Faster Track Day companies
Discussion
Anyone have any experience of an RMA trackway and what they are like?
We track day a Radical SR3 and the issue is we tend to lap road cars every 3 - 4 laps each time which means we're constantly on someones bumper which isn't fun for us or the car in front. I have heard from a few people RMA are a quicker TD crowd, but also a bit of a free for all on track?
Any pointers would help.
We track day a Radical SR3 and the issue is we tend to lap road cars every 3 - 4 laps each time which means we're constantly on someones bumper which isn't fun for us or the car in front. I have heard from a few people RMA are a quicker TD crowd, but also a bit of a free for all on track?
Any pointers would help.
Read this thread and make your own mind up, bear in mind they are no longer ATDO member, so some people track insurance will no longer be valid with them.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Dakkon said:
Read this thread and make your own mind up, bear in mind they are no longer ATDO member, so some people track insurance will no longer be valid with them.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Cheers for this, this looks like a good read on them!http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
krallicious said:
HustleRussell said:
Get license, safety gear.
Go testing.
This. Go testing.
TDs will always have a mix of slower and faster cars no matter who the organiser is.
Something to work towards at least.
If you're getting serious about your track time you should have the mnimum safety gear for yourself and the car anyway, the ARDS test is just a mildly expensive formality and once you're there...
Being able to time makes a huge difference to your ability to learn and improve in real time. being held up less gives you better value for money and less guilt for tripping over slower people. 'Pass wherever' makes the whole thing flow better. sharing the track with similarly specified cars can be a huge eye opener and can very quickly open the door to big drops in lap time as experienced track drivers and racers show you what is and is not possible.
If you're getting serious about your track time you should have the mnimum safety gear for yourself and the car anyway, the ARDS test is just a mildly expensive formality and once you're there...
Being able to time makes a huge difference to your ability to learn and improve in real time. being held up less gives you better value for money and less guilt for tripping over slower people. 'Pass wherever' makes the whole thing flow better. sharing the track with similarly specified cars can be a huge eye opener and can very quickly open the door to big drops in lap time as experienced track drivers and racers show you what is and is not possible.
I have done plenty of RMA days in the past and as long as you know what you are getting into they are grand days.
The passing on either side takes a little while to get used to but after the "Shock" of it" it soon becomes just the norm for the rest of the day.
Some fork don't like Grahams briefings etc but thats a personal thing and each to their own.
Dave.
The passing on either side takes a little while to get used to but after the "Shock" of it" it soon becomes just the norm for the rest of the day.
Some fork don't like Grahams briefings etc but thats a personal thing and each to their own.
Dave.
I did an RMA day at Silverstone earlier in the year and thought it was great - but then I had read the threads and what-not before hand and expected it to be poor.
All trackday organisers can be odd imho, and everyone has off days.
(and I agree with the other guys - get a licence and go testing - and then racing!)
All trackday organisers can be odd imho, and everyone has off days.
(and I agree with the other guys - get a licence and go testing - and then racing!)
I've found RMA days to be fine but as said above you still get a similar mix of cars on track. Passing either side will probably mean you get held up less. Interestingly, it wasn't so long ago that RMA banned Radicals for a while because there were complaints of them being too agressive.
Unfortunately, the product you are looking for doesn't exist. The vast majority of people who feel they are being held up on a track day progress onto racing (or at least testing). Those who continue to do trackdays invariably end up getting banned - a Radical is just way too fast for trackdays unless you're prepared to be very patient.
RMA is a step in the right direction with overtaking either side and without consent, but ultimately I suspect you'll end up getting banned as you'll still be terrorising anyone in a road car (even the hypercars).
We investigated doing aero-track days a few years back, but the research we got was that the person who wants a Radical just for track days does so partly because they want to be the fastest thing on track and by having a track day full of aero-cars they end up not being the fastest car - surefire way of upsetting all of your clients :-)
In summary, I would say 90% of Radical owners are happy racing/testing, of the 10% who are happy doing track days half of them are patient and don't get frustrated by the traffic, a number of them would probably not be comfortable displaying their talent in a like-for-like environment. That leaves a very small market of people of drivers for the type of event you're hoping to find.
/2p
Jonny
BaT
RMA is a step in the right direction with overtaking either side and without consent, but ultimately I suspect you'll end up getting banned as you'll still be terrorising anyone in a road car (even the hypercars).
We investigated doing aero-track days a few years back, but the research we got was that the person who wants a Radical just for track days does so partly because they want to be the fastest thing on track and by having a track day full of aero-cars they end up not being the fastest car - surefire way of upsetting all of your clients :-)
In summary, I would say 90% of Radical owners are happy racing/testing, of the 10% who are happy doing track days half of them are patient and don't get frustrated by the traffic, a number of them would probably not be comfortable displaying their talent in a like-for-like environment. That leaves a very small market of people of drivers for the type of event you're hoping to find.
/2p
Jonny
BaT
We have a friend who bought a Radical to use solely for track days because he had to be or think he was the fastest driver on the day, The reality is he isn't and with all the prep that the car takes is it really worth it ? I am adamant he would enjoy himself more in a track prepaired road car or a 7
Quite sad really
Quite sad really
Johnny: Cheers for the tips.
Lads, I don't drive the Radical to be 'numeru uno as you stated when I know and as I previously mentioned I am still learning the car and track. I bought the car as I being an ex biker and useful with a bike on track this was the nearest thing for a speed buzz that could match a quick 600 round a circuit. Road cars just don't do it, they feel like a tank compared to the Radical. So hence the Radical purchase.
Lads, I don't drive the Radical to be 'numeru uno as you stated when I know and as I previously mentioned I am still learning the car and track. I bought the car as I being an ex biker and useful with a bike on track this was the nearest thing for a speed buzz that could match a quick 600 round a circuit. Road cars just don't do it, they feel like a tank compared to the Radical. So hence the Radical purchase.
The drivers that find trackdays to be too busy and have issues with traffic are always the fastest 10% and slowest 10%, the 80% in the middle don't tend to have many issues. It may be less of an issue on an RMA day and the overtaking rules are bound to help but the basic issue would still be the same.
OP, I understand your need for speed but driving a massively capable car at 8/10ths is probably less fun after a while than getting something like a Caterham where the limits are much more accessible. You may have already tried this but I'm wondering if you may get more enjoyment and (a few) less traffic issues out a different car.
OP, I understand your need for speed but driving a massively capable car at 8/10ths is probably less fun after a while than getting something like a Caterham where the limits are much more accessible. You may have already tried this but I'm wondering if you may get more enjoyment and (a few) less traffic issues out a different car.
Steve H said:
The drivers that find trackdays to be too busy and have issues with traffic are always the fastest 10% and slowest 10%, the 80% in the middle don't tend to have many issues. It may be less of an issue on an RMA day and the overtaking rules are bound to help but the basic issue would still be the same.
OP, I understand your need for speed but driving a massively capable car at 8/10ths is probably less fun after a while than getting something like a Caterham where the limits are much more accessible. You may have already tried this but I'm wondering if you may get more enjoyment and (a few) less traffic issues out a different car.
Fair point Steve and it does make sense what you said mate. I have tried Sevens and they are great cars, but driving an aero car is half the fun as you know you can pin it in a fast corner and it just holds, but I'l take your points on board for sure.OP, I understand your need for speed but driving a massively capable car at 8/10ths is probably less fun after a while than getting something like a Caterham where the limits are much more accessible. You may have already tried this but I'm wondering if you may get more enjoyment and (a few) less traffic issues out a different car.
Switching to a different but still lightweight car is probably the answer. A friend of mine has an ex race Caterham with 140bhp. It can be tweaked and set up to your hearts content and is still one of the quickest cars on track but without being frustrating.
Alternatively just stick to the longer circuits (Snetterton etc) where the afternoon sessions have loads of space and avoid the cheap TDO's that attract the budget track cars.
Alternatively just stick to the longer circuits (Snetterton etc) where the afternoon sessions have loads of space and avoid the cheap TDO's that attract the budget track cars.
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