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Originally Posted by Dan203

Has anyone here ever been to one of the BMWCCA driving school events?

Yes.

I've always wanted to try track racing, but I've been a little scared in the past due to lack of training.

There is no racing in the BMWCCA dricing schools. Not against the stopwatch, not against other people. It's a driving school, not a racing school. You will ride with an instructor in the car who (hopefully) will teach you how to avoid costly mistakes, correct your bad habits and teach you a whole new set of skills.

1) Is it going to eat up my tires?

Yes, more than street driving obviously. But you won't be too fast in your first event(s) so it will not be a major issue. On the other hand, not all street tires will fare very well at the track - what tires do you have on the car right now?

2) Do I really need to change the oil and break fluid before and after the event?

Oil, depends on mileage. If you still have the original oil in the car, I'd change it before. Change the brake fluid before, as well. If you're doing this, use ATE Blue (or it's non-colored brother ATE 2000), or a similar track/race fluid. It's not expensive (perhaps $20) but it can make a world of difference on track.

3) Is it bad for the car in any other way? (don't plan to do it a lot)

Not really, unless you crash. That doesn't happen very often, but there is a risk. If you crash, you may have some trouble with your insurance company. Not trying to scare you away - if you listen to the instructor and don't make foolish decisions you'll be fine.

What you have to remember is that YOU are holding the steering wheel, and working the pedals. Anytime you are not comfortable doing something, let the instructor know and he'll take a different approach. And never through caution into the wind, you don't have to prove anything to anybody.

4) Is it worth the roughly $600 it's going to cost me for the 3 day event?

Like others have pointed, it will cost more. 2 tanks of gas probably, the impromptu oil/brake fluid change, perhaps overnight accomodations, helmet rental, meals, etc.

Is it worth it? Absolutely, unquestionably, resoundingly 100% YES.

Anything else I should consider or be concerned about?

One thing - you don't need to be self-conscious, trying to avoid making a fool of yourself. No matter how good a driver you think you are, you will be among the slowest on track, that will be a reality check and if you're smart about it, you will look upon this as an incredible opportunity to learn. If you do it this way, you'll see your speed "magically" increase over the course of the event, often times dramatically so.

So remember: you are there to learn, you don't care who's faster, you will have unbelievable fun, and you need to go home with the same car and in the same pristine condition as when you went there. :thumbup: