[danallxt]

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2022 M240x track day
I just completed a 1 day track school hosted by HOD (Hooked on Driving) at “the Ridge” located outside of Shelton, Wa. First let me just give some thumbs up to that organization and how the they manage the track school/track day. Very well controlled and managed. The session was well attended and yet on track traffic was never a problem. HOD does track/school events all around the county at numerous locations, I would highly recommend for anyone considering it.

Me I've never been on a track or have had any performance type driving instruction. Because it was a new track to me and totally new experience I was placed in the A novice category which (thankfully) resulted in having a driving coach in car for every session. Outstanding coach.
The track: its a lovely track with numerous elevation and grade changes that makes it interesting and with an added chicane in the straight there was 19 corners, not a simple track.

The first on track session my coach drove my car to show me the lines, the first lap he mentioned he would take take it easy at 50 percent to carefully show me the proper vehicle positioning and lines...my reaction...ooh that's fast. Then he does a couple of hot laps...I frankly was gobsmacked at the aggressiveness. What impressed me was not the speed/or cornering forces/speed, rather it was the maximum braking at last second prior to turn in. Midway thru the first hot lap the pungent aroma of hot brakes filled the car. By nature I am not a heavy braker even when driving/or bike riding aggressively....being exposed to maximum braking by an experienced racer on a track was truly eyeopening and a new experience for me.

Myself I really struggled with learning/memorizing the track/the proper lines and vehicle placement. There is just so much information that there is a bit of info overload for a newbe. A couple of places on the track I struggled with getting it right. Only at my second to last segment did I get a decent lap and felt I had it put together pretty well. Parking the car after that session and exiting revealed a car stinking of hot brakes all around, my instructor commented “that's what I want to see, shows you've been working those brakes. One instructor mentioned that track braking is the opposite of how we all are used to street driving, thus one has to unlearn years (in my case over 56 years) of street driving.

Ideally a newbe needs two days, one to get familiar with the track and track driving techniques and then putting it all together the second day (or perhaps I'm just a slow learner). I can't say that I really pushed the car close to its limits as I was focused mostly on learning the track and executing proper lines.

All in all it was a very fun and instructive day, I ended up with newfound respect for anyone that competitively races any car in any type of competition. The M240x ran fine, sure was fun letting it bang tru the gears wide open down the straight listening to the engine peak out, then haul on the binders for the chicane.

[vert shaper]

Sounds like a lot of fun! Nice write up, thanks.

[jbazz]

The track is fun, addictive, and can get expensive On motorcycle track days, I found a lot of lap time improvement from learning to be harder on the brakes.

Curious, did you purchase the ZTK package with larger rotors?

Thanks for sharing.

[danallxt]

ztk....no, at the time of ordering i could not determine if in fact it had larger brakes, ie different caliper and larger rotor.

I acquired track pads but did not install as it being my first learning track day i did not think it would be needed, my HOD driving coach concurred.

[Thundernight]

We’re you using the original brake pads that came with the car? If so, did you experience any brake fade towards the end of the day?

[XC3LLR8]

Please tell us you upgraded the brake fluid prior to the trackday.

[danallxt]

Originally Posted by XC3LLR8

Please tell us you upgraded the brake fluid prior to the trackday.

yes, flushed/changed fluid, used stock pads. Again it being my first track experience i did not feel i needed track pads (had em on hand). My driving coach really pushed the car for a couple laps and said he felt no difference in the braking and the stock pads should be fine. Now with that pace over a greater number of laps, not likely suitable. Keep in mind my driving was not close to his pace. Experienced no brake fade....mental fade yup.

[Thundernight]

Awesome. I am probably going to take my M240 on the track at some point and glad that the street pads didn’t overheat right out of the box.

Hooked on Driving is an amazing organization. I’ve been doing many of their events in the Northeast US the last few years and never had a negative experience. Was actually at Watkins Glen with them 2 weeks ago. If you ever have the chance to drive that circuit, you should do it. The grip is amazing.

[danallxt]

One thing i did not mention; the early morning temps were chilly, less than 40 degrees F (37-38) and it stayed cool with heavy overcast/cloudy conditions. That helped keep brakes cooler. A track day with hot temps, and doing more than just a handful of laps at a time, and prior track experience, dunno about stock pads, me I'd change to track pads for peace of mind at least.

[Thundernight]

Originally Posted by danallxt

One thing i did not mention; the early morning temps were chilly, less than 40 degrees F (37-38) and it stayed cool with heavy overcast/cloudy conditions. That helped keep brakes cooler. A track day with hot temps, and doing more than just a handful of laps at a time, and prior track experience, dunno about stock pads, me I'd change to track pads for peace of mind at least.

Definitely. You'd be surprised how profound of an effect track and tire temperature has with braking. At the Glen, I locked up my front tires going into the bus stop chicane because they were never able to heat up to the correct temperature. At the time, I only used about 40% brake pressure. The car basically felt like it was on ice the entire session. It was 29 degrees F that morning and I was on slicks, but it just comes to show the performance difference in colder weather.

[earthie1]

Hey, mind if I ask which organization did you go to for the lesson? I'm also in Washington and really want to try out tracking if that's possible!

[danallxt]

Originally Posted by earthie1

Hey, mind if I ask which organization did you go to for the lesson? I'm also in Washington and really want to try out tracking if that's possible!

It's in my first post on this thread, (HOD) Hooked on Driving, has a very good reputation, check out their website, has all the info you need, the Shelton, WA track "the Ridge" is awesome. If you have never tracked before they will take good care of ya.