Dark Racing

[FENZO]

I just viewed another post where a GT had 75% of the front clip except the headlights covered in gofast tape, and it got me to wondering.... are there night track days? How do the 24 hr guys learn to drive in the dark? I have very limited experience on the track, but it seems to me that night racing would be much more challenging, and maybe fun. I keep flashing back to the Top Gear episode where they were running a BMW diesel and couldn't see sh!t @ night. Educate me pls.

 

[fjpikul]

As far as I kn ow, none of us has a done "night" at the track. Now driving to and from in the dark has been an experience.

 

[JKR]

Palm Beach International Raceways In South Florida does night track days almost every weekend with various clubs. I just recently did a night event there, check out a small video that a friend took.
[video=youtube;l416E_IEiEo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l416E_IEiEo&feature=youtube_gdata[/video]


Here you can see the layout of the track, Its small but fun and best of all you can run at night.
http://www.racepbir.com/road.html

 

[Shelby#18]

Now that is cool! It would be nice to do that here in So. Cal. during the summer.

 

[ChipBeck]

How do the 24 hr guys learn to drive in the dark?

Fenzo,

After the recently completed 24 hours of Le Mans I asked their ace driver Thomas that exact question. The old film footage that I had seen in the 1970s movie "Le Mans" made it appear that most of the track was completely dark. This is not the case however as the entire track is lit at night. It is not lit brightly and it certainly isn't like driving in the day time but it is lit to the point that you could drive it with your headlights off. It would appear that the main function that headlights serve in this race is to alert cars in front of you of your position. Thomas told me that the biggest difference driving at night made to him is that it's more difficult to accurately find your braking points. It is also more difficult to see accidents or stalled cars ahead. There is also a reduction in traction with lowered nighttime temperatures, especially if the temperature drops to the dew point and moisture forums.

If you've ever gotten into your car at night after leaving a restaurant or business and driven halfway home on lit city streets before you realized you did not have your headlights on, you have some idea of what racing at night is like. When you finally turned your headlights on, they didn't add a lot to your visibility. At least at LeMans, the nighttime track lighting provides a level of illumination similar to streetlights. It is nothing like the blazing nighttime lights of a baseball stadium that provide virtually as much light for night games as daytime games.

All the best.

Chip

 

[ByeEnzo]

We have a night time track event here in the DFW area in August. Its at TMS on the "roval" course. Sponsored by The Driver's Edge.

I just viewed another post where a GT had 75% of the front clip except the headlights covered in gofast tape, and it got me to wondering.... are there night track days? How do the 24 hr guys learn to drive in the dark? I have very limited experience on the track, but it seems to me that night racing would be much more challenging, and maybe fun. I keep flashing back to the Top Gear episode where they were running a BMW diesel and couldn't see sh!t @ night. Educate me pls.

 

[FENZO]

Great info, thanks guys.

 

[Specracer]

I have done 3 24 hour races at what used to be Moroso (now the palm beach int raceway in the video above), and a couple 12 / 13 hour events that included darkness (none in a GT), heck my 1st laps EVER at VIR were at night (that was really scary...). How do you lean? You just do it. There is a lot of anticipation, and timing that comes into play. Even at a modest pace, you easily out drive the lights. As Chip mentions, most of the "big time" 24 hour events (Lemans, daytona) there is temp lighting, that is like street lighting. However "club" racing, sometimes, these lights are not there. It can be PITCH black, just your lights on the car. There is really a team pick up when the sun comes up that lasts to the finish (if you make it....) Then if you finish, it is an amazing feeling, and that is with out even winning.