Track day car cleaning: before you go and after you get home

A day on track is hard on a car's finish. Hot brakes coat the wheels, bugs bake onto the front at speed, and tyres throw rubber and grime down the sides. A bit of prep makes the clean up far easier. This guide covers what to do before you go, what organisers ask for, and how to put the car right afterwards.

Before you go: what organisers ask for

Every organiser has its own rules, so read yours. MSV Trackdays, for example, asks that road cars meet MOT minimum standards, that you know where your tow eye is and fit it before the sighting laps, and that everything not fixed down comes out of the car, sometimes including the spare wheel. Check your belts, fluid levels, tyre condition, pressures and lights. Many circuits also run noise tests, and cars that fail cannot go on track. MSV also notes that normal motor insurance is unlikely to cover track use.

Prep that makes the clean up easier

1. Wash and decontaminate the week before so you start from clean paint. Our fallout and tar guide covers decontamination.
2. Seal the front end and wheels. A coat of spray sealant helps bugs and grime release, so they come off with less effort later.
3. Clean the glass inside and out. Low sun on track shows every smear.
4. Empty the car. It is on the organiser's list anyway, and a clean, empty boot is easier to load with your kit.

Pack a small trackside kit

• A bottle of glass cleaner and a waffle weave cloth for bugs on the screen between sessions.
• A few microfibre cloths and a separate dirty jobs cloth for wheels.
• Water for wiping off fresh bug splatter before it bakes on.

Leave wheels and brakes alone until they have cooled down. Never spray anything onto hot brakes or wheels.

The clean up at home

1. Wait until everything is cold. Brakes and wheels stay hot long after you park.
2. Bugs first. A pre rinse and bug remover softens baked on bugs. Spray the front end, let it dwell without drying, then rinse. Repeat rather than scrubbing.
3. Wheels. Track brake dust is heavy. Our Extreme wheel cleaner is made for heavy, baked on contamination. Use Delicate on anodised, polished or painted rims. See how to clean alloy wheels.
4. Snow foam and a two bucket wash for the rest of the car. Follow the two bucket method.
5. Iron fallout. Brake dust embeds in paint behind the wheels. A fallout remover turns purple as it works on it.
6. Tar and sticky deposits. Tyres on track lay rubber down and pick it back up, and some of it ends up on the car. A solvent tar remover is the tool for tar spots and similar sticky residue. Test it on a small area first.
7. Dry, then reseal the front end and wheels ready for next time.

Check it over

With the car clean, look for stone chips on the bonnet, bumper and mirrors, and for damage to the sills and splitter. Small chips are easier to touch in before they spread.

Quick answers

Kit for this job

• No.01 Pre Rinse and Bug Remover
• No.03 Wheel and Rim Cleaner
• No.06 Fallout and Tar Remover
• No.08 Wax and Sealant
• Wheel Kit
• No.09 Glass and Visor Cleaner

Where the figures come from

• Organiser requirements and insurance: MSV Trackdays, booked FAQs.
• Noise tests: evo Trackdays, driver information.
• Rubber pick up: Building Speed, how tracks take and lose rubber.

More from the Journal

• How to remove iron fallout and tar spots from car paint
• How to clean alloy wheels without scratching them
• How to polish and protect car paint with an SiO2 spray sealant
• Classic car cleaning: how to wash and protect older paint