Track day cars that are crappier than your road car
Discussion
Define crappier?
I think my (cheap) mx5 is a 'better' track car than my nice boxster (which I sold). Cost of binning it never occurred to me with either car; that kind of mentality isn't reasonable for anyone else on track anyways. MX5 is more playful, cheaper to run (tyres, fuel, brakes), but ultimately slower. Depends what makes you happy.
I think my (cheap) mx5 is a 'better' track car than my nice boxster (which I sold). Cost of binning it never occurred to me with either car; that kind of mentality isn't reasonable for anyone else on track anyways. MX5 is more playful, cheaper to run (tyres, fuel, brakes), but ultimately slower. Depends what makes you happy.
TD cars; the less you love them, the more fun you have!
Non on my road cars (911 or my Cayenne Turbo S) would be any where near the fun of my Mx5.
TD car can be driven at 9/10th at the track, not a care.
Road car, I would guess, 4/10ths. Park up before the brakes cook, or I bald the tyres...
I also use my mx5 daily for the station parking - car park dings, broken into etc, not a problem.
Still runs fantastically well on the track.
Non on my road cars (911 or my Cayenne Turbo S) would be any where near the fun of my Mx5.
TD car can be driven at 9/10th at the track, not a care.
Road car, I would guess, 4/10ths. Park up before the brakes cook, or I bald the tyres...
I also use my mx5 daily for the station parking - car park dings, broken into etc, not a problem.
Still runs fantastically well on the track.
Frimley111R said:
Do you enjoy them anyway? I've got a Clio Williams and its not bad but compared to my Evora S its quite s
te. I'm not sure I wouldn't just think 'I wish I was in my Evora' all the time. Or are they better because you can flog them because they are cheapys?
Is your Clio standard or set up for track stuff?te. I'm not sure I wouldn't just think 'I wish I was in my Evora' all the time. Or are they better because you can flog them because they are cheapys?If my track car were not as good or fun as my road car on track, I wouldn't see the point. For me the point of a track car is that you can make it far more focussed than would be useable on the road (or a great deal lighter than a typical road car, i.e. Caterham).
I don't like the concept of people using cheap 'track slags' so that they don't care if they bin it - that raises the risk of incidents, which at best reduces track time for others and at worst involves damaging other cars/people.
zedx19 said:
Sorry what? Anyone who uses the word crap in the same sentence as Clio Williams, needs their heading looking at. No matter what you're used to, throwing a good Williams around a track will only induce smiles.
I know but I meant that its a lot less powerful (/waits for the 'you don't need power comments..) and although it handles well its a 20 yr old Renault, not a new Lotus. I just think 'Imagine how fast my Evora would be round here'. I really meant this in applying to anyone with a 'better' car than their track one. Years ago I did an experience day in and XR3i and hated it after driving to the track in my 205 GTI. So, for record, I'm not saying the CW is crap, just not as good as my other car.Well your not really comparing apples with apples. If you think the Evora would be better, sell the Williams and put the proceeds towards insurance and tyres for the Evora and take that round. Or buy a more focused track car, as I said, there are lots more modern but still cheap hot hatches that will show the Williams up, but none will compete with what is effectively a borderline super car. If you want Evora performance for hot hatch money then you will need a 7esc kit car or similar.
upsidedownmark said:
You must be wired very differently than me then.. First time I took the boxster on track I kidded myself I'd take it easy. 9/10ths (and occasionally more), no matter what I'm driving..
I did exactly the same, as every penny I have is tied up in my car and I have no track insurance. I decided that I was going to only use the middle 3/4 of the black stuff and take it easy.I cooked my brakes in the first couple of laps and almost spun
it never once entered my head that I could crash when on the track! I just fking went for it.StottyEvo said:
I cooked my brakes in the first couple of laps and almost spun it never once entered my head that I could crash when on the track! I just fking went for it.
it never once entered my head that I could crash when on the track! I just fking went for it.
Yeah it's very easy to say you'll take it easy on the way to the track, but a different story once you've been round a few corners and you get your "race face" on!
A couple of times I've taken a heavy road car where I wanted to look after the brakes and I decided that I would take it easy on the approach to the one or two big braking zones - there's the whole rest of the track to go for it, so easy, right? I did it maybe twice in the whole day.
From my point of view the pre-trackday assessment must involve sitting down with a cup of tea and making a realistic assessment of 'can I afford to throw this car away?' - or insure it and pay the hefty excess. If the answer is no, don't go there.
No matter how careful you are (or aren't), it can end badly through no fault of anyone - contemplate a mechanical failure at high speed. It might even kill you, though I'd judge that unlikely.
I MASSIVELY disagree with the poster who advocated cheap 'cos then you don't care if you crash it. I don't think (hope) that is the mentality of most; the MX5 costs me less to keep up on wear and tear, but IF I 'crash', I'm more concerned about my own skin than the cost of the car. I also don't believe that driving a performance car (such as the aforementioned 911) at 9/10 is incompatible with 'loving' it, or will destroy it. That's rather what they're designed to do!
No matter how careful you are (or aren't), it can end badly through no fault of anyone - contemplate a mechanical failure at high speed. It might even kill you, though I'd judge that unlikely.
I MASSIVELY disagree with the poster who advocated cheap 'cos then you don't care if you crash it. I don't think (hope) that is the mentality of most; the MX5 costs me less to keep up on wear and tear, but IF I 'crash', I'm more concerned about my own skin than the cost of the car. I also don't believe that driving a performance car (such as the aforementioned 911) at 9/10 is incompatible with 'loving' it, or will destroy it. That's rather what they're designed to do!
i love my crappy track car. or i did until we stuffed it into a wall at rockingham. now i love the new crappy track car lol.
and yes its considerably crappier than my road car in that it will be noisy, hot and unconfortable. but none of that matters when you're hooning it round a track, driving the wheels off it. i've no doubt that when we've sorted brakes, tyres and added lightness our £1000 BMW 330ci will be faster round a track than my 350z, and be able to keep lapping consistently.
Also, the crappy track car isnt insured, unlike my roadcar obviously. when we did crash it, we walked away and bought another one. I would never take my road car on track.
and yes its considerably crappier than my road car in that it will be noisy, hot and unconfortable. but none of that matters when you're hooning it round a track, driving the wheels off it. i've no doubt that when we've sorted brakes, tyres and added lightness our £1000 BMW 330ci will be faster round a track than my 350z, and be able to keep lapping consistently.
Also, the crappy track car isnt insured, unlike my roadcar obviously. when we did crash it, we walked away and bought another one. I would never take my road car on track.
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