JohnK
03-20-2025, 12:49 PM
From the moment I decided I was going to build a roadster, I knew that when it when it was finished I had to take it to the track at Laguna Seca. Laguna Seca is an iconic track, and I'm very fortunate that it's only an hour away from me. But having never been on the track before, the thought of taking my "baby" out on the track was a little terrifying. I have no real interest in just going out there for a photo op and to "check a box"... if I'm going to track the car, I want to get a taste for what it's capable of. So, to that end I decided that it was best to get some training and experience on the track in someone else's car. :D After doing a bunch of research, I decided on the Skip Barber racing school. Besides being one of the premier racing schools in the country, they periodically come around to Laguna Seca, so this would give me the opportunity kill two birds with one stone and learn the track during the class.
The three day class took us through a steady progression of skills, first on an autocross course and skidpad, and then out to the track. You can read more about the details of the curriculum here (https://www.skipbarber.com/courses/3-day-racing-school/). We'd have a quick classroom session talking about the next module, and then go out on the track and practice that skill. During the "stop box" sessions there were coaches positioned around the track and if needed we would get flagged in to stop on the front straight and get feedback from a coach on a particular corner. Getting that feedback real-time and being able to immediately work on it on the next lap was invaluable. We eventually worked our way up to practicing rolling race starts and restarts, and the final two sessions were open lapping with no pauses on the front straight. Anyone familiar with Laguna Seca will know the hill you crest as you're coming through turn one. The first time I took that crest at >120MPH, and then had to haul the car down to negotiate the Andretti hairpin had me giggling uncontrollably in my helmet. Over the course of the three days we probably put in about 90-100 laps, and feeling that 11 story drop coming out of the corkscrew NEVER got old. IMO, this track deserves every bit of its legendary status.
So, to anyone considering getting out on the track that hasn't done it before, I would highly recommend some sort of race school, and I can't speak highly enough of the Skip Barber race school. In the course of three days I went from being a literal danger to myself and everyone around me, to being maybe not fast (yet) but being safe and competent. I now have far fewer reservations about getting the roadster out on the track and setting it free in it's natural habitat.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211684&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211685&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211686&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211687&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211688&d=1742490525
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211683&d=1742490512
The three day class took us through a steady progression of skills, first on an autocross course and skidpad, and then out to the track. You can read more about the details of the curriculum here (https://www.skipbarber.com/courses/3-day-racing-school/). We'd have a quick classroom session talking about the next module, and then go out on the track and practice that skill. During the "stop box" sessions there were coaches positioned around the track and if needed we would get flagged in to stop on the front straight and get feedback from a coach on a particular corner. Getting that feedback real-time and being able to immediately work on it on the next lap was invaluable. We eventually worked our way up to practicing rolling race starts and restarts, and the final two sessions were open lapping with no pauses on the front straight. Anyone familiar with Laguna Seca will know the hill you crest as you're coming through turn one. The first time I took that crest at >120MPH, and then had to haul the car down to negotiate the Andretti hairpin had me giggling uncontrollably in my helmet. Over the course of the three days we probably put in about 90-100 laps, and feeling that 11 story drop coming out of the corkscrew NEVER got old. IMO, this track deserves every bit of its legendary status.
So, to anyone considering getting out on the track that hasn't done it before, I would highly recommend some sort of race school, and I can't speak highly enough of the Skip Barber race school. In the course of three days I went from being a literal danger to myself and everyone around me, to being maybe not fast (yet) but being safe and competent. I now have far fewer reservations about getting the roadster out on the track and setting it free in it's natural habitat.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211684&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211685&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211686&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211687&d=1742490512
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211688&d=1742490525
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211683&d=1742490512