RE: PistonHeads official track day partnership
Discussion
I did an RMA day at Donny a few weeks ago and thought it was nicely run and if purchased early enough wasn't bad value.
That said, it wouldn't be hard to mark up an area of the paddock for use by PHers so this -
That said, it wouldn't be hard to mark up an area of the paddock for use by PHers so this -
PH said:
To ensure you get to park with other PHers in attendance, please enter the following code into the 'Booking Reference'box: - PHRMA
looks a lot like there is a % going back to PH rather than to us as drivers………..Evo said:
Shall we call MSV and see what deal they'll do for PH'ers 
I was at a couple of MSV trackdays last year - the briefings were naff and too long. I also had tuition on both days and I was actually faster BEFORE the instructors tuition. Ok I still had fun but for the best part of £500 (plus tuition) for a day on the Brands GP Circuit I at least expected to learn some new tricks.I've used RMA once before and liked their attitude and how 'grown up' it all was, much like Goldtrack. You pay a premium but you do get quality days with not so many numbers (although the standard of cars is something else - meaning I didn't see budget track cars)
I don't have as much spare cash as I used so I've recently booked on a three for price of two offer with TT Events - I'm at Oulton Park with them on Wednesday so I could always ask if they are up for offering a PHers discount?
Evo said:
Yep, you can be a complete tool in a Ferrari just the same as a Saxo hack.
I recall one a Oulton some years ago, big trailer turned up with the car and lots of mechanics, driver turned up sometime later in matching Ferrari overalls and helmet. Nice car though. He then spent the first couple of sessions barging everyone out of the way and it ended with a coming together with another car.
A cock is a cock regardless of their wealth or car they drive.
In my experience RMA days are superb. The limited numbers and open pit lane format mean all the track time you want.
Yes you can get idiots in Ferrari's but RMA are pretty fierce in dealing with planks - if you've met Graham you'll know what i mean
I've had plenty of frustrating days on 'cheap' trackdays which were massively over-subscribed and ran 20 minute sessions. On one occasion I had x3 of my x5 sessions ruined by some prat throwing it into the kitty litter after 30 seconds. A complete waste of time.
If you're taking time off work and have prepped your car carefully it's worth an extra £100 to guarantee a satisfying day (in my opinion of course).
Yes you can get idiots in Ferrari's but RMA are pretty fierce in dealing with planks - if you've met Graham you'll know what i mean
I've had plenty of frustrating days on 'cheap' trackdays which were massively over-subscribed and ran 20 minute sessions. On one occasion I had x3 of my x5 sessions ruined by some prat throwing it into the kitty litter after 30 seconds. A complete waste of time.
If you're taking time off work and have prepped your car carefully it's worth an extra £100 to guarantee a satisfying day (in my opinion of course).
Premium trackdays at premium prices. Does seem a shame that the PH tie up is nothing other than a bit of tarmac to park on together.
If you want good discounts on trackdays most of the single make car clubs get good discounts. Many club members get 10% off most of the TDO's operating in the UK.
If you want good discounts on trackdays most of the single make car clubs get good discounts. Many club members get 10% off most of the TDO's operating in the UK.
Thanks for the comments guys.
This partnership is the same as any other we do (driving tours as an example, links with companies like HPI another). The aim is to offer PHers access to (what we believe to be) great companies that you might not have heard of. It's not an advert, we spend time talking to companies in the market and endorse the one who we feel offers the best package.
If you already use RMA you can continue to book as normal, if not you can book with us and we'll put all PHers in one garage (to promote a friendly atmosphere) and we also hope to offer a few other incentives along the way. As an added 'bonus' we hope to turn up at them too.
RMA do welcome track novices along and the comprehensive briefing will give a novice enough knowledge to enjoy the day. They also run with limited cars on track (a bonus) and while they aren't the cheapest they are, in our opinion, one of the best.
As I said in the article, the earlier you book, the cheaper the day is and as someone else pointed out, the prices are similar to other operators such as MSV (who we have partnered with previously) and I'm sure that anyone who has been to an RMA day will agree that they do a great job and they are always very professionally run.
I'm sure Graham will be around soon to answer specific questions.
This partnership is the same as any other we do (driving tours as an example, links with companies like HPI another). The aim is to offer PHers access to (what we believe to be) great companies that you might not have heard of. It's not an advert, we spend time talking to companies in the market and endorse the one who we feel offers the best package.
If you already use RMA you can continue to book as normal, if not you can book with us and we'll put all PHers in one garage (to promote a friendly atmosphere) and we also hope to offer a few other incentives along the way. As an added 'bonus' we hope to turn up at them too.
RMA do welcome track novices along and the comprehensive briefing will give a novice enough knowledge to enjoy the day. They also run with limited cars on track (a bonus) and while they aren't the cheapest they are, in our opinion, one of the best.
As I said in the article, the earlier you book, the cheaper the day is and as someone else pointed out, the prices are similar to other operators such as MSV (who we have partnered with previously) and I'm sure that anyone who has been to an RMA day will agree that they do a great job and they are always very professionally run.
I'm sure Graham will be around soon to answer specific questions.
Hi Guys,
I'm not a regular contributor to any forum so I hope you'll bear with me if I get anything wrong!
First of all, the guys at PistonHeads certainly put RMA and myself through the mill before appointing us as their 'Official Track Day Partners.' I understand they spoke to several TDO's, I personally attended two board room style meetings in their London offices which were headed by Paul Garlick (the boss)and had to submit all kinds of information by email before getting the news that RMA had been appointed, a decision they certainly didn't appear to take lightly and definitely isn't an advert.
Whilst I am extremely grateful for the very complimentary comments throughout this thread (hope that's the right word) some of the accusations about our charges are a bit off the mark. This year we're operating a fluid pricing structure with the price moving with demand, similar to some of the airlines. For example our noisy day at Donington in March started off at just £99,okay it ended up at £500 but only two people paid that before the event was declared full and closed. At the moment you can book on Brands GP for £399, I believe MSV are £450, and Gold Track and Book a Track are both £499. There are plenty of other examples some where we are a little more expensive other less expensive but overall our prices are in line with the other premium track day organizers running at major circuits.
For sure you can get better prices from owners clubs as they're not trying to make a profit and are often subsidized by the manufacturer but if you want to drive on a commercial day at a circuit such as Silverstone who charge over £30k for the GP track rental alone and you don't want to be nose to tail with other cars you've got to be prepared to pay circa £4/500. That's a fact.
From the comments obviously some of you guys have been on RMA events before and you'll know on the day I'm not there to make friends, I really don't care who I upset or for that matter throw out. I see my job as being responsible for making sure as many people as possible have the best and safest time possible. If that means making myself unpopular with the odd idiot or two who's ego exceeds their ability I really don't care, furthermore I don't care if that person drives a 458 Ferrari or a Citroen Saxo. If any of you guys were at Donington in March you might remember the Morgan owner who was sent home. I didn't endear myself to that Gentleman as he had come over from Jersey specially and had had also paid for a private instructor, but he had transgressed the rules, and I can take it!
There also appears to be some misconception about the type of cars we attract. Maybe that's partly my fault as our website certainly tends to feature the 'fancy' cars far more than the more regular ones. Personally I don't care what type of cars we have, I'm told by some owners that they prefer our events because they feel they are well controlled and their 'pride and joy' is safe, but their 'pride and joy' is just as likely to be a Mark 1 Elise or a McLaren 12c. It makes no difference to me, the important thing without doubt is attitude and a genuine love of cars. The guy who wants to finish off his company hack before it's returned to the lease company or the lottery winner who's just bought a Ferrari and doesn't care twopence about the car won't last five minutes. So if you fit either of those two categories stay away but if you have a genuine love of cars and want to enjoy them in a safe and controlled environment whilst also constantly trying to improve your
driving you'll be most welcome.
Finally, for those who are still awake.We have no problem with Novices although if I was a complete novice/first timer I don't know that I would choose a major circuit for my first venture on track, although quite a few do. I would certainly book instruction on the basis that the cost is a lot less than that of an accident, but again not that many do. Without sounding too much like an advert we have been going for many years and have a lot of experienced regulars and some top instructors with us on every event, with their feedback and the use of the CCTV cameras we pride ourselves on the ability to spot the potential accident before it happens, if a novice is getting it all wrong, putting himself in danger or being a mobile chicane we will pull him or her in and offer help in whatever form is necessary.
I hope you guys will support this partnership, between PistonHeads and RMA we have lots of ideas to enhance the days, getting manufacturers to turn up with demo cars is just one of them but with your support there is a whole host of things we can do.
I hope to see you with us soon.
Graham Clarke
I'm not a regular contributor to any forum so I hope you'll bear with me if I get anything wrong!
First of all, the guys at PistonHeads certainly put RMA and myself through the mill before appointing us as their 'Official Track Day Partners.' I understand they spoke to several TDO's, I personally attended two board room style meetings in their London offices which were headed by Paul Garlick (the boss)and had to submit all kinds of information by email before getting the news that RMA had been appointed, a decision they certainly didn't appear to take lightly and definitely isn't an advert.
Whilst I am extremely grateful for the very complimentary comments throughout this thread (hope that's the right word) some of the accusations about our charges are a bit off the mark. This year we're operating a fluid pricing structure with the price moving with demand, similar to some of the airlines. For example our noisy day at Donington in March started off at just £99,okay it ended up at £500 but only two people paid that before the event was declared full and closed. At the moment you can book on Brands GP for £399, I believe MSV are £450, and Gold Track and Book a Track are both £499. There are plenty of other examples some where we are a little more expensive other less expensive but overall our prices are in line with the other premium track day organizers running at major circuits.
For sure you can get better prices from owners clubs as they're not trying to make a profit and are often subsidized by the manufacturer but if you want to drive on a commercial day at a circuit such as Silverstone who charge over £30k for the GP track rental alone and you don't want to be nose to tail with other cars you've got to be prepared to pay circa £4/500. That's a fact.
From the comments obviously some of you guys have been on RMA events before and you'll know on the day I'm not there to make friends, I really don't care who I upset or for that matter throw out. I see my job as being responsible for making sure as many people as possible have the best and safest time possible. If that means making myself unpopular with the odd idiot or two who's ego exceeds their ability I really don't care, furthermore I don't care if that person drives a 458 Ferrari or a Citroen Saxo. If any of you guys were at Donington in March you might remember the Morgan owner who was sent home. I didn't endear myself to that Gentleman as he had come over from Jersey specially and had had also paid for a private instructor, but he had transgressed the rules, and I can take it!
There also appears to be some misconception about the type of cars we attract. Maybe that's partly my fault as our website certainly tends to feature the 'fancy' cars far more than the more regular ones. Personally I don't care what type of cars we have, I'm told by some owners that they prefer our events because they feel they are well controlled and their 'pride and joy' is safe, but their 'pride and joy' is just as likely to be a Mark 1 Elise or a McLaren 12c. It makes no difference to me, the important thing without doubt is attitude and a genuine love of cars. The guy who wants to finish off his company hack before it's returned to the lease company or the lottery winner who's just bought a Ferrari and doesn't care twopence about the car won't last five minutes. So if you fit either of those two categories stay away but if you have a genuine love of cars and want to enjoy them in a safe and controlled environment whilst also constantly trying to improve your
driving you'll be most welcome.
Finally, for those who are still awake.We have no problem with Novices although if I was a complete novice/first timer I don't know that I would choose a major circuit for my first venture on track, although quite a few do. I would certainly book instruction on the basis that the cost is a lot less than that of an accident, but again not that many do. Without sounding too much like an advert we have been going for many years and have a lot of experienced regulars and some top instructors with us on every event, with their feedback and the use of the CCTV cameras we pride ourselves on the ability to spot the potential accident before it happens, if a novice is getting it all wrong, putting himself in danger or being a mobile chicane we will pull him or her in and offer help in whatever form is necessary.
I hope you guys will support this partnership, between PistonHeads and RMA we have lots of ideas to enhance the days, getting manufacturers to turn up with demo cars is just one of them but with your support there is a whole host of things we can do.
I hope to see you with us soon.
Graham Clarke
You can't say fairer than that, and all credit to the chaps for coming back with a proper response again, I've previously helped to run Lancia motor club track days so can only agree with how hard it can be to administer and police what people are doing.
Seems like a very professionally run day tbh and more than in line with the other businesses that are running trackdays, I wasn't aware of you before reading the article, now I am and would be happy to come along.
Seems like a very professionally run day tbh and more than in line with the other businesses that are running trackdays, I wasn't aware of you before reading the article, now I am and would be happy to come along.
Edited by Evo on Tuesday 1st April 17:11
Hi Graham,
Excellent response. About 10 years ago you kindly helped a group of us in Fiat Coupes (FCCUK) attend one of your trackdays at Bedford GT. We had a great day and really enjoyed having some of the more exotic cars to play with on track. Not the cheapest track day I've ever been on but up there with the best.
Regards, Dave
Excellent response. About 10 years ago you kindly helped a group of us in Fiat Coupes (FCCUK) attend one of your trackdays at Bedford GT. We had a great day and really enjoyed having some of the more exotic cars to play with on track. Not the cheapest track day I've ever been on but up there with the best.
Regards, Dave
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