First Track Day

[proorange]

Attended a Time Trial event at the Talladega Gran Prix Raceway(1.4 mile) Saturday October 1. First time on a road course and the experience was fantastic.
I have a 16 GTPP with a Cora Extreme Cat-Back system, PMAS and a Palm Beach Dyno tune. Put the stock PP wheels and tires back on it and drove 2 hours to the track.

I've drag raced 30+yrs with the NMCA, NMRA, ORSCA and local Outlaw 10.5 stuff and never saw myself deviating from straight line racing. Had no idea what I was missing. It was the best time I've ever had driving/racing a car.

We had 5 sessions, 3 twenty minute sessions and 2 fifteen minute session.
Started the first session just feeling out the car and track and managed a 1:15.7. Every session I picked up and in the final session I clicked off a 1:10.0 lap.

The track staff and racers were fantastic making an already great experience even better. Now I'm making a list of handling equipment starting with tires and swapping the BMR SP080 springs for the SP083R.

Attached is the video of the last session. Lap 5 was my best lap.

[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]RiN_BPz7MCc[/MEDIA]"]

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[Plimmer]

Thanks for sharing, now you are hooked for sure. I did the same thing, started drag racing and realized I was going home sometimes with 3 runs that lasted 14secs at most, what a waste of time. Then I started track days and realized I could beat on my car for 2.5 to 3 hours a day vs 45 seconds.

You have some great tracks near you. If you liked lil Tallie, then Road Atlanta and Barber will blow your mind.................

 

[jabrax]

Where and how did you mount your camera, or are you using a phone?

 

[proorange]

Where and how did you mount your camera, or are you using a phone?

I'm using the MMR GoPro Mount.

 

[strengthrehab]

No instructor? How do you get on-track for first time solo"

 

[proorange]

No instructor? How do you get on-track for first time solo"

Had an instructor the first 4 sessions and he decided I could make the last one solo.

 

[strengthrehab]

Had an instructor the first 4 sessions and he decided I could make the last one solo.

Gottcha.

 

[ddozier]

The track staff and racers were fantastic making an already great experience even better. Now I'm making a list of handling equipment starting with tires and swapping the BMR SP080 springs for the SP083R.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the GFCP (Go Fast Crack Pipe) and road course track use. I am glad you had a great experience and are ready to do more.

A word of advice from a guy that started like you only I did autocross for 5 years before I did my first real road course event and have never been on an autocross again after 15+ years of HPDE driving.

My advice is to spend you time and money working on the driver and not working on the car. The Mustang GTPP is a very capable platform as it is and it may be years of practice before you get all you can get out of the car and will need to make major improvements to the power or suspension of that setup. If lap times are important to you and you want to improve them as fast as possible hire a private drivers coach or attend a professional drivers school. What you need now more than anything else is seat time and proper instruction.

There is so much to learn about how to get a car around a track as fast and safely as possible. Most guys fall into a trap of spending money on mods to make them self faster on track, the problem is they are making the car faster not the driver. The best example I can give is have a pro-level driver drive your car around the track with you in the passenger seat, it is going to be quite humbling as you will likely find him/her to be quite a bit faster than you in the same setup. The driver makes up nearly all of the go fast equation on a road course.

Ask questions there are many here that are willing to help now the you have taken a hit from the GFCP.

Dave

 

[stoli]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the GFCP (Go Fast Crack Pipe) and road course track use. I am glad you had a great experience and are ready to do more.

A word of advice from a guy that started like you only I did autocross for 5 years before I did my first real road course event and have never been on an autocross again after 15+ years of HPDE driving.

My advice is to spend you time and money working on the driver and not working on the car. The Mustang GTPP is a very capable platform as it is and it may be years of practice before you get all you can get out of the car and will need to make major improvements to the power or suspension of that setup. If lap times are important to you and you want to improve them as fast as possible hire a private drivers coach or attend a professional drivers school. What you need now more than anything else is seat time and proper instruction.

There is so much to learn about how to get a car around a track as fast and safely as possible. Most guys fall into a trap of spending money on mods to make them self faster on track, the problem is they are making the car faster not the driver. The best example I can give is have a pro-level driver drive your car around the track with you in the passenger seat, it is going to be quite humbling as you will likely find him/her to be quite a bit faster than you in the same setup. The driver makes up nearly all of the go fast equation on a road course.

Ask questions there are many here that are willing to help now the you have taken a hit from the GFCP.

Dave

Spot on. After I switched from drag racing to track days I was initially gung-ho on making suspension changes until I went to Sebring and saw a couple of guys in bone-stock GTs that were turning laps a full 10 seconds quicker than I was. That was humbling and enlightening at the same time.

Since then I've only upgraded brake pads, fluid, and added camber plates to try and get some extra life from my tires.

 

[EFI]

How are you allowed to be by yourself full speed with never ever setting foot on a road course before?

Maybe my club is just friggin hardcore when it comes to allowing drivers on their own.

Edit: nevermind I see that you did have an instructor...but still you got to go out on your own after 4 sessions.

 

[strengthrehab]

How are you allowed to be by yourself full speed with never ever setting foot on a road course before?

Maybe my club is just friggin hardcore when it comes to allowing drivers on their own.

I asked the same. He answered. Had an instructor for 4 sessions then solo for 5th (last session).

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