Craig you are a GODSEND. I will be watching this video over and over tonight from 9 to 11shared_pm while my fiancee hi-jacks the TV for Grays Anatomy and Private Practice....

 

Looks like a great learning tool. It also shows just how rough the track is.

 

watched the video 3 times now, love it.

a few things I noticed; it looks like there are pointer cones at most of the turns that indicate where the best turn-in is? they are the cones at the end of the braking zone indicators.

also, a few of those cars passed in the middle of the turn... i thought that wasnt permitted, that there were specific passing zones and you have to get a point-by to pass?

 

The cones are merely a suggestion, but they're usually pretty close. Don't rely on them, learn to read the track for yourself. Even if you're running with a club that uses the cones, if someone goes off and hits them, they are NOT likely to get reset.

Craig runs in an advanced group that has different passing rules. Your group will be point-by in specified straights. Different groups with different clubs will sometimes allow things like point-by passing in any straight, or in turns, or even just open-passing (but you'll find that even then you'll often get a point-by).

There should be a lot of cones out there for a Chin event. Brake markers, turn-in, apex and track-out cones. But, as I said, don't RELY on them too much. Think about how fast you're going and calibrate yourself to know where you need to brake. And, brake markers or not, start out conservatively, and progressively shorten your braking zone.

For the rest, you just need to remember that every turn has those three parts: turn-in, apex, and track-out.

I'm gonna stop now because every word of this will be covered in your Chin classroom session!

 

meh ditch the track insurance it's bad math.. the chance of going off in a novice group is 1:1000 and the chance of breaking parts in that event is another 1:1000.. if your racing the risks go up, but a track day is safer then driving to work.

 

...and the chance that your normal auto insurance will pay for damage to your car on a racing surface- 1:10,000,000

While you maybe be less likely to have a fender bender on your way to work, you chances for significant damage are much higher on a track. In other words, you're more likely to go off roading at a track event than on the street, going off roading means you could hit something hard and do big damage. Driving on the street you're likely to have someone hit you in a parking lot or at a traffic light not paying attention.

I think it's smart to get the insurance if you have the money...the price you paid is usually for the whole weekend...right?

 

yes, its $130 for the weekend, unfortuneately they didnt have anything for just Sunday, but that $130 is a great peace of mind and will allow me to concentrate on learning and not worrying every second about the consequences of going off track, because that was one reason why I was hesitant about taking my DD to Sebring.

 

I have only done 2 track days, both at Sebring, and both times someone totalled their car...

 

question does your car have an oil cooler? i know this has been a concern of my friend in taking one of his GM cars to the road course.

 

Personally, I think going out there with no insurance keeps me in check a bit. I know that my mistakes can be very costly, so I dial it back and don't take chances.

Autocross is for finding the limits of the car. Track events are for staying within them.