BOSS Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[2012YellowBoss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well Rocketman looks like we will be passing each other, I am in for one day like Rick.

 

[Fat Boss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just made reservations for the August 31st one day class. Anyone else going that day?

Funny you should ask. Landing at 2:15 on the 30th! ;D

 

[Fat Boss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately no. My latest flight out is about 7:30. I'll take a cab or bum a ride back to the airport if I have to. But I am flying through Vegas on the way. Want me to save a seat for you? I think I stay on my plane. On the way back I'm visiting Portland. :

 

[ufnavy06]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only problem I have with this, is it seems all the dates are in the middle of the week. I can get a four day weekend much more easily, but not 2-3 random days off during the week. This is the problem with the military sometimes.

 

[BossJockey]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's some info I got from Bryan at MMP.

1st Day
· One hour in the classroom.

· Split into two groups 3 go to heal/toe exercises and 3 go to the skid pad. Afterwards you switch groups.

· Lunch

· 1st lapping session is follow the instructor on the race line

· 2nd and 3rd sessions are with an instructor in the car or by yourself.

· Hot laps as a passenger with an instructor driving.

Bryan, $1200 seems real high for a 1/2 a day on the track for a driving guess.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andy:

I go to Portland every week on business. It's a cool city, and there is plenty of great food and beer to be had.

Are you staying downtown?

 

[Boss Bry @ MMP]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's some info I got from Bryan at MMP.

1st Day
· One hour in the classroom.

· Split into two groups 3 go to heal/toe exercises and 3 go to the skid pad. Afterwards you switch groups.

· Lunch

· 1st lapping session is follow the instructor on the race line

· 2nd and 3rd sessions are with an instructor in the car or by yourself.

· Hot laps as a passenger with an instructor driving.

Bryan, $1200 seems real high for a 1/2 a day on the track for a driving guess.

Sorry for the delayed response...between the launch of Track Attack, leaving for the Moto GP at Laguna Seca for 6 days right after and trying to close month end (not to mention screwing a motorcycle together for Sturgis next week) I've not been online much...



The guest runs the entire day, they do all the same exercises the Boss owner does, only in a track prepped GT Mustang. Class size may dictate keeping the group together rather than splitting them up, but the concept is the same...brief classroom followed by car control exercises followed by lapping. It is identical in concept to any school I've attended (6 in ten years) and certain to have the attention of the guest. By comparison the 1-day school runs $1495 when it's not associated with Track Attack. Ford is doing a fine job of assisting in the pricing of this...driving schools have never been cheap but their program is as close to that as I'll ever see.

 

[Fat Boss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andy:

I go to Portland every week on business. It's a cool city, and there is plenty of great food and beer to be had.

Are you staying downtown?

I'm not even staying, just flying through on my way to San Jose. Looking forward to everything. Thanks for the update Bry.

Andy

 

[Boss Bry @ MMP]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just checking in to see if there are any questions I can assist with on Track Attack. I can be reached most easily on my cell at 801.836.0123 if anything is important, or at [email protected].

I got this off another site...it's mildly edited to reduce length...because I think it's helpful to have a review from a peer, not by a sales guy like my self. I hope it helps align your expectations:

I went to the first Track Attack...I had a blast, as did the other Boss owners. This is basically their 1st day class but using a Boss that is stock with the exception of a roll cage, 6-point harness, upgraded brake pads, Motul RBF 600, 302S grill, FR radiator, A/C condenser removal). This is a great program for everybody who has never had any instruction or limited track experience like me...For the more experienced track drivers, I think this day coupled with Day 2 would be the way to go. The staff (instructors and support) were awesome. Drinks were always available, and Cindi made sure we stayed hydrated. They were all very organized and made sure everybody was comfortable and having fun. There was a photographer throughout the day taking pictures and gave us a USB drive with all of them.

Here's how the event went:

Sunday evening reception:
(We got) a quick tour of the museum...Then, we had a nice dinner and ended the evening introducing ourselves and meeting the staff.

1st morning classroom session:
Introduction to all the instructors for the day: Cindi Lux (head instructor), Dan McKeever, Charlie Putnam.
Cindi talked about braking, turn-in, exiting turns, handling weight transfer and downshifting. Then, we put on a driving suit and grabbed a helmet. We got on a van to take us to the garage where we found 5 Bosses (2 of the Laguna Seca variety), each with our name on the windshield. My name was on the CO/black one, which is what I own.

Orientation to the track:
We got in our cars and were shown how to strap ourselves in. When I started up the car, I noticed the display in my instrument cluster showing: "TRACKEY ACTIVE. TRACK USE ONLY" (more on this later). The 5 of us split up into 2 groups following an instructor on the track for a few low speed laps, just to get us comfortable in the car with the extra safety gear and a little familiar with the track. We spent the entire day on the East track. The West track was being used for their Mustang Experience program.

Skid-car:
My group followed the instructor backed to the garage, where we parked our cars and walked over to a course set up with a Ford Five Hundred set up with outriggers at all 4 corners to simulate low traction. The 3 of us got in the car with the instructor (Dan) taking us through the course in different settings (normal traction, reduced front end traction, rear end traction, and at all 4 corners. It was a great exercise in trying to find the limits of the car in a controlled, low speed environment. The key concept I took away from this is the idea of balancing speed and turning angle.

Heel-toe downshifting:
We went back to the garage and got in our cars and followed the other instructor (Charlie) to the front straight section of the track. Here, Cindi showed us how to heel-toe downshift. We then got in our cars going up and down the front straight of the track practicing downshifting from 4th-3rd, 3rd-2nd gears for about 15 minutes. This was a great exercise for me, as I've tried to do this in the past, but wasn't very good at it. Charlie gave me a few tips to get me better at it.

2nd morning classroom session:
I forgot what we talked about here. I think it was just about putting the concepts we learned earlier together.

Track walk-through:
We split up into 2 groups again and drove onto the track following the instructor. We stopped at a few key corners and got out of the cars to look at the corners on foot. Charlie showed us different lines that could be taken through some combination corners and explained how being 1 foot off the optimal line and get us into survival mode. He also talked about sacrificing one turn to gain an advantage on the following 2 turns…

Lunch: rolls, salad, steamed veggies, pasta, meat marinara sauce, meatless pesto sauce, cookies. Yummy!

1st afternoon classroom session:
On the van ride back to the garage, we took a few laps on the track, with Dan explaining each corner and the different lines through them.

Lead follow session:
We split into 2 groups following an instructor on the track. He started slow and showed us the braking points as if we were going at speed. He gradually increased speed and kept an eye on how we were doing. We took turns being directly behind the instructor.

2nd afternoon classroom session: (10 min)
Instructors talked about what they saw and answered any questions about the track. Cindi suggested we do the whole track in 4th gear. I think she said this for 2 reasons: to concentrate on braking and taking the right line and to reduce time close to redline. It was 95+ degrees at 4500 ft elevation.

Lapping session #1:
Instructors rode along for a few laps. Dan gave me great tips. I had the most problems finding the line in turn 15. I found it difficult to look ahead at the apex which was so far away and late and staying patient to not turn in too early. No passing -- just pull into hot pits to create a gap.

3rd afternoon classroom session: (20 min)
Let the cars cool down. Talk about what we were feeling on the track. Ask any questions.

Lapping session #2:
Passing was allowed by point-by on the front straight. I was feeling a lot more comfortable and I felt like I was hitting my marks most of the time. I stayed in 4th the whole time, but in hindsight, I should have practiced my downshifting.

Instructor hot-lapping:
The instructors took all the guests on a few hot laps. Then, the rest of us got an in-lap and an out-lap. We then took the cars back to the garage and say bye-bye to them.

"Graduation":
Instructors said they had a great time getting the Track Attack up and running. We were handed a certificate of completion with a picture of us in the car printed on it. We were also given a plaque with a Boss piston mounted on it.

Final impressions:
I had a great time. I would have loved more track time, maybe condensing the lead-follow and track walk to make time for 1 more session. I definitely recommend this for anybody who hasn't had any formal track instruction. You will learn a lot. It is a $1500 value (the cost of the 1st day track school). You will get tons of time with the instructor since you will be in a small group. The instructors are great. They are there to help you learn and have fun doing so. If you have the time and money, do the 2nd day. From what the instructors said, it sounds like it's mostly track time.

Here are the main things I'm going to work on during my track day at Buttonwillow in 1.5 weeks:
1. Vision - Spotting the apex as early as possible
2. Smooth steering input. The instructor was telling me my hands were moving too fast during the skid car exercise, and I noticed how that translated on track...

TracKey:
Dan said they were given the software and got the final revision of it just last week, iirc. He suspects that Ford is just working on the software encryption, before they release it to the public. I definitely noticed the lopey idle. Since I haven't really pushed my car yet, I couldn't really tell the difference. I was trying to ask him what differences he noticed, but he was talking to somebody else and I had an airplane to catch.

I mounted a Go-Pro for my lapping sessions and the instructor's hot lap. I thought I had recorded my first session, but it wasn't there. I did get my 2nd session and the instructor's hot lap. I quickly looked at one of my later laps in the session. My time was 2:00 in 4th for the whole lap. The instructor's hot lap with me riding shotgun was 1:54. Being able to do the whole track in 4th without losing too much time relative to a person who's had thousands of laps on the track says how much torque is available on these cars…

 

[BossJockey]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to the Oct 12th class. Anybody else going that date?

 

[VoodooBoss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to the Oct 12th class. Anybody else going that date?

Aug 31st for me. The weather should be very nice there in October.

 

[orng302]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spoke to Dan Short first thing this morning and as of now I am waiting on a confirmation for Oct.12th. He said he had only one slot left for that date so he put me in for it but it is not confirmed yet. Should know by Monday. As per their website it looks like all days are now full. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[BlueBoss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to the Oct 12th class. Anybody else going that date?

My wife and I will be there October 12th! We were told one of us would have to drive a GT instead of a Boss.

 

[Boss Bry @ MMP]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to the Oct 12th class. Anybody else going that date?

My wife and I will be there October 12th! We were told one of us would have to drive a GT instead of a Boss.

This is true for everyone...one person drives a Boss day one, guest drives a GT Mustang. Day two both drivers choose from GT or FR500S.

 

[Boss Bry @ MMP]

Boss cancellation opportunity!

Everyone...one of my people doing a 1-day with guest has been grounded due to the storm on the east coast. They were scheduled to arrive for the dinner on Monday (29th) and take the class on Tuesday (30th)...super short notice but if anyone needs the spot it's there for you! Call me...801.836.0123.

 

[302 DAN]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm probably going to do two days. August is not looking good for me but Sept and Oct are. Anyone else?

I may do it. 6 OH 9 Thirty (code for sixty).

 

[cloud9]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leaving tomorrow! ;D Now I gotta go clean up the Boss from last Thursday at MPH The best part of Track Attack is no car prep and no cleanup!

 

[STIG302]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you enjoy it, Gary. Looking forward to some good info from you.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leaving tomorrow! ;D Now I gotta go clean up the Boss from last Thursday at MPH The best part of Track Attack is no car prep and no cleanup!

Andy, Scott and I arrive early enough that maybe we can sneak in a ride along late Tuesday afternoon. Or at least catch a few Bosses out on the track.

 

[cloud9]

Re: Track Attack !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leaving tomorrow! ;D Now I gotta go clean up the Boss from last Thursday at MPH The best part of Track Attack is no car prep and no cleanup!

Andy, Scott and I arrive early enough that maybe we can sneak in a ride along late Tuesday afternoon. Or at least catch a few Bosses out on the track.

Nice! That would be awesome. Hope they'll allow it because I'd be happy to give ride alongs as would Roketman I'm sure.