Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Autocross and Open Track Better than autocross

I have autocrossed my contour before and it was all well and good but I found something better.

You can join BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) not matter what kind of car you drive. Then you can enroll in a drivers school. I have attended two schools and recently attended the Mid Ohio school at the end of May. For about $300 you get Sat and Sun on the track. We got three half hour sessions each day. You have an instructor in the seat next to you until you are signed off (usually on Sunday). Go as fast as you want and drive your car as hard as you want.

I get to pass a lot of BMW's, Porche, Trans Am's. You'll find that on the real race track that the speed of the car is more driver limited. I have lots of experience in go-karts so driving at the limit is easy for me. The other cars might have more power down the straights but the contour is good enough in the corners that the others cars point me past as soon as we get on the straightaways just so I am not hanging on their rear bumper in the corners.

Next school will be Nelson Ledges in Mid July. Come out and have some real fun at 105mph before you brake at the end of the long straight.

See you there.

How were the instructors?

Any problems with the fact that most (if not all ) BMW's are RWD compared to the Contours FWD? I'm sure the teaching techniques between FWD and RWD must be quite different...

Thanks!

Bridge

Only con i see is the $300 fee. A day at the auto-x is about $15.

I don't know if you have any SCCA driving schools available in your area but we have a great one here in Northern California. For $200 you can spend 9 hours alternating between class room and track traing one-on-one with licensed race drivers, in your own car on the 2.5 mile Thunderhill race course.. Well worth the money and the experience..

Track events can be even more expensive than you think. I mean, everything is optional, but if you really want to have a good time at the track you might want to invest in extra equipment. (Most of these things apply to autox as well)

Track events can be really tough on brakes, depending on how fast you take the car. Autox is rough too, but the runs are a few minutes long, rather than 1/2 hour stints or whatever on a track. You will probably need much better brake fluid to avoid boiling rapidly. You'll probably want to invest in stainless brake lines for extra security and less fade. I guess you could ride in your stock brake pads, but they might fade quickly, so in order to maximize your time on track you'd probably want race pads.

Then you need to ask yourself if riding everyday in the same tires you race with is a good idea. Track & autox can take a toll on tires, so you might want to buy a set to beat on so you don't wear your street set out.

I mean... it all adds up. In autox, you can race whatever you brought. You really don't need to be so prepared, you can just go have fun. In a track event, the level of preparedness is elevated for safety reasons. So the expense can be much greater.

I am an instructor both for club days and the scca race school, so I have had a lot of experience on this matter.

IF you can afford it, track days are infinitely better than autocross imo. The sense of speed is a ton better, and you learn to control your car at the speeds where it really matters. In addition, Smoothness, an absolutely essential skill both for the street and the track can only be really well honed on the track. Also you have instructors giving you great tips, on many occasions you may think you are going fast when you really are doing something incorrectly and having instructors present can correct this very quickly.

I think it take a big step to actually go to your first track day, but I have never heard anybody regret their choice (aside from those who bite it, and many of them do not mind). In fact most first timers vow they will come back.

Hope that helps

I did say it's optional.

But I wouldn't do it without the brake equipment anyways. That's one area I would not go cheap on.

I suppose track days could get quite expensive. I think it'd be worth it. I wouldn't mind upgrading my braking system. You wouldn't necessarily need to ride around on the same tires you race in. You could have a set of wheels and tires you use specifically for the track and swap them out when you get back home.

There are some logistical problems with the brakes, though. Changing them might require a larger wheel, so you'd end up getting two sets to be able to swap out. You would undoubtedly do brake jobs more often with higher performance brakes, especially when driving harder than normal. But to be able to drive hard is why you would go to the track in the first place.

You mean THIS? . This usually comes close to my home town but just checking, it's only in Toronto . But you only drive BMW's I think, and it's $480-3000 (CDN) depending on level. I've only heard good about the course and you get to drive the 330i w/smg in the cheapest course.