10/14: Track Day at Pacific Grand Prix
10-07-09 | 02:26 PM
#1
10/14: Track Day at Pacific Grand Prix
This looks like a great event for RX-7 owners... Wednesday, Oct 14: Track Day at Pacific Grand Prix kart track at Pacific Raceways. It's a little over 4000ft long, 30ft wide, and would be all yours for a 1/2 or full day. Limited to 24 drivers in the morning and the afternoon, should see more than an hour of track time w/ minimum setup. Sounds like cheap thrills!
More info and signup:http://pgp.trackrats.net/
Pacific Grand Prix Sports Car Track Day
We are renting the Pacific Grand Prix racetrack in Kent, WA, for a full day of casual, fun, safe sports car driving. We will meet up at the track between 8am and 9am, send the first cars on track at 9am sharp, and keep rotating small groups of cars all day until 5pm. If you haven't signed up yet, you can sign up here.
Location:
Pacific Grand Prix at Pacific Raceways (formerly known as SIR), just off highway 18 in Kent. Google will give you directions from wherever you are, or follow the directions provided by PGP. Once you get to the Pacific Raceways property and follow the paved access road up to the point where it turns left, but turn right instead into the gravel/dirt access road. It's a short but bumpy drive down the hill into the Pacific Grand Prix facility. Drive all the way up to the paved area, stop, check in, and you will be shown where to park in the paved paddock area.
Who we are:
Once upon a time Arnon (nsx#75 on NSX Prime) and Chris (HexAngel on LotusTalk) got a chance to drive their NSX and Exige on a go-kart track and had so much fun they had to do it again and get others involved. They signed up 23 more people and rented the track for a whole day on July 7th; that worked so well they decided to repeat these track days as often as possible.
What to expect:
Fun. This track is a blast. It is very tight and technical, and emphasizes cornering and agility over raw power. There are no long straights, so if you have a choice bring your light, tight, underpowered sports car; leave your big, heavy, overpowered muscle car at home. Most cars can easily do the entire circuit in 2nd gear. There are some videos of previous events on YouTube.
What NOT to expect:
Competition. There will be NO racing, NO lap timing, and NO overtaking. We will try to keep cars/drivers of similar speed together, and space them out enough that they probably won't bunch up during the session. If you somehow catch up to the guy in front of you, just take it easy and cruise down the two relatively long straightaways to open the gap back up. Other than that, ignore your mirrors and drive at your own comfortable pace. Don't overdo it; there's nobody to impress, we're all just here to enjoy the track. Racer wannabes or anybody driving unsafely will be asked to leave. If you want to race, come back some other day and rent a go-kart, which is great fun too.
Crazy stunts. There will be NO burnouts, NO drifting, NO awesome displays of vehicle power or noise. We're all grownups and don't need to show off. Anybody doing annoying or dangerous stuff will be asked to leave. Squealing the tires in the turns is normal and natural (see our videos) but we don't want to see big smoky sideways power slides in every turn.
What to do:
Drive responsibly. You are in control of your own vehicle, and responsible for your own safety and your own actions that might affect those around you. Nobody is going to hold your hand or keep you safe, you have to do that yourself. If you've never been on track before, don't worry about it, just drive like you would on any nice smooth curvy stretch of country road. As the day progresses you will find yourself gaining confidence, going faster and faster, learning things you never knew about vehicle dynamics and car control.
Learn. If this is your first time on track, consider riding as passenger with an experienced track driver or just chatting with one in the paddock area to get some ideas on how to do it better. The key is smoothness -- watch how the expert drivers smoothly apply the brakes, smoothly turn the steering wheel, hold it steady through the turn, smoothly straighten up and smoothly accelerate. A great driver makes you feel safe and comfortable even at high speeds, because you don't get jerked around by wild control inputs. Watch how the expert looks all the way through the turn, and is never surprised by what's up ahead.
Teach. If you're an expert, take a novice along for a ride and demonstrate the racing lines and control techniques. Consider riding along with a novice and maybe providing a few useful hints. Chat about driving techniques in the paddock, not just about your awesome roof-scoop mod. We're not instructors, but we can always help each other out. Riding as a passenger does NOT count against you as track time, so do it as much as you like.
What to bring:
Valid driver's license. Only licensed drivers will be allowed on track. Only people signed up to drive will be allowed as passengers. We don't want random spectators or children out on the track.
Full tank of gas. You might not use it all, but running out and coasting to a halt in the middle of a session causes problems for everyone. There is no fuel at the track, so you'd have to drive to Covington to refuel, and driving sports cars back and forth through the unpaved parking/access road sucks.
Motor oil. Cars sometimes burn some of this, or so I'm told.
Water, lots of it. There is NO running water at PGP yet! Go to Safeway and splurge the $5 for a 24-pack of bottled water for yourself, and a gallon of distilled for your car. If you don't use it all you can share it with the idiots who didn't bring their own.
Food. If you want lunch, you'll have to bring it yourself or go out for it. Going out will cut into your track time and will mean extra trips in your sports car on the unpaved access road.
Helmet. Snell/DOT approved racing or motorcycle helmet is encouraged. 99.99% chance nobody will screw up badly enough to need it, but if the worst occurs and you flip your car your brain will thank you for wearing one.
Good driving shoes. Sandals, flip-flops, high heels, and big work boots all interfere with pedal control.
Sunscreen in case it's sunny; an raincoat in case it rains. Don't forget to pack a towel.
A bag for your stuff. You'll be taking all loose items out of the car, so a napsack or duffel bag or some such will help keep all your stuff together.
Anything else you might need over the course of a day; everything you might want to go out for is going to be on the other side of the unpaved parking lot and access road. Not fun in a tightly sprung sports car.
What NOT to bring:
Alcohol. There will be NO alcohol or drugs at the track, not even for spectators. Seriously, the stuff is just as bad on tracks as it is on public roads. Don't even think about it.
Pets. If you absolutely MUST bring your dog/cat/rabbit/turtle, put it on a leash and keep it under control at all times. No pets riding along in the car on track, not even your seeing-eye dog. Barking dogs are not welcome in the spectator or paddock areas.
Kids? Well, they're not going to ride along in the car with you; if they're at the track the must be under adult supervision at all times. We cannot have small children running around in the paddock area getting run over by cars. I've seen children playing outside the fence, near the grandstands, which is OK. You'll still want to have an adult with them to make sure they don't wander into traffic. There's not much for kids to do at a driving event like this, so they'll probably be bored all day. Responsible teens who can work as flaggers are welcome.
Vehicle preparation:
Make sure your brakes work, plenty of brake pad left, fluid levels are all topped up, and tires have plenty of tread left.
Remove all loose items from interior and trunk before going on track. If you don't, stuff will fly around and hit you in the face or damage the interior of the car. You'll be amazed by the lateral forces your car experiences in the tight turns. Double check for loose items and remove them.
Functional seatbelts for you and your passenger. Even a mild spinout or panic stop can really toss you around.
Clean windshield, so you can see where you're going.
Make sure you have at least 1/4 tank of gas before going out on the track. Under hard cornering some cars (I'm looking at you, Lotus) can get fuel-starved when anywhere near empty.
More info and signup:http://pgp.trackrats.net/
Pacific Grand Prix Sports Car Track Day
We are renting the Pacific Grand Prix racetrack in Kent, WA, for a full day of casual, fun, safe sports car driving. We will meet up at the track between 8am and 9am, send the first cars on track at 9am sharp, and keep rotating small groups of cars all day until 5pm. If you haven't signed up yet, you can sign up here.
Location:
Pacific Grand Prix at Pacific Raceways (formerly known as SIR), just off highway 18 in Kent. Google will give you directions from wherever you are, or follow the directions provided by PGP. Once you get to the Pacific Raceways property and follow the paved access road up to the point where it turns left, but turn right instead into the gravel/dirt access road. It's a short but bumpy drive down the hill into the Pacific Grand Prix facility. Drive all the way up to the paved area, stop, check in, and you will be shown where to park in the paved paddock area.
Who we are:
Once upon a time Arnon (nsx#75 on NSX Prime) and Chris (HexAngel on LotusTalk) got a chance to drive their NSX and Exige on a go-kart track and had so much fun they had to do it again and get others involved. They signed up 23 more people and rented the track for a whole day on July 7th; that worked so well they decided to repeat these track days as often as possible.
What to expect:
Fun. This track is a blast. It is very tight and technical, and emphasizes cornering and agility over raw power. There are no long straights, so if you have a choice bring your light, tight, underpowered sports car; leave your big, heavy, overpowered muscle car at home. Most cars can easily do the entire circuit in 2nd gear. There are some videos of previous events on YouTube.
What NOT to expect:
Competition. There will be NO racing, NO lap timing, and NO overtaking. We will try to keep cars/drivers of similar speed together, and space them out enough that they probably won't bunch up during the session. If you somehow catch up to the guy in front of you, just take it easy and cruise down the two relatively long straightaways to open the gap back up. Other than that, ignore your mirrors and drive at your own comfortable pace. Don't overdo it; there's nobody to impress, we're all just here to enjoy the track. Racer wannabes or anybody driving unsafely will be asked to leave. If you want to race, come back some other day and rent a go-kart, which is great fun too.
Crazy stunts. There will be NO burnouts, NO drifting, NO awesome displays of vehicle power or noise. We're all grownups and don't need to show off. Anybody doing annoying or dangerous stuff will be asked to leave. Squealing the tires in the turns is normal and natural (see our videos) but we don't want to see big smoky sideways power slides in every turn.
What to do:
Drive responsibly. You are in control of your own vehicle, and responsible for your own safety and your own actions that might affect those around you. Nobody is going to hold your hand or keep you safe, you have to do that yourself. If you've never been on track before, don't worry about it, just drive like you would on any nice smooth curvy stretch of country road. As the day progresses you will find yourself gaining confidence, going faster and faster, learning things you never knew about vehicle dynamics and car control.
Learn. If this is your first time on track, consider riding as passenger with an experienced track driver or just chatting with one in the paddock area to get some ideas on how to do it better. The key is smoothness -- watch how the expert drivers smoothly apply the brakes, smoothly turn the steering wheel, hold it steady through the turn, smoothly straighten up and smoothly accelerate. A great driver makes you feel safe and comfortable even at high speeds, because you don't get jerked around by wild control inputs. Watch how the expert looks all the way through the turn, and is never surprised by what's up ahead.
Teach. If you're an expert, take a novice along for a ride and demonstrate the racing lines and control techniques. Consider riding along with a novice and maybe providing a few useful hints. Chat about driving techniques in the paddock, not just about your awesome roof-scoop mod. We're not instructors, but we can always help each other out. Riding as a passenger does NOT count against you as track time, so do it as much as you like.
What to bring:
Valid driver's license. Only licensed drivers will be allowed on track. Only people signed up to drive will be allowed as passengers. We don't want random spectators or children out on the track.
Full tank of gas. You might not use it all, but running out and coasting to a halt in the middle of a session causes problems for everyone. There is no fuel at the track, so you'd have to drive to Covington to refuel, and driving sports cars back and forth through the unpaved parking/access road sucks.
Motor oil. Cars sometimes burn some of this, or so I'm told.
Water, lots of it. There is NO running water at PGP yet! Go to Safeway and splurge the $5 for a 24-pack of bottled water for yourself, and a gallon of distilled for your car. If you don't use it all you can share it with the idiots who didn't bring their own.
Food. If you want lunch, you'll have to bring it yourself or go out for it. Going out will cut into your track time and will mean extra trips in your sports car on the unpaved access road.
Helmet. Snell/DOT approved racing or motorcycle helmet is encouraged. 99.99% chance nobody will screw up badly enough to need it, but if the worst occurs and you flip your car your brain will thank you for wearing one.
Good driving shoes. Sandals, flip-flops, high heels, and big work boots all interfere with pedal control.
Sunscreen in case it's sunny; an raincoat in case it rains. Don't forget to pack a towel.
A bag for your stuff. You'll be taking all loose items out of the car, so a napsack or duffel bag or some such will help keep all your stuff together.
Anything else you might need over the course of a day; everything you might want to go out for is going to be on the other side of the unpaved parking lot and access road. Not fun in a tightly sprung sports car.
What NOT to bring:
Alcohol. There will be NO alcohol or drugs at the track, not even for spectators. Seriously, the stuff is just as bad on tracks as it is on public roads. Don't even think about it.
Pets. If you absolutely MUST bring your dog/cat/rabbit/turtle, put it on a leash and keep it under control at all times. No pets riding along in the car on track, not even your seeing-eye dog. Barking dogs are not welcome in the spectator or paddock areas.
Kids? Well, they're not going to ride along in the car with you; if they're at the track the must be under adult supervision at all times. We cannot have small children running around in the paddock area getting run over by cars. I've seen children playing outside the fence, near the grandstands, which is OK. You'll still want to have an adult with them to make sure they don't wander into traffic. There's not much for kids to do at a driving event like this, so they'll probably be bored all day. Responsible teens who can work as flaggers are welcome.
Vehicle preparation:
Make sure your brakes work, plenty of brake pad left, fluid levels are all topped up, and tires have plenty of tread left.
Remove all loose items from interior and trunk before going on track. If you don't, stuff will fly around and hit you in the face or damage the interior of the car. You'll be amazed by the lateral forces your car experiences in the tight turns. Double check for loose items and remove them.
Functional seatbelts for you and your passenger. Even a mild spinout or panic stop can really toss you around.
Clean windshield, so you can see where you're going.
Make sure you have at least 1/4 tank of gas before going out on the track. Under hard cornering some cars (I'm looking at you, Lotus) can get fuel-starved when anywhere near empty.
10-12-09 | 08:56 PM
#2
FYI, this is driving on a track... no cones
See some vids here: http://www.youtube.com/user/111HexAn.../2/jFsk8NcKivc
See some vids here: http://www.youtube.com/user/111HexAn.../2/jFsk8NcKivc
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