NHMS 12th/13th - new guy intro

[Pete_STI]

Hey all,

I'm Pete, I'm living in Boston, and I'm signed up for the NHMS event in Oct. and couldn't be more excited. I have an '06 STI and some auto-x experience under my belt, as well as a 2 day school with Skip Barber. My STI is relatively close to stock, just a full turbo-back exhaust and a tune from EFI Logics down in CT and that's pretty much it.

I wanted to see if you guys had some advice for a new guy. I have my motorcycle helmet from 2008 so I'm hoping it's still good to go, but any thoughts on anything else a rookie might miss would be helpful. I plan on getting an oil change beforehand, but other than that just looking forward to some good seat time.

Thanks in advance, hope to see some of you up there.

-Pete

[SEISAN]

Hi Pete,

Wecome aboard.

Just a suggestion. At the end of the first day event we have an "All you can eat" COM BBQ. It is a great way to chow down and met and chat with many of the members in COM. You can get some great advise from experienced drivers both in your run class and other run classes. The cost is $10. and you can sign up on the registration site. Look for the tab " for attendees" and then the " social tab"

Expect to have a great time!!

S n B

[Pete_STI]

Thanks for the heads up, a couple people over on NASIOC have mentioned it as well so I'll see if I can swing it. I'll be driving back to Boston that night so I guess it will depend on timing.

Another question which I asked on the Subaru forum as well: Should I be worried about brake pads being toast? I have "new" Hawk HPS Street pads as of about 10K (relatively gentle) miles ago and a couple guys have said bring an extra set. Just looking to get some more input on this as the budget is tight as is and adding another set of pads wouldn't exactly make the wife happy

[Dtangard]

Hi Pete,

Welcome to COM. Prior to the event I would recommend at least changing the motor oil, flushing the brake fluid, and checking the brake pads. I usually change my pads when they have about 30 percent life left because I don't like the extra pedal travel. You should also inspect your wheels for excess play, check for fluid leaks, and make sure your battery is firmly secured. I think that is the bare minimum amount of car prep to do prior to an event.

[Grippy]

Welcome! Prepare to have the time of your life.

It never hurts to bring a spare set of pads with you, even if they are stockers. If your Hawks are toast at the end of the event you will have something safe to get home with. The worst thing is to lose track time you paid for, for something dumb like running out of brake pads.

Be sure to use good brake fluid like ATE Blue when you flush your system. Not Autozone junk fluid.

Make sure tires are in good shape, and check your pressure before you get there.

[brucesallen]

http://comscc.org/getting-started/
has terrific info. Note that you can sign up for a mentor here too. You will be notified of your assigned instructor a couple of days before the event and he can also help you out. Read the rule book-- concentrate on safety equipment.

[StephanAlfa]

Hi Pete,
Welcome. Being new to COM you will wind up in my classroom (instruction) and I hope you enjoyed it.
As for the helmet make sure they have an approved rating sticker on it (ex: Snell) as not any helmet has the appropriate crash ratings etc.
Brake pads: yes bring extra or make sure you have fresh ones installed prior to the event as this track "eats" brakes, and bushings
See you then!

[Pete_STI]

Thanks for all the help guys! My checklist for myself/Wicked Innovation before the track is as follows:

1) Check tread depth on tires (they are relatively new RE-11's so I should be fine here)
2) Flush/change brake fluid and replace with quality (Motul, ATE or similar)
3) Check pads and replace fronts if deemed necessary or at least have spare set for event
4) Change oil
5) Give car a good "once over" while on a lift


Helmet is all set as it has both SNELL and DOT on the back, so I hope I don't run into any problems there. Definitely looking forward to this event, have been wanting to get back on a track since Skip Barber and the auto-x events so needless to say I'm about as fired up as can be! Don't worry, I tend to be pretty level-headed so I plan on staying out of the grass as this is my only car and I don't want to deal out too much punishment. I now have a good grasp of just how much "damage" this track is going to do some of the car, but I'll just view that as an opportunity to get some new pads and bushings

Thanks again for the help guys, looking forward to seeing a few of you out there.

-Pete