This +1000.
I have done a bunch of track time and some autoX. And still do not consider myself anything special on track. But I am a far better driver than before I had that experience. Particularly off the track.
Why? The most important part of it all though? Going out with an instructor in their car to see what a track tuned car can do and what car limits really are. The first lap on Laguna Seca scared the s___ out of me.
Then we did the same thing in your my car. It will change the way you think about driving forever.
First it will make you realize that most of us that are worried about suspension tuning and tires and name your whatever race level add on, absent actual track use, is kind of a joke. Or you are taking way too much risk on public roads if you do need that performance and you are an idiot.
Public roads are not designed to demand that performance and only the tiniest fraction of drivers in the US actually have the ability to exploit it if they even have a car with that level of performance capability properly because most are not race/track/emergency situation trained (some countries it is absolutely required for a drivers license)
Seeing a car’s limits run by a real professional you will realize how lacking we all are (me included) and taking it slow is SO SO SMART.
The experience at an HPDE might make you a track junkie and inspire you to go take lessons and learn. But that will also result, on public roads, in taking it slow and safe (and a lot poorer after upgrading your car over and over!) because you will be well aware of the risks and how under equipped most drivers are for even the most basic challenging situations and emergencies.
I remember my first track day showing up with my old Golf R alongside a bunch of seriously outfitted people (yes, it is Silicon Valley) with ferraris and porsche GT3s, and the like, etc. I was so intimidated. Then I watched two of them in short order rack up their cars because they did the thing the instructors warn you about first in the classroom — which is 100% opposite of the instincts you learn in non race course driving.
They took a turn too hot, dropped a wheel off pavement on the exit and instead of going with it the rest of the way off track and into the grass/sand for a safe stop proceeded to try to get the dropped wheel back onto the pavement.
This will not only not get you onto the track again, it will result in a spin out and backwards shot across the track every time across oncoming traffic and into the opposite wall. Happened anyway.
Lots of money but not lots of racing experience. Those were valuable lessons to learn and keep you humble on regular roads. Stay humble. Have fun. Take your time especially if you do not feel confident. Take your time even if you do. Assume nobody else is competent. Probably a safe bet.
And damn the corkscrew was scary. It’s a blind 3 story drop.
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