Taking my G70 to the track

[Husky]

Well that sucks! I can see them denying a claim if you crash at the track, obviously, but one could make an argument that you should get a damn discount for having track experience, where you learn to control your car at the limit instead of just freaking out (or not knowing where the limit is even). So screwed up.

 

[Husky]

I hate insurance companies for their short sightedness. They won't cover a medical checkup or some preventative procedure, but they end up paying 100x as much when you get really sick instead.

 

[ephone1]

Be careful posting on Forums your trips to a Track Day. I know most of the major insurance companies, including the one I retired from, have a dedicated department researching individuals daily, both specific and randomly. You will have a hard time with rates if you are found to be a participant in an organzied activity such as this.
The IT guys/girls in this department are excellent at there jobs and know how to find names, compare vehicles being talked about and will note your file. You won't know until you get the "letter" and then go to another company who will have access to this information and also use it against you. Big Brother is Watching.

I wouldn't expect my insurance company to cover my car while on track, so I can't understand why an insurance company would, other than preventing a fraudulent claim.

 

[Husky]

Of course not. I think he was saying they wouldn't want to cover you, any time, if you were the type to track your car.

 

[EdP]

Of course not. I think he was saying they wouldn't want to cover you, any time, if you were the type to track your car.

Exactly.
Situation: You are in the passenger seat on the highway. Traffic is moving and suddenly there is a major problem when a truck ahead goes out of control

Who do you prefer to be your driver?
A A trained and experience track driver that knows how to handle his car under a lot of different and fast changing circumstances.

B An middle age driver that has never gone above 50 mph and even stops on yellow lights.

Your insurance company likes B and despises A in spite of qualifications and ability.

 

[randomfrequency]

Took mine up to area 27 in July, the sport mode was probably way better at shifting than I ever would be.

They have the option at the end where you can sign a waiver and one of their instructors takes you out in your car... Yeah, I have a long way to go

 

[canucklehead604]

^ how many laps could you run at a time before needing to cool down? and how did the stock brakes hold up? i looked into Area 27 and they have a bunch of requirements or upgrades/maintenance required to run there. i assume you swapped out the brake fluid too.

and what speed did you hit on the straightaway? i was at the kart track in July, then watched the action on the main track for a while. awesome facility.

 

[randomfrequency]

I've got the 3.3 sport, with the euro performance brakes. They held out pretty well, very little fade as far as I could tell, but I am a novice.

I didn't swap out the brake fluid(meh), performance wasn't impacted - it's more of the durability and lifespan of the fluid, which if you heat it very high will increase the amount of water it absorbs in a shorter period of time.

190 kph on the straightaway, once. That was .. terrifying. I usually got to about 160/175 before having to brake.

One person mentioned "I could catch you on the straight away, but after the first turn you were just gone.. what do you have in there?"

The required 'upgrades', well, no one was checking. Also the sport version had them anyways(brake vents, etc), other than the brake fluid(need to confirm that one).

I think just about after midday the car started leaving the fans on when we finished lapping and pulled into the pit- temps were as reported earlier, never went above what I normally experience day to day.

The car will register 400lbs of torque though..

 

[canucklehead604]

190 kph on the straightaway, once. That was .. terrifying. I usually got to about 160/175 before having to brake.

One person mentioned "I could catch you on the straight away, but after the first turn you were just gone.. what do you have in there?"

^ sounds like a blast.

last year i hit 220 kmh (or was it 230...) on a track in Portugal in a Cayman GTS. awesome time. definitely gets the heart pounding.

the pro hit over 230 on the intro lap to show me the track. he definitely carried more speed onto the front straight.

 

[Husky]

Took mine up to area 27 in July, the sport mode was probably way better at shifting than I ever would be.

They have the option at the end where you can sign a waiver and one of their instructors takes you out in your car... Yeah, I have a long way to go

Yeah, it's pretty eye opening (and sometimes terrifying) what a professional or highly experienced driver can do on a track, especially when he/she is driving your car and you thought maybe you weren't doing too badly, haha. It's also scarier being the passenger of course.
I remember getting a ride in a BMW M4, driven by one of their instructors, around the NH speedway road coarse. It was amazing! I may have left a dent in the floor from trying to brake, haha. He made it look like a walk in the park.

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[randomfrequency]

I .. kind of knew what I was getting into with it, and what they were capable of. Different being in the passenger side, but I was too busy being analytical about what he was doing and taking notes in my head to be scared.

Also, I really don't like being in the passenger seat, the driver's seat is much more comfortable.

 

[randomfrequency]

The time it took to get to 190 and the amount of braking I had to do set off the ABS and collision alarms when the driver ahead of me wasn't going that speed.

Also, if I never feel the ABS go off again, I will be happy about that. On the drive back, some asshats from Alberta in a giant truck slammed to a halt in front of me when I had the adaptive cruise control on. Made me rethink what to set the follow distance to in the future.

 

[Aquineas]

The time it took to get to 190 and the amount of braking I had to do set off the ABS and collision alarms when the driver ahead of me wasn't going that speed.

Also, if I never feel the ABS go off again, I will be happy about that. On the drive back, some asshats from Alberta in a giant truck slammed to a halt in front of me when I had the adaptive cruise control on. Made me rethink what to set the follow distance to in the future.

Really don't get the stupidity of some people sometime.

 

[Matt3366]

Can’t wait to do an auto cross or a track day.

 

[EdP]

Took my G80 to the track a couple of weeks ago. Found a good parking spot not far from the entrance. Yeah, fun watching the races.

 

[Matt3366]

Does anyone know what class the SCCA has the G70 3.3 turbo for autocross?

 

[Volfy]

Did two days of Track Sprint at MSR Houston this weekend. It was an absolute blast. I like this format better than an all-out Track Day. Instead of going balls to the wall for 20mins which can be really rough on the car, this lets you run a full lap around the track, then wait at the grid for the next run. This allows the engine/tranny/diff/shocks/tires/etc. to cool down between runs, while still gives you the repetition to hone your driving skills.

Best thing is, my son and I both got to run the event in our Stinger and G70.

 

[Husky]

Oh man, that's awesome. That would be a blast. I haven't done that in a very long time. I'm less than an hour away from New Hampshire International Speedway, but I've never gotten around to figuring out what group I could go with, etc... (My son and I did some karting there about 15 years ago).
Unfortunately I'd need to get another set of wheels with some good summer tires.

 

[Volfy]

Oh man, that's awesome. That would be a blast. I haven't done that in a very long time. I'm less than an hour away from New Hampshire International Speedway, but I've never gotten around to figuring out what group I could go with, etc... (My son and I did some karting there about 15 years ago).
Unfortunately I'd need to get another set of wheels with some good summer tires.

You can always check with SCCA and/or NASA to see if there is a regional chapter in your area, or nearby area. Houston SCCA is local here, but I've also attended events hosted by Texas Region SCCA, which cover the DFW area.

There are also other event organizers that might host events near you. Some are national, like Chin Track Days. Others are local, which might be tied to track venue(s) in your area.

We started this back last year, mostly to introduce my oldest to HPDE, but I'd be lying if I say I'm not enjoying the heck out of it as well.

 

[Husky]

Good info, thanks.