Originally Posted by
Loren
Chin is great for first time instruction, you'll get a lot out of it.
And your autocross skills will actually serve you quite well on the track. You'll have a better idea where the limits of the car are than the average joe who just shows up with nothing but street driving experience. It's a pretty well known truth that track drivers who started out as autocrossers almost always make faster track drivers, and track drivers (without prior autox experience) make crappy autocrossers.
Sebring is hard on brakes. You've got a really heavy and really fast car, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to put a set of track pads on it. (not "performance street pads", but actual track pads) Whether you do the pads or not, definitely flush the brake system with good high-temp fluid.
Having some familiarity with the track will help, search for videos of clean well-driven laps and watch them while studying the map. Other than that, just listen to your instructor.
Biggest difference from autocross aside from the higher speed and danger level is that in autocross you focus about 95% on the course. At the track, you have to focus on the course, but you also have to be watching ahead and behind for traffic, and spotting each corner worker station as you approach it looking for their signals. If you can master that and drive a decent line, your instructor will love you!
great advice as always Loren. I got rid of the stock GM fluid and flushed the system with ATE Super Blue about 3 months ago... should I go back in and at least bleed the system again before the event? Also, does the ATE hold up as good as the others like Motul RBF?
I am also very stuck on what pads to go with... Hawk makes the DTC track pads for the V, and I think Raysbestos, Porterfield and Pagid also make pads for the V. I think i'll just browse the cadillac forums and see who is running what on road courses and how they like it. Good thing though is pad swaps are easy with the brembos.
Yes, I have been watching a ton of Sebring laps, and this may sound kind of funny, but when I was home over the holidays with my family, my brother has an X-Box and I played Forza 3 for like hours and hours each day racing the Sebring full-course with a CTS-V, and I think it actually helped a lot with the track layout and braking zones. I've printed out the map that Chin has for the passing zones so I know where to pass and where I can point-by others, and have also printed out a bigger map and trying to get a feel for the lines, braking zones, and am marking out where the track worker stations are as well (from what I can see in the videos).