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wynode
20-07-2005, 11:10 PM
NOTE: The following is just some things off the top of my head and is by no means completely accurate. Tracking your car is very expensive, dangerous and can have many impacts on your car. Track at your own risk....but when you do, you'll love it!

Tracks around Australia
NSW
Wakefield Park - http://wakefieldpark.com/
Eastern Creek - http://www.eastern-creek-raceway.com/
Oran Park - http://www.oranpark.com/

VIC
Phillip Island - http://www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au/
Calder Park Raceway - http://www.motorsport.com.au/
Sandown Raceway: http://www.sandownraceway.com.au/
Winton Raceway - http://www.wintonraceway.com.au/

South Australia
Mallala Motor Sport Park - http://www.mallala.com/
Adelaide International Raceway - http://www.adelaideraceway.net/
Collingrove Hillclimb (run by Sporting car club of SA) - http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au (http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au/) map of the track (http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au/Portals/1/CollingrovePlan.gif)

QLD
Queensland Raceway - http://www.nmd.com.au/racetracks_detail.cfm?id=10

Preparing for the track
Change your engine oil (filter if required)
Check tyres for thread and correct tyre presure

Check/attend to the following and change if required:



Coolant
Transmission oil
Brake fluid (check colour and top up if required)
Clutch fluid (check colour and top up if required)
Suspension bolts and swaybar mounts/bolts/bushes as they will get a good workout on the track
Brake pads (pads wear out very quickly on the track so take an extra pair if your pads are worn)
Remove any unwanted (loose) items from the car (will help you reduce weight but more importantly stop objects flying around the cabin)

Optional

Baffled Oil pan - Highly recommended if you are running semi or full slicks. The high G's generated while cornering on high grip tyres can keep oil away from the pickup in the sump.
Oil cooler (recommended for modified cars and ITRs which are known to heat up a bit. Best to accompany with an oil temp gauage)

On the Day

Make sure you have the following:

Correct cloathing (usually long sleeve shirt, long pants and enclosed shoes, but check first with the track that you are going to)
Helmet
Cams/Track licence (depends on the track you're going to)
Lotsa fluids as the day does get quite tiring and exhausting. Food (heck i'm always hungry)

Optional

Extra engine oil incase you have to top-up
Extra coolant
Tyre pressure gauge (tracks usually have a air pump.....but don't expect the gauge to be accurate)
General screwdriver, alien keys, sockets + wrenches, spanners...etc

During the day

Check your engine oil and top up if required. I tend to top it up all the way to the top fill hole on the dip stick plus a few mm more (to avoid starvation during cornering)
Make sure you do at least one (1) cooldown lap and keep your foot off the brake (use engine braking) in order to let your brake rotors cooldown (to prevent warpage).
To prevent rear rotor warpage, when you get into the pits do not use the handbrake when you stop the car. Leave the car in gear or use a brick/stop against the tyre to stop it from rolling.
Look under the car for any leaks. Hotter than normal oil, as a result of a track day, can cause leaks that you wouldn't normally get if your seals are worn.
Check your tyre pressure again and adjust if necessary. Experiment with a few different pressues and see what you are happy/comfortable with.

After the trackday
Just because you've finished your session at the track, its doesn't mean you can forget about your car! Some people change their oil directly after the trackday, but I give it a few weeks (of normal driving) and then change the oil.

Also inspect

Coolant
Brake/clutch fluid
Pads
Suspension and swaybar bolts/bushes and mounts.

That's all I can think of for now so feel free to add!

EDIT: Formatting

Paul1985
20-07-2005, 11:23 PM
great write-up wyn.. very informative to people like me who have never been to a track :thumbsup:

is it very common for people to not do these things when tracking their cars?
how important is some of this stuff..

wynode
20-07-2005, 11:36 PM
Oops.....just edited the formattingto make it neater.

Paul, I've put the optional things in a seperate list / in the 'if required' section. I personally think its better to be safe than sorry (esp if going somewhere like wakefeild which is a 2 hour drive from Sydney).

pgclee
20-07-2005, 11:42 PM
got any setup for PI track that is useful? camber an all? ride height?

panda[cRx]
20-07-2005, 11:43 PM
got any setup for PI track that is useful? camber an all? ride height?

sounds like a whole 'nother thread man

egSi
21-07-2005, 08:57 AM
nice win :thumbsup:

joyride
22-07-2005, 02:07 PM
maybe a tyre pressure gauge to be added to the list wyn?

wynode
24-07-2005, 12:24 AM
maybe a tyre pressure gauge to be added to the list wyn?
Thanks for that.......added it as optional

EuroAccord13
24-07-2005, 01:05 AM
Calder Park Raceway in Victoria too!!!! :D

http://www.motorsport.com.au/

CTR Coupe
24-07-2005, 02:16 AM
SA
Mallala Motor Sport Park - http://www.mallala.com/
Adelaide International Raceway - http://www.adelaideraceway.net/ unsure if they run track days anymore.(apart from drift :rolleyes: )
Collingrove Hillclimb (run by Sporting car club of SA) - http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au map of the track (http://www.sportingcarclubsa.org.au/CollingrovePlan.gif)

ginganggooly
24-07-2005, 11:16 AM
careful when you overfill the oil. i did that myself the first time i went to the track with ~10mm over the full mark on the dip stick.
it ended up ruining my cat, i couldn't work out why my car had a thick black build up of soot for the next 20k km.

wynode
24-07-2005, 08:04 PM
Thanks for that guys...just updated the first post with more info.

ekslut
25-07-2005, 09:07 AM
Good info :thumbsup:

There is Sandown in Vic too: http://www.sandownraceway.com.au/

SiR JDM
26-07-2005, 08:56 AM
And Winton Race Way in Victoria! Quality Track.

http://www.wintonraceway.com.au/

Personally i think bringing oil for top up is very important
Little things like cable ties as well can save your life! ;)

wynode
26-07-2005, 09:07 AM
Thanks for that James...just updated the first post and also explained why not to use the handbrake when in the pits.

joyride
27-07-2005, 12:32 PM
im just throwing some things up...

money for tow truck (just incase la)
tools (hammer/drill/socket set etc) to replace car parts/panels
spare susp parts (anything in particular?)

wynode
07-08-2005, 11:39 PM
That's probably getting too paranoid.......but i do take a few sockets with me!

Tones
21-01-2006, 11:16 AM
Gaffer tape is useful too for that emergency repair.
Also, in some cars, if the fuel tank is full, fuel may spill out of the fuel filler "breathing hole"

turtleEK1
06-04-2006, 07:17 PM
like win said earlier... may as well be safer than sorry...

if you plan on tracking, best to spend the extra and get at least engine, transmission, coolant and brake fluid changed!! engine because alot of friction and heat will need to be dispersed, trans coz and huge amount of strain and friction occurs in there when racing, coolant coz of heat... and ofcourse brakes! no brakes at 150kmph+ doesn't sound fun!!

rather spend a little more on fluids than a rebuild and towing fee!

Coponeinthenuts
25-06-2006, 01:37 PM
any of u guys want 2 post up some W.A. sites (coz I'd hav to drive across the Half the country to find any of these places

m0nty ITR
13-08-2007, 03:58 PM
Great thread! Will use the info for next track day.

Spunkymonkey
22-08-2007, 09:02 PM
That's probably getting too paranoid.......but i do take a few sockets with me!

seriously wyn it isn't....

I haven't been for a while, but brought all my usual tools:

socket set
spanner set
screwdriver set
race tape
spare rope
etc

I usually have this stored in the car normally and oh did it get used...other car with us ended up blowing clutch...and got towed.... and they used all of my tools lol including rope lol

DUST
14-11-2007, 10:31 PM
Hi guys just found this video about tips for tracking from Fifth Gear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrcchCbq_vw

Hope that helps!

anjin
13-02-2008, 11:04 PM
WA tracks are Barbagallos Raceway http://www.wascc.com.au/
- track and hillclimb

Quit Motoplex http://www.motorplex.com.au/
drag etc

And a country track in Collie that a lot of people like- www.motoringsouthwest.org.au


Tha CAMS website has a list of tracks etc in each state - http://www.cams.com.au/Content.asp?PageID=TracksCircuits

hoey888
29-07-2008, 12:29 PM
some things to add

Workshop tools:
the general screwdriver, alien keys, sockets + wrenches etc...

Emergancy Repair tools:
should also consider a couple hammers as well for DIY panel beating as a worse case scenario if anything happens. Also include things like cable ties string, duct/speed tape, spare wire and possiably silicon/hot glue gun.

Just as a side note, if your going up to the track in a slighly older car, you may want to consider some kind of roadside assist. eg RACV,NRMA, RACQ as my mate had a car towed back ~300km's from winton raceway. but thats only provided it 'breaks down' and wasn't involved in an accident.

beeza
29-07-2008, 03:46 PM
Great point.My car is an auto so I'm concerned it can shat itself so I was thinking about organising a phone number of a tow truck.150km's.

beeza
29-07-2008, 03:48 PM
Has anyone in QLD been here:

Morgan Park Raceway
Operator: Warwick District Sporting Car Club Inc
Location: Old Stanthorpe Road, Warwick, 5km south of Post Office. 160km south-west of Brisbane
Length: 2.11km

Is it good.I mean vs Queensland raceway?

SuperDave
01-08-2008, 07:53 PM
I haven't been there, but it is a more technical track than QR. Depends on what your after. QR you have to try very hard or be very unlucky to hit a wall. If you're starting out go to the closest one, plus QR is good to learn on.

beeza
02-08-2008, 11:48 AM
Thanks Dave!

Here it is:
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/morgan_park_track_diagram.jpg

joyride
17-08-2009, 11:14 PM
does anyone know if youre allowed on the track with steel rims?

SHOGUNOVDDRK
17-08-2009, 11:15 PM
Like Steelies with hubcaps?

joyride
19-08-2009, 11:18 PM
yeah but without the hubcaps lol.

SPEEDCORE
20-08-2009, 10:37 AM
does anyone know if youre allowed on the track with steel rims?

Yes. Material whether steel or alloy does not matter for a track day, so long as the wheel is in good shape and tyres are (at least at the start of the day :) ) you have no problem.

hoey888
20-08-2009, 06:40 PM
Like Steelies with hubcaps?

technically OK... because the are wheels and attatched to the car provided if they have road worthy tyres

technically NOT ALLOWED.... unless you remove your hubcaps. imagine if your hubcaps hit the guy behind you at 100km/h down the straight, not a good image if it comes loose. just take plastic hub caps off before going on the track and you should be fine

joyride
20-08-2009, 11:07 PM
thanks guys

Lucas
12-12-2009, 05:09 PM
Great Thread !

Im still a track virgin :) and im moving to Adelaide in less than 4 weeks, hopefully I'll get to track it in Adelaide, with the help of some great SA guys ? lol

rk 86 wa
12-12-2009, 06:07 PM
Barbagello's Raceway - Western Australia
http://www.wascc.com.au/

Collie Motorplex - Western Australia
http://www.motoringsouthwest.org.au/

beeza
12-12-2009, 07:06 PM
Great Thread !

Im still a track virgin :) and im moving to Adelaide in less than 4 weeks, hopefully I'll get to track it in Adelaide, with the help of some great SA guys ? lol

Good one mate,get into it :thumbsup: :honda:

9large
12-12-2009, 07:49 PM
Has anyone in QLD been here:

Morgan Park Raceway
Operator: Warwick District Sporting Car Club Inc
Location: Old Stanthorpe Road, Warwick, 5km south of Post Office. 160km south-west of Brisbane
Length: 2.11km

Is it good.I mean vs Queensland raceway?

I've been to Morgan Park a few times. It's a great track that rewards flow and momentum. Willowbank is quite a boring track, but good if you're just starting out.

beeza
12-12-2009, 08:09 PM
Thanks 9large,sounds awesome,like lakside raceway.

I'm keen to hit it - Fasure!