First time at the track
- Thread starter Dtrigg
- Start date
BTW, regarding the question of why more folks aren't posting on this topic about taking their NSXs to the track - I think a lot of the posts here, and the material in the links provided here, cover a lot of good background information for the novice.
One thing I'd like to add, which DanO didn't exactly say in his excellent post above but sort of implied it, is this: When you're starting out, concentrate on learning and driving the line first, and not on driving as fast as you can. Then, as you learn the line and get consistent with it, you can add speed incrementally. If you try to drive fast before you have learned the line, you will have a much more difficult time.
One more comment: The basic principle in the line (as the fastest way around the track) is "maximum possible radius through the turns". As a result of this principle, you can drive the line faster than you can drive away from the line. Drive the line and you will find that you can often add speed. Drive away from the line and you often can't.
One thing I'd like to add, which DanO didn't exactly say in his excellent post above but sort of implied it, is this: When you're starting out, concentrate on learning and driving the line first, and not on driving as fast as you can. Then, as you learn the line and get consistent with it, you can add speed incrementally. If you try to drive fast before you have learned the line, you will have a much more difficult time.
One more comment: The basic principle in the line (as the fastest way around the track) is "maximum possible radius through the turns". As a result of this principle, you can drive the line faster than you can drive away from the line. Drive the line and you will find that you can often add speed. Drive away from the line and you often can't.
Thanks Ken! This sounds like sage advice for a newbie like me. I too will be taking my car on the track for the first time in early June at Shannonville (outside of Kingston, Ontario)--the snow should be gone by then
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I am taking the class instruction first, to get some understanding before heading out. I am a little concerned about wear and tear (I tend to be anal about detailing)--do you protect the front of your car with a bra? Perhaps stone chips are not an issue if you stay on the track...I can't wait to see what an NSX can do in its intended environment!
. I am taking the class instruction first, to get some understanding before heading out. I am a little concerned about wear and tear (I tend to be anal about detailing)--do you protect the front of your car with a bra? Perhaps stone chips are not an issue if you stay on the track...I can't wait to see what an NSX can do in its intended environment!
bonzo said:
I tend to be anal about detailing, too. I don't use a bra on my cars, on the street or on the track. I had one on a previous car and it tended to abrade the paint at certain spots, so I've given up on that. If the front end gets bigger stone chips, I touch them up, and smaller ones ("road rash") I don't worry about, figuring that they're inevitable.
I find that I don't get stones or gravel kicked onto my front end at the track, but I do get marbles (tiny chunks of rubber) kicked onto it. When I go home after a track event, I usually find 6-12 good sized black marks on the front end of the car. Zymol HD-Cleanse usually removes them just fine.
Thanks! Just gives me another excuse to spend a Saturday morning detailing. I guess I'll just have to learn how to lead the pack around the track...
