Track Tips/Advice/Strategies/Findings

[dragoon]

Know the flags. Understand the flags. Obey the flags.
On your cool down lap, wave to the flag marshals/ corner workers to acknowledge their importance in keeping us safe on the track.
Know track and paddock etiquette. Know what is expected of you and behave accordingly. Offer help to your paddock neighbor and any assistance that you can.
I do HPDE events only and if you give a point by, lift, & let the car pass. No reason to drag race to the next corner. If you’re going to pit in, give the universe fist out the window so the other cars know what you’re going to do and pit in, once given, it cannot be rescinded.

 

[2BigDogs]

Know the flags. Understand the flags. Obey the flags.
On your cool down lap, wave to the flag marshals/ corner workers to acknowledge their importance in keeping us safe on the track.
Know track and paddock etiquette. Know what is expected of you and behave accordingly. Offer help to your paddock neighbor and any assistance that you can.
I do HPDE events only and if you give a point by, lift, & let the car pass. No reason to drag race to the next corner. If you’re going to pit in, give the universe fist out the window so the other cars know what you’re going to do and pit in, once given, it cannot be rescinded.

As an addition to dragoons's excellent advice, also don't piss off others at an event. Good chance you might run into them again sometime later and ask the person you pissed off for help, only to get turned down.

The same as dragoon, I only do HPDE events. The first (and only) time I did an event with MassTuning, I had a yahoo in a Jaguar F-type convertible give me a point by at Club Motorsports, only to race me to the next corner. Happened four passing zones in a row before I told myself 'enough of this" and since the session was almost over, I pitted in to wait for the next session. No reason to get pissed off or upset on track, only leads to bad things happening. After he pulled into the paddock at the end of the session, he loudly regaled his friends on how he kept a lowly Mustang Mach 1 from passing him. Yep, he was parked two cars away from me. He was the definitive example of a paddock neighbor that my track buddies and I agreed will not get our assistance, that day or in the future.

On the flip side, I have made many new friendships from being a good paddock neighbor. Usually from doing very minor things like offering the use of a torque wrench, sharing canopy shade on a sunny day, offering a cold water bottle out of the cooler, etc.

 

[Egparson202]

As an addition to dragoons's excellent advice, also don't piss off others at an event. Good chance you might run into them again sometime later and ask the person you pissed off for help, only to get turned down.

The same as dragoon, I only do HPDE events. The first (and only) time I did an event with MassTuning, I had a yahoo in a Jaguar F-type convertible give me a point by at Club Motorsports, only to race me to the next corner. Happened four passing zones in a row before I told myself 'enough of this" and since the session was almost over, I pitted in to wait for the next session. No reason to get pissed off or upset on track, only leads to bad things happening. After he pulled into the paddock at the end of the session, he loudly regaled his friends on how he kept a lowly Mustang Mach 1 from passing him. Yep, he was parked two cars away from me. He was the definitive example of a paddock neighbor that my track buddies and I agreed will not get our assistance, that day or in the future.

On the flip side, I have made many new friendships from being a good paddock neighbor. Usually from doing very minor things like offering the use of a torque wrench, sharing canopy shade on a sunny day, offering a cold water bottle out of the cooler, etc.

You handled that the right way. 100% by the book. And, I applaud you.

Another (slightly less friendly) approach, might have been to get alongside as much as possible and take an inside line into the corner. Nearly everyone understands that as the right time to allow the pass. Even those who don’t get it still get it.

Who knows, it might sponsor a great conversation about track etiquette at an HPDE.

 

[xr7]

As an addition to dragoons's excellent advice, also don't piss off others at an event. Good chance you might run into them again sometime later and ask the person you pissed off for help, only to get turned down.

The same as dragoon, I only do HPDE events. The first (and only) time I did an event with MassTuning, I had a yahoo in a Jaguar F-type convertible give me a point by at Club Motorsports, only to race me to the next corner. Happened four passing zones in a row before I told myself 'enough of this" and since the session was almost over, I pitted in to wait for the next session. No reason to get pissed off or upset on track, only leads to bad things happening. After he pulled into the paddock at the end of the session, he loudly regaled his friends on how he kept a lowly Mustang Mach 1 from passing him. Yep, he was parked two cars away from me. He was the definitive example of a paddock neighbor that my track buddies and I agreed will not get our assistance, that day or in the future.

On the flip side, I have made many new friendships from being a good paddock neighbor. Usually from doing very minor things like offering the use of a torque wrench, sharing canopy shade on a sunny day, offering a cold water bottle out of the cooler, etc.

Last season at a driving school, similar to the SCCA Track night events, two morons crashed into each other in a corner, no where near the two passing zones. Always seems to be a few of these around but they do seem to disappear after an event or two.
We have a great turn out and everybody gets along pretty good. The unwritten rule is we are here to have fun, leave the other stuff at home.

 

[Jet One]

I plan on working on 3 things per weekend. and concentrate on one thing in a session. This is something I've decided to prioritize prior to arriving. Last weekend at VIR priority was to shrink the front and back straight braking zone, have car rotated enough to be on throttle earlier mainly front and back straight, enter and maintain more speed in the esses. As I feel comfortable with one thing I add the next.

Be ready early!
Find a routine prior your first session. (insp, windows clean ect. check wheel Tq ect)

Don't rush to grid....take your time, when you leave the paddock your'e ready to go. Helmet, belts gloves ect. squared away.

Return to the paddock, check TP right away, Drink something, debrief your progress, relax, be ready to repeat.

 

[dragoon]

Don't rush to grid....take your time, when you leave the paddock your'e ready to go. Helmet, belts gloves ect. squared away.

Return to the paddock, check TP right away, Drink something, debrief your progress, relax, be ready to repeat.

Great insight as I usually wait till last call to the grid (HDPE). Then most are in front of me so when they release for the out lap, I let the herd scoot away & I’m pretty much to myself till the fast ones come around to lap me but that’s close to the end of the session.
Also when I return to the paddock, same as @Jet One, plus I raise the hood to help in cooling of the engine bay.

 

[Fabman]

Great insight as I usually wait till last call to the grid (HDPE). Then most are in front of me so when they release for the out lap, I let the herd scoot away & I’m pretty much to myself till the fast ones come around to lap me but that’s close to the end of the session.
Also when I return to the paddock, same as @Jet One, plus I raise the hood to help in cooling of the engine bay.

I like to be first on grid so I have clear track in front of me.
That is the biggest complaint I have about NASA, seems like no matter how fast I go I always have to start in the back row.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Great comment by Fabman, Racing, Time Trial , or HPDE, being up on grid early and going out first gives you a better line of sight and keeps you out of the fray at the start ( if W2W racing ), which means being up front for qualifying is your first key --- gives you a better chance to set that time with a clear track.

Be early or you may be late --- great point by Dr. Fabricator!

 

[Fabman]

Great comment by Fabman, Racing, Time Trial , or HPDE, being up on grid early and going out first gives you a better line of sight and keeps you out of the fray at the start ( if W2W racing ), which means being up front for qualifying is your first key --- gives you a better chance to set that time with a clear track.

Be early or you may be late --- great point by Dr. Fabricator!

At nationals I was out early and started my quali up front. A black flag all came out on the first lap and somehow that put me in last place. (Still don't understand how that happened)
I then had to qualify from the back of a giant sea of slow azz beemers so even though I passed a ton of cars I couldn't get a decent time, which put me last for the next qualifier which gave me the same problem.
Hard to do your best from the back of the pack like that. This is largely why I will not be returning to NASA.
SCCA I go out early, set fast time and I'm on the pole. No back of the pack starts, no staggered starts with 60 slower cars in front of me, just qualify fast and start up front. Simple.
I can show you video after video of me starting in the back row and fighting my way through traffic...just to start the next race in back, win that round and still start in the back again. It's ridiculous.
Nice people but this is the nail in the coffin for me.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Sounds like you need to move to the Midwest and run NASA with us --- qualify first you run first in most cases.

 

[Fabman]

Sounds like you need to move to the Midwest and run NASA with us --- qualify first you run first in most cases.

They like to keep the classes together, so you can be fast qualifier in class and still start in the back of the pack, then carve your way through 30 cars and still start the next race in the back of the pack. I don’t like it.

 

[stevbd]

Sorry not sorry @Fabman, I can see your frustration but your videos of racing through traffic are my favorites to watch. Go get 'em.