Hi! I decided to go to track with my stock R56 in May track event at street of willow, CA. This is the first time I'm going to track and mini will be first car going with me to the track. I am exciting and beat worried so.. I would like get little help from you guys so I can get prepared until the Day of the event. Please give me any advise those of who went track with thier R56. What I should beware of or any mechanical problem after the event? or during the event? does your car make smile on your face or make you sad? I would like to hear all the experiance and story from you guys from track event. I'm taking stock. My cooper S is equip with sports package with LSD and stock crown spoke 17inch rim with Stock Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST rubber all around. little beat worry taking stock to event.. will be fine? if I check tire presure, engine oil level, etc? Thank you for reading!! ( _ _)(sorry, I'm not fully fluent with english so if I have wrong spelling or grammar I apologize)

 

Start slowly and work on smoothness. Develop your rhythm. Smooth becomes fast by the end of the day.
Get a good night's sleep and go over all of your prep work BEFORE the event; you don't want those questions clouding your consciousness while you're driving. Arrive early, take a pee, look at the track. Mental prep is as important as physical and mechanical.
Your Mini will make you proud and confident.

 

Take a tork wrench with you and the appropriate sized socket (17MM I think), Re-tork the lug bolts before each track session.

 

YOu're r56 is still relatively new so there's not much really to check beforehand. Just check to make sure all your fluids are topped off. Check the air pressure in your tires. Minimum to bring would be at least the torque wrench as advised above and a tire pressure gage and air compressor. Oh, and some bottled water and food in case the food court area is far from where you'll be parking and don't wanna keep walking back and forth. Oh, and make sure to watch your gas. Don't wanna be running out of gas in the middle of a session. That's so embarassing.

 

And make sure to take an instructor with you for the first couple of sessions.

 

As a former privateer superbike roadracer, watch turn three if you are on the 2.5 mile road coarse. It is a reducing radius left, UPHILL turn......turn five can be interesting too...

 

you're likely going to need higher tire pressures for a track event. I haven't autox'ed or tracked my mini yet, but you'll likely need at least 40psi in the front tires if not 45. Perhaps not that much since many laps on the track is going to heat up your tires and thus raise pressure a lot more than a few autox laps.

You brake pedal will likely get soft as the brake fluid heats up. As long as your braking doesn't go totally away you'll be fine.

Be smooth and almost always turn in way later than you think you need to. As an instructor once put it to me, as long as you stay within your comfort zone you'll be fine. It's when you start to push yourself too much that you tend to make mistakes that lead to agricultural adventures or worse. If you do go off into grass or gravel, the best thing is to not fight it as the change in grip from grass back to asphalt can make bad things happen.

 

Your brake pads and tires will take a beating. Make sure they are both are in good condition going in and check them again when you get home.

 

Depending on your driving experience, learn the track at a safe speed, then drive it like she's stolen. and have fun, but be safe.
The biggest thing is GET OUT OF THE WAY if you see someone coming up fast!!!

 

Listen to the instructor. Don't argue. Even though it won't happen on the first day you will get more and more stubborn but try not to be.

 

I once had an instructor who would grab my steering wheel. When I told a bunch of other people they all said to get a new instructor. Once I did I was much happier, learned the line, and started passing people. This was at Mt Tremblant many years ago.

 

My first instructor grabbed my knee and pushed the pedal to the floor. There were two speeds, floored and brakes.
Ahhhh, the smell of tires melting as I drifted on exit vectors. Good times.

 

Thank you for your comment! Any of you had mechanical problem after track?

 

Great Pic, Arnbut! Love that right rear tire.

 

After the track session? How about during the track session? Rear wheel bearing seized up, causing brake rotor/bearing housing to shear off, sending the right rear wheel into the weeds. That was an interesting 450 degree spin.

Seriously, after the session, you'll want to change your engine oil as that oil has been through a heck of a lot more than grocery getting. Your tires and brakes will be more used up. But, that should be it.

 

Like the previous post stated... Listen and learn, and maybe get a ride from a experienced driver to see the proper line of the track...I remember my first SCCA driving school I was 21 and thought I was the SH**, after the first session I quickly realized steady smooth lines was the key and that I had alot to learn. Once you start to get the braking and turn-in points down and building up speed it won't be long till you'll be hunting the big boy's down...There's nothing better than coming off a session and seeing the rich Porsche owners looking away after you have schooled them on the track...Just remember racing is a drug, once you start it's in your blood. I went from a 84 GTI to a Formula 440 to finally a Formula Ford until my new wife put a stop to it.( I keep telling my oldest son if it wasn't for him I would have been the next Niki Lauda)

 

Put your tires two psi higher than stock

oil at full + .5 quart.

Listen to your instructor

ride with your instructor as early as possible and learn the line

listen to your instructor

Have fun and don't push yourself to far past where you feel comfortable.

Your neighbors or instructors will have a torque wrench you can use. be sure to use it when your wheels and brakes are cold!

 

Mr. Skurvy took that shot; he got all the good ones that day.

Good advice to torque cold; torque hot and you'll warp things.
I bring an infrared thermometer to check tire temps. Too cold and you need to let out air; too hot and you should add.
The actual tire pressures will depend upon brand, size, etc. There's no one-size fits all. My Nittos like 33/32 for spirited driving but my Excellances needed 35/34.

Here's some helpful tire data:
http://www.club4ag.com/faq%20and%20t...mendations.htm

 

this is his first track day. lets not overwhelm him.

have fun, listen to your instructor.

 

another good piece of advice is if you have the time and they allow ride alongs with the more advanced guys driving solo, ask around to ride shotgun. You might not learn anything extra the first day, but it's a great experience anyway. Just don't upchuck in anyone's car.

 

Simple Suggestions:

1. Instructor is a must for a first timer. Make sure you get one.

2. Learn track etiquette: passing zones, pit areas, etc. Don't know if you will have a driver's meeting there but if you do they will go over them.

3. Accessories: Make sure you get an adequate helmet and clothing. Some organizations have specific requirements on helmets (Snell rating) and long sleeves/cotton shirts among other things. Make sure you have comfortable driving shoes also.

5. If you don't already know, try and read up on heel/toe before going to the track. Try and practice it a bit on the street and get a feel for it. If you get a good feel for it before going to the track you'll be a step ahead once you get comfortable around the track after a couple of laps and want to try it. It will also help you decide on your selection of shoes.

6. This one's not really necessary for your first day since I assume you have a somewhat new car (R56), but a suggestion: change your brake fluid before the track day. If you can get a high temp fluid like ATE Super Blue or similar even better. I didn't on my first track day and proceeded to boil the brake fluid in the afternoon sessions.

That I think is pretty much it, including the previous suggestions about the torque wrench, tire pressure, and fuel.

Good luck!!!! You'll love it I'm sure.

 

Should I change my oil viscosity to(5w-30) to 5W-40 or 10W-30 or higher before take her to the track. Since this car has turbocharged.. it probably take lot heat.. so.. aren't they important? or stock viscosity fine?

 

Are you running an ACEA A3/B3 rated 5W-30 oil, such as the MINI branded oil? At temp, it has a higher viscosity than many other 5W-30 oils.

 

Reminds me of a quote one of the Guam guys here on the island has in his forum signature... "Racing is an addiction only poverty can cure..." Teehee.

 

Your first time on a track with your MINI should be excellent fun and there should be no problems whatsoever.

I did a full day MINI driver training on the German Hockenheimring GP race track and we were given each our MINI Cooper S by MINI. We used and abused them to the fullest - as we were told by our BMW/MINI employed instructors. At the end of the day we all had some brake wear and the tires looked abused - but that was after a 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. full throttle training day (1 hour mid-day-break) and ins't surprising.

I also took my own MCS R56 with JCW to the German Nürburgring GP race track and the famous "Nordschleife" (22km long former race track). Everything on my MINI ist stock (except the Recaro seats) and I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever. I did have a lot of fun (even on winter tires).

There is one single most useful piece of advice I would like to give you:
If you have the ATC-DSC III (traction control - optional on but the very latest R56), then I would strongly advise you to keep it on at all times.
For racers this would be switched off, as it takes away speed at times, but for beginners it is the single most useful "gadget" in you MINI when you are on the track.

All the other pieces of advice are more or less optional/standard:

• Check tire pressure, oil level, fuel level - all in all pretty standard road operational procedures.
• Tires will heat up an wear out and brakes will fade and heat up - all in all pretty obvious and quite expected.
• Listen to your instructor - also pretty obvious - he does that sort of thing for a living.
• don't forget to press the sports button ("S") if you have one - I did

One thing the others haven't mentioned (or I simply missed it) - the insurance question... in Germany the general car insurance does not cover any damages that happen during a closed event on a race track. Do check you insurance and see if something similar applies for you.

One last Thing:
Don't be surprised on how well the the MINI handles and how quick you can go... it's absolutely awesome!

PS: Some impressions of me and a friend on the Nordschleife (someone alwas catches you on their photo session):


PPS: Some impressions of me on the Nürburgring GP track:

Link to another Foto
Link to a foto of 2 MINI on the finishing line of the Nürgurgring track in Germany - 4 faces = all smiles