Braum Falcon S

[optronix]

Others, like SCCA TNiA, outright do zero real tech or training and just throw novices in

This is actually very true. The one time I took this car to the track was a Track Night in America. It was a great time! But I did notice the very "casual" nature of the entire event. It was the first time I've been "allowed" to drive solo on track in my own car... and I didn't have to do anything to "prove" that I was fit to do so.

I was fortunate in the sense that I had a group of experienced drivers, and those with no experience were very attentive and cautious. It was a really good run group... but I noticed even then that it could have been so much worse. All it would have taken was one dipshit ("I DRIVE FLAT OUT") to ruin the event, or worse.

It sucks too because I think I've landed firmly in the "casual track guy" category. There may not be such a thing but if there is it's me. I love not fussing with stuff like extensive tech considerations like what we're talking about in this thread, but I also am very conscious of my own limits and it's far more important to me to make it home with my car in the same shape it left in than scrape a few tenths off my PB. TNIA is a great venue for that but I will always stress out over other drivers.

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[Victorofhavoc]

This is actually very true. The one time I took this car to the track was a Track Night in America. It was a great time! But I did notice the very "casual" nature of the entire event. It was the first time I've been "allowed" to drive solo on track in my own car... and I didn't have to do anything to "prove" that I was fit to do so.

I was fortunate in the sense that I had a group of experienced drivers, and those with no experience were very attentive and cautious. It was a really good run group... but I noticed even then that it could have been so much worse. All it would have taken was one dipshit ("I DRIVE FLAT OUT") to ruin the event, or worse.

It sucks too because I think I've landed firmly in the "casual track guy" category. There may not be such a thing but if there is it's me. I love not fussing with stuff like extensive tech considerations like what we're talking about in this thread, but I also am very conscious of my own limits and it's far more important to me to make it home with my car in the same shape it left in than scrape a few tenths off my PB. TNIA is a great venue for that but I will always stress out over other drivers.

I'm not shy and have actively spoken out against scca practices, and to be very honest, I've spoken with a few of their officials at both local events and the national level. I was essentially told that tnia is an "at your own risk" cheap option for people to be on track, so they're not going to go down the safety and training rabbit hole. People have been seriously injured at tnia and one of my local tracks banned them after too many close calls.

Friends don't let friends drive with tnia.

NASA is a lot more expensive, but day one you'll get an instructor dedicated to you, you get classroom sessions, downloads after each session, skills and drills talk and practice, as well as at your own progression. There's a reason I instruct with NASA, and it's because everything is done professionally. I can say that honestly after seeing their backend operation. Ross Bentley (speed secrets author and pro coach) endorses NASA for similar reasons. I highly recommend giving them a try! Your personal driving growth will happen faster when you have proper track and organization support.

Other groups are pretty good too. I like PCA and BMWCCA. Chin is fine, but a pain to align with. Gridlife is okay, but there's a disparity between maturity of the HPDE side vs the racing side. You can also rent tracks privately, which can be a bit more expensive. A nice medium track with medical on standby is about 2500$ for a day. Split that among 5 people and it's ridiculously cheap! 5 can easily do 6 sessions each with a lunch break and rest/hydration, which comes out to like 5$ per minute.

 

[dockleryxk]

This is sick! Do they have a solution for the weight sensor and whatnot for the airbags?

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