Twiggs

As the glaciers recede back across Lake Ontario it's time for my first track day with hooked on driving at the Glen! I took my c6 to the dealer to bake fluids checked, changed to DOT4, fresh oil, hawk hp+ pads, and tow hooks front and rear. I have the extra quart of oil for when I get to the track. What I don't know is what I should bring with me on the day of.

So far this is what I've been able to piece together from a few threads:
Water
helmet
appropriate footware
Tire pressure guage
food
shade
more water
and leaving any ideas of being a s#€thot driver at home.

What am I missing? Should I be brining tools along with me, if so what does that list look like?

jaa1992

I'd just toss in a torque wrench and the appropriate socket for your lugs.
Check and set cold!

And if you are a gatorade/powerade guy - throw some of that in the cooler. at least 2 water per.

sean.b

ive always brought a jack and toolbox, because you just never know. especially if you end up needing those tow hooks, you may want to check for damage, and many times ive had people borrow my tools or jack, so its a good way to meet fellow enthusiasts.

take more brake fluid in case you boil yours. and a hand pump to remove it. you'd rather slave for an hour doing this than miss 3 sessions because your pedal is mush.

a gopro with vehicle suction cup or roll bar mount, to analyze your driving and have the most awesome memories ever put to video.

spare tires if you have a way to bring them. you're going to wear them QUICKLY.

a pyrometer if you want to at least take notes on how the tires did, so in case you go again, you can adjust accordingly.

and if you havent had it (preferably done by hand) aligned lately by a reputable shop, you'll want to do that now. otherwise after a single hard session, you'll know exactly what your alignment shouldnt be doing

JRMaroon1

I have attached the list we use and it continues to grow. The first DE checklist started out with;

Food and beverage
Torque wrench / socket
Paper towels
Window cleaner
Oil
Chairs
Car Numbers
Pressure guage
Helmet
Tech form

BEZ06

According to your avatar info you are in Harvest, AL - way up north in the state. I don't know any tracks real "local" to you.

But, you've got a couple premier roadcourse tracks fairly close:
You can look on http://corvettemuseum.org/ to see HPDE track days they have planned, but many other organizations are running at the track as well.

For more info on them and any other tracks you might like to run, go to:

Edit: Uh-Oh! looks like sean.b deleted his post while I was typing up an answer!
.

sean.b

yea i made it a new topic, didnt mean to add it here I'm actually moving to Denver from AL, hoping to find the scene up there. thanks for the info!

Twiggs

Thanks for the replies guys, JRMaroon1 your list seems very detailed. If this becomes a serious addi..hobby then I'll have to look into someone going down with me in a chase vehicle to store all that stuff. Or sell my winter focus for a truck and trailer. That all said I don't think I'm gonna have time or budget to go buy all of this stuff before Monday so I'll get as much as I can and hope that things don't go sideways!

sean.b

oh yea, SHADE. BRING. SHADE. even if its a damn umbrella. trust me on that one. and sunblock if you arent Greek or darker.

i have a little pop up canopy i would bring, and 4 chairs. leaves some chairs to meet fellow drivers.

if its your first day and first time, i'd just worry about the tire pressure gauge, brake fluid, and make sure your pads/rotors have life on them before you go. you wont be going fast enough to really hurt yourself or go through more than that. although on my first ever track day, i did fade my brakes HARD with hp pads, but i was on stock fluid.

if you havent swapped to 600 degree fluid, do that. do that even for your first time.

Dan H.

I tend to bring way to much stuff, my car barely had room for me by the time it's packed

I bring a jack, jack stands, and the cross member mount. Bring wrenches and bleeder to bleed brakes if needed. I bring a full set of metric sockets, a shop light, and a hammer.

Other stuff is sun screen and a change of clothes. And my next challenge is how to get a pop up canopy in with all that stuff.

I'm often a couple hundred miles from home and want to be ready to fix anything basic so I can save my weekend and not need to tow home.

All that said, when I look around I bring a lot more heat than the other folks that drive to the track. Guess it's my inner Boy Scout telling me to be ready for as much as I can

sean.b

I tend to pack heavy, but if you're looking forward to this, clearing your schedule, excited to do it, and its not cheap.. I'd rather not be missing 20-40 minutes because I didnt bring a bleeder tool and had to run into town, etc. Definitely rather pack heavy than regret it.

I bring a bleeder, hand pump, brake pad/piston spreader tool, all of that stuff. Hell I usually even have spare pads, rotors, tires, etc. I will NOT miss my seat time!

Bill Dearborn

At the Glen you should be prepared for the weather. Up on that hill it is always cooler than other areas. Be prepared for cold rain, snowy conditions (I was there at the end of April in 2012 and the temp was 32 deg with snow flurries flying while we were on track). Depending on the number of people attending you may get a garage space instead of being in the paddock. Even if you don't have a garage space you can always take your chairs/coolers and put them in the garage. Almost everybody will say welcome if you ask.

The way I dress at the Glen at this time of the year is to layer my clothes. Start with an undershirt, followed by a long sleeve T, followed by sweatshirt and then add sweatshirts as required. Take a rain suit as you will drive with windows open when it is raining (there are times when I have had 3 sweat shirts and an insulated shirt under my rain jacket). If you have driving gloves make sure you take them and if you don't it might be a good time to find a reasonably priced thin set of gloves. When you are on that track at 100+ mph with a 32 degree breeze blowing in the window you will get cold. The layering helps with the insulation and the rain suit keeps the warm air in the insulation. If you get precipitation the rain suit keeps you from being soaked. Once you get out of the car you will be tempted to leave your helmet on since it will keep your head warm.

Based on the weather report Monday will be a miserable day. 80% chance of rain with a low in the high 40s and a high in the 50s. It will seem like the dead of winter again on top of that hill. Tuesday will have a 50% chance of rain but the low will be in the upper 30s with the high in the 50s. Winds both days will be in the 14 to 18 mph range so even in the garages it will be breezy. If you plan on using a pop up out in the paddock you will need a heavy duty one that you can weigh down so it doesn't fly away. Personally, I stick to the garages and close the doors every chance I get. I have never taken my pop up to the Glen even when I didn't have a garage space.

When in the car turn the heater on to its highest setting with the air blowing into the footwells. That will help keep you warm.

Make sure you keep your self hydrated. In that weather you won't feel like you are thirsty but your body will still need liquids.

With the rain you want to have your tires at a little higher pressure to help cut through the layer of water. Your instructor will probably tell you this but you want to stay off the shiny areas as much as possible. Look for the dull gray track surface and try to stay on it. If there is a car ahead of you drive in its wheel tracks. Why drive on water when somebody ahead of you has already cleared the water from the surface? The concrete strips in the corners are well worn and are slippery when wet so you will need to keep one set of wheels off most of them. Again your instructor should inform you of all of this as you go around the track. In heavy rain in the section between T6 and T7 (the straight leading to the Toe of the Boot) there can be a pretty deep stream running across the track just before the braking zone for T7. You sort of need to aim the car straight at it, keep the steering wheel straight, keep your foot away from the brakes and maintain a steady throttle (no up or down) and float the car across the stream. Once you cross the stream you can use the brakes again. It can be a butt clincher once you start hitting it at some speed. Driving in the rain at the Glen will vastly improve your driving skills in your everyday life including in rain, snow and icy conditions.

Bill

Twiggs

Thank you all for the great advice! I ended up getting my first set of wrenches (all my dad's tools got lost when he died) and lugged them down for the day. Bill your advice was probably the most comfortable as all morning it was in the 40's and raining, bringing a wool sweater made things nice a warm.

I'm definitely hooked and will be looking into a better plan for next time.

waddisme

Here is mine:

Stuff To Bring (Highly Recommended):
• HELMETS and Gloves
• Paperwork (completed)
• Required clothing (long sleeved shirt and cotton long pants)
• Listing of Computer Codes
• Tire pressure gage
• Tire air compressor
• Engine oil (1-2 quarts)
• 1 container of brake fluid
• Brake bleeding equipment (tube/bottle, etc.)
• Duct tape
• Fire extinguisher
• WD-40
• Paper towels / rags / wipe
• Cotton towel for yourself
• Torque wrench w/ socket
• Brake pads repl tools – 16mm wrench, 21mm socket(bracket), 15mm(pads)
• Turkey baster (clutch and power steering flush)
• Other tools (sockets, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, etc...)
• Contact paper w/scissors
• Windshield cleaner w/microfiber towel
• 25 ft jumper cables
• Trailer Aid

• Spare parts.
o Serpentine belt
o Brake pads
o Rotors (front & rear)
o Caliper bolts and caliper bracket bolts and caliper pins
o Wheel studs and lug nuts
o Spare Slicks/Rain tires
o Hoses
o Endlinks/Tie Rod/hub (same box)
• Jack
• Jack stands
• Impact wrench w/breaker bars
• Gloves – Mechanix
• Funnel for oil
• Grease
• Ice chest (Drinks, energy bars, snacks)
• Sunglasses / reading glasses
• Sun screen
• Camera w/lenses and charger
• Power Converter/Iphone charger/Mount
• Flashlight
• Gas Tank
• Folding chairs
• Tent
• Ground tarp
• Rain tarp
• Extra set of keys (car and tow vehicle)

I have this in WORD and PDF format if you would like a copy. Just pm me your email.

One thing to keep in mind - most HPDEs have many experienced C5ers attending who are more than willing to share tools, supplies, knowledge and a hand without thinking twice about it. So it is not like you have to have every tool imaginable.

Socko

Mine is simmilar to waddisme's list.

Part of my list is the day before list. I usualy take off the day before and after track days if i can. So i go get protien bars and gatorade, check oil and tire pressure and such. All that stuff is on my day before list, which i personally find useful, but I am also an over thinker and generally over prepaired.

I think whoever said, there will be other vette guys there, is right, just chat them up then when you need their tools you wont feel weird asking. I have never turned anyone down borrowing a jack or stand or torque wrench, and I have never been turned down. In my experience people at the track are generally in a really good mood and happy to help each other out. They are at the track after all, if their car is still driveable its a good day!

Boxcar

I'll be at the Glen this weekend(ish) 27-28 Apr with NASA....come on down....or should I say come on up....up the hill that is.

bdanyluk

I highly recommend just putting the car in 4th gear and driving. You will have 1000 things going through your head....one less thing to worry about.

Maybe the last session of the day use 3rd and 4th but stay in your comfort zone.

You will love it....you will want more....you will progress as you go and get faster....just be patient.

Watch as many youtube videos as you can before getting there.

90% of day 1 on ANY track is learning to stay on it.