Yesterday I did my second track day at the Homestead Motor Speedway with Performance Driving Group. I caught the bug bad my first time and could not wait to get back out (even though it took me over 2 years for a number of reasons
). I was driving in the beginner group again (my first day was also at Homestead) to take advantage of another day of instruction and see where I improved from my first time. I was happy with the day, and I was given the green light to drive on my own if I wanted, although I may continue with an instructor if one is available since it is not an extra cost with this group and I don't think you can get enough instruction.
A big thank you to all the contributors to this section; Hopefully, going to the track will be a 1-2x a year habit for me and your input has helped me feel more comfortable in my preparations and in knowing my car. Since the sources were in a number of locations and I tend to be a bottom line type guy anyway, I wanted to summarily list a number of impressions from the day related to the car, my specific mods and just general preparation; hopefully this will help the next beginner or create a conversation topic.
1. Overall I made a huge jump in my abilities from the 1st to the 2nd time. I was much more mentally prepared for the day and it made a difference.
2. A checklist was helpful to make sure I was prepared and I recommend everyone prepare a list to keep track of everything you need to do for the day. A portable air compressor, air gauge and torque wrench was extremely helpful. Bring a fan in summer and a cooler with ice and water; lots and lots of water!
3. I measured the Tire pressure in my Vdredestein Ultrac Sessentas cold when I got to the track and 34 psi was perfect to give them room to heat up; the pressure remained acceptable for each run. I checked the torque on lugnuts on each run to 88 and had no loose nuts.
4. Aluminum taped the wheel weights; worked well and great suggestion by a prior post.
5. Tie the power steering fluid with a piece of t-shirt. First time out I had fluid all over the engine bay; this time no issues. Thanks for the tip!
6. Since I want to make this a more regular thing, I bought a helmet and a Simpson R3 Head and Neck Device. Had no issues with it and felt more secure knowing my neck was better protected. The R3 is the only device you can use without a harness. I also bought a seat belt lock; funny how I felt much more planted with the lock in place.
7. Bought track insurance through Lockton Motorsports. Gave me peace of mind in case of a track incident and I would do it again.
8. The E93 is more than capable and felt great the whole time. The car can only run in beginner/intermediate groups at Homestead Speedway, is heavy and you feel the weight at the track, but the car is very planted and is at home being driven hard. As a plus, I drove home with the top down! I will ignore the E93 hate and continue to have a great time with it on the track.
9. The full Evolve Valvetronic System open is awesome! I posted a passby video in the Engine subsection going down the first straight and the sound is just pure honey.
10. The Vdred tires were just okay on the track. The last time I tracked the car I had PS2's and although the PS2's slid some I think the Vdreds slid more, not significantly more, but enough to notice the difference at certain spots in the track. Tires are definitely the one area where the extra weight makes a significant difference, I had to anticipate sliding around a corner, almost like driving a boat. Tires are my new weak link; the next time I go to the track I will hopefully be on track dedicated tires, to not kill my street tires and to prevent a lot of the sliding.
11. Upgraded Brakes are an absolute must with the E93 and I love my Stoptech 380/355 BBK. The first time I went to the track I had SS lines, street/track pads and upgraded fluid but I still had significant fade at the end of the sessions. This time I had the BBK with Performance Friction Race Pads and Castrol SRF. Night and Day! Because of the added weight of the car I wanted the most braking I could get and my setup did not disappoint. The bite is incredible and with the added weight of the car I had good braking balance the whole time (with one exception noted below). Also, a reason I went with this kit was the ease of swapping brake pads for the track and even for me as a complete novice it was a breeze. You literally just remove the wheels, pop off the caliper cover, switch the pads and put the cover back. Did not have issues with the pistons in switching the pads on and off.
12. I don't know if the coupe/sedan guys get this, and it may just be due to me as a beginning driver or the car carrying more weight, but my brakes performed best by braking straight and not try to trail brake. If I limited my braking to straight line braking my brakes were solid the entire time; even with my setup, if I tried to trail it into the turn they would get some fading near the end of the session. At this point I think it is most likely just me being a beginner using bad technique.
13. When you drive the car right you can hear it thanking you. When you hit a turn correctly the car responds with approval. Conversely, when you make a mistake the car will tell you by bad weight changes, slow acceleration and other sounds that just are not right. I had the same sense when I went surfing; when you hit the wave right, you can feel it instantly.
14. I have huge respect for anyone that races. With just me on the track things happen so quickly; I can't imagine the time and skill it takes to drive right and fast while competitively trying to win a race against other drivers.
15. (Remembered one). Homestead Speedway is very clean, so rather than tape the front I heavy waxed the front and areas before and after the wheels. Clean up was a breeze.
I will try to post pictures when I can; my photos are too big at the moment and are not uploading. Cheers!