“Welcome to TrackDayZone. Your one-stop-click track day and high performance driving experience source!”
Contributors: Jerry Austin, Ross Bentley, Tony Bones, Jade Buford, Steve Calder, Satch Carlson, Vivek Goel, Greg Haas, Paul Haney, Peter Krause, Burt Levy, Robert Metcalf, Chad Morehead, Clive Murphy, Boris Peharda, Matt Romanowski, Doug Quara, Dave Scott, Mike Skeen, Chris Sneed, Ingrid Steffensen, Alan Wilson
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TrackCarTech
Message to Valtteri Bottas: Swerving Doesn’t Heat the Tires
"How quickly a racing tire comes up to a good operating temperature, at least 180 degrees F, depends on the load, car speed, ambient temperature and the track surface temperature."
DrivingTechnique
The Visuals of Braking
"Corner entry is arguably the single most challenging aspect of competitive driving."
TrackCarTech
Why Smooth is Fast
"Jerky, violent driving means abrupt accelerations that transfer weight quickly. The tires don't like that."
TrackDrivers
Dave Scott: Race Coach
"It doesn’t mean earlier apex. It means an earlier turn in with less steering angle initially."
DrivingTech
Suspension Tuning
"Most of the focus for setup with this type of car is in getting it comfortable and preserving the tire-this also happens to be where the tire is working best”
TrackDrivers
Robert Metcalf of Metcalf Racing
"As far as the things that need to be mastered I would think the top three are smoothness, carrying speed in the turns and braking."
TrackCars
2018 Mustang GT
"There are three drive modes for the new Mustang-Normal, Sport and Track."
TrackQ&A
Track Day Insurance
'In the past decade, most auto insurance companies have added exclusions to their policies eliminating coverage of vehicles for HPDE events."
Race Track Designer Alan Wilson Talks with Auto TrackDay Monthly
Designer of Barber, Miller, Gingerman & Mont Tremblant, Alan Wilson, speaks candidly about his long career.
National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park
"The Grand Full config is a mix of moderate elevation change, medium speed, technical, high speed, high load corners, and also has three separate sections that see sustained triple digit speeds. I find it to be very challenging but also very repeatable. It definitely rewards those who take the time to get into a rhythm. Most of all, tons of fun!"
Friction Circle by Austin, Bentley, Carlson, Krause, Sneed and Steffensen
"A sign of brilliance is being able to take a complex subject and make it simple. And while driving the car on the edge of the friction circle is not easy, Donohue made the concept simple to understand."
Road America: "A Park with a Couple of Racetracks Built into it."
“Come for the experience and stay for the race,” says Mike Kertscher, Director of Business Services at Road America, located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. According to Kertscher, the average person does not know how diverse Road America is. It’s a park with a couple of racetracks built into it – truly. That’s what it is.”
Mark Hicks of Chin Motorsports
"A common scenario that enthusiasts have encountered over the years was that if you did attend some of these other track events, the leadership would engage in babysitting and you would get a lot of negative direction; or warning drivers about the consequences of bad behavior or threatening to throw you out of the event if you did something wrong. That early environment was rather like elementary school teachers talking to kids."
Dev Clough: Head Coach for Hooked on Driving
I believe in the HOD philosophy that prioritizes things in this order: Safe, Fun, Learn
Driven by Desire: The Desiré Wilson Story
"At one stage I was one of 36 drivers in the world with a Formula One Superlicense! I have driven so many fantastic race cars – most drivers just dream of."
An Interview with Watkins Glen International (WGI) Track President Michael Printup
"It’s going to cost anywhere from $9 to $15 million to repave the racetrack and we’re doing our due diligence now. The engineers are looking at it and we hope the Board will approve it."
Threshold Braking and Beyond by Austin, Bentley, Carlson, Krause, Levy, Sneed & Steffensen
As multiple world champ Jackie Stewart once noted: “The key thing is not so much when you get ON the brake pedal, but when you get off of it.”
Speed Secrets with Ross Bentley
"Take a look at the driver next to you at the track. Does he or she have some physical advantage over you? Does he or she have a third arm?! So what's the difference between drivers? It's mental, right?"
How to Brake Like a Pro
Instead of thinking, “I need to hit the brakes to slow down,” say to yourself, "I need to apply the brakes only just enough to make it through the corner as fast as possible.”
Lotus Exige and Elise: “Simplify, then add lightness”
“Adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.”
Track Day Insurance: Do You Need It? How to Get It.
“My first HPDE event was in 2002 and I was immediately hooked. Like many, I was concerned about what would happen to my car if I was unfortunate and had an incident at the event,” says Ryan Staub.
Data Analysis: Jerry Austin MotorSports
Jerry Austin uses AIM and Motec data acquisition hardware to assist drivers. He has given us permission to reprint this example of data analysis.
Introduction to Track Day Vehicle Modifications
The number one reliability issue to deal with for track day driving is heat. The buildup of heat affects all automotive systems and track driving results in heat the way street driving cannot touch.
Getting Started at Track Day Driving- Everything You Need to Know to Begin
Thinking about trying out a track day? See what you need to know to get started....
Brake Upgrades for Track Day Use
"With track days growing in popularity world-wide, many people are learning the hard way just how punishing these events can be on brake system components."
If You Sing To The Track Rats, They Will Come
"I have been spending quite a bit of time at the site. Okay, I have been spending too much time on the site. I can’t help it!"
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How To Prepare for a Track You Have Never Been to Before
Alan Wilson designs the tracks and tells us how to prepare to drive em....
Satch Carlson, Roundel Editor writes about
Auto TrackDay Monthly in Roundel Weekly.
Read the article on our magazine Foreword
TrackDriver
David Ray of Hooked On Driving
“Once you work with an advanced person,” says Ray, “you see the issue, give feedback, coach them through it differently and then get out of the car and let them work on it.”
TrackDriver
Chris Sneed of Sneed's Speed Shop
“The best way to get started is to either find a shop that can help you or some buddies that are already into it. It really helps to know people before just showing up."
Auto TrackDay Monthly
YouTube Channel
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Praise for Track Day Zone
"Michael and Ziva Allen found themselves so involved with track schools that they launched an online magazine for track junkies. Since I’ll be heading to Buttonwillow for a Central Cal Chapter school in a few weeks, I have been spending quite a bit of time at the site. Okay, I have been spending too much time on the site. I can’t help it!"
-Satch Carlson, Editor of Roundel Magazine
"I just took a look at your website, and I can see that I'll be back many times in the future. Looks great!"
-Ross Bentley, SpeedSecrets.com
"Wow – Michael and Ziva…you humble me…the article is amazing…thanks so much for the effort – and for being 100% accurate in rendering our conversations…wow…"
-David Ray, Hooked on Driving
"Excellent!! Outstanding!! Awesome!! What else can I say? BTW, this is one of the most accurate, best written articles I have read in quite a while."
-Gene Felton, Champion Professional Racer
"Fun doing that interview and your site is a terrific resource!"
-Peter L. Krause, Driving Coach
"You don’t know how much I appreciate what you all are doing. Every fatality I’ve ever worked has come back to haunt me in my dreams. You are doing a great service, a public service educating people with your Keeping It On the Track articles. If you save one life, everything you’ve done is worth it."
-Lt. Tom Brown, Beat the Heat
