Course News

We celebrated our 5 year opening anniversary with members, their families and friends.

It was a beautiful day shared by all.

SCDA had 2 beautiful days at Club Motorsports

One of the days included our members.

The six minute segment aired on June 25th and featured Sean McDonald and co-host Erin Fehlau enjoying the thrill of performance driving! There are several great interviews of our members. Please share this with your family and friends!

Here is an awesome video from last fall to help get you motivated for the official season opener this Thursday, May 2nd. Hope to see you all soon!

Watch this video below and see what its like to experience the course through some wonderful video clips and interviews. Thanks to Jessica Klee from Fox News and Northeast Quattro Club for putting this together.

This really captures what it is like to drive on course with your respective vehicle.
Enjoy.

Check out this awesome video review of the new Redeye widebody that Shidtinglanes.com

"What is it like to drive the all new 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye around a road course? That's what we tried to find out in our latest video. We got the opportunity to go to Club Motorsports in New Hampshire to try out the latest Hellcat Redeye Widebody and the R/T Scat Pack Widebody. This beautiful 2.5 mile long track offered the perfect location to see what these new ultra powerful muscle cars are truly like to drive fast."

Here is a video of the 2019 Genesis G70 by our friends over at Edmunds where they showcase the vehicle on course as well as on the road. Enjoy.

Despite the recent snowfall, Spring is just around the corner. The sun is staying higher in the sky and the temps are steadily climbing. It’s now time to start thinking about prepping your car for the track.

As much as we would like to just climb into the driver’s seat, fire it up, and head out on to the course, there are a few things that should be done prior to visiting the track. Some are obvious, while others are easily forgotten about.

Tires

Let us start with tires. Tires may be one of the most important features of a vehicle as they transfer all of the car’s characteristics to the pavement: acceleration, braking, and steering. Assuming you have the correct tire size, speed, and load rating for your particular vehicle, let's move forward with the things to look out for on your vehicle’s tires.

The first and easiest things to check on the tires is the tread depth and condition:
How much tread depth is left on the tire?
How is the wear across the tread? Is it even, cambered, scalloped?
Are there any visible chunks missing or damage to the sidewalls? Both on the outside of the tire and the inside.

Next, how old are the tires? Do you know where the DOT numbers are located and how to read them? For example, the last four digits indicate the week and year the tire was made. So, if the number shows LMLR5017, that means that particular tire was made on the 50th week of the year 2017. Typically for street use, you really shouldn’t go past seven years for a tire. For track use, ideally, you shouldn’t go past two. Most of the time this will not be an issue as tires used for the track are geared towards grip versus wear and you will be on a new set of tires long before the season ends. This only drives home the point of how important it is to check your tires.

Another thing you want to check for is dry rot, little cracks found in-between the grooves of the tread on the tires or sidewall areas. People may think this will only happen with older tires, but there have been instances where newer tires were found to be defective, displaying dry rot. It is a simple check and takes very little time. Better to be safe than sorry. If you really wanted to get into the nitty-gritty of tires, we could be here all day. From sizing, stiffness, compounds etc, there seems to be no end to the variations. If you are still interested in discussing this further, let us know and we can address this subject in depth in a future article.

Other things to inspect are the rims themselves. This involves checking the wheel both front and back for any visible damage or stress cracks. Rims are subjected to a tremendous amount of force in multiple directions, so this is a step that should not be overlooked.

Brakes

Next, assessing the brakes. Some may argue that THIS is the most important part of the vehicle. While we would agree it is a very important part of the composition, it is the second most important part of the vehicle. The reason being, without good tires, your brakes will not work to their full potential, as the tires are what actually touch the asphalt.

One of the best and easiest things you can do to help your brakes for track use is to change the brake fluid to a high boiling point brake fluid. This will help with the high temperatures that your brakes generate while on course. Typically, if your brakes get too hot and the rotors can not dissipate the heat quick enough, your brake fluid will boil. Now when this happens, you get air in your hydraulic system, which means your brakes and your brake pedal will either get soft or worse, go to the floor. Now, when you’re barreling down the front straight, this is probably one of the last things you want to happen, so change your fluid and check it before each track event. The fluid itself should be flushed and changed out completely once a year at a minimum. If you are particularity hard on your brakes and/or have a heavy vehicle, bleeding the calipers at each wheel after 3 track days might not be a bad idea. Top off fluid as necessary.

Another often overlooked item when changing out your brake fluid is the clutch slave cylinder. A lot of times, if you have a hydraulically activated clutch pedal, it will use the same brake fluid from the master reservoir. In certain circumstances or on particularly hot days, if this fluid isn’t bled out at the same time as the brake fluid flush, the old fluid that is still in the slave cylinder and connecting line can boil as well. This will cause the clutch pedal to get stuck in the fully depressed position. While not as detrimental as the brake pedal, it can still be a safety concern and a bit of a nuisance.

The next part of the brakes you should be checking is the pads. A great time to look at these is when you are changing out the brake fluid. How are the brakes wearing? Depending on the style of the caliper, the inside pad (the pad furthest away from the rim) will wear more than the outside pad. Considering the outside pad is usually very easy to see, don’t assume both pads have the same amount of material left. Make sure to check both the inside and outside. If you find that the pad is wearing more on a particular wheel, make sure that the caliper isn’t sticking or is nonfunctional. If you do end up needing to replace the pads, be sure to inspect the caliper pistons and seals for damage from heat.

Selecting a new pad is going to be trial and error for some. The correct pad selection can vary wildly from car to car and you also have to consider your driving style and needs. What we would recommend before you go and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on upgrading your pads to the latest and greatest track pad is change out your fluid and drive your car on course. You will be able to tell within 10 minutes or so if the current pads are adequate or not. If you are unsure, share your concerns with an instructor or member of our staff and have them take the car out for a few laps to see if your concerns are confirmed.

The next part of the braking equation is brake rotors. Let us just start off by stating unless your car came with cross drilled or slotted rotors from the factory, do not waste your money on them. This is not needed in order to have good brakes. Often, a good set of vented, blank rotors (non-cross drilled or slotted) works perfectly fine. Other things to watch out for and inspect closely regardless of the rotor you have on your vehicle are delamination (where the rotor material starts to separate, think mica chips), as well as stress cracks, especially where they reach either the center hub area or the outer edge of the rotor. For those with cross drilled rotors, you want to pay special attention to cracks forming and connecting from each drilled hole in the rotor. Lastly, warping of the rotor, where you would feel pulsation under braking or see heavy discoloration.

If you find any of your rotors require attention, DO NOT have them turned. This isn’t much of a common practice anymore, but you want as much meat on the rotor for heat dissipation as possible. You run the risk of warping your rotors if you have them turned, which would require you to replace them anyway, so you’re not saving yourself any money.

Suspension

Next on our list is the suspension. This is usually a fairly quick inspection, but you have to understand what you’re looking for as well. You will want to check each corner of the car.

Start by checking to see if all the ball joints are tight and free of rips in the boots or leaking grease. Make sure there is no free movement on all axis.
Next, check the control arms and associated bushings. Similar to the ball joints, you want to check for play or free movement. Check to make sure all the bushings are in good shape and free of dry rot or wear.
Be sure to inspect the struts and/or shocks for leaks, damage, or defects.
Also, inspect the springs for each shock/strut and make sure there are no cracks or rusted areas that might compromise the integrity of the spring or perch.
Check the bump stops (if equipped) and make sure they are not destroyed or broken. This is often easily overlooked as a lot of times it can be under the dust cover for the respective shock.
Be sure to check the upper strut mounts up front for sagging, wear or play.
You will want to check the inner and outer tierods for any play or damage to the boots.
Don’t forget to check the wheel bearings at each corner for play/looseness.
Lastly, make sure to check all the subframe bolts both front and rear for tightness.

If you end up having to replace any steering or suspension components, it may be best to have an alignment performed after as well.

Powertrain & Drivetrain

Let's talk about the heart of all vehicles. The engine. The thing that provides the power, the sounds, and the smiles. First and foremost, change that oil to a good full synthetic oil. The best thing you can do, regardless of whichever brand you choose, is changing the oil often. Some people will change their oil with the most expensive oil they can buy after every track event. This will definitely ensure a longer engine life, but it may not be necessary. Oil technology has come a long way and there are many variables that dictate when the oil needs to be changed. Again this is another topic that could be discussed for days, but the bottom line, change the oil with a good quality product and check it often.

While you are waiting for that oil to drain, let us look at a few things you should be checking.
Are there any visible oil leaks?
What are the levels of the other fluids? Any visible leaks?
How does the air filter look? Does it need replacing?
How does the exhaust manifold/headers look? Any visible leaks or cracks?
How do the cooling lines, belts, and hoses look?
How are the CV joints, axles, and/or driveshafts? Any leaks? Do they need to be lubricated?
How are the U joints? Do they need to be lubricated?
How does the electrical wiring look? Any fraying? Melted wiring? Any signs of rodents in the cabin or engine bay?

Other things to consider are the transmission and differentials. Similar to the engine, you will want to check for leaks, play, or damage. Check the mounts and bushings. When was the last time the fluid was changed on the transmission or differential? This service interval will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so be sure to check your owner’s manual. On a lot of sports cars, the manufacturer will have specific recommendations for track use and maintenance intervals.

Changing out fluids can give you a good idea of how things are wearing and at what rate. It is much cheaper to change out fluids frequently than deal with a component failure.

General Inspection Items

Other things you want to inspect on your vehicle are covered in this section. Generally, these items can be inspected at the same time as the other items listed above.

Check the rest of the exhaust system. Make sure there are no leaks or weak areas due to rust or corrosion. Make sure all hangers and mounts are secure and in good working order.
Assure all your glass is free of any major cracks or breaks.
Check to see if all your lights work, especially your brake lights.
Check the frame and or structure for any damage or decay.
Make sure the body panels are all secure.
Check all seats and seat belts for properly secured points, as well as making sure they are free of excessive wear, frays, or damage.
Check the fuel lines, tank, and fuel cap to make sure it is free of leaks, rust, and damage.
Check the brake lines at the same time for the same concerns.
Make sure the battery is secured and fully charged.

Lastly, consider your helmet and general safety gear. At this point and time, we will require a minimum Snell rating of SA2010 (for cars). So, if your helmet is older than 2010, its time to start looking at replacing it.

This list may seem obvious or irrelevant for some people, but it was written with consideration for all of our members. To those that come in with the latest model, all the way down to the 1960’s Jaguar.

We hope this helps as a reminder not only for the things you should be inspected on your vehicle but more importantly, that winter is almost over!

We look forward to seeing each and every one of you this coming season. Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Hello Members! As a follow-up to our recent emails, we will be open to members through as many weekends (Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays) up until November 19th. (We may possibly do the weekend after Thanksgiving depending on weather and demand) We would greatly appreciate if you could RSVP. We will run four groups ( Advanced, Intermediate, Novice & Bikes.) 20 minute sessions for each group. We will run 30 minute run groups if it is essecially cool to help get more heat into the brakes and tires. So if you have not recieved an email from us on these dates, please check your spam folders. If you still can not find the email, let us know and we can resend it directly. 

Here are the remaining days for November. 4th, 5th, 9th, 10, 11th, 12th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th. (possibly the 25th &26).

These days are weather dependent. If there is snow in the forcast we will not be running on the track. Also, if we do not recieve an RSVP for a member day, we will not be open that day so if you are looking at coming down, please respond with that day from the email sent out. Again, if you do not have that email, we would be more than happy to resend it.

Here is the calendar for November and what you can expect on a given day. Thank you all for your support and a wonderful year!

For the reminder of the year, you can expect to see a weekly email from us letting you, our members, know what days will be available for the upcoming weeks. We will put this out each week for a RSVP so we know who is attending and on which day(s).

We have simplified the process for choosing what day and run group you will be attending, rather than individual time slots. The biggest thing we need your help with is making sure you receive this email as some of the email we have for our members are bouncing. So if you have a member friend that didn't receive this, please have them contact us so we can update their information in our system.

We will have 4 different run groups. Advanced, Intermediate, Novice and Motorcycles.

Advanced will start at the top of the hour, each hour. i.e. 9:00am, 10:00am etc.

Intermediate will start at the 20 minute mark of each hour. i.e. 9:20am, 10:20am etc

Novice will start at the 40 minute mark of each hour. i.e. 9:40am, 10:40am etc.

Motorcycles will be limited to run times between 12pm to 1pm as well as 4pm to 5pm.

Time on course will be limited to a maximum of 2 hours total per member. Each session will be broken down into 20 minute drive sessions.

We have a calendar to share with members that show the road course allocation for the remainder of the year. Please email me directly for a copy. Below you will find the Member Days for the rest of September. We look forward to seeing you.

Here are the remaining Member Days for September and October:

September 15th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th

October 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th. *

*some days in October are subject to change. A notice will go out with any adjustments but please check prior to signing up.

If you are a member and not receiving our emails, please reach out to us so we can update your contact information.