This past summer after years of drifting, I took it upon myself to give lapping a try and now have been bitten by the bug pretty bad.
I did the first track day with the car as is. Did a thorough bolt check, changed the fluids and bled the brakes. I ran it with used Zestino tires up front, cheap china tires in the rear and standard brake pads.
The car was a little loose but the 225s in the rear seemed to be enough to withstand the 230hp ish the car puts down.
The glaring issue was the brakes so before the next track day I upgraded to Powerstop Trackday pads all around. They worked really well considering they are 1/2 the price of Hawks but are noisey / dusty. The next track day I was more confident on the brakes and was able to progress a little more.
I think what I enjoy about lapping and trackdays is that you can see and monitor progression and find weak points in the car. I havent even tried timing myself yet.
I'm excited for next season (winter here now) as I have some Ns2r to try. And I think I will play it safe and install an oil cooler.