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You finally bought a Corvette and want to track it. Maybe you’ve had one for a while and want to explore the limits of the world’s greatest sports car. Here’s how to pick a track to make sure you have fun, stay safe and learn in the process.
Has some useful tips about what to do when you've already selected one, V-little advice how to pick one.
My $.02:
Choose one with good runoff areas. In Ca: Buttonwillow, Thunderhill good. Laguna, not so great (but awesome in many other ways...). Sears Point: really bad!
Starting off with a season of autocross is a great idea, but you'll need to unlearn some behaviors about throwing the car around.
I'm not even going to read the article because there is no such thing as "the right track" for a first track day. Maybe the "right group" to run with but the only thing anyone who is doing their first track day should worry about is having a qualified, knowledgeable instructor who teaches you the basics and keeps you out of trouble.
Has some useful tips about what to do when you've already selected one, V-little advice how to pick one.
My $.02:
Choose one with good runoff areas. In Ca: Buttonwillow, Thunderhill good. Laguna, not so great (but awesome in many other ways...). Sears Point: really bad!
Starting off with a season of autocross is a great idea, but you'll need to unlearn some behaviors about throwing the car around.
Having run most of the tracks this side of the Mississippi I would have to say that I recommend Putnam Park as the best for a first day event. It has plenty of runoff room that you will appreciate sooner or later in your progression, has good visibility for all turns which translates into better intuitiveness, has really seen great improvements to the facility the last few years and always has a great group of attentive corner workers. Believe me, there are many tracks that don't offer the above. Now, as you gain experience and confidence there are some tracks that are more challenging and fun. But, the others come with some blind spots, not nearly as intuitive, less runoff before the walls and many elevation changes that might influence the suspension to leave you without traction. As an instructor, I find Putnam Park to be the safest, easiest to teach and find the students coming up to speed quicker.
Having run most of the tracks this side of the Mississippi I would have to say that I recommend Putnam Park as the best for a first day event. It has plenty of runoff room that you will appreciate sooner or later in your progression, has good visibility for all turns which translates into better intuitiveness, has really seen great improvements to the facility the last few years and always has a great group of attentive corner workers. Believe me, there are many tracks that don't offer the above. Now, as you gain experience and confidence there are some tracks that are more challenging and fun. But, the others come with some blind spots, not nearly as intuitive, less runoff before the walls and many elevation changes that might influence the suspension to leave you without traction. As an instructor, I find Putnam Park to be the safest, easiest to teach and find the students coming up to speed quicker.
I still have to feel that if we are worrying about a student needing run off room or having to worry about getting light over a rise in elevation we aren't doing our job as instructors. A first time student is experiencing sensory overload and depends on the instructor to be his eyes, ears and to basically "drive" the car with his commands. I agree some students will absorb more than others and all learn at different rates but the fact is that the majority of the other drivers are still WAY too green for a student with better skills to be given too much leash in a begginer run group. Just my .02 .........
I'm not even going to read the article because there is no such thing as "the right track" for a first track day. Maybe the "right group" to run with but the only thing anyone who is doing their first track day should worry about is having a qualified, knowledgeable instructor who teaches you the basics and keeps you out of trouble.
Agree. If I had it to do over I would choose a run group with in-car instructors. The learning curve will be much faster. I learned sooo much more with an instructor in the car.
I'm not even going to read the article because there is no such thing as "the right track" for a first track day. Maybe the "right group" to run with but the only thing anyone who is doing their first track day should worry about is having a qualified, knowledgeable instructor who teaches you the basics and keeps you out of trouble.
the "culture" of the group/organization you run with will have a much bigger effect on enjoyment than the track itself.
You guys point out a very important aspect. The run group or organizer is very important. However, we must not overlook the other aspects of a good first time event. There are some tracks that are very technical with 25 to 30 turns that are physically intimidating to a first time driver. I once instucted a driver that was so overwhelmed by the number and complexity of the turns on a track that they simply were lost even the last session of the last day. And in another case, I had a driver, that used a Prius as a DD, come to the track with his Dad's vette and was running lap times as fast as the advanced/instructor group the second day even though it was his very first track event. The track was not too technical, and had only 10 turns. He was also a navy fighter pilot - what you might call 'disciplined'. I have always thought that if the driver is not having fun they won't be back anytime soon for another track event. A track that is too complicated is not fun for a first time driver. And, after all, if the they aren't having fun because they are lost on the track the whole event, then it doesn't matter how good the instructor is.
I'll stick by the concept of good runoff areas. Learning new things means sometimes making mistakes...
The culture of the group is super important! I've never run with a group that would send a novice out without an instructor. Sounds like a surefire disaster... Some groups are more beginner focused period. I always recommended Porsche club or BMWCCA events to first timers. Hooked on Driving has a great rep around here as well, but haven't tried them personally.
Also like the idea of somewhere not too technical. First time to a track can be pretty intimidating just by itself. Trying to learn the line at the Nurburgring might be a bit of a challenge for your first time.
Run off areas are a good thing for a first track day. Well prepped surfaces and not too much traffic are also really great things for beginners. If you're constantly in traffic, you can often pick up a bad line from the people near you, especially as a beginner.
There's some tracks you just don't want your first track day to be at. Sebring, for example, would be a bad idea.
You have to admire the ***** of a "Curated Content Editor" who, having NEVER driven on track (and probably never driven a corvette) presumes to advise those who do on a very technical subject like track tires, while knowing nothing about that subject himself.........
You have to admire the ***** of a "Curated Content Editor" who, having NEVER driven on track (and probably never driven a corvette) presumes to advise those who do on a very technical subject like track tires, while knowing nothing about that subject himself.........
Yup, these guys are writing "content" for several sites and some magazines too. Pretty sad.
You have to admire the ***** of a "Curated Content Editor" who, having NEVER driven on track (and probably never driven a corvette) presumes to advise those who do on a very technical subject like track tires, while knowing nothing about that subject himself.........
Good afternoon, Corvette63. Just to clarify, "Curated Content Editor" is not a writer. We manage some of the content written for this forum site. Christopher Hurst, who wrote the article you are referring to, is an extremely experienced race car driver (having driven Corvettes, Porsche, and other vehicles) who is currently a driving coach at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles and has worked at the Nascar Technical Institute. We would not publish this sort of technical content unless it was written by an expert. But we certainly welcome any specific and constructive feedback in this thread. We create these threads so that readers have an opportunity to agree, disagree, and debate.
Last edited by Curated Content Editor; 11-02-2017 at 04:52 PM.
Alas, the credentials of 'extremely experienced race car driver' do not always transfer to 'good author'.
I especially enjoyed the earlier CCE post about how to become a pro driver. As I recall, it included a section about having good luck.
But I always read them anyway...
Has some useful tips about what to do when you've already selected one, V-little advice how to pick one.
My $.02:
Choose one with good runoff areas. In Ca: Buttonwillow, Thunderhill good. Laguna, not so great (but awesome in many other ways...). Sears Point: really bad!
Starting off with a season of autocross is a great idea, but you'll need to unlearn some behaviors about throwing the car around.
...and this.
Originally Posted by Hi Volts Z06
I'm not even going to read the article because there is no such thing as "the right track" for a first track day. Maybe the "right group" to run with but the only thing anyone who is doing their first track day should worry about is having a qualified, knowledgeable instructor who teaches you the basics and keeps you out of trouble.
If there's one in your area, why not learn at a track that has nothing to crash into? Unfortunately, not everyone has that option in their area, but they do have the option of choosing between an organization that tosses you onto the track to fend for yourself, and one that gives you a reasonably solid foundation about how to make it around a track without going off of it.
There are a lot of organizations that will let brand new track drivers onto a track with no training at all... I know, I was one of them, and my first track day I nearly rolled my new to me WRX because I had never heard of trailing throttle oversteer, and had no idea what it was until I found out the hard way.
On the other hand, there are some organizations that provide excellent training for beginners, some seem to specialize in it. I believe that Hooked on Driving is one, I've never run with them, but I always hear good things, and I think they hold events at tracks around the country, not just in one or two states like most organizations do.
Maybe, instead, we have a list of "The Tracks to NOT Choose for Your 1st Track Day"...that could maybe be more helpful!
A friend from Ohio was thinking of going to Daytona to run a PCA track event in her Corvette, she has never been on track before, I kindly suggested that she get some track time before hitting Daytona...too many walls and not enough margin of error for a newb! I remember my first practice there at the 2015 Runoffs...quite an eye-opening experience, LOVED it though! I just cannot imagine that as my first track day, I am sure it has been for some folks though and I'm sure they survived.
Excellent idea! Let's start a list. I can recommend 2 Norcal tracks.
1) Sears Point (or 'Sonoma', or whatever they want to name it next). Awesome, technical track. But too many walls, too near to the track.
2) Laguna Seca. Not as bad as Sears, but there are still ample opportunities to wreck.
Any other contributions?
However I would avoid tracks with walls and shitty runoff.
Street of willow: small/slow track but shitty runoff area with fist size boulders. cars flip weekly here. I still would go because it is fun small track, feels like an autoX course.
Big willow: fastest track on the west, Avg speed is super fast, so it is scary track for me. Turn 8 & 9 could be dangerous if you are fast, as you will be approaching turn 8 at above 120. still scared to go due to high avg speed lol
Buttonwillow: good run off area but sometimes sandy or muddy after rain. Mud can be dangerous and flip the car, but in general, this track is safer so people push harder. Still, ppl die on this track (2016) This is one of my favorite track.
Chuckwalla: one of the safest track I've been to. It is out in the dessert and almost nothing to hit other than tumble weeds. However if you launch your car at the bowl, you could possibly fly. one of favorite track, just little far and too hot most of the yr.
Fontana Roval: not been there, mostly due to seeing many high power cars loose their engine due to oil starvation through roval, and end of roval is a S turns with wall barrier. Seen few people total their vehicles on vid. Will continue to avoid unless there's good deal since this track doesnt have any runoff.
Fontana Infield: small and tight, close to the wall but lower avg speed give you little more confidence. willing to try soon.
I would recommend Buttonwillow & Chuckwalla, you will understand when you hit the track.
Bottom line: Any & every track can be dangerous if you're not paying attention. You need to stay focus and keep your awareness on 110% since you are on the track with many other drivers with different skill sets.
It is possible to run any track for first timers. However, some tracks will tire out a fresh mind quickly as they require much self discipline and more concentration. That, of course, relegates them to less fun for a first timer. But, staying within the realm of the OP posting, by virtue of the above stated, there are, indeed, better first event options. I have only encountered one track that I would not recommend to novice or experienced alike. I won't say which one but I will say that all others have possibilities; some more than others.
Excellent idea! Let's start a list. I can recommend 2 Norcal tracks.
1) Sears Point (or 'Sonoma', or whatever they want to name it next). Awesome, technical track. But too many walls, too near to the track.
2) Laguna Seca. Not as bad as Sears, but there are still ample opportunities to wreck.
Any other contributions?
CotA. (Circuit of the Americas) Lots of walls and areas with little room for error. Plus, if you break it, you buy it there. You pay for a new piece of guardrail, or to repaint.
Run groups are key, IMO. Get a good run group with good instructors, and they will make or break your experience. There is nothing worse than having an instructor who is a jerk who pressures you or stresses you out on track.
Next, find the tracks nearest you that host said run-group and hang out there on the weekends. Make your face known, get to know people, and, most importantly, ask for ride alongs to see the track first-hand! This will not only help you asses if this is the right track you want to play on (or if this is a hobby you even want to get into), but will also familiarize you with the track in preparation for your first outing! I did this with Texas World Speedway (RIP, TWS ). I just happened to be going to college in the same city at TWS (Gig Em' Aggies!) and stumbled upon a group of Porsches at a gas station. We all got to talking and I learned about PCA track days through them, and got invited to do a ride along with them. Showed up, rode along, and got hooked! My first track day was at TWS, and I knew the track like the back of my hand by the time I first put tires on it.
10-20-2017, 03:11 PM
Tips for Choosing the Right Track for Your First Track Day
Having run most of the tracks this side of the Mississippi I would have to say that I recommend Putnam Park as the best for a first day event. It has plenty of runoff room that you will appreciate sooner or later in your progression, has good visibility for all turns which translates into better intuitiveness, has really seen great improvements to the facility the last few years and always has a great group of attentive corner workers. Believe me, there are many tracks that don't offer the above. Now, as you gain experience and confidence there are some tracks that are more challenging and fun. But, the others come with some blind spots, not nearly as intuitive, less runoff before the walls and many elevation changes that might influence the suspension to leave you without traction. 
As an instructor, I find Putnam Park to be the safest, easiest to teach and find the students coming up to speed quicker. 
I have always thought that if the driver is not having fun they won't be back anytime soon for another track event. A track that is too complicated is not fun for a first time driver. And, after all, if the they aren't having fun because they are lost on the track the whole event, then it doesn't matter how good the instructor is. 
). I just happened to be going to college in the same city at TWS (Gig Em' Aggies!) and stumbled upon a group of Porsches at a gas station. We all got to talking and I learned about PCA track days through them, and got invited to do a ride along with them. Showed up, rode along, and got hooked! My first track day was at TWS, and I knew the track like the back of my hand by the time I first put tires on it.