I'm heading to Thunderhill for my first track day (HPDE) on Jan-23! Very excited. Anyone else going? This is with NCRC.

 

You're gonna have a blast!

Can you pass the broomstick test? Word is they are very strict with it.

 

I'm 5'10 and I fail by roughly 2" right now, but I'm getting a racing seat (Recaro SPG) with BC lowering rails installed before the event. I'm crossing my fingers that it's enough!

 

What do most of you guys do to pass the broomstick test?
Do they make you remove your hardtop if you have one?
Does a hard dog roll bar make passing easier?

 

A roll bar will definitely make it much easier as they usually sit several inches higher then the stock roll hoops. NCRC also has a program where they will pay for part of the roll bar.

 

They will pay for part of a racing seat & lowering rails to pass the test, if that's the way you choose to go. I'm guessing that if I still fail, they won't pay, but will have to read the details again to be sure.


I was originally planning to go this route, but you apparently have to rip apart your car quite a bit to get the hard dog in, depending on the options you want. Then, if you want your car to look decent again, you have to cut and fit a bunch of pieces back in and perhaps even fabricate some to cover up where the old hoops used to be, again, depending on your hard dog options. For me, I decided to try the racing seat approach first. If that doesn't work, I'll start looking at roll bars again.

 

There are plenty of Hard Dog options that don't require tearing your interior apart.

 

True, though some of those come with sacrifices, such as loss of secret compartment access. In my analysis for my needs, I couldn't come up with a simple non-invasive setup. I was also worried about the strength of the less-invasive setups. According to the manufacturer (via private email), "The no diagonal bar will support the car in a static situation but it's not legal for most track events."

I'm certainly no expert in this and would love to see what others here have done.

 

Great news! You'll have a great time. The cushion on the SPG is good for another 1" if you need it.

To clarify, NCRC just provides a credit towards your future events, in increments of $50 per future event you attend.

 

Me and some S2ki friends will be there on the 23rd. We'll see you there!