Track Day Preparation and Etiquette: A Guide to Making the Most of Your Racing Experience

As I set up my racing system, I'm reminded that every track has its own unique characteristics and requirements. My RAC (Racing Application Controller) track is already set up for me, but I'll explain how to do it for those who need help. First, start by dipping the back of the bucket as low as possible and then lift the front up as high as it goes. Seated low with good support on my thighs for my pedals is key to getting a good line of sight. I also make sure my mirrors are clear and visibility is excellent. The steering wheel should always be positioned in this way, as most people tend to have it in this position sometimes, which is the worst possible scenario.

Another crucial aspect of track day preparation is understanding how your car behaves on the track. When starting to drift or spin, don't chase the wheel - let it come back to you naturally. You don't need to do anything drastic to regain control. If you're driving in a convertible, be aware that visibility can be affected by wind and sun glare.

Before hitting the track, make sure you've checked your wristband to ensure you're in the correct group. Temperature is also crucial - always check your tire pressures before starting a session. In a street car, this might not seem as important, but it's still vital for optimal performance. Even if you're just learning the course, use the curves whenever possible and avoid straightaways.

If you're running a stock car or any other type of vehicle, ensure your tire pressures are good. Tony didn't even check his tire pressures after working on his car the day before - it's surprising he didn't! Tire pressures provide valuable insight into how your car is handling, so after each session, bring it in and check all your pressures.

As I reflect on my own track day experience, I realize that there are some essential tips to keep in mind. When you're finished with a session, always check your tire pressures before moving on. This might seem obvious, but it's crucial for understanding how your car behaves on the track.

The key to making the most of your racing experience is preparation and etiquette. Always ensure your tires are properly inflated, and be aware of your surroundings - whether you're driving in a group session or racing solo. Respect other drivers and their cars, and always follow basic safety guidelines.

One crucial aspect of track day etiquette is not putting your parking brake on when exiting the car. This might seem like a minor detail, but it's essential for maintaining control of your vehicle. Additionally, don't forget to chalk your wheels before leaving the track - this will help prevent wear and tear on your tires.

As I look around at the other drivers on the track, I see a mix of excitement and caution. Some are experienced racers, while others are just starting out. Regardless of skill level, everyone has one thing in common: a shared passion for racing and driving. Whether you're competing solo or with friends, remember to have fun and enjoy the experience.

Throughout my time on the track, I've encountered various obstacles - from wrecks to unexpected surprises. But even in these moments, it's essential to stay calm and focus on the task at hand. As one seasoned driver puts it, "Track days are all about preparation, etiquette, and having fun with your friends."

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginner, track day racing is an exhilarating experience that offers something for everyone. By following these simple tips and guidelines, you'll be well on your way to making the most of your time on the track.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhow do you become a race car driver seriously probably the most common question I get when I tell people that I race cars first things first when prepping your car for a track day you got to have the right stickers double donut Double D put the money long six M freak M knock your down pick her up knock her back it's really not that hard if you're not born in a family that brings you up to go racing um it's just about making practical steps to make it happen whether that's video games to sim racing to indoor cing to outdoor cing to track days to building a race car to Club racing today I'm going to show you how to do a track day I got this borrowed ass 911 not going to complain about it I will take good care of it though we're heading up to button Willow and it's about a couple hundred bucks and you get all the track time on the worst part about having a convertible it's not about being cold it's about driving by the slaughter houses and smelling death oh God we made it made it almost almost don't want to pay the $10 a gallon track prices nope Kev we made it yeah seriously every other car is an M3 thank you $10 hook me up thank you very much there you go have a good day I feel like people look at me an in convertible and think I'm a complete schmuck cuz it's like the ultimate schmuck mobile but little do they know this is a borrowed car like if you're in the cars why the would you buy a a drop top especially a drop top 911 base model it's all right when you start passing everybody's going to be looking at you like what the with my my hair in the wind I wish I had an open face helmet look who it is tonny what do you got here dude I made it I got my car Tony was up all night editing uh the evolution of the Sim racing two nights ago and I think he's probably still recovering I stayed up all night till 3:00 p.m. to edit the video and then I took 3-hour nap and then I got back up and I worked on my car till 12: midnight and then and then slept 3 hours and then slept 3 hours and then now I'm here am I rolling Tony Tony Tony am I rolling all sorts of nice cars the most common for sure so far GT3 rs's is not mad at that they also have a Time attack class going on out here today so you have some guys that take it a little more seriously these guys time attack it's kind of cool I don't really get it to be honest with you you're going to go that much trouble to make your car fast why wouldn't you just race I don't get it educate me time attack people educate me like why why not got wheel to wheel first things first got to make sure you'll bring a helmet it's really good to invest in a nice helmet um this is one of my racing helmets it's super lightweight it's a composite material it's aide gp6 um I had it painted by Des spray custom one of my favorite artists ever how's that helmet nice feel pretty good huh Lifesaver is what it is I like gloves no matter what I'm driving even if it's just like a a lawn mower I just like having gloves on my hands model 911 drop top race Tire nope all lugs present and torqued I'm going to go ahead and make sure they are engine any fluid leaks not that I know of or could tell yes yes yes I think so feels good to me long sleeve cotton shirt I do dude I have to take my pens out of my car cuz you'll get stabbed by your pens small pen yeah sign it this hot rod just pass Tech boys everybody making fun of me for my convertible we'll see who's laughing next 270 bucks and I'm on track all day yep and they give you your group sorted by skill usually dri basically going over all the rules one thing that's cool about these is that they really are meant for people that have never driven before I there's probably like 30 people in there that have never even been on a track before and they also offer instruction if it's your first time and you're nervous you get paired with an instructor for your first time out on track God bless that instructor many have fallen that way that's not really true it does happen but not at these kinds of events so the driver's meeting they tell you all sorts of different things like what the flags mean what the passing rules are what the the turns are on the track where to pit in where to pit out how to signal other drivers all sorts of different things so one thing they always recommend doing at these ends of events is put your tow hook on your car I think every car comes with a tow hook nowadays um it's just a matter of finding it whoa there probably a tool kit in here with there you go so we got a tow hook right there look at this tool what do you think that is you take your tow hook and uh screw it in so this is so if you have an incident and you need to be towed the tow truck has something to toe most people sit pretty awkwardly it might be comfortable for you know City driving but that usually doesn't translate to the RAC trck it's already set up for me but I'll kind of show you I'm pretty upright here feel like I have a good line of sight I like to dip the back of the bucket as low as it goes and then lift the front up as high as it goes seated low I've got some support on my thighs for my pedals I have a good brace here with my leg I tend to sit a little closer than a lot of people make sure your mirrors are good visibility is key your steering wheel should be like this at all times I mean I think most people's kind of tendency is like this sometimes like this which is the absolute worst right here everything's just right here another quick tip if you're starting to drift or spin don't chase the wheel Let It Go the wheel will come back to you you don't need to do any of that it's nice and easy are you going to drive in the convertible or yeah down yeah nice yeah might do that as well all right we're going to hit it so right now they're going to check our wristbands to make sure we're all in the right group anytime you're doing a track session you always have to make sure that you're uh you have temperature in your tires and your brakes it's really important even in a street car we're just going to kind of figure out the course here here we got a little bit of inside always want to use the curves if you can kind of nice in a convertible trying to learn the track it's really important you learn the track before you start to go fast always start slow increase the speed throughout the day man this is a slow really really slow group I don't know what's going on feel pretty hot boy in this convertible all right now the track is green so boring if you're running a stock car or whatever car you're running you definitely want to make sure your tire pressures are good tire pressures Tony didn't even check his tire pressures he seriously he worked on his car yesterday and didn't he did all this but didn't even check his tire pressures forgot to check my tire pressures the post session tire pressures tell you a lot about your car they're kind of like your your secret window into how your car is handling so when you get done with the session the first thing you do is bring it in and check all your pressures all the way around the car so it's still 10:20 in the morning I've already done like I don't know four sessions I've been in every run group um beginner was way too slow which obviously we knew that would happen but uh it was fun cuz I got a lot of clear track cuz they were all bunched up so I actually kind of like the beginner the best intermediate is by far the sketchiest because everybody has fast cars and everybody thinks they're great drivers and then Advanced is pretty good Pro tip when you get out of the car don't put your parking brake on leave it in gear get wheel chalks put it in park just don't put your brake on you feel fuse your pads to the caliber yeah I'm gonna go back out have some fun you didn't catch me that time I didn't I just were you out there yeah I was out there I didn't see you I know it was too fast all right you got to make sure your D's down when you go we got an accident we got a wreck so this happens this dude's on fire right now fully just wrecked whoa where did that guy go that was a pretty fun session that was the first time I had a transponder on I didn't really get a clean lap but I think I pretty much pushed this thing about as hard as it can go most important part about a track day folding chairs or stealing folding chairs from other people preparation other people's preparation borrowing tools drinking other people's beers eating someone's sandwich these are all things that happen at the racetrack it nice work nice work with you guys kill you K and that's it that's how you get into racing you go to the track you have fun with your friends maning ass huh having fun I saw you like dude you're not supposed to be FAS I'm cheating and I'm still losing is a gr us no rental carhow do you become a race car driver seriously probably the most common question I get when I tell people that I race cars first things first when prepping your car for a track day you got to have the right stickers double donut Double D put the money long six M freak M knock your down pick her up knock her back it's really not that hard if you're not born in a family that brings you up to go racing um it's just about making practical steps to make it happen whether that's video games to sim racing to indoor cing to outdoor cing to track days to building a race car to Club racing today I'm going to show you how to do a track day I got this borrowed ass 911 not going to complain about it I will take good care of it though we're heading up to button Willow and it's about a couple hundred bucks and you get all the track time on the worst part about having a convertible it's not about being cold it's about driving by the slaughter houses and smelling death oh God we made it made it almost almost don't want to pay the $10 a gallon track prices nope Kev we made it yeah seriously every other car is an M3 thank you $10 hook me up thank you very much there you go have a good day I feel like people look at me an in convertible and think I'm a complete schmuck cuz it's like the ultimate schmuck mobile but little do they know this is a borrowed car like if you're in the cars why the would you buy a a drop top especially a drop top 911 base model it's all right when you start passing everybody's going to be looking at you like what the with my my hair in the wind I wish I had an open face helmet look who it is tonny what do you got here dude I made it I got my car Tony was up all night editing uh the evolution of the Sim racing two nights ago and I think he's probably still recovering I stayed up all night till 3:00 p.m. to edit the video and then I took 3-hour nap and then I got back up and I worked on my car till 12: midnight and then and then slept 3 hours and then slept 3 hours and then now I'm here am I rolling Tony Tony Tony am I rolling all sorts of nice cars the most common for sure so far GT3 rs's is not mad at that they also have a Time attack class going on out here today so you have some guys that take it a little more seriously these guys time attack it's kind of cool I don't really get it to be honest with you you're going to go that much trouble to make your car fast why wouldn't you just race I don't get it educate me time attack people educate me like why why not got wheel to wheel first things first got to make sure you'll bring a helmet it's really good to invest in a nice helmet um this is one of my racing helmets it's super lightweight it's a composite material it's aide gp6 um I had it painted by Des spray custom one of my favorite artists ever how's that helmet nice feel pretty good huh Lifesaver is what it is I like gloves no matter what I'm driving even if it's just like a a lawn mower I just like having gloves on my hands model 911 drop top race Tire nope all lugs present and torqued I'm going to go ahead and make sure they are engine any fluid leaks not that I know of or could tell yes yes yes I think so feels good to me long sleeve cotton shirt I do dude I have to take my pens out of my car cuz you'll get stabbed by your pens small pen yeah sign it this hot rod just pass Tech boys everybody making fun of me for my convertible we'll see who's laughing next 270 bucks and I'm on track all day yep and they give you your group sorted by skill usually dri basically going over all the rules one thing that's cool about these is that they really are meant for people that have never driven before I there's probably like 30 people in there that have never even been on a track before and they also offer instruction if it's your first time and you're nervous you get paired with an instructor for your first time out on track God bless that instructor many have fallen that way that's not really true it does happen but not at these kinds of events so the driver's meeting they tell you all sorts of different things like what the flags mean what the passing rules are what the the turns are on the track where to pit in where to pit out how to signal other drivers all sorts of different things so one thing they always recommend doing at these ends of events is put your tow hook on your car I think every car comes with a tow hook nowadays um it's just a matter of finding it whoa there probably a tool kit in here with there you go so we got a tow hook right there look at this tool what do you think that is you take your tow hook and uh screw it in so this is so if you have an incident and you need to be towed the tow truck has something to toe most people sit pretty awkwardly it might be comfortable for you know City driving but that usually doesn't translate to the RAC trck it's already set up for me but I'll kind of show you I'm pretty upright here feel like I have a good line of sight I like to dip the back of the bucket as low as it goes and then lift the front up as high as it goes seated low I've got some support on my thighs for my pedals I have a good brace here with my leg I tend to sit a little closer than a lot of people make sure your mirrors are good visibility is key your steering wheel should be like this at all times I mean I think most people's kind of tendency is like this sometimes like this which is the absolute worst right here everything's just right here another quick tip if you're starting to drift or spin don't chase the wheel Let It Go the wheel will come back to you you don't need to do any of that it's nice and easy are you going to drive in the convertible or yeah down yeah nice yeah might do that as well all right we're going to hit it so right now they're going to check our wristbands to make sure we're all in the right group anytime you're doing a track session you always have to make sure that you're uh you have temperature in your tires and your brakes it's really important even in a street car we're just going to kind of figure out the course here here we got a little bit of inside always want to use the curves if you can kind of nice in a convertible trying to learn the track it's really important you learn the track before you start to go fast always start slow increase the speed throughout the day man this is a slow really really slow group I don't know what's going on feel pretty hot boy in this convertible all right now the track is green so boring if you're running a stock car or whatever car you're running you definitely want to make sure your tire pressures are good tire pressures Tony didn't even check his tire pressures he seriously he worked on his car yesterday and didn't he did all this but didn't even check his tire pressures forgot to check my tire pressures the post session tire pressures tell you a lot about your car they're kind of like your your secret window into how your car is handling so when you get done with the session the first thing you do is bring it in and check all your pressures all the way around the car so it's still 10:20 in the morning I've already done like I don't know four sessions I've been in every run group um beginner was way too slow which obviously we knew that would happen but uh it was fun cuz I got a lot of clear track cuz they were all bunched up so I actually kind of like the beginner the best intermediate is by far the sketchiest because everybody has fast cars and everybody thinks they're great drivers and then Advanced is pretty good Pro tip when you get out of the car don't put your parking brake on leave it in gear get wheel chalks put it in park just don't put your brake on you feel fuse your pads to the caliber yeah I'm gonna go back out have some fun you didn't catch me that time I didn't I just were you out there yeah I was out there I didn't see you I know it was too fast all right you got to make sure your D's down when you go we got an accident we got a wreck so this happens this dude's on fire right now fully just wrecked whoa where did that guy go that was a pretty fun session that was the first time I had a transponder on I didn't really get a clean lap but I think I pretty much pushed this thing about as hard as it can go most important part about a track day folding chairs or stealing folding chairs from other people preparation other people's preparation borrowing tools drinking other people's beers eating someone's sandwich these are all things that happen at the racetrack it nice work nice work with you guys kill you K and that's it that's how you get into racing you go to the track you have fun with your friends maning ass huh having fun I saw you like dude you're not supposed to be FAS I'm cheating and I'm still losing is a gr us no rental carhow do you become a race car driver seriously probably the most common question I get when I tell people that I race cars first things first when prepping your car for a track day you got to have the right stickers double donut Double D put the money long six M freak M knock your down pick her up knock her back it's really not that hard if you're not born in a family that brings you up to go racing um it's just about making practical steps to make it happen whether that's video games to sim racing to indoor cing to outdoor cing to track days to building a race car to Club racing today I'm going to show you how to do a track day I got this borrowed ass 911 not going to complain about it I will take good care of it though we're heading up to button Willow and it's about a couple hundred bucks and you get all the track time on the worst part about having a convertible it's not about being cold it's about driving by the slaughter houses and smelling death oh God we made it made it almost almost don't want to pay the $10 a gallon track prices nope Kev we made it yeah seriously every other car is an M3 thank you $10 hook me up thank you very much there you go have a good day I feel like people look at me an in convertible and think I'm a complete schmuck cuz it's like the ultimate schmuck mobile but little do they know this is a borrowed car like if you're in the cars why the would you buy a a drop top especially a drop top 911 base model it's all right when you start passing everybody's going to be looking at you like what the with my my hair in the wind I wish I had an open face helmet look who it is tonny what do you got here dude I made it I got my car Tony was up all night editing uh the evolution of the Sim racing two nights ago and I think he's probably still recovering I stayed up all night till 3:00 p.m. to edit the video and then I took 3-hour nap and then I got back up and I worked on my car till 12: midnight and then and then slept 3 hours and then slept 3 hours and then now I'm here am I rolling Tony Tony Tony am I rolling all sorts of nice cars the most common for sure so far GT3 rs's is not mad at that they also have a Time attack class going on out here today so you have some guys that take it a little more seriously these guys time attack it's kind of cool I don't really get it to be honest with you you're going to go that much trouble to make your car fast why wouldn't you just race I don't get it educate me time attack people educate me like why why not got wheel to wheel first things first got to make sure you'll bring a helmet it's really good to invest in a nice helmet um this is one of my racing helmets it's super lightweight it's a composite material it's aide gp6 um I had it painted by Des spray custom one of my favorite artists ever how's that helmet nice feel pretty good huh Lifesaver is what it is I like gloves no matter what I'm driving even if it's just like a a lawn mower I just like having gloves on my hands model 911 drop top race Tire nope all lugs present and torqued I'm going to go ahead and make sure they are engine any fluid leaks not that I know of or could tell yes yes yes I think so feels good to me long sleeve cotton shirt I do dude I have to take my pens out of my car cuz you'll get stabbed by your pens small pen yeah sign it this hot rod just pass Tech boys everybody making fun of me for my convertible we'll see who's laughing next 270 bucks and I'm on track all day yep and they give you your group sorted by skill usually dri basically going over all the rules one thing that's cool about these is that they really are meant for people that have never driven before I there's probably like 30 people in there that have never even been on a track before and they also offer instruction if it's your first time and you're nervous you get paired with an instructor for your first time out on track God bless that instructor many have fallen that way that's not really true it does happen but not at these kinds of events so the driver's meeting they tell you all sorts of different things like what the flags mean what the passing rules are what the the turns are on the track where to pit in where to pit out how to signal other drivers all sorts of different things so one thing they always recommend doing at these ends of events is put your tow hook on your car I think every car comes with a tow hook nowadays um it's just a matter of finding it whoa there probably a tool kit in here with there you go so we got a tow hook right there look at this tool what do you think that is you take your tow hook and uh screw it in so this is so if you have an incident and you need to be towed the tow truck has something to toe most people sit pretty awkwardly it might be comfortable for you know City driving but that usually doesn't translate to the RAC trck it's already set up for me but I'll kind of show you I'm pretty upright here feel like I have a good line of sight I like to dip the back of the bucket as low as it goes and then lift the front up as high as it goes seated low I've got some support on my thighs for my pedals I have a good brace here with my leg I tend to sit a little closer than a lot of people make sure your mirrors are good visibility is key your steering wheel should be like this at all times I mean I think most people's kind of tendency is like this sometimes like this which is the absolute worst right here everything's just right here another quick tip if you're starting to drift or spin don't chase the wheel Let It Go the wheel will come back to you you don't need to do any of that it's nice and easy are you going to drive in the convertible or yeah down yeah nice yeah might do that as well all right we're going to hit it so right now they're going to check our wristbands to make sure we're all in the right group anytime you're doing a track session you always have to make sure that you're uh you have temperature in your tires and your brakes it's really important even in a street car we're just going to kind of figure out the course here here we got a little bit of inside always want to use the curves if you can kind of nice in a convertible trying to learn the track it's really important you learn the track before you start to go fast always start slow increase the speed throughout the day man this is a slow really really slow group I don't know what's going on feel pretty hot boy in this convertible all right now the track is green so boring if you're running a stock car or whatever car you're running you definitely want to make sure your tire pressures are good tire pressures Tony didn't even check his tire pressures he seriously he worked on his car yesterday and didn't he did all this but didn't even check his tire pressures forgot to check my tire pressures the post session tire pressures tell you a lot about your car they're kind of like your your secret window into how your car is handling so when you get done with the session the first thing you do is bring it in and check all your pressures all the way around the car so it's still 10:20 in the morning I've already done like I don't know four sessions I've been in every run group um beginner was way too slow which obviously we knew that would happen but uh it was fun cuz I got a lot of clear track cuz they were all bunched up so I actually kind of like the beginner the best intermediate is by far the sketchiest because everybody has fast cars and everybody thinks they're great drivers and then Advanced is pretty good Pro tip when you get out of the car don't put your parking brake on leave it in gear get wheel chalks put it in park just don't put your brake on you feel fuse your pads to the caliber yeah I'm gonna go back out have some fun you didn't catch me that time I didn't I just were you out there yeah I was out there I didn't see you I know it was too fast all right you got to make sure your D's down when you go we got an accident we got a wreck so this happens this dude's on fire right now fully just wrecked whoa where did that guy go that was a pretty fun session that was the first time I had a transponder on I didn't really get a clean lap but I think I pretty much pushed this thing about as hard as it can go most important part about a track day folding chairs or stealing folding chairs from other people preparation other people's preparation borrowing tools drinking other people's beers eating someone's sandwich these are all things that happen at the racetrack it nice work nice work with you guys kill you K and that's it that's how you get into racing you go to the track you have fun with your friends maning ass huh having fun I saw you like dude you're not supposed to be FAS I'm cheating and I'm still losing is a gr us no rental car