I'm not new to the track. I go to the track a bunch on my motorcycle. I'm considering taking the g35 coupe to a trackday sometime as well.

I wouldn't ride to a trackday on my motorcycle but what should I do if I intend to drive up, run the track and drive the car back. I would trailer the bike, but not possible for the car.
Besides taping the front up with blue painters tape (as I've seen here) to protect the paint is there anything else I should look at doing? Anything special I need to do? Anything to be careful of?

How about gear? I have my motorcycle helmet, gloves, boots, etc but nothing else specific to car racing. What will I need?

Car has about 3500 miles on it. 07 g35 coupe, 6mt.

Also, anyone have recommendations on a trackday organizer? My favorite track is buttonwillow raceway (california).
Thanks.

 

Check out https://www.nasaproracing.com/ lots of info. Good luck.

 

www.speedventures.com

Aaron and his crew run some very fine events all over southern california.
He has a checklist on his site with all the stuff you need to bring.
He has a tech sheet for checking over your car for every outing.
There are numbers of G owners that run his events and you can hook up with them for support, tools etc in the pits. A very good and friendly crowd.

Think about coming to the Nissan Performance Fest at Cal Speedway in December 1&2. Good price and you get to run the Roval too.

A motorcycle helmet does not meet safety requirements, you will need an auto helmet, unfortunately.

long sleeved cotton shirt and pants, closed toe shoes. No leather, no synthetics. Otherwise fine on what to wear.

Come on out, you will really love how the car does on the track.

 

I was reading about the nissan performance fest and I thought they allowed motorcycle helmets for that one. I'll have to reread it.

Dec 1&2 wouldn't be bad except I'm already going Dec 4 on the motorcycle (can you say 160mph on the banking...mwahahaha).

 

my bad. I'll be at Buttonwillow Dec 4 (and Nov 13). I'll be at fontana Nov 3...

 

actually, for first timers the M-85 (motorcycle) helmet is acceptable. It says as much on the Tech Inspection form. This is only for first timers though (taking the On-Track Performance Driving Clinic I presume). I think that would be a good idea to do instead of open track, since its been over 20 years since I raced a car...

 

Probably a lot safer on the nerves of the instructor if you tell them precisely about your experience too! Going with what he/she thinks is a newbie into the Roval at 135+ in a car that they do not know would be a right seat stress test. The program on December 1&2 includes four sessions on the full track, with an instructor each time. As you are an experienced racer and bike rider, you will be way ahead on understanding the significance of tire adhesion, picking a driving line, apex, throttle application on exit, and braking points and turn in points. Thus, your learning curve will be markedly more rapid through the day than true newbies. But whether you will have car recovery skills as you move closer to the edge is another issue, as obviously those are quite different on a two wheel rocket than a four wheel slug, and your familiarity with speed may seductively pull you closer to the edge of control than you really want to be. So, use your head and take care of yourself. There are no ribbons or prizes for going fast or being the first to roll a car into a ball on this one!

As for the helmet all I know is that it needs to have the appropriate Snell rating, and if your motorcycle lid meets that, that is great. Many of the cycle helmets, as we know, are engineered for a different impact sequence. In particular car helmets are made to withstand (maybe that is the wrong term of art, and should be to "protect to the extent possible") multiple and rapid succession impacts as might be experienced in a succession of roll overs with your noggin whacking on the B pillar, for example. In any event you can PM Speedventures with the specs on your particular helmet and get confirmation before you come out on whether what you have is in fact what you need.

 

Yes, good point and one I hadn't thought of. I'll have to treat it like I'm a noob until I can turn the car well and always keep it in check. True driving skill won't happen in an afternoon of driving.

I did a few autocross events 20 years ago in my '72 240z. I tried seeing if I still had the heel-toe action down and I couldn't do it with stock pedals on my G. I'm not going to bother trying to relearn that advanced technique on this day though...

 

That is a "dream answer" or A+ for any instructor to hear!!!! Assuming they want to live to see Monday and not be eating their meals through a straw. Nobody wants to have screws, plates and rods holding parts together on their body, and especially if they weren't even driving!

The truth of it is....it is not the newcomers that scare instructors. Newcomers generally tend to be attentive, respectful and possessed of enough self preservation instinct that overall, they learn a lot, have a great time, and don't put themselves perilously close to harm. A much greater number of intermediate drivers, by that I mean folks in the 5 to 20 track days of experience category, are the ones that smack up their cars or have fearsome close calls. They are going faster, sometimes much faster, but have not yet acquired the recognition skills for what the car is doing, or about to do, let alone the cool and calm ability to input rapidly the various commands with hands and feet to keep the car under control. They tend to think they know a lot more than they do (everyone goes through this phase, there are no exceptions to the addage...."you don't even know what you do not know"). Those are the "discoveries" that an instructor does not relish being along for the ride.

The stock pedals on the G35 are too far apart to effectively heel/toe downshift, unless you have Sasqwatch sized feet. The G37, on the other hand, does have a superior placement of pedals to permit heel/toe downshifting. I would not worry about the heel/toe part at this, or probably even the next few, driving outings in your G35. Rather, the focus will be on picking up the auto driving line, which is going to be different than your bike line, your braking incept points, turn in points, and lateral load transfer and "set" of the weight for your turn ins. That will be PLENTY of concentration and fun for the day.

There are a couple of spots on the track that are reasonably safe for you to push the limits and play with car control, if you get your bearings and comfort level high enough. Just be sure to talk about it with the instructor and get his input before you do that. If he or she is of the opinion that it is too soon, then please follow their guidance.

As with all tracks, there are other places where you just dare not "go there" as far as approaching limits of control. But the wide hairpin (Turn 5 and 6) is one spot that is very easy to get the back end out and rotating, yet has some good open area for run off in case you lose it and cannot bring it back. My very first spin in the G35 was on corner exit here in Turn 6. It scared the ******* out of me because when it happened it seemed so fast. The second time I spun out in the G35, was on corner exit in Turn 6, and that time I did the "overcorrect" and whipped it back around the other way. Then I understood what people had been describing to me and I had been reading....but not until then. The motion with the hands then became more precise and quick and measured, and little by little I could keep the car closer to the edge, faster through the corner, and other corners too. But it has been years of constantly working it to a experienced based skill, from what started as a theoretical concept. Again, your "feel" from bike riding will catapult you forward into a much shorter learning curve. I think the instructor that draws you will be impressed with what a good teacher they are. :-)

The G/Z is a heavy car, and once it starts moving you need to be using those "Jackie Chan" hands to arrest the slide with countersteer or you will come all the way around. Another possible place to push is the slow buttonhook of 9/10, where you can work on getting on throttle quick and hard at turn exit, but are going slow enough that if you put down too much, you are not going to have bad consequences. There are very superbly placed flag stations before each of those turns so that if you have a OTE, there will be an immediate warning to an approaching car. I don't favor getting too frisky coming out of Turn 4, and most of the other spots are too close to harm's way in my view to do anything that will bring you close to the edge of control.

Again, be in close sync with your instructor so that you will both be assured that you do NOT have anybody behind you in case you wobble or slide and drop a couple of wheels off track or spin. Safety first. Remember to bring a camera. You cannot have it loose in the cabin, but you can get some good pics or have someone take them for you when you are zooming by on the track.

Check out the article this month in Nissan Sport Magazine, it is a free download on their website, about driving Cal Speedway, and the video link. Your experience will probably give you a lot more out of it than most newcomers, since in fact you are a "returnee" and a seasoned rider.

Cheers,

Ed

 

Why wouldn't a motorcycle helmet work? I have one that is DOT and Snell approved. They pass tech inspection at Auto-X and Drag days fine.

 

Dan K:
You need to check the ratings to see if the helmet you have for motorcycle use is up to the standards for auto use. This may help you to get started. (Because the California Speedway is a track that involves higher potential speeds than many other tracks, it is my view that running an SA rated helmet is the only way to go. If you have doubts, email Aaron at Speedventures.com and let him know the exact helmet and model you have and the rating standard on the helmet. Some motorcycle helmets will meet the higher auto standard, but many will not, often because of the desire to hold weight down on a motorcycle helmet.)

HELMET RATINGS...WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

Snell SA Rated Helmets:
Snell "SA" (Sports Application) rated professional helmets are designed for auto racing and provide extreme impact resistance and higher fire protection.

Snell M Rated Helmets:
Snell "M" (Motorcycle) rated helmets are designed for motorcycling and other motorsports. They offer slightly less protection than SA rated helmets.

What are the key differences between SA and M Rated Helmets:

SA standard requires flammability test while the M standard does not.
SA standard has rollbar impact test while M standard does not.
SA standard allows narrower visual field than M standard (Some SA helmets aren't street legal).

How do I know if my helmet meets the necessary Snell specifications?
Always check your club rulebook to determine what helmet specifications they require. SCCA Solo rules, for example, will allow you to use the current Snell specification, as well as the previous two Snell specifications. So, for the 2006 season, you could use Snell Snell M95/SA95, Snell M00/SA00, or Snell M05/SA05 helmets. Snell M90/SA90 helmets would not meet requirements after October 1, 2005.

Some other racing organizations will allow you to use the current Snell specification and only the previous Snell specification, so read your rulebook carefully. Also, be sure that your club will allow the use of Snell "M" rated helmets. SCCA Solo does allow these helmets, although some organizations that run high speed events will require Snell "SA" rated helmets.

Where can I get more info on Snell helmet ratings?
Check out the Snell Memorial Foundation website for some very good helmet information.

 

Hey Ed,
very true. In motorcycle trackdays the intermediate group is the most dangerous and usually has the most crashes for the same reason-people riding as fast as their ego, but not their skill. Back when I was riding intermediate group I was one of them...crashed 2x as a result. got smarter and faster...the advanced/racer group is so predictable and safe...

I'm all about technique too. Bicycle racing and motorcycle trackdays fall into this category too. Onthe motorcycle, I always focus on being smooth. Speed came as a secondary result.

ah good. Glad to hear its not just me.

I did. Interesting about the tendency to slide toward the wall...nothing of the sort on a motorcycle. That also described what you said about T5-6 also.


Is a tank of fuel going to be enough for 4 sessions? Do you know of the 4 sessions are morning, afternoon, or spread throughout the entire day?

Thanks again.
pablo-

 

Lots of good info here! Now that I moved south and live 15 miles away from the Motorsports Ranch in Texas I hope to surpass that intermediate level this year! I'm going to have to get good at bleeding and changing the breaks! My first event I'm planning to attend is mid December (a 2 day event), a Christmas present to myself! Last Christmas the G was my present to myself

 

Pablo:
The four sessions at Cal Speedway are spread throughout the day. There is a gas station on site, but it is expensive so you probably want to fill up before you get to the track. There are a couple of stations within a mile of the entrance to the facility, in both directions of approach.

Each session will be about ten laps, so figure 25-30 miles maximum each session...roughly 100 miles or so of track to cover (Put in that perspective you can see it is a LOT of high performance driving time and distance). You don't want to run with less than a quarter tank for obvious fuel pickup starvation issues with the side to side transfers in the twisties, and the sustained pull through the Roval. But even at a low mileage rate of 10mpg you should still have over a third of a tank left if you start full. One can suggest that carrying that extra weight is a bad idea and you should start at half tank and top off after every session...but we are not racing, just having some fun. So if you fill up before you get there you should be fine for the day. If not, you can go to one of the off site stations very conveniently.

 

Thanks Ed.
I was just there on the 2nd for a moto trackday and scoped out the local gas stations. I forget I can just drive out to get gas. Can't really do that on a race prepped motorcycle (no taillights, etc).

here's what fontana looks like from a motorcycle:
http://media.putfile.com/Chasing-Bil...BurnTheEdgecom
I come into frame in the first few seconds (red/white/blue bike) and the first minute and half is warm up lap so nothing major happening. I'm on a 600, the rest of the bikes you see are 1000's except the camera bike which is a 750.