Track time

[kartone]

How can I enjoy driving my street-stock Alfetta GTV at Sandown or Phillip Island?
What club events would provide access to the tracks and what safety gear / equipment is required?

[Steve S]

MSCA, Come and Try

http://www.msca.net.au/

http://www.cams.com.au/get-involved/events/come-and-try-days

[Paul Gulliver]

Without being a smart arse or stating the bleeding obvious,  if you are a member of AROCA Vic there is no better place to start than with your own club.

The club has a very well worn & proved pathway /  introduction to track days  and then participation in club sprints. It goes something like this.

1. Start at Winton in Feb 2017  with a driver training session at Winton on the Saturday followed by a club sprint on the Sunday. Winton, being a slower paced track it  is a lot safer place to start than either Philip Island or Sandown. 

2. Evan Bottcher posted a great link on what you need to get started in club sprints . Unfortunately the link is broken but I'm sure as soon as Evan sees this it will be fixed
    (  http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=300.msg1090#msg1090 )

3. The Winton weekend is at the start of the calendar / competition  year . It will provide you with tuition from members/ instructors who have been driving these cars in both competition & performance events for many years ( they know how these cars go and perform on the circuit.) The program is conducted in a very safe , friendly and exciting environment.

4. With all due respect to the MSCA if you go to at Alfa Club day you are likely to have had your car scrutineered by people who know what they are looking at and be on the track by 9.00am and get a full days tuition in.  As opposed to 10 - 11.00 am  start and hence limited track time on an MSCA day( sorry MSCA).

Do yourself a favor and drop competition secretary  Neil Choi a PM

[aggie57]

+1 THIS

AROCA(Vic) has one of the longest running and most respected club track programs in Australia.  The knowledge is deep, new entrants only need to show interest and you'll get all the help you need.  It's not limited to track cars, you can take your stock street car along and have a stack of fun at very moderate cost.

Also start here:   http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/motorsport/

Without being a smart arse or stating the bleeding obvious,  if you are a member of AROCA Vic there is no better place to start than with your own club.

The club has a very well worn & proved pathway /  introduction to track days  and then participation in club sprints. It goes something like this.

1. Start at Winton in Feb 2017  with a driver training session at Winton on the Saturday followed by a club sprint on the Sunday. Winton, being a slower paced track it  is a lot safer place to start than either Philip Island or Sandown. 

2. Evan Bottcher posted a great link on what you need to get started in club sprints . Unfortunately the link is broken but I'm sure as soon as Evan sees this it will be fixed
    (  http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=300.msg1090#msg1090 )

3. The Winton weekend is at the start of the calendar / competition  year . It will provide you with tuition from members/ instructors who have been driving these cars in both competition & performance events for many years ( they know how these cars go and perform on the circuit.) The program is conducted in a very safe , friendly and exciting environment.

4. With all due respect to the MSCA if you go to at Alfa Club day you are likely to have had your car scrutineered by people who know what they are looking at and be on the track by 9.00am and get a full days tuition in.  As opposed to 10 - 11.00 am  start and hence limited track time on an MSCA day( sorry MSCA).

Do yourself a favor and drop competition secretary  Neil Choi a PM

[kartone]

I am a member of the club and aware of the various sprint events, however due to limited time available and uncompetitive vehicle (daily driver) can only participate in one, two track days max. Are there any non racing events that provide access to the tracks?

[Paul Gulliver]

February 4   Circuit Training & Driver Safety  Winton Raceway

[Neil Choi]

First competition day is Broadford Jan 15.


Calendar is here
http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=16383.0

[Neil Choi]

You only need a well serviced Alfa, with a little bit of set up and you are away.
We started out with a stock Alfetta GT 1.8L which didn't go very fast in a straight line and had balls of fun, now we have a stock 156, still not fast and still having balls of fun.
Doesn't answer your intended question but others have already.

[aggie57]

I am a member of the club and aware of the various sprint events, however due to limited time available and uncompetitive vehicle (daily driver) can only participate in one, two track days max. Are there any non racing events that provide access to the tracks?

Not sure what you mean?  The club days are not racing, they're time trials. Neil will make sure you're not in a group with the fast cars. Otherwise perhaps look at one of the commercial driver training companies.

[kartone]

OK, Winton. What do I need to do for the driver training & track safety session?
Effectively how much time is spent driving around the circuit?

[Colin Edwards]

 Hi Kartone,

Lots of relevant info in the Motorsport section on club home page.  As long as your car is roadworthy, its basically just remove everything loose from the interior of car.  Pump up the tires to 35psi or more and your ready to go.  Bring a LEGAL helmet if possible!!!  Dont be late.
 
An instructor will accompany you in the car.  You'll probably get around five or six 10 minute sessions out on the track - maybe an hour or so all up!

[Sheldon McIntosh]

OK, Winton. What do I need to do for the driver training & track safety session?
Effectively how much time is spent driving around the circuit?

You get more than enough time, usually 5 or 6 sessions of 15 minutes.   Most people don't even do a full day, the last sessions are almost always amalgamated because people have had enough time and packed up.  It's quite a tiring day, you'll be amazed at the physical effort of driving on the track.  I have NEVER heard anyone complain about a lack of time on the track. 

Winton really is the best track for your first time.  Relatively slow track, with lots of run-off on most corners.  It's great for learning the characteristics of your car; the corners are such that you can play around with understeer and oversteer in single corners. 

First of all, make sure your car is in good shape;  fresh oil and filter, air filter etc, good tyres, check wheel bearings, and most importantly, check brake pads (make sure there is plenty of life in them, track-work really wears them down), and bleed your brakes, preferably with some fresh high-temp fluid. 

Road tyres are fine, but you need to really pump them up, I prefer at least 40psi.  And know that you'll take a lot of life out of them.

Fit a fire-extinguisher in the cabin, where you can reach it easily, cover glass headlights with tape, etc.  All that stuff is in the links provided above.

Come with an open mind, and be prepared to learn shitloads.  Driving on the track is FAR, FAR different to driving 'fast' on the road.  I learned this the first time I had my motorbike on track, and then again when I started driving on the track.   I naively thought I was getting 100% out of the bike, or car, on the road; in reality you get nowhere near to the limits on the road, and if you do you shouldn't have a license.  I also used to think I was a pretty good driver.  Getting on the track made me realise I had a lot to learn.

Talk to people, everyone will be helpful and willing to give advice.  This lasts for as long as you are slower than them, which can be many years.

And start saving......   By the end of the first day you'll be thinking about R-Tyres, then suspension work, then brakes, then power.......