Open Gingerman Track Day April 14th, 2006

[72novadriver]

What do we have to do to sign up?

[Samckitt]

Not to steal the thread but is there a "rule book" like drag racers use that we need to follow to run a road course track?

Scot

[CAMAROBOY69]

Not to steal the thread but is there a "rule book" like drag racers use that we need to follow to run a road course track?

Scot

From personal experience I can give you a couple quick courtesy points.
1. Dont block anyone. If they are on you and you feel they can pass, let them. They should only pass on straight aways. Then clearly indicate you are allowing them to pass. Pull over a little to the side, put your turn signal on, or use a friendly hand gesture. No not that one.
2. Only pass if the person in front of you allows you to do so. And only pass if you are in a class or group that allows passing.
3. Just be courteus no matter what. Its all for fun and no one wants it to be a misreable experience.
4. Common sense plays the largest part like everything else in life.
5. You will need a helmet.
6. You will also want to know what the flags mean and what the corner worker signals mean.

[Samckitt]

What about stuff like roll cages specs, hoses - do they all have to be braided with AN fittings, fire system, everything safety wired & so on.

Scot

[CAMAROBOY69]

At gingerman raceway you dont have to worry about anything. THere isnt even an inspection. However if they see something thats obviously dangerous like leaking fuel then they will pull you off the track until you fix the problem. Last year I had fuel coming from my stock gas tank and they flagged me for it. I fixed the problem and ran the rest of the day. Now I have a fuel cell and wont have to worry about the stock tank.
Thats why the back of my car is all black. Leaking gas tank.

[Samckitt]

Cool. I was worried that I would have to have a roll cage before I could play. Of course it is wiser & safer to have one, but don't know it will happen before getting to the track.

[CAMAROBOY69]

If it makes you feel any better. I dont have a roll bar or even sub frame connectors. Like you said its obviously a lot smarter to have all the safety equipment that you can afford before you hit the track. Its all up to you. I wont have a roll bar this year either but I am going to try and install at least some sub frame connectors. Like anywhere else you go, you drive at your own risk.

[Samckitt]

Cool. Do you have a 5 pt harness, or just factory style seatbelts?

[BB69]

Scott,
These open track days are touted more as "driving schools" than anything else. There is a strict policy about NOT keeping lap times. Obviously, this is for insurance reasons. If you try to go road racing with your car, there will be a rule book, much more safety equipment, and a license requirement. The track days are more of a way for you to start learning about how the car handles closer to the limits than you could get on the street. As Adam said, the most important part is to realize you are out to have fun as opposed to winning. That said, even though Gingerman doesn't do an inspection, you should. I would suggest the following at a minimum:

1. Bleed brakes with fresh, clean fluid.
2. Check your brake flex lines to make sure they are in good condition.
3. Make sure you have a good water/coolant mixture with no leaks. (Your car will get hot.)
4. Check wheel bearings and ball joints.
5. Make sure your tires have some meat on them, because you will be removing a fair amount.
6. Clean the windows. I was a victim of this one myself. I trailered the car over to the track, and then didn't have anything to clean the windshield.

These are just some basics. Come on out if you can, you will have a good time. I had a good time, and I spent the day trying to get the car running.

Ken

[CAMAROBOY69]

Cool. Do you have a 5 pt harness, or just factory style seatbelts?

I have 4th gen 3 point seat belts. They work extremely well in the corners and when im on the breaks. You do not want stock 2 point seat belts at all.
Like Ken said come out and you will have a blast! If you dont drive a car out there then the event is free!! You could even ride in our cars for free.
Read thru this entire thread and im sure there are lots of helpful hints about what to watch on your car before you go to the track.
Definetly make sure you drink enough fluid and keep food inside yourself. There will be food there but the more you bring the cheaper it is.

[Samckitt]

I doubt the car will be all put back together by then as we are expecting a new baby close to that time as I mentioned earlier. His due date, since my wife is having another C-section is April 6th. The name that we have finally decided on is Keaton, for the middle name my wife wants Scot. Not sure on that yet, but it does go together. His ultrasound is my avatar.

I would love to come up for the day & watch. But not sure I will get that done either.

Before the summer is over I will make it up there somehow.

Thanks to Adam & Ken & everyone else for the tips.

Scot

[CAMAROBOY69]

Your welcome for the tips. If you cant make the April event then Ken will be lining up a different Gingerman event later in the year. Not sure on that date yet but thats a REALLY fun event. Every class was cars.

[BB69]

Scot,
Congrats on the new addition to your family. If you can make it, I will also see what we can do about getting you a ride.

Adam,
I have been checking on our day constantly. Dave and his brother are making a website this year to make registration easier. I will talk with him again this morning and see if we are ready to announce a date. I started pulling the steering components off the Vette last night in preparation for the new rack. Slow progress, but progress none the less.

Ken

[Jewce]

HERE IS THE INFO FROM THE ORGANIZER.


D-Tek Enterprises 9th Annual Track day at Gingerman.

This is a track day which guarantees you more then 2 hours of track time with minimal traffic. We have a good group of core participants and have been incident free since these events started 9 years ago.

Details

Date: Friday, April 14, 2006 (corporate holiday for most)

Loc: Gingerman Raceway, South Haven, MI

Format

Unfortunately, from now on all events will be cars only. While we have a good group of motorcycles, karts and shifter karts, but the participation level was never steady. Each group is limited to 15 vehicles for a total of 45 vehicles max.

Group 1 - novice

Group 2 - intermediate

Group 3 - advance

Track Time

Track hours are 9:00 to 5:00. Gates Open: 7:00am

20 minutes of track time per session will yield over 2 hours of track time per vehicle

This event will happen RAIN or SHINE.

Cost

$150.00 (Cash or Check only). Check payable to " D-Tek Enterprises".



I unfortunately had to raise the price of entry from what many have paid in the past. The total event cost has doubled from last year due to increases in track rental, corner workers, mandatory ambulance and now a separate mandatory insurance policy which I have to obtain.

Sign-Up
This invitation is going out to a list of possible participants. If interested, please respond with your name, vehicle, experience and contact information. This is so I can get an idea of who may be coming. Feel free to invite friends and others that may be interested.



Payment

I am now accepting deposits. This ensures your spot for the day. This is a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit that is due prior to the event. The reason this is done is so that at the last minute, everybody is not backing out and I am forced to pay for the track all myself. There are only 45 spots available for this event and participation fills fast. When we reach event capacity, I will put your name on the waiting list and if someone needs to drop out, I can then refund their money and you will have a place.

Payment Address

Dennis Lex

D-Tek Enterprises

1113 Lawndale

Royal Oak, MI 48067



Final Event Details

1 week prior to the event, I will send out the groups, directions and event schedule. If you have questions, please contact me.

Contact Information

Dennis Lex (DLEX)

cell: 313-492-8250

email: [email protected]



Thank you, I look forward to seeing you at the track

[CAMAROBOY69]

$150.00 is a little higher but still a great deal and well worth it. Count me in for sure rain or shine. I will send the deposit very soon. I assume we can still have passengers??

[Jewce]

Passengers are still good as far as I know. I will let you know if I find out otherwise ASAP.

The costs are a little higher. In 2004, his total cost was $2700, 2005 was $3600, and this year will be $4600. That included track, insurance, corner workers, and ambulance. It bites but it is something everyone is dealing with right now. He had to buy extra insurance cause the new policy the track has only allows 6 cars on track at once.

I will end up in my SRT-4 since the kart class was canceled.

[CAMAROBOY69]

I just spoke to Dennis (DLEX) on the phone and he said he currently has at least 20 cars officially signed up. The max will 45. He also said he will send a list of all the cars that are attending so far. I just wrote my check for $150 and will be sending it tomorrow. Cant wait!!

[Damn True]

$150 is a steal.

[BB69]

I dropped my check off today with Dennis' father. I am looking forward to the event. It would be great to see some more guys from the board out there.

Ken

[CAMAROBOY69]

I dropped my check off today with Dennis' father. I am looking forward to the event. It would be great to see some more guys from the board out there.

Ken

Cant wait to see you there again Ken. Mabey this time we will get a chance to chat more and hopefully your luck will be a lot better than last year. If you have bad luck this year with your car I will let you drive my car for a few laps.
Your right, it would be nice to see more members attend this event. If my poor ass can make it then there is no excuse other people cant make it. NO EXCUSE!! Quit being posers and get your butts to the track. j/k