EDIT 2/26/13: Made up a spreadsheet to track my progress, figured I would add it here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ahjtu4ysCvs5dHVwTDhGQ05mOUJadThSU2taaTdNaEE&usp=sharing
Trackdaze was having a HPDE (high performance drivers education) course at VIR and I signed up for it several months back.
Other then changing the brake fluid and coolant as well as making sure I had enough life in the tires and brakes I did nothing to the car.
Arriving the night before for tech check in I saw nothing but high performance cars and was starting to worry what I had gotten myself into driving an '05 Malibu V6 with 152k miles on a racetrack with Corvettes, Mustangs, Vipers, Porsches, etc...
The next morning things were looking better as people who just drove up the morning of were checking in with cars like Integra Type R, Miata, 240sx, S2000, etc...
Still a little worried but got paired with a great instructor and learned very quickly that most of the people bringing their nice cars there didn't push the cars past 70% of it's ability. My Malibu being an extra car after getting my wife a new SUV a few months back was something I felt confident pushing to 90% of the cars ability 90% of the time.
Each time I went out my lap times just got faster and faster as I grew more comfortable with the track and the cars limits.
Passing was only allowed in the straits and by point-by only.
I was catching much faster cars in the corners as I was pushing much harder.
I was getting point-bys from Mustangs, Vettes, a Mercedes clk, Integra Type R. I kept up with with a brand new Subaru BRZ for over three laps till I had to let off the gas and give a point-by to a Mustang Boss 302 that had been gaining on me.
The second day I had a new Mustang 5.0 owner who used to track BMW m3s (5 years track experience but first time at VIR for him) say I was driving the hell out of the Malibu and it was hard for him to catch up. I had to admit to him it was my first time ever on a track and he was blown away with what I was doing with the Malibu.
Overall it was an awesome experience I would recommend to anyone and I think I'm going to replace the worn out tires and brakes currently on the car with better tires and brakes and track it again next year.
For anyone interested trackdaze.com, racesuitrental.com, LongRoadRacing (in Raleigh, NC), and nasaforums.com helped me prepare for the event.
I had four 30 min runs and here are my best times per outing.
Run 1: 2.55.568
Run 2: 2.50.696
Run 3: 2.49.172
Run 4: 2.45.588
Pics of my car and track map.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ahjtu4ysCvs5dHVwTDhGQ05mOUJadThSU2taaTdNaEE&usp=sharing
Trackdaze was having a HPDE (high performance drivers education) course at VIR and I signed up for it several months back.
Other then changing the brake fluid and coolant as well as making sure I had enough life in the tires and brakes I did nothing to the car.
Arriving the night before for tech check in I saw nothing but high performance cars and was starting to worry what I had gotten myself into driving an '05 Malibu V6 with 152k miles on a racetrack with Corvettes, Mustangs, Vipers, Porsches, etc...
The next morning things were looking better as people who just drove up the morning of were checking in with cars like Integra Type R, Miata, 240sx, S2000, etc...
Still a little worried but got paired with a great instructor and learned very quickly that most of the people bringing their nice cars there didn't push the cars past 70% of it's ability. My Malibu being an extra car after getting my wife a new SUV a few months back was something I felt confident pushing to 90% of the cars ability 90% of the time.
Each time I went out my lap times just got faster and faster as I grew more comfortable with the track and the cars limits.
Passing was only allowed in the straits and by point-by only.
I was catching much faster cars in the corners as I was pushing much harder.
I was getting point-bys from Mustangs, Vettes, a Mercedes clk, Integra Type R. I kept up with with a brand new Subaru BRZ for over three laps till I had to let off the gas and give a point-by to a Mustang Boss 302 that had been gaining on me.
The second day I had a new Mustang 5.0 owner who used to track BMW m3s (5 years track experience but first time at VIR for him) say I was driving the hell out of the Malibu and it was hard for him to catch up. I had to admit to him it was my first time ever on a track and he was blown away with what I was doing with the Malibu.
Overall it was an awesome experience I would recommend to anyone and I think I'm going to replace the worn out tires and brakes currently on the car with better tires and brakes and track it again next year.
For anyone interested trackdaze.com, racesuitrental.com, LongRoadRacing (in Raleigh, NC), and nasaforums.com helped me prepare for the event.
I had four 30 min runs and here are my best times per outing.
Run 1: 2.55.568
Run 2: 2.50.696
Run 3: 2.49.172
Run 4: 2.45.588
Pics of my car and track map.