After doing almost no motorsports of any kind since my BMWCCA HPDE in 2016, I finally made it back out onto the track for another HPDE - this time with the Sports Car Driving Association (SCDA) at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). It was my first time driving on this track, my first time driving with the SCDA, and my first time driving a Spec Miata, and it was an absolute blast.
Driving the Miata was pretty straightforward. The hardest part was getting in - there’s a full roll cage that you have to climb over and through to get into the driver’s seat. There’s also a removable steering wheel to make getting in and out easier, except that I kept forgetting and banging into it trying to get out of the car with it still attached. I was a bit nervous about driving on racing slicks for the first time, since I had heard the line between massive grip and completely letting go is much narrower than with normal grooved tires. The first few laps I took it easy building up speed. Once I started pushing a bit more in spots where I was willing to risk sliding around a little, I was pleasantly surprised to find the oversteer completely manageable.
The track gradually dried out throughout the afternoon and, as I learned the track and the car more, I felt comfortable building up the speed I was taking through each corner. A few times I felt the car get a bit loose as I was braking hard while starting to turn into one of the tighter corners, or when I was trying to accelerate out of one of the corners that was still wet. It was easy to correct the oversteer though and I never felt like I was on the verge of a full spin.
For my fourth session, I was really feeling the track and feeling great about attacking the corners a bit more, but a full afternoon of track time meant I was out of fuel. After a couple laps I brought the car in to fill up. Someone working with SCDA was very nice to have the fuel ready and waiting for me so I didn’t even have to get out of the car. Still, it took over two minutes of sitting there just to add five gallons and it felt like an eternity compared to the sub-3-second pit stops you see on TV in Formula 1.
From a logistical standpoint the day couldn’t have worked out better. I was able to leave home at a reasonable time in the morning for the two hour drive to get to the track by lunchtime, race all afternoon, then drive another hour to Atlantic City for dinner that evening. Also the fact that I was able to pack in four 20-minute track sessions into a four hour event is incredibly time-efficient by motorsports standards.
I’m sure events in the warmer months and events that allow novices to sign up (this event was only Intermediate and above) are much more crowded and involve more time waiting around off-track, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go to another SCDA event in the future.
The Spec Miata was great and is definitely an option I’d look into for all future events. It was awesome driving away from the track in my new (to me) Alfa Romeo knowing I didn’t put all that wear and tear on it.
I was also happy with the safety margin I kept during my driving, improving my lap times throughout the day but with a measured approach that never made me feel like I was taking on more risk than I was comfortable with.
The third goal - having fun - may seem like an obvious and easy “yes,” except that it’s been an aspect weirdly missing from my previous track days. In the past I have been laser-focused on performing to the maximum of my ability, as if preparing for some imaginary racing career in the future. Whether it was the lack of having an instructor in the car this time constantly evaluating my driving, or just the new perspective of realizing my sporadic HPDEs are my “racing career,” I was able to avoid being so intensely focused on lap time and actually enjoy the moment.
Between the track layout, the car, the logistics, the people, and most of all my mindset, this was finally a track day where, both during the event and afterwards, I had an overwhelming feeling that this is fun.
The Car
A major factor in why it had been a few years since getting onto a race track is due to the punishment I put my daily driver through when I used my BMW for my last HPDE. Although that event fee wasn’t huge, the service costs for oil changes, brakes, tires, etc. made for a very expensive trip. Plus, I had a general feeling afterwards that I had taken a ton of life off my BMW that weekend. Since then I’ve been looking for a way to get on track without having to use my daily driver (now an Alfa Romeo). Fortunately the SCDA works with Rosmar Racing to do Spec Miata rentals for their events. Most of the people there were using their own cars (a mix of people’s daily drivers and dedicated track cars), but myself and one other guy were sharing a Spec Miata from Rosmar. I had read about Spec Miatas being a pretty widely available option for rentals, so I was excited to try one myself.Driving the Miata was pretty straightforward. The hardest part was getting in - there’s a full roll cage that you have to climb over and through to get into the driver’s seat. There’s also a removable steering wheel to make getting in and out easier, except that I kept forgetting and banging into it trying to get out of the car with it still attached. I was a bit nervous about driving on racing slicks for the first time, since I had heard the line between massive grip and completely letting go is much narrower than with normal grooved tires. The first few laps I took it easy building up speed. Once I started pushing a bit more in spots where I was willing to risk sliding around a little, I was pleasantly surprised to find the oversteer completely manageable.
The Driving
At the start of the afternoon, the track was still wet in a lot of spots from the heavy rain the previous night. For the first session they sent us out under full course yellow for the first couple laps. It was nice that there weren’t very many cars on track because I never felt like I was in anyone’s way while I was gradually building up speed. About halfway through the session, a car up ahead of me spun coming out of one of the faster corners. They were back underway by the time I got there and didn’t appear to take any damage, but it was still a reminder of why to take it easy in the early going.The track gradually dried out throughout the afternoon and, as I learned the track and the car more, I felt comfortable building up the speed I was taking through each corner. A few times I felt the car get a bit loose as I was braking hard while starting to turn into one of the tighter corners, or when I was trying to accelerate out of one of the corners that was still wet. It was easy to correct the oversteer though and I never felt like I was on the verge of a full spin.
For my fourth session, I was really feeling the track and feeling great about attacking the corners a bit more, but a full afternoon of track time meant I was out of fuel. After a couple laps I brought the car in to fill up. Someone working with SCDA was very nice to have the fuel ready and waiting for me so I didn’t even have to get out of the car. Still, it took over two minutes of sitting there just to add five gallons and it felt like an eternity compared to the sub-3-second pit stops you see on TV in Formula 1.
The Track
Having my last session interrupted by the pit stop wasn’t great, but overall I really enjoyed my time on track. One of the highlights of the day was how fun the Thunderbolt Raceway at NJMP was to drive. There’s a ton of runoff all over the place and very few blind sections or weird “gotchas” waiting to ruin your day if you make a mistake. The only two tracks I’ve driven to compare it to are Lime Rock Park, where The Uphill corner has big elevation change and a concrete wall at right along the track edge, and the Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point, with a crazy banked Karussell corner waiting to pitch you into the tire barrier if you get the entry wrong. By comparison, NJMP’s Thunderbolt track seemed to invite you to drive faster and faster without as much risk of a huge shunt just from messing up at the wrong spot.The Group
Of all my track experiences this was the least formal and least crowded. There were no classroom sessions and very few instructors doing ride-alongs with any of the participants, even though it was billed as “High Performance Drivers Education.” The interactions I did have with the SCDA folks and with other drivers were all positive and it felt very laid back.From a logistical standpoint the day couldn’t have worked out better. I was able to leave home at a reasonable time in the morning for the two hour drive to get to the track by lunchtime, race all afternoon, then drive another hour to Atlantic City for dinner that evening. Also the fact that I was able to pack in four 20-minute track sessions into a four hour event is incredibly time-efficient by motorsports standards.
I’m sure events in the warmer months and events that allow novices to sign up (this event was only Intermediate and above) are much more crowded and involve more time waiting around off-track, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go to another SCDA event in the future.
Fun
I went into this track day with a few goals in mind - try out a Spec Miata, drive within my ability, and have fun.The Spec Miata was great and is definitely an option I’d look into for all future events. It was awesome driving away from the track in my new (to me) Alfa Romeo knowing I didn’t put all that wear and tear on it.
I was also happy with the safety margin I kept during my driving, improving my lap times throughout the day but with a measured approach that never made me feel like I was taking on more risk than I was comfortable with.
The third goal - having fun - may seem like an obvious and easy “yes,” except that it’s been an aspect weirdly missing from my previous track days. In the past I have been laser-focused on performing to the maximum of my ability, as if preparing for some imaginary racing career in the future. Whether it was the lack of having an instructor in the car this time constantly evaluating my driving, or just the new perspective of realizing my sporadic HPDEs are my “racing career,” I was able to avoid being so intensely focused on lap time and actually enjoy the moment.
Between the track layout, the car, the logistics, the people, and most of all my mindset, this was finally a track day where, both during the event and afterwards, I had an overwhelming feeling that this is fun.