Blog

Back in 2002, I participated in my first driving event.  It was not a trackday but an autocross.  From that day forward I was hooked.  The rollercoaster that is an autocross was intoxicating.  Everything was over in 40-50 seconds.  Your inputs needed to be quick, your handling of the car needed to be precise.  Any mistake would seem like an eternity during a single run lasting less than a minute.  The highest gear I would get into would be 3rd near the redline.  There was never enough time to get the car slow enough to get back into first gear.  The best thing to do is stay in the highest rev range as possible where the most hp could be had to power out of corners.  The autocross is usually a full day event.  Depending on how many cars show up, you could get 4-8 chances to prove your fastest time of the day should count.  With 40-50 seconds a pop, it may take a few events to hone in on your skills.  Everything from tires in street class, to full bolt-ons to heavily modified cars can compete.  Many large cities have autocross organizations and some of them feed into the SCCA level.  It can get quite competitive depending on the region you are from, but winners will be nationally recognized.  Downtime between each run is usually spent socializing with other drivers, it is a great way to socialized with other like minded folks.

Fast forward to today.  Where I did my first track day (HPDE) in Cresson, TX with Edge Addicts.  We all arrived just after the crack of dawn.  After a quick drivers meeting the track opened up.  Unlike an autocross where there 1 car on the course, maybe 2 at any point in time, a HPDE has up to 30.  This event you were not able to pass folks at will, you had to be given a point by, to ensure a safe driving experience.  Only that day there was water on the track because of heavy rains in the DFW.  Lucky for us each section of water was right before high speed braking areas.  Personally I was hitting these sections at over 100 mph.  After losing all grip and heat in the tires, it was quite easy to get the car sideways.  I saw many other drivers do a 180 and a couple 360s.  Because this was my first event I did my best to take the most conservative approach.  I was required to have an instructor with me, and I do highly recommend it.  It was my first time out there on the track and he helped me learn the track and all of the turning and braking points.  At the beginning of the day, I was giving everyone a point-by.  By the middle of the day I was getting point-bys.  At the end of the day I was bumped up to the intermediate run group and was able to keep far more experienced drivers in better cars behind me with no problems.  It was a fantastic time.  Here you find out that race car drivers are serious athletes.  Your fitness and mental focus need to be at the top of your capacity.  By the end of the day it will feel like you had a serious workout and you will leave completely exhausted.

Enjoy the photos!