Unpopular opinion: I miss the old track day culture from 15 years ago

Last week I was at the paddock at Lime Rock Park and overheard a group of guys comparing their GoPro mounts and data logging apps. Nobody was just talking about the driving. It got me thinking about 2009 when I started doing track days. Back then it was just a bunch of regular folks in their daily drivers. My old Corolla needed a fresh set of brake pads and that was it. You'd pack a cooler of sandwiches and just go. Three years ago I ran into a guy who spent $3,000 on a telemetry system for his 2003 Miata. I get that tech is cool but half the fun was just feeling the car through the seat. Has anyone else felt like the hobby got too gadgety?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles_young9222d ago

Read a blog post last month where some old timer was saying the same thing. He said back in the 90s you'd see guys driving their beat up Fox Bodies and E30s straight from the street to the track with just a helmet and some duct tape. Now he says track days feel like a tech expo with cars attached. I get it, people love their gadgets but at some point you gotta wonder if the data is getting in the way of the actual driving. That telemetry Miata guy sounds like he's more focused on his laptop than the track.

the_wade22d ago

Lime Rock is one of my favorite tracks, and I feel the same way. I miss when it was just about the driving and not who had the fanciest setup.

barbara_grant422d ago

Agree completely. The fancy setups are taking away from why we actually go to the track.