what does it take to go to the track?

[TruConspiracy]

Ive been a fist owner for around 9 months now and have always wondered what it took to spend some time on the track? I am probably closest to willow springs but have never been there. What are some general requirements and costs that entail for some one who has never done it?

 

[Brick]

join us for a track day at streets of willow.

Cost: 90 bucks for event (typically 90-170 depending on track and day, places like laguna seca and other higher profile tracks are more expensive)
Helmet or rent a Helmet for 10 bucks.


That's honestly all you really need to go out on track, especially your first time.

After that, you can determine what else you need.


Sunday there will be around 10 Fiesta and Focus ST owners at streets of willows with extremespeedtrackevents.com (use SVT1 for the code for discount) sunday the 15th.

You will start off in the Novice class where the first session you follow an instructor on the track where they show you the racing line and gradually increase the speed. Then the rest of that session and the rest of the day, you are with similar skilled drivers and are learning the track and your car.

It's a great time.


Here's what im taking to the track sunday.

Fiesta
helmet
some general tools just in case
gopro
brake fluid
extra oil just in case
spare tire just in case
chair
cooler full of drinks and food

 

[Pete]

I knew I was forgetting something. Drinks and snacks to last through the day.

Like Brick said it costs $90 + $10 to rent a helmet ( I would rent first to decide if this is something you want to continue before investing in a helmet). General rule is to bring 2 Qts of oil just in case the car burns some away while driving hard. If you want you can change your brake pads to track pads on the track but some people have had quite some success on the stock pads. It really depends on the track and how you drive the car.

Lastly you need balls surprisingly a lot of people are scared to track their daily driver. But as long as you follow the instructors guidance you can't be steered wrong. You can pay also to have a professional sit with you in your car and tell you when to brake, the line to take, and other help tips if you wanted. But honestly you just need a good attitude and try to have fun. Everyone there should be willing to point you in the right direction!

 

[TruConspiracy]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I really wish I couldve went to this event. i assumed it was a little more complex than that. [MENTION=1758]Brick[/MENTION] keep sendin those invites and one day ill be able to make it. Thanks for always keeping me posted.

 

[Brick]

will do. Still need to get together to romp around kernville

 

[OrangeFiST]

Will stock rims get scratched on the edge during hard turns? If you hit those red and white lines? I do see people using different sets of tires for tracking. Sorry - noob here.

 

[mark289]

You would have to be driving very aggressive and have under inflated tires to scratch your rims. Most people have different rims mainly because they have track tires and perhaps lighter rims. If your tires are properly inflated you should get scrub not past the tread.

 

[Siestarider]

Last year at this time, I was a track noob in Fist. Learned how much better the car was than I was a driver by spending a few days in driving it in mountains.

I did have experience driving stock car Petty experience at Daytona (real pucker blast) and Sebring in my first Mini (great handler but underpowered).

My advice, follow Brick's advice. The only real requirement is wanting to be a better driver, i.e. willing to learn.

Tracking my Fist is now my favorite hobby. I use Harry's lap timer on cell phone to record lapping sessions and see where I can get better. Combined with Accessport logs and spreadsheet analysis, you can improve very rapidly if you want to.

Looking back at the past year from here, I would get Accessport, get Harry's on phone, learn to use both: then go straight to noob tracking. Don't forget to turn off ESC all the way. Leaving it on even in sport mode will only teach bad habits on the track. Plus eat your brake pads and tires.

Turn off the nannies and just have fun.

Fist is the best fun machine ever sold for the money.

 

[Chuckable]

Everyone's got great advice! The only things I'd add are: 1) remove your OEM center caps, at least on the front wheels, as they tend to get a little loose after sustained high heat; 2) use the driving coaches as much as you can. These guys (or girls) usually have a lot of insight and experience, and spending time with them is well worth it. Have fun

 

[haste]

A subscription to iRacing and using a good wheel/pedal setup will give you a lot of insight to high speeds in a track environment. I practiced VIR a lot on my computer and it helped immensely my first time out on track. Granted, the closest car iRacing has available to the FiST was a race prepped Volkswagen Jetta TDI, but it worked well. My instructor didn't say much to me...I believe I scared the crap out of him because I drove better/faster than he did in his Focus ST.

It really depends on the track configuration as to what you need to do with brakes. I bought a set of Hawk DTC-60 pads and 2 bottles of Torque RT700. I removed the dust shields from the front brakes and installed the pads at the track. I retained all stock hardware/pads for the rear brakes. I also made sure to turn ESC completely off each session. The brakes worked great on track until I really started pushing hard on the 2nd day. A couple times I felt a tiny bit of fade but nothing too terrible, luckily it happened at the minor braking area. VIR has basically two major braking points, 3 medium braking points and one minor. I believe this configuration helped the DTC-60 pads work with stock rotors and no extra cooling. It may be a completely different experience on a track with more braking points.

Engine cooling might be important, too. Depending on the ambient temp, running the stock tune would go a long way helping with coolant temps. Yes, not as fun but the FiST is still great fun in stock form, especially the first time out on track. If you have an aftermarket oil cooler or upgraded radiator this may not be much of an issue. When I ran at VIR it was a fairly mild weekend, low 70s and sunny. I ran the stock tune and had no issues with cooling.