Track day in the rear view.

[ZR]

So we tried a couple of things to make the day more enjoyable.. Meeting was a bit shorter vs norm n felt we still covered what needed to be said. Improved flagging, what a difference it made in the on track flow, frustration of being caught behind drivers oblivious to others behind them gonzo. Also more use of the black flag to bring drivers in to explain improper moves on the track to me helped up the safety aspect.
Personally, best day of lapping I've ever had, totally enjoyable. Thankful for all the pictures peeps have been posting, love to see more vids of everyone if you've got em
What do you feel still needs to be improved?

[RedSN]

Cold and slippery start to the day, but overall couldn't ask for a better day.

Only slight improvement I can suggest is emphasis on the 3 simple passing rules:

Pass only on the two main straights when given the signal
Passee on the left, passer on the right
Passee lift


For the most part, the flow of each session went really well with everybody following those rules.
For the newbies that are now addicted: it only gets worse! LOL.
Suspension, brakes, tires, etc....

[Stephen06GT]

To Don's comment, for the next track day we'll have a mini driver's meeting after lunch to reinforce the passing rules, or any other concerns that arise during the morning sessions.

[Blackmare]

Great idea Stephen.

[tulowd]

Most other organizations track days have 2 additional passing zones on the shorter straights at TMP. This is something that should be considered for the experienced group in my opinion. Signal by the person being passed and on the right only, same as the two long straights.

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg582/tulowd/Tech%20Stuff/TMP%20Track%20Map_zpsbgck2s3l.jpg

Orange are existing passing zones, yellow are the two additional commonly used.

[ZR]

Additional passing zone might be cool, would require breaking into a third more experienced group. Ok so now we have the most experienced group out there together, all of which are very close in skill level and speed, would we really need the additional passing zones? When out there with cars / drivers at a similar level, enjoy the closer quarters in the twisties especially knowing they'll let me pass come the front or second straight. Don, Brad and myself had an awesome time politely chasing each other out there, laughing n having such a good time, I almost blew a corner. LOL. If there is enough interest, for sure we could look into it though.
My personal thoughts after lapping with improved use of the blue flag, never once felt I was being held up for more than a part lap at most. Always had in the back of my mind, more / correct use of the blue flag would improve the overall experience, never dreamed it could / would have made such a huge difference.
Wish they'd consider the same changes at Mosport. Being held up has always been a frustration, sometimes can ruin a session or more in a row. Yes you have the option to drive through and come back out, when I've done it, only ended up behind more "won't let you pass" drivers.

Love the idea of a mini meeting after lunch, some forget, others have missed the drivers meeting.

[RedSN]

Yeah, I don't mind following for one lap. It's that second and third lap not getting by that becomes irritating. Flag Marshall at turn 12 being real visible with the blue flag, and lots of room to safely pass on the main straight worked fine for me.

[ZR]

Knowing I only had to follow until the front straight kept my stress / irritation level to a zero as well Don. Odd time it's nice to get a lil breather for a part lap anyways, especially when it's mid way through a session.

[Stephen06GT]

Not a big fan of the additional passing zones due to the short lengths, and the fact that the passee would have to move way off line to allow the passer to pass on the right like the other two zones.

[tulowd]

Additional passing zone might be cool, would require breaking into a third more experienced group. Ok so now we have the most experienced group out there together, all of which are very close in skill level and speed, would we really need the additional passing zones? When out there with cars / drivers at a similar level, enjoy the closer quarters in the twisties especially knowing they'll let me pass come the front or second straight. Don, Brad and myself had an awesome time politely chasing each other out there, laughing n having such a good time, I almost blew a corner. LOL. If there is enough interest, for sure we could look into it though.
My personal thoughts after lapping with improved use of the blue flag, never once felt I was being held up for more than a part lap at most. Always had in the back of my mind, more / correct use of the blue flag would improve the overall experience, never dreamed it could / would have made such a huge difference.
Wish they'd consider the same changes at Mosport. Being held up has always been a frustration, sometimes can ruin a session or more in a row. Yes you have the option to drive through and come back out, when I've done it, only ended up behind more "won't let you pass" drivers.

Love the idea of a mini meeting after lunch, some forget, others have missed the drivers meeting.

4 or 5 sec differences in lap times between the experienced guys are significant and call for more passing zones, not a third driver group.
The Magnus Motorsports Day had a mix of fast and slow cars running between 1:30's and low 1:20's in the experienced group. Moving over in the midfield is not really a big deal; especially on cool down or warm up laps.

[ZR]

To me, hold ups were minimal at most (I'd personally call it virtually zero), yes in previous track days it's been a constant pain in everyone who's faster ass. Taking flagging by the horn n waving the blue and following up with education via black flag + coming in for an explanation worked absolute wonders as did asking a couple of drivers to drop back into the rookie group. Once second session hit after lunch, super light traffic on the track.
I'd bet quickie refresher meeting before returning after lunch would only add to that.
Let's revisit if feedback warrants. Sharing of our experience n ideas will continue to make the event even better, please keep the feedback coming.

[Stephen06GT]

For the sake of argument, let's say the average lap time is 1:30 in the fast group. With a 20 min. session time you will make 13 laps. If someone is running a little slower, say a 1:40 lap time you will make 12 laps. Is there really a need for two more passing zones?

[tulowd]

For the sake of argument, let's say the average lap time is 1:30 in the fast group. With a 20 min. session time you will make 13 laps. If someone is running a little slower, say a 1:40 lap time you will make 12 laps. Is there really a need for two more passing zones?

It's not about the total laps but rather staying in the rhythm; once you are running 125s or faster, every distraction, no matter how small, has a large effect on what you are doing. I've done laps where I've passed a couple of cars on the straightaways, only to be held up again for the rest of the lap through the infield. Not everyone is on the same runs, lots of warm ups or downs etc. I don't understand your reluctance regarding the additional passing zones - they are printed on the board used by TMP. We are the only group to my knowledge that doesn't use these two EXISTING passing zones.
Everyone else can't be wrong, lol

[Stephen06GT]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Edit: This is just my opinion with regards to the passing zones. Additional passing zones was not something that even entered my radar on the day of the event.

[ZR]

Let's see how much feedback we get (pro or con) and go from there, appreciate the suggestion though. As for everyone not being wrong, once upon a time a whole bunch of stiffs thought the world was flat, we all know how that turned out.
Point of the post, honest feedback about what did or did not work for along with ideas how perhaps we can make it even more enjoyable for everyone.

http://nomadcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/flatearth11.jpg

[RedSN]

... once upon a time a whole bunch of stiffs thought the world was flat, we all know how that turned out.
Jury is still out on that one.

http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/home/index.php

http://www.cristoforocolombo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/WeGo03.jpg

[ZR]

LOL