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To track or not to track (HPDE) ?

ddozier

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Figure about $250 an event for his car , this is his 16th event, so he would of spent $4000 total on insurance . With a 10% deductible ....


Wonder if he broke even ?

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Chin Track Days , Summit Point , WV by Steve, on Flickr
That will buff out!

Seriously he is still likely ahead, that will be about $3500 - $4000 to fix. If you get a chance contact the track day insurance guys and have them send you a copy of the actual policy. The ones I have read do not offer all that much protection to the owner for small incidents like this one, and they are quite vague on what they will be paying out for a total loss. I would certainly do my homework before I purchased a policy.

Its all about risk management and comfort level. I have been tracking for 20+ years and have never purchased track insurance, I am not saying I should not have but I just never have.

Dave
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Grintch

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The direct opposite of Road Atlanta. :eek:

Ha. Road Atlanta vs. TGPR was the first thing I thought of when I saw that post.

NCM is a bit of a disappointment. Some key personal seems to own stock in Armco, because it has Armco barriers everywhere, even places where there is no need for them. Fewer barriers is often better for safey.
 

ddozier

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Ha. Road Atlanta vs. TGPR was the first thing I thought of when I saw that post.

NCM is a bit of a disappointment. Some key personal seems to own stock in Armco, because it has Armco barriers everywhere, even places where there is no need for them. Fewer barriers is often better for safey.
NCM has too much track in too small of a space, it turns back on itself so many times and the most cost effective means of preventing a car leaving the track and re-entering another part of the track was Armco. Effective but not at all car/driver friendly, no one wants to hit anything on track but a 3-4 row tire wall vs Armco is an easy choice when it comes to safety.

I like the track but it still needs a little work. I ran there at their inaugural event and the track had really only had a few test laps run. They placed nearly all of the track side curbing in the wrong places around the track, they have since reworked the curbing and made major improvements to them. The facilities are always improving and after running there 6 or 7 times now it is a great option for us guys in the mid-west. Very technical track just wish it had some run off and was a little safer.

Dave
 

saf1

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I agree with most on here. The GTPP is extremely capable (faster than an E92 M3 on track) with really good brakes and a competent chassis that you don't need to mod to have fun with on track.

For only a handful of days, just run your GTPP with good brake fluid like Castrol SRF. If you get bit by the bug and want to really work on your driving and pushing the limits, a dedicated track car wouldnt be a bad idea later down the road.

Oh and PZeros suck, get some PSS or a more dedicated track/street tire like a Hankook RS4 for your track wheels.
Thanks. Also, the stock tires are gone. I got good use out of them though with just a tick over 20K miles. I now have Firehawk Indy 500's in stock trim. Probably not great but they ride nice for a daily driver.

Thank you again.
 

saf1

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By law, Ford can't void the warranty for fluid changes. I believe they could void the warranty for being on track. One "out" they list in the owners manual is "abuse" of the vehicle. I think it would be fairly easy to call track time as abuse. It depends greatly on your dealership. The dealership can make or break your case with Ford. See other threads that discuss this topic in greater detail.

How to get on track? When and what format? Actually a tougher question. I've run with a number of different organizations at a number of different tracks and I've been surprised how similar each organization and track run their events.

Getting my S550 on track has been one of the most rewarding things I've done in a long time. I took it very slowly. I visited a local track on one of their Open Track Days with a friend just to see how in worked before ever signing up for a track day. If you have a friend that tracks their car, ask to tag along. I bet someone on this forum would be happy to show you the ropes. Try PM'ing a user that lives near you. Your first time on track can be rather intimidating just trying to keep up with how things run. I've usually tried to make it a group effort with either friends or family, there's just a lot to keep track of and it helps if there is more than one of you.

A 2015 GT PP is more than adequate vehicle for your first time on track. You will be lucky to fully exploit it's potential on your first track day. Every organization I've run with gives you a tech sheet to go over before getting to the track. For your first track day, all you really need is everything to be working as it should be, on your second track day you may want more, like tires, pads and fluids. I think I had at least 3 full track days before I upgraded anything. It's a good car, but track time will wear things out surprisingly fast.

I strongly recommend getting an instructor. I can't recommend it strongly enough. I believe it has made all the difference in my experience. I've also been fairly lucky in getting instructors that appreciated my driving style and understood my goals. I've heard stories of instructors and drivers that didn't quite mesh. If it doesn't work pretty quickly, get another one. No one will mind. I give instructors a fair amount of credit for doing what they do. It takes some stones to get into a car with someone you don't know that has 400+ horsepower under foot and has never been on a track before.

I read a fair amount before getting on track, both this forum and books. I also watched a fair amount of videos on YouTube. YouTube videos can be of dubious value. A fair number of people that post videos of their track time aren't always very good. I've also always watched videos from the track I'm visiting for the first time and some how it just doesn't translate. There is really nothing like being there. At the same time, it's not a practice I plan to abandon.

Rule #1: Get out there, get on track and have fun.
Thank you for the information. I appreciate the time and response. I'll take a look at what is coming for Sears Point, Sonoma, or Infineon Raceway (forget what it goes by now) and Thunder Hill. Both are close enough to check out first like you suggested.

Thanks again!
 

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sonicc

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Ideal would be to have a dedicated track car if your finances allow.

No matter how many warranties, no matter what kind of insurance...stuff happens. If it happens to your daily, you care more and it usually costs more. So having a separate car you'll take to track will allow you to push it more to the limits and at the same time won't leave you without a car if you end up hitting a wall.
 

GJarrett

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Thanks. Also, the stock tires are gone. I got good use out of them though with just a tick over 20K miles. I now have Firehawk Indy 500's in stock trim. Probably not great but they ride nice for a daily driver.

Thank you again.
I just put on Firehawk Indy's and wonder how they will do on the track. Looking to find out in a couple of months at AMP.
 

GJarrett

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Gotta decide between JZilla at Road Atlanta in Sept or Just Track It at Atlanta Motorsports Park in October.... working out personal schedule and it's looking like probably AMP in Oct.
 
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ANGST

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Track season is here !

I managed to pick up a 1992 325is for $700 , I have access to a ton of spares , and should be able to get this "trackable" for less then $1K more .... maybe .

Going to work on it this weekend and see if there are any major issues , I am still tempted to just run my Mustang
 
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EFI

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Run the Mustang, it will be alot more fun...and you always have warranty if any major issues happen.

Wear and tear isn't that much, besides maybe tires but you seem to say you have access to some good deals.
 

morgande

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I'm doing my first ever track day event (SCCA Track night in America) in my GT at Dominion Raceway in April. Only been on track twice in my life. Once was SpeedVegas.com attraction in Las Vegas. And I attended the AMG Driving Academy at Laguna Seca last year. I WILL be getting track day insurance for sure.

So I should be changing the brake fluid out in preparation? What about transmission fluid?
 

NightmareMoon

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I'd flush the brake fluid if you haven't done so in the last few months. For a novice on street tires, you probably shouldn't be working the brakes all that hard in your first few events, but it does depend on the track. (Some are harder than others on braking)
 

BmacIL

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I'm doing my first ever track day event (SCCA Track night in America) in my GT at Dominion Raceway in April. Only been on track twice in my life. Once was SpeedVegas.com attraction in Las Vegas. And I attended the AMG Driving Academy at Laguna Seca last year. I WILL be getting track day insurance for sure.

So I should be changing the brake fluid out in preparation? What about transmission fluid?
You may want to flush the trans fluid after the event but it depends on how hard you're going and how long. In the manual it gives the change interval for heavy/track use. I suspect you won't need to but it wouldn't hurt at all to change to BG Syncroshift II afterward for shift feel either (and no warranty worries with it).

Definitely do brake fluid, but otherwise you should be fine.
 

F0J

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My first thread on this forum was something like "Is there any reason I shouldn't track a S550 GT", and while that was a few years ago, no one could come up with a good reason to avoid it. I've come up with a few of my own though:

1. It will be expensive. It's a heavy, high power machine that needs more frequent fluid changes and more expensive consumables.

2. Though I have a non-PP GT, I find it rather numb at the limit. My last event driving on RE71Rs on a really cold rainy day, I had a hard time "feeling" all 4 wheels. The car does take steering corrections like a champ though.

3. I think the brake design is sub-par. There's no cooling out of the box. The floating calipers tend to eat pads unevenly. In stock trim, you have to be careful.

4. There might be a heat soak issue with the clutch.

5. Fuel starvation on long left turns.

i.e. $$$

Having said that it's at least 80% as good as the other grand tourers (for 50% or less of the cost) and it has plenty to teach about driving. As others have said, the car has depth.

I'm fortunate that I can afford totaling the car at the track. Not that there isn't fun pushing a street car on the track. But you're not driving 10/10ths if you're worried about the cost of tires.

Anyways, I will be giving my S550 the full track treatment as soon as I get a bit of time to do it (building a shop; young family; busy career, etc.). For the price of some of the "slower" cars, I'd say: Why not both? I'd have a miata if I fit. My next toy will either be stuffing an old VW 1.8T into some open wheel or the "fastest" Porsche my wife lets me buy.
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