First track experience - what to do

threeseventy

Which track and what's the weather going to be like?

Actually it doesn't matter. Don't buy anything. Your first track day is about learning about track days. What the flags mean. How to go onto and come off of the track. What it's like to be on a track with other cars. How to safely let cars by (a lot). You need to take care of safety stuff like make sure you're not driving on tires that have been repaired. Make sure you don't have any nails or screws in your tires. Make sure your lugs are torqued to about 90-100 lbs. Check them again. Make sure your oil level is right on. Make sure you have 6-7mm of brake pad on all 4 corners. Make sure you have a 5 gallon tank of extra gas and top off after sessions, when you get two lights out on the gauge.

Your car will be plenty fast on straights, tires will limit you on curves. Let cars by on the straights if they're on you through the corners, point them by and slow down. Go fast carefully-when you have a good deal of space. Brake early, smoothly, not stabbing at them at the last minute.

Since you don't have an oil cooler, and based on your pictures you have RE050's and the stock sport spoiler, you'll be doing a couple of hot laps then coming off track to cool down both oil and tires. Check inflation before you go out, set at 29-30 lbs cold so when they heat up (2 laps) they'll be at 35-36 lbs. Get off of the track when your oil temp gets past 250. Don't get out of your car in the hot pits, do come in and check air pressure after your first two laps in the paddock, then return to the track. Don't put the E-brake on when coming off hot laps. Drive around the raceway (or on a side road) to cool the oil, A/C on, Heater up all the way. Don't shut off your engine until oil is below 200, preferably 190. Park and leave it on, hood up, if you don't have a place to drive to cool off. Check pressures. Take pictures.

If it's something you want to do again, get (in order, doesn't have to be all at once) $400 34row oil cooler, a $1200 set of track tires and a $1000 set of 18" rims, a bigger spoiler for $400, $60 worth of brake and clutch fluid, $200 worth of racing brake pads, $150 worth of front stainless brake lines, $100 worth of good tranny and diff oil, $250 splitter for the front, and if you want to go faster $2000 worth of intake, cat, and exhaust bolt-ons with the most dyno proven horsepower.

If on the other hand it was a little too hairy for you and the aforementioned mods are scaring the sh*t out of your wallet, just keep doing meets, cruises, and check back often to watch the rest of us lose our shirts trying to shave seconds off of lap times for little or no tangible reward.