2 people: Fendyman AND Felix M.

Thx.

 

My bad.

 

remind me not to be in front of you when we get to turn 11

 

question, are we allowed to invite non subby friends?

 

holy update batman!!!!thanks for keeping us posted matt


im a non-suby driver and ill be going

 

this is NOT a Subaru event. This is a regular track day put on by Unlimited Laps, we're just getting a group of people together to get a discount.

 

To add to what Mbasile said (pads, etc)...

You need to make sure your helmet is Snell SA or M, 2000 or 2005; closed or open faced. Either will work. Closed makes it usable for karting, open means you can drink without needing a straw.

Your tires should not be worn to the wear bars. That's all. You need 50% pads left. When you're learning, street tires are just fine. Even all-seasons. (My 1st track day, my instructor ran a Fiero with junk street all-seasons... he battled with a R-compound Miata... skillz)

Get an alignment with these specs: (cuz I know you daily drive your car, Fendyman):
- max EVEN negative camber in front (about -1.1 is good for street/track)
- stock rear works (about -1.3 degrees camber)
- zero toe all around
- go to AutoInnovations in Milpitas, who will align to your specs for ~$60; not just the "green zone" like a regular tire place will.

If your brakes are spongy, you'll need to bleed. Recommend flushing with Valvoline Syntech (Dot4) brake fluid. It's easily available/cheap at Kragens and works way better than stock stuff. I boiled my brakes on 2nd track day... (fluid boiled before stock pads had any fade)

This is not restricted to any car or any mods.

As a novice, you will get a personal instructor to ride with you the entire day (as you want). This in itself makes the $325 a STEAL because you are getting PERSONAL INSTRUCTION and a track day at Laguna Seca. Try taking person guitar lessons for that cheap for that long.

What in-car videos of Laguna Seca, preferably NOT wheel to wheel races. Look for ones in compariable cars like a BMW, etc. Avoid watching the ones like GST's L-car... because it's just way to fast to be anything like what you'll be doing. You should be familiar enough with the track to recognize each turn, know it's number, and what's coming up next. You'll work on actual lines when you get to the track; beware that online videos may not be running the "correct line" all the time.

You should know basic racing theory like lines, apexes, traction circle, etc. A lot of people go without studying this and end up using their day learning these very basic concepts in-car... when they could instead be using their luxury of personal instruction on tweaking/honing their individual driving quirks/skills.

 

Get a bottle of SuperBlue. That'll be more than enough. Right before the track day, just make sure everything is in good working order. Don't worry so much about car set-up specifics.

 

In regards to brake fluid, SuperBlue (and the DOT compliant gold stuff) and Motul 600 are definitely better stuff... but for a newb (and intermediate) I've come to the conclusion that Valvoline Syntech brake fluid is a good first step because it's cheaper and more available than the forementioned, and works just fine for a street setup.

Considering just how often brake fluid is flushed out when you really start tracking a car, there will be plenty of opportunities to upgrade to the superblue/motul when skills increase.

Yeah?

 

Super Blue isn't that more expensive. If you look online, there are a few places that are selling SuperBlue for $10 or $12.

 

MBasile, hear anything?

Just one last thing. This is just a feeler thread. We are just seeing what is currently available. Getting put onto the list just means that you are showing interest in participating, but does not guarantee a spot or anything else.

 

And most of the organizations that run track days (u-laps included) pretty much are not trying to turn a profit. That means, most of the registration fee goes to paying the track rental fee and any other operating expenses (buying water/snacks, rental helmets, etc). So... I'm not sure any "group rate" would be anything significant to any individual.

So really, there's nothing to organize.

Let's just try to go the Nov unlimitedlaps track day at Laguna Seca... get a buncha subies there. Sign up with unlimitedlaps.com and we'll see you there. We should congregate in the same section of the paddock (ie someone get there early and setup some cones or something.

 

Zzzzzz

 

MBasile, any word on this?

 

No word from them yet and they haven't opened up the registration online yet.

As for what chimchimm said, I wouldn't be pushing for a group discount if they didn't say there would be one available.