If there is one thing we learned at Axis over the last almost 10 years of beating on our cars hard it's that everything is a consumable, everything.
We asked James Clay, team boss at Bimmerworld Racing and founder of the very successful BMW go fast bits store Bimmerworld.com, to outline a few basic principles you should follow as you prepare your track car for the coming season's battles. Here is his advice:
Go over the car completely.
Or at least as completely as you have gotten into it to modify it, plus a little bit.
Things assembled at the factory have a tendency to stay together for a long period, but performance parts have a shorter lifetime, sometimes require additional care and feeding, and even hardware has a tendency of loosening up. Whether stock or performance, when you track a car hard or use it in a more demanding environment than the designers intended, things wear out faster.
Contact an expert on your car and get their recommendations on what to replace, and remember to do this preventatively – if you are reactionary, you will be blowing a lot of money to be at the track, watching well-maintained cars go around while you work on yours.
Consider the safety level of your car.
A lot of people are bringing street and multi-use cars to the track, that is certainly acceptable and expected, but do be aware of the risks we take on the track and consider installing some basic safety gear, even if it won’t make your car go faster.
At a minimum, I would like to see drivers that are dedicated to this sport have harnesses and a HANS on. Schroth makes bolt-in 4-point harnesses specific to a lot of car models that are compatible with a HANS, and as a guy who has wrecked my fair share of cars, I can assure you that it can happen to you and a HANS will make you feel a lot better the day after, if not keep you alive in some situations.
Nothing on your track car is permanent.
This is a tough concept to swallow when you spend $1k per set of wheels ( or even per wheel for a nice forged piece) and yes, f you buy nice parts, they will serve you well, but everything on a tracked car has a maintenance schedule and a fatigue life.
Some cheaper items like wheel studs and stainless brakelines should have an automatic periodic replacement interval. Pricier items like wheels should be very well cleaned and closely inspected periodically, both in the areas you can see when they are on the car and the areas you can’t.
If you don’t have spares, buy some.
Your spares package doesn’t need to be extensive but some basic items will save your tail, or make you someone else’s best friend for life.
Some basic suggestions for any car are: fluids (oil and brake), brake pads (you know you are going to use them sometime), 2 of each accessory belt (yes, two so you can toss the first replacement if you don’t figure out why it was thrown the first time) and a radiator/expansion tank cap.
This goes for an assortment of nice tools as well. Not having to walk the paddock or try to make some bargain bin tool work will make you a lot happier at the track when you inevitably have to work on your car more than you would want to.
Buy a data system.
Make the most out of your track time and remember that practice makes permanent – perfect practice makes perfect… In 2012, “data system” means a data unit as simple as the new
AiM SOLO for under $400. This invaluable piece of equipment will help get you up to speed faster and will be instrumental in your progression as a driver, no matter what your current level. When you are shopping, ease of use is critical and something with a predictive lap is a huge benefit. If you have a more dedicated track car, fully-featured dash replacement data systems start around $2,000 and with integrated warning lights, they are good protection for your cars moving parts.
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