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Chin Track Days

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Boone

Professional Thread Killer
Has anyone run with Chin Track Days? I'm trying to expand my track radius, and they run most of the good tracks on the eastern half of the US. Specifically, I'm trying to schedule an event in Florida in the fall. Need to go visit my mother around that time, and I'd like to work in Daytona or Sebring.
 
Has anyone run with Chin Track Days? I'm trying to expand my track radius, and they run most of the good tracks on the eastern half of the US. Specifically, I'm trying to schedule an event in Florida in the fall. Need to go visit my mother around that time, and I'd like to work in Daytona or Sebring.

I haven’t personally run with Chin. Several people I’ve talked to who have run with Chin describe the group as professional and said it was a good experience. They didn’t say anything negative.

It might be worth noting that they did say the majority of cars were high end. Ie, Ferrari, Lotus, Lamborghini, etc. So, you might be on track with some very expensive cars.
 

Boone

Professional Thread Killer
I perused the pictures from some of the events before I started this thread, and I agree there are some serious high end rides on track. I took that as I sign it may be a little pricey to keep out the riffraff like me. :confused: I only do 2 or 3 track weekends per year, so we'll see what the costs add up to. If I'm traveling, which would be the point of Chin in the first place, I know the cost is already going to jump.
 
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It’s the best HPDE group I have ever run with. The only reason I run with any other group is because of my personal schedule conflicting with the Chin calendar.

If you run with them, don’t get offended when they bump you down to the intermediate solo group or even into the beginner solo group. The driving skills and standards are much higher than other clubs. The intermediate solo group really equates to an advanced group in most other clubs, especially if you run with TrackDaz or HOD.

The Chin advanced group is kind of like a race practice group with a point by. Passing is mandatory anywhere on track. If you don’t give a point by, regardless of where you are or how you feel about it, you can get dropped from the group. Same goes for not taking a point by. You won’t get dropped immediately, but if the organizers think it’s more than a one time incident, they are going to have a discussion with you. You need to be comfortable two and three abreast in brake zones and side by side in corners. You will frequently find yourself on track with pro drivers and teams testing for upcoming races in the advanced group.

There’s a benefit to the high standards expected of Chin drivers - you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the other drivers even if you have not run with them before.

Chin only has three run groups which means lots of track time. Up to three hours a day at most tracks. Chin does cost a little more, but it is actually a pretty good value for the amount of time you get at each event.

Finally, if you are having trouble or want some pointers regardless of your group, their staff will set you up with some coaching for a session or you can go out in a ride along.
 
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38
28
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
NorCal
Or, if cost is a concern, look up Track Night in America. I ran with them at Daytona in May. It’s definitely a lot less organized than my experience with HOD, but they’re still a great group of people. And I only paid like ~$150 (I forget the exact price)
 
I 2nd what 2012-Boss says. I have run with Chin at Road Atlanta several times. Their driver meetings are professional and to the point. They do a driver meeting for everyone and then break into run groups for a brief meeting. If running in intermediate or advanced, you do not have to sit through another flag presentation.

The other cool thing they do is first session of the day is a 30 minute warm up session for everyone and the last session of the day is a 60 minute open session for all run groups. That session is a lot of fun.

My first time running with them was a little intimidating with the passing in corners, but after one session, it was a blast. Passing in the esses or while coming down the hill into turn 12 adds a little pucker factor! I would highly recommend running with them if you get a chance.
 
I have run with Chin many times at Barber. Great group. At Barber they usually run four 30 min sessions per group plus an hour and 15 min open session at the end of the day. I almost never use all the time available. Expect to be on track with some fast cars and drivers in the intermediate and advanced groups. Don’t worry. It is fun.
 

j3st3r

Brian S.
604
376
Tennessee
I am an instructor for Chin and have run with them before I was, and it is a GREAT group/organization to run with. Not sure any other group out there goes to more tracks
 

Boone

Professional Thread Killer
I thought of that while writing. I totally understand she is in control of both things (life span... thus # of tracks). Truth is, my wife is so awesome, if she wanted me dead, I must deserve to be dead... so be it. We still get excited when the other of us comes through the front door. I little sickening, but I wish all couples could have what I am so fortunate to have. Sorry if any of you just threw up in your mouth, but I started this thread, so I can turn it into a love letter to my bride if I wish. :p And a "like" goes out to TMSBOSS.
 

Duane Black

Curbs go brrrppp
567
401
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Durham, NC
I'm the one guy who had a bad experience with Chin and despise the group to this day. Classroom session felt like the chief bragging. He shows us photos of all these Ferrari drivers he coached and spent 2 hours talking about how technical sebring is. Maybe, but I guess he'd need 10 hours to cover VIR.

My instructor needed an instructor. total asshat PCA guy who they made run blue. Told me the wrong line to run and literally all he knew how to talk about. after 2 hour class on the line. I run that way, he says "well that's the way I run " at this point I'm livid.

I end up getting half off Vir day for it. Bunch of Ferrari and Porsche. I dont know how many corvettes, porsches, etc you got to run down with a v6 mustang to get moved up, but I didn't hit the number.

All these groups claim their advanced is the most advanced. they can mostly stuff it. Chins advanced is fast because it's cars that cost a middle class house.


But, I'm the only guy who has that experience with Chin. I've literally met no one who despises this group as much as I do. I appreciated the vir compensation but it still pisses me off to this day that I took all the time to go to Florida to run this group, asked NOT to have an instructor, they still charged me $75 and insisted I needed one, then my instructor is literally wrong on how to drive the track, and he took away my warm up time insisting I ride with him to see how to drive.

He also asks me to slow down because he's not comfortable with mustang's.

Seriously.

So while I'm the one with problems, chin can go screw itself for what I'm concerned. So many others like instruction apparently. I didn't mind until this clown in Florida. After that I avoided in car instructors at all costs. Skipped two tarheel events until I knew I'd get an instructor I knew and liked.

I hope your time goes better than mine. I just stick to instructing in NASA now.

All that said, I might go get MSF2 certified. chins night session at sebring looks cool
 

j3st3r

Brian S.
604
376
Tennessee
I'm the one guy who had a bad experience with Chin and despise the group to this day. Classroom session felt like the chief bragging. He shows us photos of all these Ferrari drivers he coached and spent 2 hours talking about how technical sebring is. Maybe, but I guess he'd need 10 hours to cover VIR.

My instructor needed an instructor. total asshat PCA guy who they made run blue. Told me the wrong line to run and literally all he knew how to talk about. after 2 hour class on the line. I run that way, he says "well that's the way I run " at this point I'm livid.

I end up getting half off Vir day for it. Bunch of Ferrari and Porsche. I dont know how many corvettes, porsches, etc you got to run down with a v6 mustang to get moved up, but I didn't hit the number.

All these groups claim their advanced is the most advanced. they can mostly stuff it. Chins advanced is fast because it's cars that cost a middle class house.


But, I'm the only guy who has that experience with Chin. I've literally met no one who despises this group as much as I do. I appreciated the vir compensation but it still pisses me off to this day that I took all the time to go to Florida to run this group, asked NOT to have an instructor, they still charged me $75 and insisted I needed one, then my instructor is literally wrong on how to drive the track, and he took away my warm up time insisting I ride with him to see how to drive.

He also asks me to slow down because he's not comfortable with mustang's.

Seriously.

So while I'm the one with problems, chin can go screw itself for what I'm concerned. So many others like instruction apparently. I didn't mind until this clown in Florida. After that I avoided in car instructors at all costs. Skipped two tarheel events until I knew I'd get an instructor I knew and liked.

I hope your time goes better than mine. I just stick to instructing in NASA now.

All that said, I might go get MSF2 certified. chins night session at sebring looks cool

Good to have feedback from both sides, I will say a lot of these groups are only as good as their instructors, and quite honestly there are a lot that need to either go, or learn what a true instructor should be. See a lot that are only out there to get track time and they take a totally green student and halfway through 1st day they want to solo them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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I have never had to have an instructor with Chin, other than a check ride out of region. So, I can’t comment on the volunteer staff at some events. My checkrides have either been with paid Chin staff or other volunteer staff that I have run with at other events. After the first couple of laps, my check rides have generally turned into coaching sessions with people who knew the track and line better than I.

Duanes’ description of Chin above sounds just like the lead HOD instructor at Lime Rock last week. He putz’d around the track like Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. He then had me black flagged for tracking out a couple car lengths in front of him after a point by. He told me after the session that he wanted to black flag a whole group of us, but apparently we went by him to quick to get all of our car numbers. How you miss Steve Esposito’s current 121 Dan Gurney tribute car and the rebuilt, primered former 21 car is beyond me. Oh, wait, he was putz’ing around the track like Morgan Freeman....
 

Duane Black

Curbs go brrrppp
567
401
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Durham, NC
As I developed to advanced and became an instructor myself, I came to really have disagreements with some format and instruction styles. the one I take issue with is the "school line" theory. It teaches bad habits that people will carry to DE4. I saw people late apexing the Daytona horseshoes in advanced one time so late they nearly drive off the pavement. I ran that once, and my on board timer immediately showed what I thought and observed in Imsa videos - turn earlier, keep it tight to the grass till track out. I ran down everything but a Porsche on slicks in the infield driving that way.

Ross Bentley is my hero here. He writes that you drive the car, not the track. The line is a result of driving the car as on the limits as possible but compromising with the track. Seems many organizations are convinced you have to know the track to drive even intermediate. If you can drive your car, you can find a fast line in a matter of laps on any track. Refining it and mastering it, finding that last second, well, that might take time.

It seems a lot of groups that aren't race groups focus on the "just enjoy yourself" aspect Driving off track is the cardinal sin, dont track out in front of anyone... they seem geared towards middle aged people with fancy cars who can brag about the tracks they've run. I was the youngest poorest guy at both chin events I attended with one of the shittiest cars. NASA was described to me as feeling more like a tailgate party that you get to drive in. A very good description to m . The de4 rules designed to make this basically racing with out scoring and prep you for comp school gives NASA a reputation of being a "wild west show" I disagree personally, haven't felt unsafe yet, but I wasn't driving the grabber blue s550 that got hit by the Exocet in the esses at VIR in DE4 either.

All these organizations complain about how easy it is to get promoted or earn an instructor certification in other groups too. After awhile I'm convinced one of them would stick Mario Andretti in intermediate with the reasoning that "f1 drivers are more like our intermediate group"
 

Duane Black

Curbs go brrrppp
567
401
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Durham, NC
Although I feel like making a clarification. I had a bad experience with Chin. All other reviews I read online, everyone else I've talked to at an HPDE, autocross, gathering, whatever, liked Chin. Some loved it. Some liked it. I hated it. I had the worst track experience of my life and a below average experience with Chin. If I'm the only one of the apparently thousands who've run Chin to come away with that experience, then Chin is winning and it's a great organization and Danny, I hope you have a great time if you chose to run with them. Many apparently do. If one guy had a bad experience, he's the anomaly. he had a bad instructor. Or at least, an instructor bad for his style. If one guy felt the organization was crap out of hundreds, then the system works but it doesn't work for that one guy. And I'm that one guy.
 
I have run all over the country with Chin. It’s a shame that Duane had a bad experience, but sounds like it was largely down to the instructor.

In my book they are the best run group out there. Very high quality of driving in the advanced group, loads of track time and a very professional organization.

Recently they’ve also engaged Jade Buford to provide professional coaching at many of their events. Jade runs the Multimatic GT4 Mustang and is a really nice guy and a great coach.
 

Duane Black

Curbs go brrrppp
567
401
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Durham, NC
Eh. Instructor in sebring was a large part of that. I was on my own at VIR. Some clubs like to scare you straight. At sebring they showed is like 8 crash videos. One or two to show you what not to do is fine to me, I think classes should reinforce what to do, not "what not to do." Theory I developed as an instructor and based on classroom sessions in 3 different organizations. Chin ranked 3 out of 3 there too for me. But it works for everyone else, so I'm the problem.
 

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