I know that keeping a track journal is a good idea and I plan on keeping one this coming year for both autox and track days. My question is, what are some of the more critical pieces of information to capture? I will be as detailed as possilbe in my journal, but I also want to be consistent in the data gathered from event to event.

I would love some suggestions and to hear what you more experienced track guys do.

 

Amongst the things I keep in my autox "black book" are:

tire pressures
alignment (if changed from previous event)
shock settings
any other car changes are noted
temperature
weather conditions
surface
handling comments
times

If you have access to a pyrometer, I'd note those as well.

 

Basically if you're just starting to keep a journal, write down every condition you can think of regarding setup, weather and track condition. As time goes by, you'll realize what kind of info you refer back to often for a given location, and you won't need to write down *quite* as much.