"gettingoldercarguy" (gettingoldercarguy)
07/25/2019 at 14:29 • Filed to: None
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"gettingoldercarguy" (gettingoldercarguy)
07/25/2019 at 14:29 • Filed to: None | 2
| 9 |
Another Oppo and I are talking about doing a track day three years out at Laguna Seca . I know that’s a seemingly silly time frame, but with my young children it’s not reasonable to leave my wife for many days so I can go play cars. Three years is what we agreed to.
My question is, what should we look for/avoid regarding companies and time of year? Any additional input is welcome.
RallyWrench
> gettingoldercarguy
07/25/2019 at 14:54 |
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In your own cars, or driving school? For trackdays, I’ve had good experiences with Hooked on Driving and Speedventures, if they’ve got dates that far out. It’s good all year, but can get uncomfortably hot (for people and cars) in the bowl of the track during summer months and it’s heavily booked so dates are less likely . Fall is the best season , but you may find deals on winter dates if you’re willing to run the risk of driving in the rain, because they’re often less than fully booked.
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gettingoldercarguy
> RallyWrench
07/25/2019 at 15:00 |
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Thanks!
Our o
wn
cars. I’ve usually done PCA and BMWCCA events, I’m now checking to see what time of year they have events. Fall or winter sounds great.
His Stigness
> gettingoldercarguy
07/25/2019 at 15:06 |
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WWD and I use SpeedVentures primarily, but he used another group for Buttonwillow which was cheaper and you got more runs in.
I would recommend signing up for notifications with SpeedVentures, and look at their current calendar to get an idea when they’ll be running at Laguna Seca, the dates are usually the same year after year.
But specifically to your question always check the forums for a group running a track day, and hopefully try to find other reviews online.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> gettingoldercarguy
07/25/2019 at 15:33 |
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Hey, that’s me! Haha too bad there isnt a way to actually tag oppo users through kinja but I dont want to ask for new features for fears of UI changes breaking everything as usual...
Anyways, did you have a specific track in mind? I ask this because of the time of year question. Here in my local area, I have been frequenting Buttonwillow which is inland a bit and gets very hot in the summer/fall timeframe. These 100F+ days lead to extra stress on most every component and so it is certainly less advisable to race then. We have mild winters and limited rainfall in general so its easier to find other less hot times there. Other areas of the country you are limited by winter being undriveable for normal track days and summer is still just as unpleasant anyways. In general though, track days usually start early so even in the hottest of climates, the morning sessions should be fine. Then as the day goes, the pack thins out because of people quitting early from the heat. This is why I enjoy having a simple car like a stock engined Miata. I can use that empty track towards the end of the day and have some fun bettering my times.
For companies, its certainly best to have advice from someone who has actually gone to an event in an area. For my first track day, I just winged it and hoped for the best. It worked out and now I go back to as many events with that group that I can. At the events, I ask others about what groups are good/bad and have added additional groups to my portfolio of options from this data. Sort of like networking I guess. I frequent motorsportreg.com to look up events in my area and that leads me to most of my options. I also had gone to a local Miata shop for my alignment and they recommended another group that I am looking to check out soon. If you are in either the Northeast or here in Socal, I can make more specific recommendations too.
EDIT: I missed the part where you said Laguna Seca already lol. Speed Ventures is good but they only run there once per year. That track will cost more than others in general so just finding the cheapest groups to run there is your best bet. The real “bottom dwelling dirtbag” groups (these exist in California 100%) dont run at that track. So just use a service like motorsportreg (not everything is on there unfortunately) and just pick the dates and location you want. The track itself should also have a website listing reserved dates pretty far out. From there you can look up the groups running and see what fits your needs/skills/cars
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gettingoldercarguy
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/25/2019 at 15:40 |
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We’re in the PNW, so it’s a jaunt down the five or 101. Looking at Laguna Seca, have to confirm dates but it's far enough out that we have plenty of time to figure that out. It looks like summer is kinda crappy although my cooling system will be up to snuff I just don't like the heat.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> His Stigness
07/25/2019 at 15:43 |
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That other group was Turn8 Track days. I solely went because it was cheap as hell. $104 for five 20 minute sessions?? Can’t beat that! It turned out okay but I have heard bad stories about some of the ~$100 groups. Even so, at this group there were people doing donuts at the end of the event and it in general wasnt well organized. But the sessions happened exactly to the minute of what the schedule said and it was safe on track. It also helped that I was super familiar with the track and had a little bit of experience already in general. They were also a new group with only one other event ever held. So I would say avoid trying to get the best discount and go moreso for the best established groups that are a bit more popular. They may cost more, but they may also have more stringent safety rules and better beginner programs.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> gettingoldercarguy
07/25/2019 at 15:48 |
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At Laguna, the heat concern is definitely not nearly as big of a deal. Crowds and availability of slots is the bigger problem there. For a data point, I was there in mid June and it was a high in the low 60s that day. So It was almost cold to be honest. The sun didnt come out and there was a threat of rain for parts of the day. This year has been particularly cooler in general but that track is near the ocean and gets decent weather.
There are definitely also tracks further north in Cali that are worth considering and could be an easier drive. Sonoma would be a good example. Thunderhill as well. But of course Laguna Seca is special and I have already declared I am making it an annual thing, regardless of the 4+ hour drive to get there.
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gettingoldercarguy
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/25/2019 at 15:54 |
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Yeah, doing it for the track . I have three good tracks within two hours of me with one being thirty minutes out.
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gettingoldercarguy
> His Stigness
07/25/2019 at 15:58 |
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Awesome, thanks! Checking them out now.