NJMP Track Day 4/5

[Sentranewb]

Thinking about hitting up the NJMP for a track day Fri 4/5. Any tips? Anyone else frequent the park? I saw JDS has an event there but I dont know if my daily Sentra SER would fit in. Plus its like $100 more but includes food etc. Thanks for your thoughts.

[igo4bmx]

EDIT read your post wrong
I would not worry about the car you have. Just have a safe running car.

[Antonio]

just make sure to check up on your normal maintenance. Do an oil change before, check air filter, and check your coolant. Flush if it looks old. Check the car for leaks of any kind. Check your brake pads, make sure you have AT LEAST 50% pad life left. Also good idea to have a spare set of pads incase you use up yours at the track and need to get home. Bleed fresh brake fluid thru the system. Check your tires for tread depth, as well as any alignment/air pressure issues.

Remove anything and everything from the interior of the car (clothes, junk, garbage, papers, water bottles, etc). Nothing loose to move around in the car or trunk. Make sure battery is secured down tightly and battery connections are tight. If you have a helmet, make sure it's Snell 2005 or later.

It's all mostly common sense stuff really. If you can, bring a torque wrench with you and whatever sockets you may need to double and triple check your lug nuts are torqued properly after each session. Above all, have fun, relax, and take advantage of having an instructor help you

[Sentranewb]

That was thorough! Thank you!

[igo4bmx]

Originally Posted by Antonio

just make sure to check up on your normal maintenance. Do an oil change before, check air filter, and check your coolant. Flush if it looks old. Check the car for leaks of any kind. Check your brake pads, make sure you have AT LEAST 50% pad life left. Also good idea to have a spare set of pads incase you use up yours at the track and need to get home. Bleed fresh brake fluid thru the system. Check your tires for tread depth, as well as any alignment/air pressure issues.

Remove anything and everything from the interior of the car (clothes, junk, garbage, papers, water bottles, etc). Nothing loose to move around in the car or trunk. Make sure battery is secured down tightly and battery connections are tight. If you have a helmet, make sure it's Snell 2005 or later.

It's all mostly common sense stuff really. If you can, bring a torque wrench with you and whatever sockets you may need to double and triple check your lug nuts are torqued properly after each session. Above all, have fun, relax, and take advantage of having an instructor help you

Yes just make sure to follow any instructions regarding inspections.

I think helmet they usually want Snell SA 2005 or greater but double check with the event organizers.

[itwillboost]

I was really hoping to do the JDS event, but work has officially made overtime mandatory so a day off is definitely out of the question lol.

[oneday]

What event are you seeing available on 4/5 at NJMP?

[Sentranewb]

Its not an event just a track day you can sign up for. http://newjerseymotorsportspark.motorsportreg.com/ More like a session than an event.

[oneday]

That's what I thought you were going to say. That is a Member's Only Day. You either need to be a club member or a guest of a member. If you are member it's $165 for the day (plus annual dues and initiation fee). If you are the guest of a member it's $195 plus a $300 guest fee (plus the member has to cover all their own costs).

What I think you want is the NJMP On-Track Experience. These are open to anyone with a safe car and a license. There are options like the "Progressive Pace Lap" package for $99, where you follow the pace car at slower (highway) speeds--cool if you want to brag to your friends that you drove on a racetrack but don't actually want to _drive_on a racetrack. Or you can man up and do the $295 that includes an instructor (like yours truly) to teach you how to get the most out of your car.

I don't see any of these on the schedule for the next month...also look for events from TrackDaze.com, PCA, NASA, SCCA, and BMW CCA...all of which offer similar programs. I prefer BMW CCA and TrackDaze.

[oneday]

FYI: I just spoke to the Director of Motorsports and there is an On-Track Experience scheduled for 4/22. Registration will be open in the next few days.

[GregV]

AZP is setting up a weekday track day at NJMP with instructors in the near future, check their facebook page for updates

[Sentranewb]

I just found out about the NJMP. I can only imagine that the cost of membership is thousands of dollars?

[oneday]

Originally Posted by Sentranewb

I can only imagine that the cost of membership is thousands of dollars?

Tens of.

You can still go there as a non-member, just not on Member's Only days. The event on 4.22 will be open to anyone. Also use Motorsportreg.com to find other events in the area.

[DJI203]

Check motorsportreg for track days. Filter for driver schools and see which clubs are running events. Some require membership, others will charge a nominal non-member fee. A cheap track day for njmp is about $300-350 for the weekend. But if you're a noob, you'll need an instructor so expect to pay another $25-50 or so. Other clubs not listed there are nasa and trackdaze.

You just need a safe car up to date on maintenance. Make sure no leaky fluids, plenty of meat on rotors and pads and do a brake flush if you haven't done in a while. Most clubs will require you to do a tech inspection at a qualified shop beforehand and will give you a form/checklist of things you need to inspect.

I can't emphasize seat time > car modifications. As you pick up more speed you may want to buy some track pads but aside from that a stock car can easily out drive you! It's sorta funny because you can always spot the noobs at a track because they usually being the prettiest, most modified or expensive cars. But the faster drivers and racers typically drive rust buckets lol.