Donington park as a track day location
Discussion
Afternoon all,
Thinking of doing my second track day and am considering a 3 hour evening session on the National circuit at Donington.
Is this a track that will suit a "Junior" Hot hatch (MINI Cooper S) or is it going to be too open?
Do any corners require big commitment at big speed? Obviously i will drive within my limits, but i don't want to scare myself too much on my second track day!
TIA for any help!
Cheers,
James
Thinking of doing my second track day and am considering a 3 hour evening session on the National circuit at Donington.
Is this a track that will suit a "Junior" Hot hatch (MINI Cooper S) or is it going to be too open?
Do any corners require big commitment at big speed? Obviously i will drive within my limits, but i don't want to scare myself too much on my second track day!
TIA for any help!
Cheers,
James
After playing Project Cars a lot on the PS4 I really want to do a Track Day at Donnington sometime as I find it great fun in the game. I'd want to do the National layout rather than the GP layout though as the extra bit the GP layout adds doesn't really match the rest of the track.
I think it will be quite a difficult track to start with as there are blind corner entries in a few places so start slowly!
I think it will be quite a difficult track to start with as there are blind corner entries in a few places so start slowly!
I did it for the first time last weekend, in the pouring rain! To start with anyway, it cleared up later in day. Defo will be one to revisit.
Very rewarding when you get the hang of it, the grip level is excellent in the dry.
My only real pointer will be brakes, there are a couple of heavy braking zones so keep an eye on them, if they start getting abit to warm have a cool down lap.
Very rewarding when you get the hang of it, the grip level is excellent in the dry.
My only real pointer will be brakes, there are a couple of heavy braking zones so keep an eye on them, if they start getting abit to warm have a cool down lap.
Did an evening there last week, was my first time on track there also. The craner curves are probably the place you might want to go steady for a first time visit. You can pick up a lot of speed down the hill before you have tap the brakes for the old hairpin. Feels very rewarding when you string it all together right though.
Only other place I would watch out for is the first corner, the right handed looks tighter than it actually is, plus your coming off the main straight with good speed and then braking hard to turn in. Caught me out once or twice caring to much speed in to it and under steering.
My 10 pence worth anyway.
Only other place I would watch out for is the first corner, the right handed looks tighter than it actually is, plus your coming off the main straight with good speed and then braking hard to turn in. Caught me out once or twice caring to much speed in to it and under steering.
My 10 pence worth anyway.
Donington is a superb circuit, I wouldn't worry about full commitment in any corner as a newbie but Craner is challenging and Mclanes tricky to get right. As for your car any car is superb around there, my first trackway was in a standard Civic Type R the old version with 185bhp completely standard and really enjoyed it, for get about being fast and get some tutition.
Matt
Matt
Thanks for the tips guys. Its not about going fast per se, just wondered whether the circuit would be suited to a little hot hatch. I agree about getting tuition, i will see whats available on the day 
The session is three hours and i would be sharing the driving with someone else. I was thinking 20 minute "stints" followed by 20 minutes to let everything cool down, and repeat. Does that sound about right?
The session is three hours and i would be sharing the driving with someone else. I was thinking 20 minute "stints" followed by 20 minutes to let everything cool down, and repeat. Does that sound about right?
Donington may be a 'fast' track, but it's mainly fast corners. Mini will be fine, quicker than an MX5, which was a riot.. only 'big' (ish) stops are for the chicane before the pits, and into redgate (but that's not so big). Obviously if you have a powerful car with iffy brakes, there are some big stops, but for something more midrange, you just carry the speed everywhere. Redgate is surprisingly quick, and the old 'hairpin' isn't a hairpin
darren9 said:
Hi. No idea on donington. But I have an MCS I'm considering taking to a TD. Few questions:
Is yours an R53?
Any mods?
Which other track have you done?
How did it fare?
Mine is an R56, no mods at all.Is yours an R53?
Any mods?
Which other track have you done?
How did it fare?
I did silverstone, but not in my MINI, in my brothers ST220; and the brakes caught fire
Thanks for all the tips everyone, will watch the brakes and take it at less than 10/10ths
I'm fairly sure Donington was my first TD but been back many times since. Great circuit and pretty safe as adequate run off in most corners. Grip levels are good, has been said, but watch the first few laps of the day as the avgas is still layering on the circuit from where the planes dump it from East Mids. I wouldn't have believed it to be true until I almost lost the back end on a sighting lap at pedestrian speed with a mix of avgas and cold tyres...
Donnington is a great circuit. It's very flowing and none of the straights are that long. I have done around 8 trackday there and it's great. We have a little e30 325i roll caged and we'll set up and it holds its own with some pretty quick stuff.
Most of the corners are a late apex and the cranners need building up to. Keep it smooth and you can if you get the line right take them flat. Car gets very light over the crest and normally moves about 3-4 feet right, but then comes back in the compression. You can make serious ground here. You know when you get them right when you are struggling to loose enough speed for the old hairpin.
Corner into the back straight is quicker than you think and we pull to the Rev limit in 4th before the chicane. A good exit here makes for a good lap and can nullify the difference between a slow car going quick and a quick car going slow.
It's pretty tough on the cooling system as you are in the upper rev range all the time, but gentle relatively on tyres and brakes. As you get quicker you will apply the brakes harder, but use them less.
Most of the corners are a late apex and the cranners need building up to. Keep it smooth and you can if you get the line right take them flat. Car gets very light over the crest and normally moves about 3-4 feet right, but then comes back in the compression. You can make serious ground here. You know when you get them right when you are struggling to loose enough speed for the old hairpin.
Corner into the back straight is quicker than you think and we pull to the Rev limit in 4th before the chicane. A good exit here makes for a good lap and can nullify the difference between a slow car going quick and a quick car going slow.
It's pretty tough on the cooling system as you are in the upper rev range all the time, but gentle relatively on tyres and brakes. As you get quicker you will apply the brakes harder, but use them less.
Sohlman said:
cranners need building up to. Keep it smooth and you can if you get the line right take them flat. Car gets very light over the crest and normally moves about 3-4 feet right, but then comes back in the compression.
My abilities are poor, but an instructor advised me once to tap the brake momentarily after the crest and before the entry to craners to get the weight distributed back to the front (left) tyre so you can regain the grip into the corner.Be interested by those with talent to hear whether there is logic to that.
Shnozz said:
I'm fairly sure Donington was my first TD but been back many times since. Great circuit and pretty safe as adequate run off in most corners. Grip levels are good, has been said, but watch the first few laps of the day as the avgas is still layering on the circuit from where the planes dump it from East Mids. I wouldn't have believed it to be true until I almost lost the back end on a sighting lap at pedestrian speed with a mix of avgas and cold tyres...
Yay, I've not seen this this old chestnut trotted out for a while - it's good to see it again! 
It is of course nonsense.. Although it is a pretty slippy place in the wet, it has nothing to do with 'avgas':
1) Avgas is what piston engined (propeller) aircraft run on. Stuff coming out of east midlands is running on Jet A..
2) Jets run very (very) lean. There's lots of unburnt oxygen coming out the back end, but no unburnt fuel to speak of; that's just the nature of how they work.
Anyways, great circuit. Also disagree with whoever said they're all late turn in - I'd say they were mostly relatively early turn in, but find your own way - depends somewhat on what you're driving.
1) Avgas is what piston engined (propeller) aircraft run on. Stuff coming out of east midlands is running on Jet A..
2) Jets run very (very) lean. There's lots of unburnt oxygen coming out the back end, but no unburnt fuel to speak of; that's just the nature of how they work.
Anyways, great circuit. Also disagree with whoever said they're all late turn in - I'd say they were mostly relatively early turn in, but find your own way - depends somewhat on what you're driving.
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