First Track Day - Garage419

awesome episode. loved it. wish i watched it earlier. craig was/is a GREAT guide with great delivery. quick and to the point. would love to have more instructional/informational episodes like this. please continue on this theme every once in awhile. keep it up.

A couple of comments on a generally excellent show: As others have said, you certainly don't need suspension mods as a novice - anything that's really effective on track won't be much fun on the street. Also, it's not a good idea to start out on R-compounds even if cost isn't an issue. Street tires start to squeal long before they're ready to let go, but with R-compounds you're pretty close to the limit before the tires give you the news. I drive a Porsche 944 with a full track setup and believe me, it doesn't like rough pavement. Good instruction is absolutely vital, because this isn't a game (actually, it's an addiction). Finally, check your insurance before you go on track. You may not be covered.

While Mr. Lieberman's segment had lots of information it is a bit misleading. DOT Tires...Coilovers...are all things that you can/should do when you HAVE EXPERIENCE...lol...join SCCA..BMWCCA...AUDI Club...etc. learn the dynamics of car control from instructors....showing up at a track with ZERO experience is a reciepe for disaster...just changing tires to DOT R Compounds will make a car's handling dynamics waayy different... oh and by the way...the E30M3 are also great track cars....Great Shows Matt!! Regards

John, it was a pleasure meeting you today and the race was a total blast ! Everybody, a big thanks ! To everybody at Garage419 for pulling this off and GPNY for hosting it. And to all the Pro and Am drivers today for a great race !

A bit OT for this thread, but my trackday today at the Garage 419 Invitational at the Grand Prix NY Go Kart track was awesome. Thank you for hosting this, and for partnering with our Foundation to make this not only an incredibly fun event for the lucky Garage 419 viewers who drove, but also a fundraiser for the www.racing4research.org program to support the Children's Tumor Foundation. What a day! Thank you, Alex, JF and the entire Garage 419 staff! John Risner, President Children's Tumor Foundation

put me on yo show

Wll I can only speak from Trackdays in Germany but here you can participate with every car you like so you can do laps in your Mini Cooper S or your GTI or your Mazdaspeed. And for the first trackdays you have not to modify your car because you won't do more than 6 laps in a row because it's hard to concentrate so long for the first time on a track. Matt I must admit your show becomes really fantastic

You know Matt, I have been watching your show for about a year now. It caught my eye because I enjoyed the Gran Turismo interview. The best Simulator ever. But after that I thought your show and you, well your show was bland and you seemed like up stuck up rich kid. But I have not missed a show and if I have I grab a coke and turn ya'll on. Way better than Tv. Anyway this show has prompted me to sign up and finally leave a comment. I have wanted to leave many comments in the past but never wanted to sign up. This show is the very best yet. The very best and they are getting better. I'm no one but i love autos and your taste is good. Very nice Mini, I have wanted to paint a car flat black since i was a kid. And you did it to a Mini, nice. Please keep up the good work and more bout the track and less on the exotics. The " IN " cars will be the four banger cars of old so keep a look out and show love. Peace out and hope to kick your ass at the next Invitational. madvizion.

Good show...very good show!

Actually Craig, I believe the website is www.audiclubna.org Another good place to check for track events in your area is www.motorsportreg.com

Glad you liked the show. You guys are ON IT, I tell you. SCCA is a GREAT way to get started and affordable. For you folks who have never been on a track, check the SCCA website first. Get some info, go watch the first time, ask questions, then come back and run. It's the cheapest entry fee, too. Go to www.sccabb.com (the SCCA Forum) and TONS of people will answer your questions. You can started for around $100, no problem. www.acna.com (the Audi club) has events, where you can drive ANY car. Prices started at about $150 for a 1 day school/track event...instructors even ride in YOUR car with you to coach you! Want more info? Have a specific question? Email me at craiglieberman@cox.net I'll do my best to steer you in the right direction.

Good episode, but maybe I'm a different demographic than what this was targeted for. I am a 21 year old who has a genuinely "cheap" car. Nothing like a 30-40G Lotus or Corvette. What about me? How can I get involved with track days? Is there such a thing as a novice track day where I can put down something like $100 (still steep) to get on a track? I'm not talking about this "no passing the pace car" stuff either. Maybe being young and relatively "poor" means no fun on the track... Please provide a genuine alternative to the street! Otherwise those state parks and industrial parking lots will still be the stomping grounds of young and true motor heads... Oh, and just FYI, the "ricer" crowd isn't welcome when we do "real" racing. Racing is about pride and having fun. Money needs to be spent on gas, tires, and taking out those scuff marks you get when you hit that apex just a little too close, not stupid bets!

Garage 419 just keeps getting better and better, keep up the great work guys! I like having one show a week be informational, like whats the best beginning track car, or how do get involved with a track day, and then having the other day be a discussion/debate. I wish there were more Tuesdays and Thursdays in a week! I agree with Lord_Galva that Auto-x events should be driven before track days. It gives drives a basic knowledge of their cars and how to drive them safely. It also allows them to see if they are seriously interested in dropping a few grand into their cars before heading to track days, but in all seriousness, who could resist...

* WOW! A very well earned & sincere THANK YOU! This had been by far THE most educational & informative show yet. Again, like I said last pgm, perhaps instead of putting the cart in front of the horse, it would be wise to get the racing licences first. Then purchase the car accordingly. The medical, the race bible, flags, etc are all essential knowledge & will pay huge dividends down the road, trust me. To the best of my knowledge, the Skip Barber racing school has a very good reputation. Good luck & HAVE FUN!

Great job Craig! A good insight into what is takes to get on track.

Good episode. However, DOT tires and coil over springs are NOT cheap. DOT's start at around $600 a set and if you are driving hard they won't last more than 2 trackdays. My advice for those attempting to do trackdays is to start with autocrossing first. For those who don't know autocrossing is typicly timed runs through a cone course. There is a local SCCA near most major cities and they host autocross events every weekend, get involved. They teach you everything you need to know about car: control, brakes, adjusting tire pressure, and tires. This is a great alternative, and once you are feeling confident and your wallets full you can graduate to the track. Best part is there is usually a car clubs hosting these autocross events. So if you have a Honda join the Honda club. Then you can also learn from people who have experiance driving your peticular car.