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I was asbsolutely FLOORED when I got the price. Here's what I received:
"Thank you for your quick reply. NCM may have been less expensive, but they also do not have garages available, which you would be able to rent. Most groups rent the garages to participants for $75-100 each per day."
Bridget is more familiar with the track - maybe she can shed a little light. I just never expected it. Maybe that was my mistake.
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That's a silly reason, but it is what it is.
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ugh so chrome froze up on my long ass response
cliffs: putnam is a club track like autobahn. very nice track, well maintained grounds. have rules. been there about 4 times myself. dan was there last oct. 10/10ths goes there alot.
looks like there's 3 tiers on tracks budget wise. lori can correct me if I'm wrong.
low end - memphis, o'reilly's
mid level - half NCM, half autobahn, half pitt, gingerman (?), gateway (this seems to work with our budget and fee around $200)
high scale - full NCM, full autobahn, full pitt, putnam, mid-ohio (expect at least $250-300 per day)
i think the only way to attain a "high scale" track is bump up entry fee, combine with other group, or attend someone else's track day there and follow their rules/guidelines.
by attending some one's else track day (most likely a fri or sat) that might make it possible for people only available on weekends. however i don't know how set in stone people are with a NG that goes from wed-sun vs thur-mon with the banquet being moved to sun instead of sat.
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with that in mind, it prob costs more to book a "club day" vs open day with most club days tues-thur looking at this year's schedule. this is just dan and i speculating though. The Club Schedule « The Club at Putnam Park
or club days are what ever days that are not book by other clubs prior to the new track season.
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I too am surprised that Putnam is as expensive as NCM and others but if they are now a club like Autobahn then I guess it makes sense. The going rate with 10/10ths is 290 a day or a significantly better deal is two days for 450. I'm going to Mid Ohio tomorrow for 290 which isn't terrible and Road America charges a similar premium. Autobahn on a Monday is 255. Must be BMW pricing...
Anyway Putnam is a fun course. Very safe. You can get into trouble in two turns but the walls are still very far off the track. The first turn is really fun and high speed once you figure it out. Once you figure out the line it is really rewarding. The paddock is great and the whole place is well maintained. You can go up in the tower and see 80% of the track.
ORP is an ok track. You can have some fun in the S's and enjoy unsettling your car with all the bumps. I never really liked the track being lined with steel 55 gallon drums or it crossing through the parking lot.
Gingerman is a fun track. The edition makes it a little more challenging to get the braking correct going downhill but still a very safe track. Would definitely go there again.
Gratten is one I've been meaning to hit. I hear its got some good elevation changes and a few blind corners. I don't know about the runoff and etc. Bman why do you go check it out for us?
I still think the best thing for NG roadcourse is to tag onto another groups track rental for a day. The people who want to race the road course end up paying approximately the same as if the NG hosted it but NG doesn't have to pay track insurance or run the event. That should account into some cheaper registration fees and bring up the NGs overall attendance imo. Plus the NG officials can relax and enjoy tracking their cars if they like. Most track day groups have driving instructors and classes to teach proper driving habits to beginners. Passing rules are strictly enforced and they are not afraid to boot anyone not following the rules. Isn't that safer for everyone? They also usually allow passengers in advanced and intermediate groups which has been a limited with the NGs insurance.
Downsides are there are other people on the track but most of them know what they are doing and will probably be faster than the 3/S's. I have yet to see someone driving in an unsafe manner not get removed promptly. No group needs that liability and they don't care about hurt feelings. Coordinating with the track rental group would hopefully go smoothly but dealing with some people can be a pain in the ass (haha). Most track days with another group would be Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. That may complicate the schedule but maybe not. I'm not opposed to racing on a Saturday or Sunday and leaving Monday if the start of NG is shifted a day.
Just my thoughts.
Thanks
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Dan, when you do a track day, how much track time do you expect to get?
Update on voting:
18 people have voted. Indy is still ahead with 42 votes, but Pittsburgh is getting closer with 35. Michigan is now up to 11 votes.
Voting remains open through the end of the month.
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1 Attachment(s)
Lori, here's the schedule today if it helps. Looks like about two hours and 40 mins.
Attachment 8168
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I also like the idea of joining another groups track day. Has the NG committee ever considered Blackhawk Farms? (Rockford IL)
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Joining with another group has a lot of complications, but we're looking into it. Usually, when I've tried in the past, groups aren't really interested in "sharing" their track day with another group. As for Blackhawk Farms, yeah... we looked into it a couple of years ago. We can't look into it again for 2016 because we don't have the seed money to move the event.
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