Are crap track cars really fun?
Discussion
rdjohn said:
I think that the fun comes from driving any car at its limits. I have seen guys with Citroex AXs with huge grins all day.
So my guess would be that only a car with a super chassis and no power would not be much fun. Can't think of a example though. More power and a rubbishy chassis would be a hoot.
I've taken my M Roadster on the track twice. Both times I thought that it would be much more fun (but a lot slower) in my Smart car or Escort van.So my guess would be that only a car with a super chassis and no power would not be much fun. Can't think of a example though. More power and a rubbishy chassis would be a hoot.
Is there a lower shed threshold to trackdays? Would they allow my van on a trackday?
Frimley111R said:
It seems to be missing most of its interior, not to mention its windscreen!
That is true... but it just adds to the fun, some of the 'What the hell is that? And why is it faster round a lap than my car which has 3x the power!?' looks are comedy.I did a few years of track days in a daily driver MX-5 before getting a couple of Westfields. As someone mentioned earlier, you always seem to come back to something 'slower'...
As mentioned above, cheap "crap" cars come in different flavours. A leggy, scrappy, tatty Clio 172 or MX-5 can be both cheap and fun.
There is a huge sense of freedom in driving something so cheap that you have little concern of it living through the day (as long as it is safe). But that's not to say a terrible misery-spec old car would be any fun. I remember once finding myself on a deserted track in Spain in a Seat Alhambra hire car. It was slow, under steered everywhere and had traction / stability that couldn't be fully disabled. It was not fun.
There is a huge sense of freedom in driving something so cheap that you have little concern of it living through the day (as long as it is safe). But that's not to say a terrible misery-spec old car would be any fun. I remember once finding myself on a deserted track in Spain in a Seat Alhambra hire car. It was slow, under steered everywhere and had traction / stability that couldn't be fully disabled. It was not fun.
My exsperience of track work started with a £100 crap car
I saved an e30 325i that was complete in a breakers yard, but had minor rear end damage that was fixed with 3 smacks of a club hammer. I decided to build a track car operation eBay and bought all the parts second hand with the exception of new belts.
The car was not road legal had 4 different tyres so we hired a trailer after giving the car a service. We had never even driven it and it was with some trepidation that I went out for its first track outing for both me and the car at donington. We did 80 laps, 2 spins, and we're pretty useless, but had a great time. The day ended for us when one of the rear brake callipers failed resulting in a brown trouser moment, but let's just say we learnt that we were braking too early as still managed to get around the corner and limited back to the pits.
10 years later we have completed 20 odd days, it's a very different car now. Still looks like a shed, but is caged, all parts upgraded as they broke/wore out.
It is enormously satisfying overtaking much faster cars and scalped include numerous porschre's, m3's and m5''s and even a Nissan GTR
The only caveat I would say is it needs to be safe.
I saved an e30 325i that was complete in a breakers yard, but had minor rear end damage that was fixed with 3 smacks of a club hammer. I decided to build a track car operation eBay and bought all the parts second hand with the exception of new belts.
The car was not road legal had 4 different tyres so we hired a trailer after giving the car a service. We had never even driven it and it was with some trepidation that I went out for its first track outing for both me and the car at donington. We did 80 laps, 2 spins, and we're pretty useless, but had a great time. The day ended for us when one of the rear brake callipers failed resulting in a brown trouser moment, but let's just say we learnt that we were braking too early as still managed to get around the corner and limited back to the pits.
10 years later we have completed 20 odd days, it's a very different car now. Still looks like a shed, but is caged, all parts upgraded as they broke/wore out.
It is enormously satisfying overtaking much faster cars and scalped include numerous porschre's, m3's and m5''s and even a Nissan GTR
The only caveat I would say is it needs to be safe.
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