About three weeks ago I did a track day in the rain. I have to say it was the best learning experience I have had yet in my car.

Some background; I've done one open track event and three high speed autocross's on a road course. I have gotten faster and better at driving at ever event.

Me and a friend had the entire track to ourselves ( http://www.gingermanraceway.com/ ), I ended up doing 60-70 laps. This was the first time to this track. I was running on Bridgestone S02's.

Anyways, I learned so much. I learned how to be really smooth, and very easy on the throttle and brakes. You really learn how the right line can affect your speed so much. If you don't hit your line, the corner tightens up and you end up pushing or even worse, going of the track. I have to say this was one of the best learning experience’s I have had in my car. I would recomend if you have a chance to drive in the rain, do it, just don't push it beyond your limits.

Oh yea I only spun out once and didn't even go off the track. I think I did pretty good.

 

Rain events make your heartbeat just a little more don't they?

 

Call it bad luck the first three track days I did it rained every time. One time it was sleeting @ Summit 100 into turn 1 the braking zone was sketch. I lived, as well as the car and we went back to battle another day.

 

holy ****, you race in the rain at speed? and not drift? you must really trust your tires, i have had bad experiences with rain (well grip racing in the rain) even on a track, if you go off road you can easily flip!

 

Rain separates the men from the boys.

 

I love racing in the rain. I've never open tracked in it but have autoxed many times; some of them in big events. Driving in the rain is completely different in race line and car setup; I enjoy it. Rain is the only advantage I have against a Z06: their wide tires and big torque are not what you want when the course is under water.

 

Both my SCCA driving school sessions were in the rain. When it rained for the first race of the season, we novices easily beat all the returning veterans. Next race was dry and the veterans put us back in our places, however.

 

the 60 laps didnt hurt either! i did a track event a couple months ago that was 15 cars total for the whole track, so i just ran until i was too tired to drive anymore, it was great

 

I would say that they definatly make your heart beat just a little faster, you think okay I got it, and the next thing you know the rear end step out.

 

You are right, all that track time is a huge help to my driving skills. It would have been nice to have that much track time in the dry, I just don't know if my car would have held up. In the rain I just kept it in third the whole time.

 

I've been on courses where it was raining so hard I had the wipers on high, the defroster going for all it was worth, the headlights on and could see cones literally floating down the course because the run off was so deep

Rooster tails are cool

 

apparently you've never seen an SCCA race weekend.

Every single time I've been on the race track it's rained. I haven't had a single dry day yet. But it's a great way to learn.

I was slow as crap in the dry, then when it started raining everyone else slowed way down and I was about as fast as everyone else was in the wet. Weird..

 

oh yeah one more thing.. when you're racing in the rain, and the track is mostly asphalt, but has the occasional cement section, make *sure* you take it easy going from the cement onto the asphalt. The asphalt holds much better in the rain, and when the front tires are on asphalt and the rear are on cement, guess what..

 

Ohhhh yeah. We had a Divisional on a lot that was freshly sealed only a few weeks prior. It rained and that surface was every bit as slick as ice; I am not exaggerating. It was so slick as to be comical; we couldn't believe it.

 

Wicked,
Are you one of the few CYM 7s in the Chicago area?
Did you do the trackday with Speedtrials?
1R1

 

I have driven in the rain a few times, and it's great. Only problem is if you spin onto the grass, I swear the laws of phisics reverse, and you speed up. Seriously, wet grass is like ice.

 

My goal is not to hit grass dry or wet!

 

Yeah it is.. I went off track once and nearly went clear across (a couple hundred feet or more) to the rest of the track, completely bypassing a couple turns. That was my first real off-track experience, kinda weird.

 

> My goal is not to hit grass dry or wet!

Then you're not pushing hard enough!

 

1RedR1and1RedPEP,

No I am one of the few CYM's in Chicago, I wish. I didn't do a track day with speedtrials.

I have a 93 touring. I have been doing high speed autocrosses at Blackhawk and want to do a lot more track days next year. Do you track your car? if so you should come out and do the autocross's with me, I need another rx7 to compete with. I just can't keep up with those damn lotus elise's or cobra mustangs.

I don't really hang out with any rx7 guy's cause I am more into racing rather than parking lot cruising. Just got old.


My car:

 

Wicked,
I do track my car often, I usually go to gingerman. Are you autocrossing with MWCSSC? I am a Council memeber and I run a Spec racer, yellow #60 I plan on running the 7 in ASR possibly this summer. I havent done any autocross, it doesnt really interest me. I havent run BHFR in the 7 in a long time but I think 1:21.xxx would be my lap time with current mods.
1R1

 

Amen!

"Offs" are learning experiences, and an inherent risk of driving at the limit. They happen to all of us eventually. Be mentally prepared for the incident, and you will fare much better than otherwise...