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They don't have to be active nor do official major competitions ever need to have been held on them (so club-purpose tracks will work). This is brought on by my boss's trip to Germany and my recollection of a similar trip during which my girlfriend and I drove down to the Nurburgring on her birthday (yeah, she's a keeper).
Thank you for the triptych, it was interesting actually. I did not know about some of the mentioned places. Yes you should keep the lady mentioned
As for me: track days in a car, no. Will remedy that someday.
As an aside, on a motorcycle, yes: raced three years w/amateur org (AFM, WSMC, both in CA). Half dozen track days/year at Pacific Raceways (Kent WA) and Portland International (Portland OR), 2001-2006.
The car thing is almost literally exponentially more expensive than same on a motorcycle, if you bring your own! Definitely a rich man's game (though there are a few women, too).
Motorcycle track days have lost their luster, might start small with cars in 2015. To my point about cost, one possible track car of-interest is the now-new 2014-on 991-series Porsche GT3. Soon there will be GT3 RS. I may be pie-in-the-sky, as cost of transport and everything else is, as-mentioned, insane (for most): hundreds of thousands of dollars up front, big ongoing costs when stuff blows up, wears out, or burns flat to the ground.
Was going to go down that road (bad pun), explaining costs in-detail, but on-reflection it may be more-interesting for the CASUAL track rider (or driver) to rent something, pay it up front, and not have to deal with everything else. Porsche, for example, has a $2,500 winter driving course in Canada every year I'd pay for just NOT to have to drive there, put snows on my P-car, and possibly plow down a birm or snow bank. i.e. the prodigious expense of bringing your own car.
Racing a only somewhat-competitive motorcycle team, amateur level, cost me tens of thousands of dollars, averaging all-considered maybe $7,500/season in 2013 dollars (raced in the 1990s, early 2000s). A genuinely competitive bike on the amateur stage, guessing $20-30K /year. National level, hundred or hundreds of thousands $. You'd have sponsorship by that time.
Not scaring anyone off, I hope: racing is interesting and exciting. Track days attract certain personalities, and if nothing else could be a few-times-per-lifetime splurge that most guys with a "need for speed" should try.
Motorcycle track days have lost their luster, might start small with cars in 2015. To my point about cost, one possible track car of-interest is the now-new 2014-on 991-series Porsche GT3. Soon there will be GT3 RS. I may be pie-in-the-sky, as cost of transport and everything else is, as-mentioned, insane (for most): hundreds of thousands of dollars up front, big ongoing costs when stuff blows up, wears out, or burns flat to the ground.
Was going to go down that road (bad pun), explaining costs in-detail, but on-reflection it may be more-interesting for the CASUAL track rider (or driver) to rent something, pay it up front, and not have to deal with everything else. Porsche, for example, has a $2,500 winter driving course in Canada every year I'd pay for just NOT to have to drive there, put snows on my P-car, and possibly plow down a birm or snow bank. i.e. the prodigious expense of bringing your own car.
I was interested in a GT3 RS once, until I tried to buy one and learned how the 'system' works. To get one new, you have to be buddy buddy with a Porsche dealer who gives you the privilege of taking one of their allocation at sticker. Then that person tries to flip it on ebay for more than they paid, or they flip it back to the dealer for a profit and the dealer can then sell it as used for more than MSRP; similar to how Ferrari dealers work with their old boys network. In any case, I couldn't find a new GT3 RS for less than quite a bit over sticker and it just wasn't worth it.
I ended up purchasing a dedicated track car instead; a Radical SR3. It's a very good starter track car that is 'relatively' inexpensive to maintain and far better performing than any street car. Plus it has two seats so you can have an instructor or give rides depending on situations. It will go through tires a lot slower than a street car due to it only weighing in the 1400 pound range. I developed quite a bit on the Radical and then moved up to an Elan DP02 carbon tub race car to compete in IMSA Lites.
I ended up purchasing a dedicated track car instead; a Radical SR3. It's a very good starter track car that is 'relatively' inexpensive to maintain and far better performing than any street car. Plus it has two seats so you can have an instructor or give rides depending on situations. It will go through tires a lot slower than a street car due to it only weighing in the 1400 pound range. I developed quite a bit on the Radical and then moved up to an Elan DP02 carbon tub race car to compete in IMSA Lites.
Thanks for the heads-up: what I don't know about auto track days is equal to what I *do* know about-same w/motorcycles. (That being, "damn little" and "just about everything," respectively!) And ne'er the twain shall meet, though the concept is surely similar.
Off-point a bit, not surprised there is a racket going with rare-ish cars like GT3 RS, actually. I am floored by the two GT3 RS's I've seen on the street here in Seattle metro, or actually make that three counting a guy I met at a show last fall. Rally cars on the street, my my! Now I may try and pry the story out from one of those guys this summer at the next exotics show in Redmond WA.
2014 GT3s are also hard to get, being hot off the press so to speak. There is rumor of flip and markup there, too, at-present. Meh. May wait for MY 2015, personally, or decide to do nothing at all.
And, it's great to know there is a less-expense entree into that world, too. Appreciate that info, and surely useful to others on the fence as-well.
Firebird Raceway, Speedworld, Southwestern Intl Raceway, Las Vegas, Pacific Raceways are the tracks I have raced on...Firebird is responsible for the majority.
Location: Butler County Ohio and Winters in Florida
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A few years back I did a few Track Days down in Sebring Fl. There was a company called " Track Speed". You had one evening of class room and then the following day you had 20 minute sessions on the Sebring Long Course through out the day. The 1st day , you were required to have an instructor ride with you. Then I forgot the process you graduated to driving solo.
Your seesions, you were paired with drivers with similar experience level. I had a Volvo Station Wagon to Acura NSX in my group. My 1st time I drove the wife's Taurus SHO. I later brought a Honda CRX to use. It was a lot of fun.
I've driven around Charlotte.. Sort of.. They do a Christmas lights show, and you drive on part of the track during that.. Slow speeds..
I got to do a go-kart race around a portion of the Myrtle Beach Speedway during a promotion back when the NASCAR Cafe and NASCAR Speedpark were open down there.
I want to do the Petty experience at a mile and a half track at some point.. Probably will do Charlotte, but considering Kansas City as well..
I used to live 45 minutes from the Nurburgring for ~5 years.
I kept every ticket I could find. I had about 260. In hindsight that's a lot of money 20 EUR X 260. meh $6000 USD spent on destroying tires and brakes, and entire cars. Worth it? Totally! Best time? 9:13 in my M3....from the start to the gantry LOL. (full lap would have been 10 mins) But I thought I was flying.
I drove, quite a few cars out there E36 M3, 190E 2.3-16, 01' E46 M3 (euro spec), 01' E55, 04' CLK 55 cabrio. I was in 2 wrecks on the ring one in a friends 04 WV golf GTI (brand new, totaled)and the other in my, 01' E55. Perfect conditions, I came in too aggressively into Bergwerk and ran the driver side of the car down the rail for a good 300 meters) My wife said well that is the end of the ring for me. but...It wasn't muhahaha! Eventually I started losing interest, it got expensive, brake jobs and tire changes were getting out of hand.
I got to take AMG driving school at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium. I got to drive the then new 6.2L NA V8 powered CLK63 (C209) a year before the engine was even available in the US, that made me popular on Facebook (cause that's what life is all about right?) Plus, they had a real CLK DTM and CLK-GTR on display but the star of the show was Mikka Hakkinen himself and the DTM and F-1 cars for 2005.
I also was able to do BMW fahrertraining at Hockenheimring, but that was oddly boring. Weather was crap, BMW people are boring. I think they are robots.
I have also done Firebird, Miller (in Utah), Portland International Raceway, Phoenix Int' Raceway (snooze). I also did one of those exotic car things in Vegas. I was really only interested in the SLR and F430 spider, but there were three cars to choose from so I was assigned the Lambo Gallardo(first world problems). I got driving a Ferrari crossed off my bucket list, even if it was cheating. I'm not 40 yet so hopefully I have a few years to save up for a Ferrari.
I've driven around Charlotte.. Sort of.. They do a Christmas lights show, and you drive on part of the track during that.. Slow speeds..
I got to do a go-kart race around a portion of the Myrtle Beach Speedway during a promotion back when the NASCAR Cafe and NASCAR Speedpark were open down there.
I want to do the Petty experience at a mile and a half track at some point.. Probably will do Charlotte, but considering Kansas City as well..
My first experience driving a stock car was through Richard Petty Experience. But after doing the Speedtech school the last 3 times, I highly recommend it over Petty.
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