Questions Regarding Practice Days at the Track

[Ryan Van Winkle]

Howdy all. I'm planning on joining the club so that I can bring my daughter out for practice sessions.

1) It's my understanding that by joining, I'll receive a key or code to enter the track at any time for practice (other than official practice/race days). Is this correct?
2) How often do people usually go out to the track? What times and days? (just weekends, or weekday evenings?)
3) Are there lights at the track for evening practice sessions?
4) Is it an issue to have my daughter putting around in a kid kart? I suppose this really has to do with crowd and how busy it is. But on a semi-busy practice day, will there be an issue trying to fit in time with her on track?

Thanks everyone!

[Ryan Van Winkle]

Looks like by joining as a member I've received most of my answers via an automated email.

1) It's my understanding that by joining, I'll receive a key or code to enter the track at any time for practice (other than official practice/race days). Is this correct?
-- Yes, received code when signing up.
2) How often do people usually go out to the track? What times and days? (just weekends, or weekday evenings?)
3) Are there lights at the track for evening practice sessions?
-- No lights, cannot be out at night or before 8:30 am, out of respect for the neighbors around the track.
4) Is it an issue to have my daughter putting around in a kid kart? I suppose this really has to do with crowd and how busy it is. But on a semi-busy practice day, will there be an issue trying to fit in time with her on track?
-- Supposed to limit practice sessions to 10 minutes. Kid karts are only to be on the track with other kid karts, no adults.
5) New Question: Can I play follow the leader with my kid in a kid kart?
-- Answer I received over the phone: Yes, as long as it is only us and we are not "racing". This is only to be used as an instructional tool for the kids to learn the lines and gain a level of comfort and confidence while on the track.

[Jean Michel Gaston]

Welcome to the club.
Weekends are usually when you will see others at the track. There’s usually a handful of kid karts / inexpererienced cadets. They get to run on their own.

You’ll love it.

[Matt Blehm]

Hi Ryan, welcome.

To address the kid kart stuff a little better, when there are others at the track, Kid kart should always run separately from anyone else. new kids in cadets that are kid kart speed would be an exception. otherwise, the instant you have two "big kids" on track with a kid kart, it turns into a race and the safety of the kid kart is immediately compromised.

I have a daughter that runs kid kart, and I've tried to be nice about it when there's one other person there and let them share the track. Then someone else shows up and the immediate excuse is that I let one other person out there with her and I need to be accommodating to the others. next thing I know, the cones get shoved out of the way and there's 6 teenagers going at it on track before I can get her of course.

NOW.. can an adult/instructor do a lead follow with their kid kart while the rest of the track is controlled? absolutely- as long as the point is instruction and not just an adult tooling around at the same time and making the others jealous..

Schedule?
On a weekend with nice weather and there's several other people at the track, I limit kid kart to about a 15 min session and then get her off the track and let the others go. it's usually 30-45 minutes before I can successfully get the cones back up without someone who just walked up complaining about having to wait and moving the cones back (even though we've been waiting for 30 min...). It's been pretty frustrating lately to spend more time standing in line trying to get out than actually on track...

Sooooo, I usually try to leave work early on weekday afternoons and take my daughter so there are fewer people and we are less of a burden on the others.

[Ken Snider]

A Late Welcome to RVW. Hope you're enjoying the membership. Matt: I've experienced those practice days. Things can naturally take that turn from just getting in laps to let's play hard. Not agreeing with it when it happens as you describe your experience. Neat to hear you're finding time to coach and train your daughter. It would be nice on those Saturdays if you need it, that another adult might be around to give some assistance in either holding karts back or helping retrieve your cones safely. I'm curious...about how many parts of the track are you setting up cones? Are you strategically placing them for identifying braking zones, preferred lines, or do you have another reason that is helping her improve and have fun doing it? I've practiced myself when cones have been placed out and told the parent to just leave em out, I'm just practicing and they won't interfere with why I'm out there. Sometimes communication works just as well or better than waving flags (which we don't have on practice days). We all should know to check ourselves and monitor what others might need to have a fun productive practice. Even that stupid game called Golf has to have a course Marshall step in every so often. No matter what Golfers say, they're all just practicing anyway. If I ever get my wheels back under me I will hopefully greet and meet you both, Ryan and Matt.

[Matt Blehm]

Hi Ken,
sorry if my point wasn't that clear. when we have kid karts on track, there are cones at the ends of the garage that we use to block track entrance and let other karters know the course is 'closed' while the kids are out there. It should be a pretty obvious barrier, but a few people (who shall not be named) have been known to move the cones out of the way when they've decided that 5 laps in a kid kart is enough and it's their turn.. I realize one bad apple shouldn't spoil the bunch, but it often leaves a bitter taste for the rest of the day when I'm forced to be the bad guy.

As soon as we bring the kid karts off the track, we pull the cones away from the entrance so everyone can go back to all-skate session.

As for cones on the track, I try to only put cones up on the outside edges of the track so they aren't in the way for someone who has a slightly different line than what I'm trying to teach the kiddos. when I do put cones ON the track, I'll only do it for one or two corners per session and stand there to focus on those two corners. cones will then get moved off the track surface when we come in.

[Ken Snider]

I understand. Appreciate the details. Good sound practices that should be recognized and not ignored.