So you want to attend a track event...

[daviidwilson]

good stuff. and I need to check this again and have the spares/tools handy. yay.

Also don't feel too stupid about trailering your car to a track even if it's bone stock if the track is far from your home. Shit happens, spending a few bucks on a U-Haul trailer is good insurance against a few hundred dollar towing bill if/when something breaks on the track. A few years ago when I took my Camaro to Buttonwillow I discovered that 1 day of extreme punishment + 50 mile old carbon metallic brake pads + 3200 pound F-body = metal to metal goodness. (never even felt them go metal to metal until they were really destroyed) It would have really sucked to make the 3+ hour drive through L.A. with the front brakes grinding their way into the rotor. As it was I just drove it back onto the trailer and didn't worry about my brakes disappearing on the 210 freeway on the trip home

[leothedrummer]

Excellent thread, so many helpful points. It'll be a fair while before I'm out on track, but this has already made a difference.

[wouldrichest]

Ebert, Roper & Gaboriault give it :up: :up: :up:

I'd mostly just be worried about my engine blowing up since it's got 200k miles on it.

[Beemer Boy]

June 19th Marina, CA BMW CCA GGC Chapter Auto-X!

[Ferdinand]

Motor mounts should be considered a consumable on an E30 that is track driven. Make sure yours are good, or all kinds of hell will break loose.

It's amazing how much an engine will move around in the engine compartment if the mounts fails. Mine stuck the fan into the radiator.

[TomSuddard]

One thing I didn't see, sorry if I missed it. Motor mounts should be considered a consumable on an E30 that is track driven. Make sure yours are good, or all kinds of hell will break loose.

[Wh33lhop]

I've never gotten under a car without jackstands and a nice big shake test. As said a thousand times, you never know when those seals are going to fail. Never hurts to say it again.

[Dave]

Another option if you are, say, changing a flat on the side of the road, or otherwise without jack stands - the wheel you just removed - put it under the car - not as good, but provides something to break the fall if the car comes off the jack.

[JGood]

"7) Tools - bring what you can. If you can afford an aluminum jack, bring it. If you can afford an electric impact wrench, bring it. Will make changing tires and bleeding brake that much easier. Bring a box end wrench for your brake bleeding, and a set of sockets and matching wrenches. Screwdrivers. Jack stands... do not get under your car with only a hydraulic jack holding it up. Many of us are guilty of this and were lucky enough not to get hurt... don't gamble with your life."

Scary stuff there. Had a hydraulic jack go out on my while I was under my buddies e30, just behind the drivers side strut. Never boogied out from beneath something so fast in my life. Nor tweaked my back as badly and felt quite that stupid all at the same time. Needless to say: Jack stands. Get then. Use them. The end.

+1

I refuse to get under a car without jack stands. And along with those jackstands, I also have the jack under the car as well when possible, with just the slightest pressure (enough so that if a jack stand fails, the car won't move much, just shift weight from the jack stand to the jack).

Along those lines, be careful when lowering a car. I've been working on cars for years, and never once had a problem lowering one with a jack. Last year at New Jersey Motorsports Park, I was lowering my car, the jack was centered over the frame rail. It slipped off the frame rail, and the headers landed on the jack, supporting the weight of the car. I think this happened because NJMP requires you to have a wood board below your jack, and it wasn't allowing my jack to roll as the car lowered. Due to the laws of physics, something had to give...

[ck_taft325is]

"7) Tools - bring what you can. If you can afford an aluminum jack, bring it. If you can afford an electric impact wrench, bring it. Will make changing tires and bleeding brake that much easier. Bring a box end wrench for your brake bleeding, and a set of sockets and matching wrenches. Screwdrivers. Jack stands... do not get under your car with only a hydraulic jack holding it up. Many of us are guilty of this and were lucky enough not to get hurt... don't gamble with your life."

Scary stuff there. Had a hydraulic jack go out on my while I was under my buddies e30, just behind the drivers side strut. Never boogied out from beneath something so fast in my life. Nor tweaked my back as badly and felt quite that stupid all at the same time. Needless to say: Jack stands. Get then. Use them. The end.

[Red88]

That was a wonderful read.

[dlmrun2002]

After a long winter I look forward to my 1st track event with the BMWCCA NY chapter at the Poconos again.. zoom zoom
dlm

[BlackSpeed66]

Excellent thread. Thank you.

I'd like to try and attend some sort of car control or other "beginner" type event this summer to learn the ropes. Always nicer when you've got an idea of what's expected of you!

[So Live]

mmmm i wanna play



Great write up guys!!!

[Emre]

Is there an average cost for these events. I realize many are different, but I'd image there could be a rough estimate for the different types of events of what you could expect to spend on a weekend or day.

It all depends on the venue (parking lot, local track, premium track, etc.), the type of event (formal driving school, lapping day, autocross, solosprint, car control clinic/skid school, etc.), and the host organization (non-profit car club, commercial school, etc.).

Since we're BMW guys, most of us will probably start with the BMW CCA High-Performance Drivin School program. With the CCA, figure around $20-30 per day for autocross in a parking lot, ~$50 per day for a beginner's "ground school" (a.k.a., "skid school" or "car control clinic"), $125-150 per day for events at smaller venues (the local tracks), and up to $200-250 per day for events at premium venues. Premium venues would be the "brand-name" racetracks, like Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, Sebring, Mid Ohio, VIR, etc.

Prior to each event you need to have the car inspected by a qualified tech. That usually runs $30-50 at a good shop. But it can be free if you shop around a bit since lots of places offer free track inspections. You'll want to flush your brakes, so budget another $20-30 for a couple of liters of brake fluid. If you don't already have an approved helmet, then you'll have to add the cost of renting (if offered) or buying one. You can buy a G-Force or Pyrotech helmet for under $200, so it's not a major expense. Of course, you can always just borrow one from a buddy who rides bikes or races karts.

Other costs will include hotels (for multi-day events far from home), food, and gas. On top of that, there is accelerated wear-and-tear on your tires and brake pads. It's hard to know how much to budget because so much will depend on your car, how smooth you drive, how worn your tires and pads were to begin with, etc. Most novices will not experience significant tire wear for their first few track weekends as they won't be going fast enough to really chew them up. However, your front brake pads can take a beating, especially since most track n00bs drag their brakes, which introduces tons of heat into the system.

All in all, I think if you budget around $500 for a 2-day weekend for an event not too far from home it would be pretty realistic.