V4kerker

I'm asking because I've heard/read that drivers would walk the track to help learn the new tracks they would run to get them up to speed quicker.
I've been to 3 different track club events and no track walk except for a basic layout of the tracks in the class room.
The problem I'm having is when the track session is over and the instructor and I talk about a certain spot on the track and I can't remember it or know what part/spot he's talking about.
The closest thing to a track walk was a with an instructor at VIR Norbert. He has a binder with real pictures of the different parts of the track that helped us COMMUNICATE better after a track session was over.
It would be nice if the tracks would make photos of the different parts of the track to give to the students and instructors to use after the track sessions to review what they did wrong and right. I what pictures

sebdavid

I've done many track walks with different clubs. Usually during a 2-day event, you can do a track walk on the evening of the first day; just get an enthusiastic instructor on board and go walkin'!

jcsperson

YouTube is great for that. I watched a grillion vids of VIR before I went around it once. The only thing I forgot to do was view it with a map of the course so I could memorize the turn numbers. After the session my instructor talked in turn numbers and I always had to have him describe them visually.

Wicked Weasel

I think we use to do track walks with SCDA at Watkins Glen. Some areas I didnt realize how much banking there actually was until I was standing there which gave me more confidence the next day on the track to run harder.

I wish more groups did it. Maybe all it takes is someone to suggest it in the drivers meeting.

davidfarmer

unfortunately very few clubs do good track walks around here. When you walk the track, you see elevation changes you'll never see at speed, where the crown is nearly flat and where it falls away exiting key corners, and where dips/humps steal grip from you and you don't know why.

It's not about learning where the corners are, or where the apex is, it's about learning the topography of the track in minute detail. Clubs often don't want to give up the valuable time, but many clubs will let you go out during lunch if you can find someone to guide you through.

L98Terror

I do, usually at night with a beer or tw

JeremyGSU

The closest track to me is Sebring. At 3.7 miles I can't imagine doing a track walk. That would take some time and even walking a novice student probably woudln't remember a few corners back.

naschmitz

Most tracks will let you walk/bike the track after it goes cold at the end of the day. Even with a turn-by-turn guide in your hand it is worth doing.

OCCOMSRAZOR

At every ICSCC race you can get a track ride with a group around driving the line at slow speed. There is generally an instructor who will give specific details about each corner. You just have to get there early in the morning.

V4kerker

I'd like your to do it your way with an instructor but I'm worried about check points along the course.

Bill Dearborn

GVC BMW does a track walk at the Glen at most of their events (depending on time and track officials approval). They do it at the end of the first day before the end of the day party starts. Jim Tulloch the classroom instructor who has a lot of track experience takes the group around and shows them the characteristics of each corner and discusses why the car handles the way it does at certain points on the track. Very informative. It is a good way to know where the banking is, where the banking fades away, where there are higher grip patches of pavement so you can turn in sooner and still make the turn, etc. Of course you don't really walk the 3.37 mile course you take cars to selected spots on the track.

Bill

V4kerker

jcsperson yoytube is good for learning the basic layout of the track but. The thing I need is details like brake here, tire there, turn at this point and roll on the trottle at this point and the cars going to do this here when you do this or that. Some times this can be really hard to talk about while driving at speed with other cars. Then when you get back to to paddock it's alittle bit hard to nail down the details. Thats why I liked my one instructor that had photos of the track. In group 1/green some times I'm able to tag along with a better car/driver but can't hang with them.
I'm just alittle upset with todays technolgy that the track class room doesn't have photos of the track but a cartoon diagram of the track.

rayk

BIR drives the new guys around the track in Expeditions and talks about the braking, turn in points, correct lines. This is to reinforce the classroom training. Then new guys get setup with instructors to help them on the course.

Spring Mountain does the drive around the track too. Obviously some turns are worse then others to go off the track.

rbl

I agree with David.

I have a few examples of VIR ... can't seem to find all my pics though.

V4kerker

Rayk Last weekend at VIR (8th track day every for me) was the first time I got a ride along with anybody. My instructors car had tire problems Saturday and than blown head gasket Sunday. So Sunday I stood on grid with my thumb out trying to catch a ride along during the instructor group. Almost didn't get a ride until the pit lane worker stopped the last car and basiclly made him take me. Next time I'll try and dress in drag and I might have a better chance of catching a ride Later that Sunday I was able to catch a ride with a Jim driving a C6 Z06 he even had a spare helmet with HANS for me to put on Thanks for the ride Jim.
I really liked the ride alongs it gives you a different feel and look than what you might have with your own car. I'm going to have to try and catch some more rides at my future track events.

AU N EGL

Track walks are one the best ways to learn a track, but take too much time during the event.

the night before or the night after the first day can be done.

V4kerker

Now thats what I'm talking about rlb. The next time I go to a track event I want to walk the track with a camera and take a bunch of pictures of the track and put in windows power point or some program like that. I want to put it on a SD card or flash drive to bring to drivers classes.

Bill Dearborn

Your instructor should be working with you on each of those things while on track. Just like an autocross where you walk the course before the event you don't really do the things you planned on doing once the flag drops. The dynamics of the car change things and you just plain forget a lot of the plan.

Each instructor has a different way of working with a student but on a long track like Watkins Glen with 11 turns it takes most Novices 3 to 4 20 minute sessions to get the basics and get around the track in a reasonable manner. From there it takes more and more seat time working on braking zones and where to start getting onto the gas.

The track walk will point out the characteristics of the track that you don't see from a car or in a video. You can stand at the exit of a corner like T1 at the Glen and look back into the turn and see how the camber changes through the turn. After you have just spent a day going through that turn 40 to 50 times the view can provide visual feedback of why your car was behaving a certain way. As a group you can discuss the various methods used by other drivers which can be very informative. What the walk can't do is say you should hit the brake here and roll into the throttle here since that varies with each car/driver and is one of the reasons races are run to settle the argument about who does it best. The only way you get better at those things is practicing on the track by trying different things.

Bill

BuckeyeZ06

Walking a track is a great idea, even if you have many laps on it. I've done so at tracks that I have 1,000 laps on and still learn something new.

The minute detail you see at 3 MPH rather than 100 is amazing. And if the track was recently repaved...???

Some tracks don't allow it: Road America for one. I heard of one well-known SCCA racer who got in to alot of trouble 2 years ago for walking the track when he wasn't permitted.

L98Terror

I do, wait a second I am my instructor




Walked Road America in April...that mother is long...almost 3 beers long


Agreed, funny we were just finishing and were at the bottom of the hill on the front straight when security showed up...I assumed they were there to give us a ride up the hill...I mentioned what a nice service that was they provided.... she did mention that we weren't supposed to be walking the track

Although I need to leave some details out but we did get a few laps around the track in the security vehicle at 2 AM....I can tell you details but then I'd need to kill ya