Trackdays - Car Preparation

Trackdays are a great way to learn about the upper limits of yourself and your car. The heavy handed clamp down on speeding and the poor quality of UK roads leads many people to turn to trackdays for driving fun. Taking your own car on track is rewarding, but don't expect your car to last if you don't take into account the rigours of trackday driving. Car preparation and maintenance is required to get the most track days.

Brakes
Brakes are often the element that show their weakness on track. Ensure that your pads and dics are up to a track day - the level of wear and a visual inspection for warping or cracks. Brake fade often reveals itself as the heat builds up to level much greater than achieved on the road. Braking from 90 to 30, serveral times every two minutes for each session is some real abuse! Fast road pads are a worthwhile upgrade. Made from harder materials, these can be more resistant to brake fade than the standard brake pads.

Depending on your driving style and car a set of pads could be used up in one track day. Take spares just in case! Do a cooling down lap berfore returning to the pits. This will give some airflow and help them cool down more gradually. Once in the pits DO NOT apply the handbrake as the hot rear pads can bind to the discs and then disintegrate when you release the handbrake - chock the wheels and leave the car in gear.

Wheels & Tyres
As with any driving - the only contact your car has with the road is through the tyres - and at high speed it is vital to make sure your wheels and tyres are in good shape. Check the tread levels and uneven wear which could point to the alignment being out. Many people may know of alignment settings that offer more grip or different characteristics, at the expense of tyre wear. It is often good to do your first track day on the stock settings so you can feel what areas you feel need adjustment.

Tyre pressures can also be altered - the more air you have in the tyre the stiffer you make the sidewall and so the more responsive the car is. Obviously taking this too far will reduce the flat tyre foot print.

At the end of the day remember to reset the tyre pressures once the tyres have cooled down and carry out a quick check to make sure you have enough tread to get home and that the tyres are not beginning to fall apart. Do not forget to take a tyre pump or compressor with you. It is all very well letting air out of your tyres to account for hot air expansion but you still need some way of being able to replace the air at the end of the day.

Gearbox
Ensure that the oil is topped up and is the correct grade. The clutch will also take a fair share of abuse. Treat it well by driving smoothly and double de-clutching. But then as driving a god you should be used to that any way.

Engine
Making sure the engine is on top form is vital. The engine will be accelerating hard and decelerating - not cruising at all. Visually check the engine bay for loose hoses, brackets and belt condition. High RPMs will mean high temperatures to make sure your cooling system and oil is in good condition and topped up to the max mark or do a full change. If the oil is old then do a quick flush and change.Take a bottle of oil with you so that you can keep the engine topped up.

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