How To Drive on a Racetrack

Familiarize yourself with everything. Your race car should come with a reclined seat; a thin, strong shell; a quick-disconnect steering wheel; a shift lever; and a dashboard with oil pressure and water temperature gauges, and a tachometer.

Racing is a sport with its own specialized, flame-retardant safety getup. You’ll need a driver’s jumpsuit, full-face helmet, racing gloves, and racing shoes. A driving school may have gear for you to use, or go on the Web to purchase your own.

Once you’re strapped in, put the car in neutral, flip the kill switch on, and press the starter button. Once you warm up the oil and water, you’re ready to leave pit lane and head onto the track.

Put the car into first gear and slowly pull onto the track. Take your first lap at an easy pace and get your head into the game. Remember to stay calm and keep alert.

Upshift and accelerate into the straightaways, and heed the brake markers – the numbered boards on the side of the track that tell you when to begin braking and downshifting into a turn.

At each turn, lift off the throttle, apply the brakes, and quickly downshift. Find the middle ground between the inside track and the outside track. It has a flatter radius, meaning that you can drive through it without sacrificing much speed. Release the brakes just before you turn in.

As you come out of the turn, accelerate and add power.

If that first run left you wanting more, take a class or work with an instructor who can show you the full rules of the road.