Fast Lane Racing School Chief Instructor Matt Treglia shares how drivers can prepare for the track, build confidence and get more from every session at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
For a lot of drivers, the idea of taking a car onto a racetrack can feel intimidating.
What do you need to bring? How prepared does the car need to be? Do you need prior experience? And once you are on track, how do you make sure you are actually learning instead of simply driving around in circles?
Those are exactly the kinds of questions Matt Treglia hears regularly.
Treglia is the Chief Driving Instructor and manager at Fast Lane Racing School, based at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. He began racing in his early twenties and has spent decades driving, racing and coaching in everything from karts and formula cars to Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Cup cars. Today, much of his work is focused on helping drivers develop the right way, often through one-on-one instruction at Buttonwillow.
For Treglia, one idea sits at the center of productive track time:
“Don’t just turn laps. Have a purpose.”
What Does Testing Really Mean?
There is an important difference between simply spending time on track and actually testing.
According to Treglia, a driver who is truly testing usually has an objective for each session. That might mean working on braking points, learning a corner, evaluating a setup change, improving consistency or comparing lap data.
More advanced drivers may arrive with lap timers, mechanical support and a detailed plan for what they want to change from session to session.
A newer driver does not need that level of complexity.
The objective can be much simpler.
“Learn the track. Build consistency. Understand braking. Become comfortable with the racing line. Then begin adding speed.”
That deliberate approach is what turns track time into driver development.
Preparation Starts Before You Arrive
One of the easiest ways to improve a track day happens before the car ever leaves the paddock.
Treglia recommends studying video of the circuit beforehand, so the layout is not completely unfamiliar when you arrive.
The car should also be ready for a level of use that is very different from normal street driving.
“Your car is going to get driven the hardest it’s ever been driven on the track,” Treglia explained.”
His basic preparation advice is straightforward: have the car inspected, check the tires and brakes, make sure fluids are fresh and confirm the vehicle is mechanically sound.
Track driving creates loads a street car rarely experiences in everyday use, so preparation matters.
Matt’s Before-the-Track Checklist
Study the circuit before arriving. Watch onboard video and begin learning the general layout.
Inspect the car. Have a qualified shop check the vehicle, including suspension components and other critical hardware.
Check your tires. Make sure there is plenty of usable tire life remaining.
Check your brakes. Brake pads and brake fluid need to be ready for sustained track use.
Check fluids and maintenance items. Oil, filters and other basic maintenance should be current.
Bring the right safety equipment. A quality helmet is one of the most important pieces of equipment for anyone heading onto the track.
The goal is simple: eliminate preventable problems before the first session begins.
Start Slow. Build Speed.
One of Treglia’s biggest lessons for newer drivers is that speed should come gradually.
Trying to be fast immediately is usually the wrong objective.
His approach starts with a few simple fundamentals.
Brake firmly while the car is traveling in a straight line. Come off the brake before turning. Be smooth with the throttle. Stay away from the curbs while you are still learning. And most importantly, begin conservatively.
Treglia recommends braking earlier than you think you need to at first. As the driver becomes comfortable with the circuit, the braking point can gradually move later.
The same principle applies to the racing line. Start with a safe, simple approach. Learn where the car needs to be. Then refine the line as your confidence and understanding increase.
“You start off slow,” Treglia said. “Then you just keep braking later and start turning in a little bit earlier.”
The objective is not to discover the limit immediately. It is to build toward it methodically.
The Lap Time Is Not the Whole Story
For experienced drivers, lap time matters. But it should not be the only measure of progress.
“A productive session might mean becoming more consistent through a difficult section of the track. It could mean using the brakes more effectively. It might be understanding why the car behaves differently after a setup change.”
The most important thing is knowing what you are trying to learn before you leave pit lane.
That is the difference between testing and simply accumulating laps.
Treglia’s advice is to give each session an agenda. Work on one problem. Learn something. Come back in. Think about what happened. Then go back out with another objective.
That process is how drivers improve.
Two Tracks. Two Different Ways to Learn.
Buttonwillow gives drivers something especially valuable: two very different road courses at one facility.
Treglia sees The Circuit and the Classic Track as serving different roles in driver development.
The Circuit is wider and easier for newer drivers to understand. Because the layout follows a more straightforward path, students can concentrate on fundamental driving techniques instead of trying to memorize a complex configuration.
“It’s much easier to teach,” Treglia said.
The Classic Track presents a different challenge. Its variety of corners and configurations demands more from the driver and creates additional opportunities for advanced development.
Treglia believes that combination makes Buttonwillow particularly valuable as a training environment.
“The variety of different turns and the new Circuit — I feel like it’s much better development for a driver,” he said. “It’s a great facility to really become a racing driver.”
When Should You Consider Instruction?
Some drivers arrive at the track with years of experience. Others simply own a performance car and want to find out what it can do in the environment it was designed for.
For that second group, professional instruction can dramatically shorten the learning curve.
Fast Lane primarily works one-on-one with students, allowing an instructor to concentrate entirely on one driver’s development rather than dividing attention across a large group.
Treglia believes that individualized approach makes it easier to identify habits, correct mistakes and build good fundamentals early.
Fast Lane also provides cars for students who do not have an appropriate track car of their own, including Toyota FR-S race cars that Treglia describes as an excellent platform for learning because they allow drivers to experience braking, cornering and vehicle rotation without overwhelming horsepower.
Getting Your Feet Wet
Not everyone who is curious about the track is ready to become a racer. And that is okay.
Sometimes the first step is simply getting out there and experiencing it.
A driver might discover that track driving is something they want to pursue seriously. That experience can lead to instruction, additional testing and eventually competition.
Others may simply enjoy learning more about their car.
The key is approaching that first experience with respect for the track, the car and the learning process.
You do not need to chase a record on your first day. You need to leave understanding more than you did when you arrived.
Winning Ways
When asked what separates drivers who continue improving from those who plateau, Treglia pointed to three things:
“Time. Resources. Discipline.”
Motorsports rewards preparation and commitment.
That includes everything from physical conditioning and mechanical preparation to having the discipline to work on weaknesses instead of simply repeating what already feels comfortable.
For most drivers, that does not mean pursuing a professional racing career.
It means treating every session as another opportunity to become better.
That is ultimately what testing is about.
Not simply running more laps.
Learning from every one of them.
Ready to Put It Into Practice?
Whether you are preparing for your next race weekend, looking to improve your driving or simply curious about bringing a performance car to the track, Buttonwillow Raceway Park offers opportunities to experience both the Classic Track and The Circuit.
