First track day, first crash day

[draconis123]

Daaayum that's totalled

If the insurance aren't paying out, are you likely to get a huge bill from track for damages ?

I hit a wall so there was no track damage. My car was parked in their boneyard for over a month and there was no charge for that either.

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[GR11M]

I hit a wall so there was no track damage. My car was parked in their boneyard for over a month and there was no charge for that either.

I bet that was a relief, the Nurburgring has a list of charges for when you crash.

 

[WingZombie]

Well Track mode still has Advancetrac (stability control) active, but it does turn on traction control (wheelspin). While Track mode allows for more yaw that Sport, is still different from turning all the stuff off.

Ironically, Track mode is not that great for road courses. I used to run in Track mode, but have come around to the wisdom that is Normal mode. Track mode is simply too twitchy with the acceleration pedal maps for road courses or autox. Its hard to finesse the gas pedal in Track mode, but dang the car does feel faster on the street with the computer amping up your gas pedal inputs for you. Advancetrac On or Off, the gas inputs are more linear and controllable in Normal mode.

I too found the throttle a little too twitchy for my liking and usually run in sport mode on track. I instruct at HPDE events and honestly, I rarely drive my car at 10/10 even at events. I usually run at 8-9/10 unless one of the other instructors and I are out doing a lead follow or something like that to work on our skills. Most of the time I just pick one specific thing to work on each session and focus on that thing (a specific corner or technique for that matter). Often I see new drivers get way too focused on lap times instead of focusing on putting all the basic pieces together...if you do that then lap times will just happen. I'd rather have 6 consistent laps than inconsistent laps where I happen to luck upon gold once in a while. Seems like the OP has a great attitude. I'm glad you're OK and hope you get back out there.

Here is an article that I always give to new people starting out. I think it does a good summary of things to consider when getting into the sport and what platform is best for you going in.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...o-be-fast-until-you-get-rid-of-your-fast-car/

 

[WingZombie]

I bet that was a relief, the Nurburgring has a list of charges for when you crash.

When I went there in '16, the first thing the ring rental company did was put a 5000 euro hold on my card. half for the liability on the track and half for my liability on the car. The amount of wrecks on there on any give tourist day is intense. It's a bucket list thing to do and I highly recommend it, but be prepared for some chaos. The kid that checked me out on the rental said to me (heavy German accent), "Do you know what today is? It is a tourist day at the ring. Do you know what that means? It means there are going to be many stupid people doing many stupid things...I suggest you not be one of them.".

 

[cop on my back]

Its on my bucket list!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Most I run on street tires is Track Mode. I rarely turn it all off even on the NT01s. Don't have the balls.

But you have the sense.

Lewis Hamilton wrote off his personal $2mill supercar on clean dry city streets, no other traffic in sight, nannies off. No such thing as good enough driver for all real world situations.

 

[Dave TBG]

Don't assume anything, check with your insurance agent before you go. I was thrilled to find out that State Farm covered me at any "educational (untimed) event" but I'd be on my own at any "competitive (timed) event."
Sadly, this didn't do me any good for my own "mishap" at my first PCA DE. The back strait at Pocono is not the place you want to find out that your new chip is defective, especially when the defect is that they forgot to include the rev-limiter.

 

[umarov]

Kinda what I tell people when I race. A couple tenths or a couple mph here or there is not worth having a little bit of a security blanket with the nannies. I'm not racing for sponsors, just for fun. Not putting my car into a wall is more fun...

so true. The trophy is always your own car and being to drive it back home.

Yesterday I had a wet Track Cross at Dominion. It rained a lot more than the day OP and I were at Summit Point. I drove it at Normal mode. Less twitchy pedal was definitely comforting at low grip situations. Several drivers spun out coming out of turns. In the beginning I was 6 seconds off the fastest drivers in my class, end of the two heats I was second and first place in my class of 8 cars. So even with normal mode, you can have good times and good results. Most important for me was the experience. I learned a lot. It was fun.

 

[Mystic_Cobra]

For those of you who think this is a validation to not take your high-performance car to the track, I think you should reconsider. A track, drag strip, or autocross is the only place you can safely explore the performance limits of your Mustang, regardless of the trim. We don't know the circumstances of the OP's incident. Fortunately, it appears he or she is uninjured. What led to the incident? Did the OP have any kind of quality instruction prior to or during the event where the incident took place? You can do everything right and still have an incident like this, but the odds are against it happening if you are in the right environment with stringent safety and passing procedures and a good instructor. There is a large learning curve when you take your car to the track the first time.
My point is, take your car to the track, learn to be a better driver, learn your limits,and when you are ready, learn the car's limits. But do this at a sanctioned event such as NASA, SCCA, Porsche Club, BMW Club, Chin Motorsports, Hooked on Driving, etc., as opposed to an open lapping day (full-disclosure: I am an instructor with NASA and Porsche Club of America.) These events will usually have seasoned instructors to help you become a better driver, EMS personnel on site, and insurance in the event you are seriously injured. Ask how the instructors are vetted and ask if they are members of the Motorsport Safety Foundation (https://www.motorsport-safety.org/). I've never seen a serious incident in a HPDE (high-performance driving education) group. I feel safer at a NASA event at 120 MPH than I do in Denver rush hour traffic.
You can get track day insurance from Lockton and Hagerty that will insure your car in the unfortunate event you have an incident like the OP did.
Even if you only do 1 track weekend, it will open your eyes to what is possible in your car and give you some additional tools to be a better driver on the street.

WELL SAID!

This ^^^^^ is probably the only post in this entire thread worth reading.

If an inexperienced drivers goes out on track (or on the street) without instruction and turns off the traction control in a heavy, high-horsepower car, this is what can happen. If OP had done this on the street, he likely would have ended up in a ditch or tree with no corner workers, no tire barriers, and no EV standing by. Which would you prefer? This should be considered a lesson in why you DO take your car to the track and you DO keep your traction aids on and why you should be spending money on Instructor-led HPDE events and not cold air kits, fancy wheels, decals, or carbon fiber trim. Only one of these things (track time) will make you a better driver.

I've done Track Cross. While it is fun, it is timed and a competition event with no instruction. The low cost is very appealing. I don't like the cool down between runs-but that's just me. I prefer back to back laps where I can get consistent and work on my line, my setup, and learning my car's and my limits.

I'm not trying to say, "I told you so" but I've done well over 100 track events and I never had an "incident" until I had a full cage in my car and was racing wheel to wheel trying to get that last tenth or fighting for position.

Know your limits. The only trophy you'll get is your car shiny and right-side up at the end of the day.

 

[DivineStrike]

Are you still using the stock calibration? If not, your calibrator can adjust the pedal settings for Sport and Track to be linear like Normal. That would give you the desired linear pedal while getting the advantage of the more relaxed nannies in Sport (are these even relaxed to Normal?) and Track.

What calibration tool?

I too found the throttle a little too twitchy for my liking and usually run in sport mode on track. I instruct at HPDE events and honestly, I rarely drive my car at 10/10 even at events. I usually run at 8-9/10 unless one of the other instructors and I are out doing a lead follow or something like that to work on our skills. Most of the time I just pick one specific thing to work on each session and focus on that thing (a specific corner or technique for that matter). Often I see new drivers get way too focused on lap times instead of focusing on putting all the basic pieces together...if you do that then lap times will just happen. I'd rather have 6 consistent laps than inconsistent laps where I happen to luck upon gold once in a while. Seems like the OP has a great attitude. I'm glad you're OK and hope you get back out there.

Here is an article that I always give to new people starting out. I think it does a good summary of things to consider when getting into the sport and what platform is best for you going in.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...o-be-fast-until-you-get-rid-of-your-fast-car/

If you like sport mode better perhaps it’s the stability control you like more, because the throttle maps (for track and sport) are the same unless they’ve changed them over the past couple years.

But I agree, I found the linear nature of normal to be the best mode for any performance driving. I hate the irratic ramping of the sport modes. That said, if I could change them to a linear nature, I’d like them better as I’d enjoy the added leniency in stability control.

As for track days, I haven’t done one in a car yet, only my motorcycle. I’m definitely a little weary of doing them due to the danger of wrecking but would feel much more comfortable doing them in normal or sport mode and all nannies engaged. However I will say you can manipulate the throttle in such a way, in sport mode, that you can still do a 180 whenever you want ‍

And to add to promoting still going to track days, I totally agree, but I would first suggest going to an autocross to first feel the limits of your car as it will be much safer to actually experience them and pass them with nannies off and that is very important to learn.

 

[draconis123]

Anyone in the DMV want to take anything off this? It looks like I'll never get around to parting it out. I'm in Bowie MD. Part list is in the sig. Take your pick and name your price.

 

[NorthernBeast]

For any fellow Canadians here is a link to Track Day insurance: https://www.trackdayinsurance.ca/

 

[Fatguy]

For any fellow Canadians here is a link to Track Day insurance: https://www.trackdayinsurance.ca/

Figure 435.00 per day according to the Toronto Star:




https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.the...urance-available-for-tracks-lapping-days.html

 

[NorthernBeast]

Figure 435.00 per day according to the Toronto Star:




https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.the...urance-available-for-tracks-lapping-days.html

I was just quoted $295.20 from that website for single day. Most people aren't doing an entire weekend, but they offer up to 3 day coverage at a time

 

[Fatguy]

I was just quoted $295.20 from that website for single day. Most people aren't doing an entire weekend, but they offer up to 3 day coverage at a time

It sure beats smashing up your car, taking the bus for a few weeks, and driving some old shit box till you get in a position to buy new again.

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