Existential Benefits of Track Days

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
07/31/2018 at 16:01 • Filed to: None

I have found that there are two key benefits of running any sort of motorsport where you drive as fast as you can. Generally for a week or so after being on a track, I no longer feel the need to speed. It is like I have gotten all of the speed out of me and am content just cruising along at a moderate pace. Granted, I am still taking turns at breakneck pace and acceleration is still fun but just outright speed is unecessary right now. Then the other benefit is that I just drive WAY smoother everywhere. Taking turns, I will roll into the turn gently and manage throttle and steering inputs with care. Everything is a balance and smooth is fast. This slowly erodes over time until the next track day but in the mean time I just feel the zen of driving smoothly and quickly.

The best explanation I can come up with is from that time I read “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. Highly recommend a read of that to anyone and everyone. Although the book is actually incredibly sad and depressing, the racing aspects of it have stuck with me heavily. Being relaxed and smooth is more important than just being plain fast.

DISCUSSION (19)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:06

God I want a miata so bad. I may have to buy one next year.

His Stigness > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:12

Obviously I can relate to this. I’ve gotten so much smoother since we did Streets. And I can take corners faster now, but while being smoother.

And speaking of that, I “beat” a newer Infiniti the other day in my e-Golf because the guy couldn’t make a left turn at a light at speed. I was trying to make the light, so I had my foot in it, and he thought I was racing, so he sped up. Then he couldn’t make the turn. Considering I have zero tire in my e-Golf, and the guy had lots of tire, that’s pathetic. But then, most people can’t drive.

And that S2000 looks familiar. Is that same douche who kept spinning out at Streets in May?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/31/2018 at 16:13

ONE OF US. ONE OF US. ONE OF US. I always say if someone can physically fit in a Miata, then it is the perfect car for that person. That is pretty much the biggest downside I find, is that some people just plain cannot fit. If I was like a couple inches taller, there is no possible way I could own a Miata.

But yeah man, they are cheap and plentiful so dooooo it.

CompactLuxuryFan > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:13

I actually thought that was a pretty happy book! O f course it had conflict, but overall it’s kind of uplifting. Great one for sure! As for track days, I find even autocrossing and going karting have a similar effect. No matter who you are, if you have a driver license, you should be doing these things!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CompactLuxuryFan
07/31/2018 at 16:18

Well yeah that’s why I made sure to state that any motorsporting event will kind of do that to you. I found that it lasted less long though for autocross just because there was so little seat time. I was so physically exhausted after a day of karting and even moreso from a track day.

I think in general the book just depressed me because I kept putting myself in his shoes and thinking how devastated I would be. I just couldnt find a way around it in my head. Like sure the ending tied it together well but it was a rollercoaster. I thoroughly enjoyed it anyways.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:22

I may. BTW, they are filming “the art of racing in the rain” here right now

vicali > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
07/31/2018 at 16:33

Et tu eunos?

feather-throttle-not-hair > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:34

I definitely drive slower for about a week after a race.

My street car is much faster than my race car (in a straight line) and it feels really weird using the car’ s full acceleration.

Fucking exhausted for a while afterwards though. I went to the doctor like two days after a race a couple of months ago and my Dr was like “your blood pressure is pretty high, we need to do something about it” to which i replied “lets check back in a week, i’m pretty sure i’m just buzzed from racing a car”

Sure enough, a week later, my blood pressure was normal.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > His Stigness
07/31/2018 at 16:36

Haha no I think this was a different s2k, although this guy also went off right after this clip. I will upload that video at some point too. I gave him a point by as soon as I got to the straightaway after the gif section but he ended up going way too hot into the next turn after passing me. Then he went off into the dirt in a giant cloud.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > feather-throttle-not-hair
07/31/2018 at 16:40

Yup, my Subaru is wayyyyyy faster than the Miata and I daily that most days. It’s nice to just be able to cruise in that car without effort while still going quickly . I can’t really drive the Miata slow, its going slow regardless of what I do.

I definitely was exhausted the rest of the day on Sunday. Thankfully I drank like more than a gallon of water and a bottle of gatorade and had a huge salad for lunch. So at least I was well hydrated. And thanks to my Miata seat, my back is still feeling it as well. Monday was pretty rough but I am doing alright now.

3point8isgreat > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:48

This doesn’t help my choice dilemma for my next car. On one hand I REALLY want an ND. On the other hand I drive 500+ miles of boring highway every week and want something that’s quiet, comfortable, and gets good MPG , but still capable of fun. So I’m in a weird spot between wanting an ND and a Civic Si (the looks, while not great to me, are acceptable.)

His Stigness > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 16:56

Sounds like the same guy lol.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > 3point8isgreat
07/31/2018 at 17:12

I rented an ND RF and it did really well in the boring sections of HWY. Would recommend haha

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 3point8isgreat
07/31/2018 at 17:18

Miatas are definitely not quiet nor do they really get good gas mileage (compared to other low powered modern cars). But comfort is definitely there in a stock Miata and you can still eek out 30mpg without too much trouble. And stay above 20mpg even on the track all day!

I would say that my Miata definitely makes any sort of drive interesting. With the top down, I can have fun anywhere really. Highway driving is kind of really loud and boring but if there is scenery and any sort of turns, then it is the perfect car. I bought my Subaru primarily to have a car that could be more fun on long straight highways through the desert and make for a more useful daily driver.

I am a HUGE fan of the ND though, it is wayyyyy nicer than the older Miatas without feeling like it has really changed. Mazda really went back to their routes and I appreciate that. You still really wont ever get quiet in the car, but I enjoy the noise sometimes.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 17:40

Yeah, gotta stay hydrated! Its funny how my mind overrules signals from my body when its time to drive fast, its pretty easy to get myself into trouble that way if i’m not careful.

I need to get an NA or NB one of these days. Such good little cars.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > feather-throttle-not-hair
07/31/2018 at 18:01

It's why I can enjoy driving the miata fast, because it's really hard to exceed any speed limits in that car. Whereas the Subaru always wants to go faster. The car is always whispering in my ear that I can go faster around that turn or oh man how fun would it be to go 100 right now from 0 at this light. Thankfully the short gearing means I have to still work for speed in that car. The one time I drove a c7 corvette, hitting triple digits in third gear felt so dangerous!

MM54 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/31/2018 at 20:36

I have read that book, it is very good.

I’ve found a similar result from autocross where afterwards, things are so much more chill on the road.

Imstarved > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/01/2018 at 10:29

It’s not an uncommon thing really. Since I started tracking my cars, I’ve noticed a change in my daily driving. When I was tracking my Elise, commuting with my Civic CX was different, I didn’t feel the need to try to go fast on the highway.

Nowadays, my daily driver is a Challenger 392, which I tend to drive somewhat slowly (70mph on the highway) but I’m still having fun in the turns. My track car is actually quite a bit more powerful and faster but I don’t drive it on the road, even though it’s totally street legal.

Doing track days or racing brings you a different perspective for sure. Gets your need for speed out of your system for awhile. Driving on the track is also a darn good workout. I'm usually drained by the end of the day.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Imstarved
08/01/2018 at 11:31

I am always surprised at how tired I am after that. Especially in the heat, you just feel soooooo dead afterwards. I definitely felt it during the third heat and thankfully lunch and some rest made it so I could get through the fourth heat without dying and comfortably drive home. I slept well that night though for sure!