First HPDE Completed

"Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish" (mrfist) 04/03/2017 at 15:07 • Filed to: FiST, Track Day, NJMP

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I did my first HPDE with the BMW CCA this weekend and it was awesome. I brought my FiST out and it did pretty well in a field of much higher horsepower cars. I got 8 separate 24 minute sessions on the Thunderbolt course at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.

My FiST and my grandfather’s E30 M3

I was in the beginner group with a whole lot of newer M-cars, a tuned S60R, a Hellcat, Audi S6, GT500, ‘17 Camaro SS, C63S, and some others. I had a great instructor who helped me a lot and got me to the point where I was comfortable on the track. I definitely improved my driving and understanding while I was out there and I really started to understand what the Fiesta is capable of. The Fiesta was getting crushed in the straights by almost everything my run group but when it came to the corners I was able to sneak up on a lot of the faster cars. We had 2 in our group spin out (Hellcat and S60R) but it wasn’t a big deal and we were all out there learning and having fun. There is so much more to learn in the FiST before I even think about stepping up to something with more power.

#42!

The car did get a little hot twice so I had to take things slow for about 30 seconds each and then I was back on the power.

AfromanGTO > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 15:11

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And you slept like a rock that night.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > AfromanGTO 04/03/2017 at 15:13

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Had no idea it would kick my ass like that. I struggled to get up for the second day.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 15:20

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Was this your first time doing any track/auto-x as well? I want to start but I’m truth be told, I’m really nervous since I’ve only been driving a manual for a year (I’ve been driving an auto before that). And I’m nervous about getting in the way of others on the track.

BeaterGT > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 15:22

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Good to hear! I’ll have a new toy to bring next time :)

What’d you think of Thunderbolt?

Stapleface > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 15:23

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Sounds like a fun time. I’d be worried I’d wreck my car. Or more accurately, someone would run into me.

I would also never run in a CVT equipped Civic, so I guess it’s a moot point.

fourvalleys > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 04/03/2017 at 15:24

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If you’re nervious at all, the obvious answer is:
Autocross —> HSAX —> HPDE

Do one until you’re ready to try the next one.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > fourvalleys 04/03/2017 at 15:29

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Interesting. I always would’ve thought auto-x would’ve been harder since there’s less runoff’s. Any suggestions on how to pick a first auto-x?

just-a-scratch > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 04/03/2017 at 15:35

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Don’t worry that you are not the most talented or experienced. That’s a darn good reason to get involved. Just don’t let yourself get sucked into trying to be fast/win. You’re not going to; not the first time. Go, have fun, and bring it back in one piece. Everything’s gonna be OK.

That said, you do need to do some preparation. Most importantly, make sure the suspension (especially bushings and ball joints) and brakes have lots of life left in them. Failures in either system are serious.

fourvalleys > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 04/03/2017 at 15:45

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A good autocross site will usually have plenty of runoff. I’ve seen some things go horribly wrong at autocross events (contact with a jersey barrier, FR-S into a lake, slide a car into a curb, etc) but generally they’re safer than going 100+ mph at the track. I wouldn’t worry too much as long as it’s a bigger SCCA event - they have specific distance rules that smaller groups might not follow.

It looks like you’re in the Bay Area? I know there are a few SCCA chapters out that way - might be a good place to start. Have fun!

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > BeaterGT 04/03/2017 at 16:08

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Thunderbolt was a lot of fun, I think it was a good track to start learning on. Every one was telling me I should try and make it down to Shenandoah for an event too.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Stapleface 04/03/2017 at 16:09

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That’s what track insurance is for. It cost me $150 but was worth the peace of mind, especially when a Hellcat is trailing you and an M5 is in front of you.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 04/03/2017 at 16:12

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It was my first time doing any thing of the sort. It was a blast and I wouldn’t worry, once you’re on the track you probably won’t be shifting much anyway. I was in 4th almost the whole way ‘round up until the straight where I would hit 5th and just back down to 4th after that. And you’re allowed to get in the way. That’s what the passing signals are for, everyone is out there learning.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > fourvalleys 04/03/2017 at 16:29

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That’s reassuring to hear. Time to look up helmets then I guess.

Yep, Bay area. Will check out the local scca to see what’s out here. Thanks for the advice!

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 16:30

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Cool! I might try hooked on driving since I hear they’re one of the better ones to attend as your first track day. Were you able to rent a helmet? Or did you have to purchase one before?

fourvalleys > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 04/03/2017 at 16:33

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The only thing I’d caution is that at an HPDE you may be out there with someone who shouldn’t be. That’s why I’d recommend Autocross or HSAX first - you’re the only car out there. Figure out the car first, rather than figuring it out while trying to figure out when and where to point someone by.

Having the lead-follow sessions at HPDEs are a great way to learn the line and how the track should feel... but it’s way easy to get yourself into trouble if you don’t know how to drive at the limit. Learning to drive at the limit shouldn’t be done at high speed.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > fourvalleys 04/03/2017 at 17:12

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That’s a good point. I didn’t think about that. I might try a few auto-xs first and see how I like it.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 17:14

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lol, yeah, I forgot to tell you about that part.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 17:43

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I wish they did stuff like this near me. I want to “track day bro” too

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 04/03/2017 at 17:56

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I bought a helmet but they were available to rent too. In my HPDE everyone kind of started off slow and many of the instructors took the student cars out for the first laps so you could get an idea of what the track was like. Generally we weren’t right on each other’s asses but it happened if there was a slow car in the front. I would say get track insurance and get to an HPDE. It’s so much fun and you learn so much.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > CaptDale - is secretly British 04/03/2017 at 17:58

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There has got to be somewhere close-ish for you to do a track day, bro.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 18:19

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Buttonwillow, but that is still 100 miles away

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > CaptDale - is secretly British 04/03/2017 at 18:20

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I drove 123 miles to get to NJMP. It’s far but was well worth it.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 18:25

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Well I guess i will have to give it a go then.

Stapleface > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 19:51

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So if there was an incident it wouldn’t go through your regular insurance at all? That I can certainly get behind.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Stapleface 04/03/2017 at 20:17

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Exactly, your track insurance would have you covered. My uncle just had to use his because he was letting a friend drive his Z4 and it got wrecked pretty good, he paid the deductible and they gave him the value of the car.

AfromanGTO > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 21:26

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My buddy and I almost fell asleep at chic-fil-a afterwards. I slept so long and hard that night. lol

Stapleface > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 22:28

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Nice!

BeaterGT > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/03/2017 at 22:30

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Definitely a good track to learn on, I have only had the chance to take an R8 around it. Love the section before the straight and the first few corners.

fourvalleys > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 04/04/2017 at 09:17

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Addendum -

If you get track insurance, double check the deductibles. A 15% deductible doesn’t necessarily mean 15% of the insured value - it’s 15%, minimum $3500 . So if you pay for track insurance with a 15% deductible and have an incident, you’re still on the hook for $3500 plus what you already paid. The 10% deductible is a minimum of around $2200.

Hey, still better than paying to replace your whole car yourself.