Getting ready for my first DE - Roebling in Savannah, GA Sep7-8th

[Topless]

Prep: Good tires with plenty of tread, sound brakes at least 60% pad remaining.
Fresh brake fluid, no fluid leaks, car in good overall mechanical condition. Bring a hat, sunscreen, 2 ltrs water, and a smile.


This is an excerpt from our DE ground school briefing for PCA Zone 8 but you may find it useful.
Most of these are universal goals for DE driving events:

Novice Clinic- Usually the night before and stressing three things:
Safety, car control, and playing well with others. We emphasize that a
DE is not a race, and the way to demonstrate your ability and
qualifcation to move up in this sport from novice, to experienced driver,
to Competition permit holder, to club racing is not based on lap times.
It is based on your demonstrated car control skills, willingness to listen
carefully, follow instructions, cooperate well and demonstrate safe
driving and passing skills that protect both you and all the other drivers
you share the track with. If you are repeatedly overdriving your car, resist
cooperation with your instructor, or engage in unsafe driving/passing
you go home. Day over.

We usually spend 1.5 hrs talking about car dynamics, braking zones, elements
of cornering, flags/flag stations, instructor communication, 1st run session,
passing safety, situational awareness, pit safety, spin both feet in, what ifs,
track layout including areas you can/cannot safely explore your traction limits
(skidpad vs back sweeper SOW) and passing zones.

We remind them that a DE is intended to be a safe place for them to have fun
and explore the limits of their car. It should be a lot of fun and they will learn
things that apply directly to driving on the street.

Speeds may well be in excess of 100 mph at times and it is certainly possible
to put your car on the roof if you fail to pay attention to your instructor or
get too excited too soon. Ramp up speeds very gradually as you learn to put
your car in the right place on the track.

[gavinyuill]

For a first DE, you will probably not be pushing the car too hard, but as others have mentioned braking and cooling are all important.

Check your pads - at least 50% of pad material remaining. Could be worth taking a spare set for the front if you are there for the whole weekend. Nothing worse than having to go home early because of using up your brakes.

Change the brake fluid - ATE Super Blue or 200 (same stuff different color)

Check your coolant levels and the coolant cap - make sure you have the 04 cap, as the earlier versions have a fault and can leak - ask me how I know.

Take or borrow a tire gauge at the track and ask your instructor for help with setting pressures. You want to start off low when cold - maybe 28 psi so that they get to mid 30s when hot.

Take spare fuel, unless it is available at the track. You will burn through a tank in about two hours of track time.

As for numbers, take some blue painters tape to put the number on the car - no need for vinyl numbers unless you start hitting the track pipe hard.

Have fun - it's a slippery slope - I started DEing about 18 months ago and now have a dedicated track car and will be racing next season.

[steved0x]

Awesome, thank you everybody. I am starting a little list here and I am going to work through them.

• Change brake fluid (I don't see a recent fluid change on my service history)
• Check brake pads, make sure I have over half, and possible take a spare set of fronts
• Get a tire gauge (I have been meaning to do this)
• My coolant cap was replaced summer of 2012 by the previous owner, I will pop it off and check to see that it is 04
• Check the fuel situation, see where the closest is to the track
• Check my tires (Sumitomo HRZ III, rears have 4,800 miles on them, fronts have more but good tread still)

If I am in novice instructed, does that mean an instructor is riding with me the entire time, or that I am following an instructor in a group of cars? Hopefully the first as I feel I have a lot to learn and having an instructor in the car would be awesome.

iaincamp - thank you for the "hot" tip!

Topless - thank you for the excerpt from the ground school instruction

gavinyuill - thank you for the tire gauge advice and the painters tape, these are all things I would probably be scrambling for once I got there. Good luck next season!

Steve

[gavinyuill]

You will have an instructor sitting beside you the whole time. Usually the first few laps they will drive your car showing you the line and talking you through things like where the corner workers are, braking points, turn in points etc.

There will be plenty of people with the supplies you need at the track - make friends and borrow anything you forget or find you need when you get there. There are always first timers at the track and everyone is keen to make sure they have a great time.