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I will be attending my first DE on the 31st at Sebring
What would you experienced DE'ers recommend? I'm looking for ideas of things to bring (umbrella, camera, cooler w/ drinks), things to do to the car (painters tape on the lights?), and what not.
I figure that there must be a ton of experience & knowledge here on the site, might as well learn
Thanks in advance.
p.s. If anybody else will be at Sebring I'll be in the silver CS with #987 (to denote the date I picked her up: Sept, 8th, 2007 no less )
I will be attending my first DE on the 31st at Sebring . . . I'm looking for ideas of things to bring (umbrella, camera, cooler w/ drinks), things to do to the car (painters tape on the lights?), and what not. . .
For the car: a good tire gauge and torque wrench, and window cleaner. Taping off the lights,etc is kind of a personal thing; some do and some don't - I don't bother, but I have 3M headlight shields on anyway.
For yourself: Helmet, thin soled driving shoes, driving gloves (if you are prone to sweaty hands). Sunny weather: sunscreen, hat, plenty of water or other fluids to stay hydrated, snacks, etc. Chance of rain: rain suit, towels, big garbage bags to protect your gear from rain.
I know you'll have a blast!
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2006 CS Tip (Daily Driver & Part-time Track Toy)
2005 Ford Expedition (to haul the CS)
2006 Lexus RX400h (wifey's)
Gone, but not forgotten: 2002 WRX, 2004 MINI
Just get ready to have the best time of your life. I think my first was still my most fun. I will say the most important thing is just a good attitude and to soak up as much as you can while you're there.
I would recommend having your instructor taking your car around with you as a passenger for more than one lap, this way you will get to know the limits of your car.
I had my first DE even back in April, and I enjoyed it, just play it safe and have fun!
Go for a ride with your instructor early on. You will have an entire section to see how he drives the line. Start slow learn the line, be smooth & gentle with the car. Speed up gradually. Listen & learn from your instructor!
Get a cg lock for your seat belt. It really helps keeping you planted in the seat. Be closer to the steering wheel than you would on the street.
Watch your hot tire pressure most here think 38-39 PSI hot is about right for PS II's
My first DE I minmized caffeine intake. I had more than enough adrenaline to compensate.
Minimize your shifting so you can work on your line and braking.
If you can find somewhere (empty parking lot or little used road) ahead of time, build up some speed and practice braking hard. The Cayman has great brakes, learn to trust them.
I would think twice before I let anyone else take my car on the track. Who is responsible if something breaks or is damaged? Definetely ride with an instructor every chance you get. At some point sneak a few glances at their hands, watch how smooth their inputs are.
Be prepare for some sensory overload the first few times out if you are not used to driving at speed. There will be corner workers out there that you probably will not be aware of at first because your brain is processing all it can handle watching the line, driving, and dealing with instructions.
If you are saving money to buy a house or put your kids through school, put that money in a trust where you cannot get your hands on it. After the first DE you will be trying to figure out how often you can get back and what mods (tires, brakes, wheels, suspension,etc.) you can get. The term addiction is used a lot. Just kidding.
In my experience (instructor since mid-80's) most groups no longer allow the instructors to drive students cars due to the potential liability issues.
However, do ask your instructor to ride with him/her after you have had a few sessions on the track. Most instructors will wait for the student to request a ride.
For me it is often easier to show than tell. As Gamecock says it is hard to take it all in at first while you are the new to the track driver.
Great info so far...I would add that if you don't have driving shoes, just make sure that you wear shoes that are not too wide. On my size 10 foot, running shoes are just wide enough to catch the wrong pedal at the wrong time.
Read up on the concept of the "friction circle". Your tires have a finite amount of traction that gets divided up between braking, turning and accelerating. The combination of those inputs can't go past 100 percent. So...brake in a straight line going in to your turns, THEN make your turn and accelrate out.
Smooth inputs. You can't force the car to do more than it can do.
And finally...HEADS UP...look down the track...not right out in front of your car. If you look down the hood of your car your sensation of speed is greater and it doesn't help you control the car since you can't make adjustments quickly...you need to make them BEFORE you get there. Look down the track and everything s l o w s down. Make sense? It will.
Have a great time! Drink lots of WATER.
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+1 on making sure you're hydrated. I carry a 1-gallon bottle of water with me that I make sure to empty by the end of the day.
+1 on torque wrench and tire gauge as well. Make sure your wheel lugs are correctly torqued right before you go out for another session: don't torque them right after you get off the track because the wheel assembly is still hot and you may overtorque the bolts. But do check your tire pressures right after you get off the track.
I also bring a couple of the big plastic container boxes that you can find at many stores (BBB, LnT, OSH, etc.) to put all my stuff in. I buy the largest opaque ones that will fit in the front compartment, and I bring two of them one stacked in the other in transit. They're pretty good at keeping dust and rain out of your stuff.
Page 4 of the following PDF from the Golden Gate Chapter of the BMW CCA has a good list of things to bring:
I recently completed my first DE and made a checklist (attached) which seemed to cover most anything needed.
Nice checklist - you should upload that to the Files section.
BTW, in another thread someone mentioned that the 18 gal. Rubbermaid covered container exactly fits the front compartment - as Andre suggested, that would be even better for stashing your stuff to protect it from the rain, etc. than my trash bag suggestion.
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2006 CS Tip (Daily Driver & Part-time Track Toy)
2005 Ford Expedition (to haul the CS)
2006 Lexus RX400h (wifey's)
Gone, but not forgotten: 2002 WRX, 2004 MINI
Until 
First DE on 31st: Any recomendations...
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Drink lots of WATER.