There are some other differences between track days and auto-x that warrant some consideration...

1. During auto-x, there are no other cars in the immediate vicinity... I was doing a track day at CA Speedway with Redline Track Events. During the yellow flag out lap I was motoring along at a constant and reasonable pace. A guy in a black corvette was going WAY too fast and very nearly t-boned me. The only reason there was no accident was because I drove off track and out of his way. A couple of times at Streets with STUSA (awful group - avoid like the plague) passing rules were totally ignored and as a result I was nearly punted off track a few times. On the other hand, in 19 years of auto-x nobody has ever come close to hitting me.

2. Run-off areas on auto-x courses are generally just as smooth as the track. Unlike going off turn 2 at WSIR or the bowl at Streets, having an off track excursion during auto-x results in little more than a small black mark on the car.

3. Brake temperatures rarely get that high during auto-x so the chances of significant fade are greatly reduced.

All that being said, I prefer the track to auto-x any day! But for now, and especially considering that all I have to run is an X3, I will focus on auto-x. Perhaps in the future I will have the spare time/money to do a proper track car. Until then I will focus on sharpening my car control skills in big, empty, hot parking lots!!!

And if I forgot to mention it, thanks for the kudos! I appreciate it!