOT of varied corners at Shenandoah.

So did you get a feel for using your throttle to steer around the corners? Did he make sure you didn't alter your steering angle at all, and only used the gas?

Good Job of keeping it on the track :tup:

No we didn't work on throttle steering much. In some of the corners he did tell me when I should stop braking and get on the gas and this did give me somewhat of an idea what it's like.

Thanks! There were a couple times where I thought I was going to go a bit off, but I was in more control than I thought.

Shenandoah.sucks, it's like a high speed autox. I lost some brain cells from getting whiplash in that place

:icon17:

Congratulations Shahid! You're no longer a track "cherry boy". I am glad to see you are now hooked. Its a lot to digest the first time out but you'll do better and better as you gain knowledge and begin to understand they way your Z handles under some stress. A good set of tires and brakes certainly helps out.

Spoken like an old man :)




Just kidding man lol

Just look straight, don't ever look to the IDE, especially at karussel

Thanks! Yeah I think I'm getting a hold of it fairly well. Everytime I'm turning my car now I'm thinking "hit the apex" :icon17:

Probably gonna stop modding now just to save up for tires and track time.

If the UPS delivery comes on time today I should be able to get the used RE050A's installed after work today. I have a feeling the rears might not last until my next track event because of me having so much fun with the extra grip. Probably gonna hit the drag strip before then too. If they do make it to my next track event, they probably will be done by the end :p

Wow. That is a crazy short course. :P

Yeah I wish it was longer too, but it's better than nothing. That and it was only $50 for the session.

Only reason the Hyperdrives were on the little track was because of Hyperfest. Usually they are on the Main Circuit.

Yeah there was just so many other things going on that day that every other circuit was occupied. The HPDE's were on the main circuit, LeMons race on Shenandoah, and the drifting was on some other circuit.

I plan on going in August ... just not sure yet if I am doing HPDE or the Hyperdrive thing again.

fun... thanks for the post

No problem! You should try it out sometime, I'm sure you'll love it. Just might be a bit of a problem with your Z being a convertible.....

I believe Summit allows 'verts at Jefferson. I know they do for sure, at Shenandoah. Not sure about the Main, though.

Wussies :)

lol

*sigh* its times like these in which make me more determined than ever to build my own track, that way i dont have to pay to drive, i can do it every day ...course its expensive to build ! lol but the enjoyment im sure is a blast.

Glad to hear ya story and love the video!

Thanks man! Yeah I wish I could do the same, like this guy did

Porsche owner turns long driveway into racetrack

Awesome! Glad you had a fun time!

If you can handle 1.6G every two minute, more power to you. I drove 4 sessions each day + rode in 8 others. I could barely finish the second day.

Thanks! :tup:

Yeah I figured you were either doing ride-alongs or going as an instructor. My instructor bowed out himself on day 2, and that was in the wet even, so it was definitely slower.

I'm just messin' with ya :)

very nice :tup:

Yeah even before you get to throttle steering, one of the big revelations for me was how much grip you can add by getting back *on* the throttle just when you think you're already pushing the limit of traction and your naive mind is saying, "no no no, slow down if anything".

Learn to get your braking done earlier and get back on that throttle and be at least very gently accelerating through most of the curvy bits. It puts the weight back down over the rear tires and gives you the grip to get through there faster than you could while braking or rolling through at constant speed.

Once you get used to stabilizing your traction with a little bit of throttle like that in the curves, then it's not hard to progressively move up to actual throttle steering to point the nose where it needs to go. Then the next trick is to work on trail-brake steering on the way in, which changes everything again. I'm still at the start of that process...

Thanks! :tup:

Repped for the great advice! :tiphat:

Yes on that last corner I could feel the added grip from getting back on the throttle when I took it more slowly. I've read about all this stuff on the forum, but it's so much different once you actually experience it yourself on the track. I was pretty nervous when I was first about to start, but by the end I was very confident in what I could do. This confidence has even translated to driving on the street. It's not so much that I can drive faster or better on the street, just now I know what it feels like to be somewhat near the limits of my tires. I know that I can keep the car in control if my tires to start sliding a bit.

Got my RE050A's delivered today, but couldn't get to Sam's Club in time to get them installed. I'll try to go earlier tomorrow to get it done. Also picked up a 34 row Z1 oil cooler kit and should be installing that as well this week with Bobo's help :tup: