Daggerty said:

Does Blackhawk make you go in the novice group first time there?

depends. If you don't have any track experience, then most definitely. 

Even if you have experience, I know some organizations that require you to run in novice if it's the first time you've ever driven with that organization (it's a trust thing)

and some organization like BMW CCA require signoff from instructors before you move up, and it is tracked in a computer per track. For example, I run advanced with CCA at Blackhawk, but at RA I'm only qualified in their system for Intermediate.

Fellow Track Junkies and Racers:

MVP Track Time (www.MVPTrackTime.com) is excited to announce our 2017 track event schedule.  Another fun year of exciting on-track action awaits.  I hope you’ll join us for the on-track fun.

As usual, we have exciting track events for 2017 and for additional fun, we’ve added a three-day event at Daytona.  Visit our web site for schedule updates as 2017 progresses. 

MVP’s goal remains the same since we began in 2006, offering you more actual track time at every track event for reasonable entry fees.  Our three-run group format (Novice, Intermediate and Advanced) offers you maximum driving time (generally 2+ hours of scheduled daily track time) instead of standing around the paddock.

Below is MVP’s initial 2017 schedule, subject to possible revisions as the year progresses.   

February 24-26, 2017**: Circuit of The Americas (Austin, TX) –** REGISTRATION COMPLETE

April 8-9, 2017**: National Corvette Museum (Bowling Green, KY) -** SOLD OUT

June 5, 2017**:  Autobahn Country Club (Joliet, IL) -** ”First Monday In June”

July 15 - 16, 2017 :  Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI) – 3rd Annual ”Escape The Heat”

August 7, 2017**:  Autobahn Country Club II (Joliet, IL) -** ”Monday at The Bahn”

October 14 - 15, 2017 :  Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI) – 8th Annual ”Cheese Heads On Track”

November 18 - 19, 2017**:  Road Atlanta (Braselton, GA) – 9th Annual** “Flyin’ Turkey Trot”

December 8-10, 2017**:  Daytona International (Daytona, FL) – 1st Annual** “Winter Escape”

Registration for MVP Track Time events is available on line with Pay Pal (you can use any major credit card through the Pay Pal system) or a mail-in registration for our 2017 track events at your choice of the links below:

On-Line Registration:  http://www.mvptracktime.com/id92.html 

Mail-In Registration:  http://www.mvptracktime.com/id93.html

Join us in 2017 for the on-track fun with MVP Track Time.  All courteous, considerate, safe drivers are invited and welcome.  Please, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions. 

I hope to see you at the track in 2017.  Happy Motoring!

Mark Pfeffer – MVP Track Time

www.MVPTrackTime.com

Phone: (314) 249-3770

E-mail: Feffman@MVPTrackTime.com

suspenceful said:

Ooo, that sounds fun. My car might be mid-turbo install will be turbo-upgrade complete at that point. Remind me as it gets closer, I'd love to come out for some photos!

Fixed

i_love_cars said:

I just signed up for the weekend on July 15/16 with MVP Tracktime for Road America. Is anyone else interested and/or signed up? @merl @Boris3

 @suspenceful any chance I could steal you for a few hours on one of those days to get some good photos of the M3 on-track at RA? 

Ooo, that sounds fun. My car might be mid-turbo install at that point. Remind me as it gets closer, I'd love to come out for some photos!

Nebio did PCA ever work out the details in place to run a DE at the road course at the Indy 500? I remember reading something about this being in the works. Bucket list!

It is about 5+ hours from the Milwaukee area

 @suspenceful any chance I could steal you for a few hours on one of those days to get some good photos of the M3 on-track at RA?

i_love_cars said:

Indeed. Likelihood of crashing is low. The most dangerous times on track are during passing typically, and the highest frequency of issues comes in Intermediate run groups for obvious reasons. 

Novice is usually fine and I can't stress enough what Boris said about understanding your focus will be tested. I've taken myself off and skipped the final session of a day before because I could tell my fatigue was setting in. Smartest thing you can do is know when you're too tired. This shit really takes a lot out of you. I've had some buddies that shoulda called it quits on 85 degree days and crash in the last session because they just can't keep focus. 

Again going back to the fact that I think you should run with either BMW CCA or MVP Tracktime, or both - they run really tight ships with great instructors, and as a result it's a very safe event. Remember in Novice groups everyone is going super slow, being very conservative, relatively speaking. Everybody builds up speed by the end of the day as people start to learn the line, their cars, and carry more speed through turns and it becomes a lot of fun. 

You'll be fine. 

Agreed...  know yourself and don't push your focus.  I've pulled myself out of the game on many occasions just knowing the limits of what I can do.  I'd also recommend Laps Inc. some seasoned drivers, instructors, etc.  

Rain has also not been a friend on the track for me... lol 

I will likely be running Blackhawk and RA at least once this year if I can get my car dialed in.

gramboda said:

Thanks for all the input! This forum is way more friendly than any other forum I am part of!

Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves here!  This is still the internet after all.  Wait until you meet us in person, some of us are much bigger assholes in real life.  We do own BMW's...

Oh also, I really enjoy the Blackhawk Wednesdays and I will attend quite a few as well as others you mentioned. Let everyone know which ones you plan to attend so we can make sure to meet and hang out.

Boris3 said:

One last warning though, track days can be addicting. If you have a street car soon it seems to make sense to start improving suspension, tires, brakes, adding better seats and seat belts/harnesses, and adding assorted go fast parts, and carefully cutting out your carpet to install a roll bar and 5-6-7 point harnesses and picking up a HANs, and then maybe "adding lightness" by removing some weight...and then maybe you hit the cross roads of getting out for a cheaper hobby or if the jonesing is strong buying a dedicated track car or going full bore gutting and caging your once mild-mannered street car.

In the meantime you will find yourself wandering the paddock when you're not out on track and looking at other folks rides, sitting in their driver's seats "just to try it out", and then maybe you start looking at their open trailers and tow rigs, and looking on Craiglist for cheap tow setups, and then having tow rig envy when wandering the paddock and looking at enclosed trailers and bigger tow rigs.

Perhaps you come to your senses somewhere on this slippery slope by choice, economic necessity or family push back. Or maybe you don't and you start hooking your friends just like other folks hooked you, and hey you know instructing looks interesting, and/or hey rather than this point-to-pass stuff maybe actual racing sounds like a good idea so let's check out Chump, Lemons, WRL, NASA, Council, or SCCA, etc.

Not saying this will happen to you but consider yourself warned. 

I am not sure I know what you mean /s

In the meantime you will find yourself wandering the paddock when you're not out on track and looking at other folks rides, sitting in their driver's seats "just to try it out", and then maybe you start looking at their open trailers and tow rigs, and looking on Craiglist for cheap tow setups, and then having tow rig envy when wandering the paddock and looking at enclosed trailers and bigger tow rigs.

Perhaps you come to your senses somewhere on this slippery slope by choice, economic necessity or family push back. Or maybe you don't and you start hooking your friends just like other folks hooked you, and hey you know instructing looks interesting, and/or hey rather than this point-to-pass stuff maybe actual racing sounds like a good idea so let's check out Chump, Lemons, WRL, NASA, Council, or SCCA, etc.

Not saying this will happen to you but consider yourself warned. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk