Open-Track Days

Like many couch-potato racers, you've watched Formula One or NASCAR on TV--and whispered to yourself, "I could do that." Well, it's time to get your butt off the love seat and go for it. It takes no more than a car, a helmet, and a hundred-dollar bill to get you zooming around a real racetrack, chasing those Michael Schumacher-inspired dreams.

Open-track events provide a fun, safe environment in which to learn the limits of your car, perhaps evaluate recent performance modifications, and, most important, improve your abilities and defensive-driving skills. There's no sanctioning body for this type of action; a promoter rents a track, you pay a fee to play, sign the liability release, and that's that. Participants bring their own cars, which keeps costs down and makes it easier to translate on-track learning to the street.

Car preparation should include an oil change, an inspection to make sure the brakes have at least 50-percent pad life remaining, air-bleeding of the brake and clutch lines, a check of all fluid levels, a retorque of the wheel lugs, and a general checkup of anything else that could potentially become a problem once you're at speed. Consider removing the spare tire to maximize the weight to power ratio. At many events, convertibles will require rollbars to participate. Depending on the promoter, no additional safety equipment is required, other than a helmet (rated SA-95 or better; motorcycle helmets are typically not allowed). The venue may or may not have a safety inspection on the premises; the smart bet is to prep your car before arriving.

A typical open-track day starts out with a mandatory drivers' meeting. Run groups generally are divided by the driver's experience. There are groups for every comfort level: beginners to advanced and levels in between. Each run group usually gets between 20 and 30 minutes of track time per session. Expect four to five drive sessions in a day. That translates to more than enough track time for you to be thoroughly exhausted from the level of concentration, the rush of adrenaline, and the wear your body will take handling g-forces it's not used to dealing with.