Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

I'm looking to get out onto into motorsport and experience driving my car the way it was meant to be driven. I'm very inexperienced, having done nothing like this on the street, and only attended one DECA day with SAU Vic. For the record I drive an NA manual Supra with basic mods - this is also my daily driver, so I don't want to kill it!

I've been currently looking at advanced driver courses, and watching for SAU and Supraforums events to participate in. However I'm coming here to ask you guys for advice on other areas I can look. I'm up for trying just about anything, whether it be track, drag, skidpans, etc.

Again, I just want to stress I don't want to kill the car. I understand shit happens, but I'd rather avoid overly stressful activities (such as drifting) or tracks with nasty corners and walls close to the track. I just want to have a bit of fun, and gain some experience.

So please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Whether it be events to attend, or just motorsport advice to begin with.

Thanks,

Kieran.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/
Share on other sites

Do a few more Decca days if you get the chance it will give you a good heads up on car control.

then head out to a vic club event and get a half decent steerer (if such a thing exists in vic :P) to ride shotgun with you and just take it easy for the 1st few sessions while practicing the heel-toe technique (i still manage to hit the limiter while downshifting) it takes some getting used to, aswell as learning the lines. I try and watch as many in-car videos of the track ill be on as I can, and try to follow suit once you are out there.

Last but not least - make sure the car is in perfect running order before you go out, I killed my built 25 at wakefield last year because i just decided to do a track day out of the blue and didnt do anything with the car before I went.

Try to get some decent semi-slicks for the day (even if you borrow some) there is nothing worse than finally getting the hang of the track only to find that your street tyres are mush and you end up facing the wrong way.

Im sure the more expirianced guys will have more to add aswell :)

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5030957
Share on other sites

Good on you for getting into it Kieren!

I started off a few years ago doing a few wet skid pan days. was uber cool fun and learnt car control!

then did a few days at EC with some instructors on the circuit.

did more skid pan days, and got into motorkhana's with a bloke called Aaron McGill who races in the fujistu V8's and also did some John Boston days.

I started off in a V8 commodore and then my standard r33.

Any car will be fine as Zebra said - make sure its running good before you go out!

Keep doing DECA days withg SAU VIC and maybe even look at driver dynamic days - they are based in VIC and do alot of driver days.

Then maybe get into a more motorsport based club and do a supersprint series and see how you go :D

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5031460
Share on other sites

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'll definitely keep up the DECA days, I have never had so much fun in my car before.

Just curious, but where do you learn basic rules and courtesies on the racetrack? Not just what each flag means what (which I'm sure you hear in a brief everyday you head out), but say I've got a GTR behind me is there a safe way to let them pass, and let them know I'm letting them pass?

Thanks again.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5031755
Share on other sites

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'll definitely keep up the DECA days, I have never had so much fun in my car before.

Just curious, but where do you learn basic rules and courtesies on the racetrack? Not just what each flag means what (which I'm sure you hear in a brief everyday you head out), but say I've got a GTR behind me is there a safe way to let them pass, and let them know I'm letting them pass?

Thanks again.

You can also do driver training days at the WRX sprint days. You'll have a driver in the car with you at all times who be able to advise you on lines and what is/isnt appropriate on the track. Driver Dynamics also have advanced driver training days at Sandown where full time race drivers jump in your passenger seat and give you advise all day long.

Neither of these make you lean on your car to much, as they are not timed events they are both about getting an understanding of what its like on a circuit.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5031942
Share on other sites

There is always a driver briefing which will outline the rules for the day

You won't be put in a group with any cars that are heaps faster than you for starters but it always pays to keep an eye on your mirrors... if a car comes up behind you you simply move over and point at which side you would like them to pass on... most trackdays don't allow passing in corners anyway

The first time you go out you will have an instructor in the car with you who will show you the braking areas, lines etc

Go along to a Driver Dynamics day, they are untimed and relaxed so you won't have anyone bullying you to get past... they also have experienced instructors on hand to help you out

I wouldn't worry too much about hitting walls, if you can manage to get around the back track at DECA without hitting anything you should be right... mechanical breakages do happen though but with N/A you should find it quite reliable

Good luck:)

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5031957
Share on other sites

I wouldn't worry too much about hitting walls, if you can manage to get around the back track at DECA without hitting anything you should be right...

I nearly had an incident! Coming around that big sweeper and as I'm half way I think to myself "I'm going too fast", so I put my foot lightly on the brakes and nearly lost control of the car! I let go of the brakes, eased off the throttle and clung to the wheel for dear life as I swung around the rest.

It's little things like that I don't know, it was a valuable and scary lesson. That's why when I head out there I want to do it properly.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5034604
Share on other sites

if you can get a cheap second set of wheels and tyres so you won't kill your daily tyres.

Deca won't be a problem but if you go to a few tracks you might flat spot or damage your streets.

Prep your car well and just get into it. You'll love it.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5034635
Share on other sites

You can also do driver training days at the WRX sprint days. You'll have a driver in the car with you at all times who be able to advise you on lines and what is/isnt appropriate on the track. Driver Dynamics also have advanced driver training days at Sandown where full time race drivers jump in your passenger seat and give you advise all day long.

Neither of these make you lean on your car to much, as they are not timed events they are both about getting an understanding of what its like on a circuit.

these are pretty popular. there is normally good group of cars in DT at wrx days. plus you will be able to put some names to faces at wrx days

as they double as sau vic champ days. wrx do passenger laps during lunch, so you can come along and jump in the passenger seat if you want to stagger

yourself into it.

i was where you were this time last year. did a deca or two, then some track days. have you come along to a track day yet?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/303618-where-do-begin/#findComment-5034657
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • It's excellent but I'm still breaking it in so I'm not 100% sure where it'll end up. I would say it's about 15% heavier than stock and the smoothness of the slip zone is quite progressive but you need to be a little patient compared to stock or it'll bite hard and stall. Stock I got away with absolutely horrid clutch control. Like I said before I couldn't even tell where the clutch would grab when it was stock so releasing way too quickly without enough revs it would just slip and the revs would drop lower than ideal but that would be the end of it. Currently there's a bit of a nasty clutch judder if I don't apply enough revs + find the exact wrong point of the slip point in the clutch pedal but it feels like it's slowly resolving as I drive it more. I would not recommend the competition clutch unless you really need the extra clamp force. I think this clutch combined with the Nismo operating cylinder is going to be exactly what I want. Enough bite that you need to remember the release point to avoid stalling or rough shifts, but progressive enough that it's not hard to drive by any means and not heavy at all. I tried a "super single" clutch on my friend's 997.2 Turbo 6MT and that was absolutely horrid. It runs an electrohydraulic power steering pump for the clutch power boost so there's zero feedback in the clutch pedal and there was a horrific clutch shudder well after break-in due to the lack of marcel springs or hub springs in the friction disk. It felt like the slip zone was the thickness of a single toe twitch as well so it was almost impossible to avoid stalling it unless you gave it a ton of revs and just dumped the clutch instead of trying to be smooth with it. I was terrified of pulling out in front of traffic. I have also tried some kind of "super single" on an EK9 and that makes this twin plate Coppermix look like a stock clutch. Releasing the clutch pedal even slightly too quickly feels like you're getting rear-ended. The pedal is extremely heavy as well and there's no vacuum assist like the GTR.
    • Yeah, well I was probably way underguessing the $300 figure anyway. Just multiplied a "normal" by 4 for the purposes of pointing out it's not cheap, particularly if it has to be repeated.
    • We have an alignment shop out here that does what you're talking about but he wants like 800 AUD a pop. DIY is "cheaper" but once you start accounting for the value of your time I'm not sure it's worth it.
    • The main catch phrase for any car is "the eye of the beholder", and "personal tastes and preferences" And as for the plastic "flares", I honestly think they look cheap and tacky, and I cannot see them aging well, maybe if they were body colour they might look better to my eyes, but, I would still prefer it the were more like the older WRX STI models that had the wider body metal panels In saying all this 5hit, I wouldn't buy a new WRX again, even if it had the wide body metal panels    
×
×
  • Create New...