I’ve have always dreamed of taking my car on a track to see what it can do. So when I got an opportunity to book a spot just up the road from me, I knew I had to sign up. Had no idea what to expect, but I wasn’t going to let a bit of nervousness keep me from hitting the track. Being a novice, I had no idea that Austin has multiple race circuits within a short drive so I ended up at Harris Hill Raceway to get my feet wet.

I decided to start my first track day with Longhorn Racing Academy. They specialize in renting supercars like 911 GT3s and Lamborghini Huracans. However, they have a subsection of their rentals that lets you use your own car on track. You may be thinking, “why would you do that?” Well, at the time, it is about $499 for 3 laps in a 911 GT3. But for $650, I got 2 separate 9 laps sessions in my own car. My thought was I’d rather get much more experience in my own car than a few laps in something cooler. Although, I did have my eyes on renting this Mclaren 570s.

I arrived at Harris Hill Raceway at 7am for the drivers meeting. It was a pretty standard meeting covering their rules and regulations. The coaches went over general knowledge information about racing lines, cornering, braking. Nothing that you couldn’t learn in 20 minutes, but good to know nonetheless. We finally broke out of the meeting and made our way to the track. As I was not renting a car, I was able to go out on track immediately. I was assigned an instructor and given an audio system that fit into my helmet so we could talk during the session. Once we were all set, it was time to hit the track. 

I was both excited and nervous as I pulled up to the starting line, but the Longhorn Racing Academy team was there to guide me through the process and ensure that I was comfortable before starting my laps. Starting slowly we made our way around the track. After the first lap, I felt exponentially more comfortable with the car so I started to push more. All fears and worries started to go out the window. I was deep in my element. It is not quite that steep or tight, but it was my favorite regardless. I almost went into a focus flow-state and felt like I was in Gran Turismo. I managed to catch and pass a few of the supercars. Now, I know they were being driven by people that probably have never driven anything more powerful than a Toyota Camry. It still made me feel good knowing that I had some level of talent. However, the best part of the circuit was Turn 3 by far. It’s a left hander with a huge drop reminiscent of the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. Its not quite that steep or tight, but it was my favorite regardless. We finished the first session and I pulled into the pits. Heart pumping and adrenaline racing, I was thinking about how I might have just found my new drug. I was hooked and ready for more.

The second session however, did not go as well. After a lap or two, I started hearing this horrible scraping noise every time I took a corner. I got progressively worse as the laps continued. The noise got louder and started happening more often. There was no problem with the way the car was driving but my instructor suggested we pull off to take a look. Once in the pits and out of the car, it was obvious what was happening. My tires were rubbing the fenders like crazy. Here is my onboard footage of the day. You can hear the noise get progressively worse. It’s painful for me to rewatch as I didn’t notice the noise was so bad. I was distracted by survival instinct trying to keep me from going off the track.

I had recently installed my new coilovers and they were settling hard. My car was very low now and I was not pleased. Going from pure bliss to utter failure that quickly was brutal. Without a lift or my height adjustment tool, I decided to call it a day. I thanked my instructor and limped the car home. 

The next day I was able to take a look at the car and it was a quick fix. A small adjustment and a removal of a fender screw solved the problem. The screw cut threw my front tires pretty bad. It’s not enough to replace them, but not confidence inspiring. The most surprising part was that the tires were also rubbing the fender liners. I have seen plenty of GTIs slammed and can’t imagine the problems they have. After seeing the damage, I raised the car about a 1/4 inch and shouldn’t have any more problems. Famous last words right?

Knowing the problem was fixed made me feel much better but a small part of me was disappointed that I didn’t get more time on track. Still, I wasn’t going to let that ruin my experience. My first track day experience was nothing short of amazing. The drivers meeting was seamless, the instructor was informative and helpful, and the track itself was a thrill to drive on. I highly recommend Longhorn Racing Academy to anyone looking to take their car on a track day while getting instruction. There are other options out there, but lots of them do not have instructors in car and I wanted to be guided for my first time. If you have any inkling of wanting to get out on track, my opinion is simple. Absolutely do it and scratch that itch. You wont regret it; Well, you might if you don’t let your new coilovers settle first.