Track day novice what I've learnt so far...

[whp1983]

Since I spent much time looking for help/advice before doing a track day I thought I'd share my first couple of experiences so far.

I've now done two in a standard S3 (8v):

Standard brakes and tyres are fine to start with (many told me I'd boil fluid or destroy pads on first go)
Renting a helmet is irritating so definitely buy one (I spent £100 on a full face bike helmet- perfect)
Bedford autodrome is perfect first track (did snetterton second)
Everyone is immensely friendly
Even in a (relatively) economical car you get through a lot of petrol (two tanks each time including to and from home) av 14.8 mpg in a car usually doing 35mpg+
I got pretty thirsty and hungry myself throughout day too!

By far and away the best money spent was having a pro racing driver with me for entire day each time. You learn a huge amount, you end up going so much quicker... *i believe this also preserved my brakes/tyres as I learnt a lot about carrying speed and balancing car rather than caning brakes after the straights. It helped leaving car for about 15 mins after 4-5 laps before next stint too.

...it's very addictive and I'll do many more. I'm sure more experienced people can offer much more insight! But thought I'd share a view from a novice starting out.

[Smokey32]

Hi, I too am a novice, ive done 2 days at Oulton park and I can agree with you about the hungry and thirsty part hehehe. I get really hot when driving on track, I took my mountain bike gloves last time I went as my hands sweat a lot and I struggled to grip the leather steering wheel.

Its amazing how late you can brake compared to what you do on the road but then I have got massive brakes. Also totally agree about tuition, having someone in with you, who knows the best lines, and when to brake, get on the throttle is so important, more than having more power.

They have also showed me how weight is a massive killer on track.

[CABC]

Spot on op.
Candid and true I'd say.
Can you update your thoughts as you do more?

[C70R]

whp1983 said:

Standard brakes and tyres are fine to start with (many told me I'd boil fluid or destroy pads on first go)
Renting a helmet is irritating so definitely buy one (I spent £100 on a full face bike helmet- perfect)
Bedford autodrome is perfect first track (did snetterton second)
Everyone is immensely friendly

Couldn't agree more with this lot. As long as you aren't heading out on knackered tyres and 40k-old pads, standard kit will be absolutely fine. We ran pattern parts pads on our 206 GTi at Bedford, and struggled to get them overheating even after 5 laps of abuse.

There's no need to spend hours wondering how to pour money into modifying your car - the most important bit is to get out there any enjoy it (in a roadworthy car, of course).

[nickfrog]

Yes you can start on OE consumables and BF and drive around the limitations. But then as you gain experience you will want slightly more aggressive pads that can take a longer session. And with that you will need RBF600 or the likes. And to make the most of that some semi slicks, even a set of NS2R are cheap and will actually prevent over heating road tyres, particularly front outer shoulders.
And all that doesn't cost that much and will not prevent fun, if anything it allows you to focus on the driving...

[moktabe]

How do folk generally find the standard of driving ability in general on track days?

The reasoning behind the question is I own a CSL and quite fancy sometimes the idea of taking it on track. Having never been on a trackway prior, I'm well aware that I'm not going to be able to howl it around like some of the more regular track day enthusiasts.

Therein lies my problem!

I am 100% aware of my shortcomings re driving ability but, taking to track in a car that is supposedly built for that reason, is it likely to be a target to be overtaken? That in itself wouldn't bother me remotely. I am well aware it's more the drivers ability to drive than the car, what would bother me if someone else with about the same experience as myself, i.e none, over assumed their ability and piled into me.

If that happened, the only way I'd manage to get on to PH would be if the prison I'd be in had free WiFi.

My outlook for going on a track day wouldn't be to nail every car that I could see in front of me but enjoy the experience of driving to the edge of my ability without having a chat with the local plod.

Thoughts?, or advice?

[whp1983]

moktabe said:

How do folk generally find the standard of driving ability in general on track days?

The reasoning behind the question is I own a CSL and quite fancy sometimes the idea of taking it on track. Having never been on a trackway prior, I'm well aware that I'm not going to be able to howl it around like some of the more regular track day enthusiasts.

Therein lies my problem!

I am 100% aware of my shortcomings re driving ability but, taking to track in a car that is supposedly built for that reason, is it likely to be a target to be overtaken? That in itself wouldn't bother me remotely. I am well aware it's more the drivers ability to drive than the car, what would bother me if someone else with about the same experience as myself, i.e none, over assumed their ability and piled into me.

If that happened, the only way I'd manage to get on to PH would be if the prison I'd be in had free WiFi.

My outlook for going on a track day wouldn't be to nail every car that I could see in front of me but enjoy the experience of driving to the edge of my ability without having a chat with the local plod.

Thoughts?, or advice?

On the only two I've been on! All drivers were very courteous and aware of their car/ability. The officials are watching carefully and they make it clear anyone driving like an arse will swiftly be taken off. There was a great array of machinery on both days from MX5s to a fully race prepared 458, radicals, many a lotus and e46 m3 in various states of tune and a couple of CSLs. I didn't worry about any others (appreciate my car isn't as valuable as a CSL though) but there were some very expensive cars giving it a go.

[moktabe]

whp1983 said:

On the only two I've been on! All drivers were very courteous and aware of their car/ability. The officials are watching carefully and they make it clear anyone driving like an arse will swiftly be taken off. There was a great array of machinery on both days from MX5s to a fully race prepared 458, radicals, many a lotus and e46 m3 in various states of tune and a couple of CSLs. I didn't worry about any others (appreciate my car isn't as valuable as a CSL though) but there were some very expensive cars giving it a go.

Thanks for that mate,

Might give it a go, point noted on helmet rental :-)

[whp1983]

CABC said:

Spot on op.
Candid and true I'd say.
Can you update your thoughts as you do more?

Cheers, yes I will.... I'm working with the pro driver towards doing the ARDS test. Trying to get one track day in a month now.

Smokey32.... You're so right, I really appreciate the benefits of light cars. It bought to focus how heavy road cars are these days.

[Luke Skylarker]

Good morning, I posted a little while back for advice on starting to do a few track days and received some excellent advice. Reading your posting and the responses has been extremely helpful too. I seem to have managed to team up with someone to start off with and I'll try to post back a couple of initial thoughts once I've got through the first day ...... thanks for taking the trouble to share the feedback.

[Smitters]

I would add my experience that tiredness really creeps up on you through the day. If going for the first time, I would suggest resisting the temptation to go out all morning. Instead, let your own car cool decently and get a few passenger laps. This can give you a bit of track learning time and a view to what works and what doesn't in terms of lines, braking etc. People tend to head off after about 3pm, so the track is quieter. Since you've got energy left, now is the time to go out, with a clearer track and a better idea of where you're going.

[Dakkon]

moktabe said:

How do folk generally find the standard of driving ability in general on track days?

The reasoning behind the question is I own a CSL and quite fancy sometimes the idea of taking it on track. Having never been on a trackway prior, I'm well aware that I'm not going to be able to howl it around like some of the more regular track day enthusiasts.

Therein lies my problem!

I am 100% aware of my shortcomings re driving ability but, taking to track in a car that is supposedly built for that reason, is it likely to be a target to be overtaken? That in itself wouldn't bother me remotely. I am well aware it's more the drivers ability to drive than the car, what would bother me if someone else with about the same experience as myself, i.e none, over assumed their ability and piled into me.

If that happened, the only way I'd manage to get on to PH would be if the prison I'd be in had free WiFi.

My outlook for going on a track day wouldn't be to nail every car that I could see in front of me but enjoy the experience of driving to the edge of my ability without having a chat with the local plod.

Thoughts?, or advice?

Driving standard varies massively day to day, track to track, I have seen some complete tools driving round Bedford, one even took out a 650S in his GTR and the marshals did very little despite complaints. However, I see that as a low point, generally it is fine, just let the quicker guy past and park your ego before you go on track.

If you are sharing a track with race cars testing before a race on that circuit then you can see some aggressive driving too, Bedford wins on that count as it is never part of a race series.

Drive within your limits, be courteous, use your mirrors, you should be fine

[C70R]

moktabe said:

I am well aware it's more the drivers ability to drive than the car, what would bother me if someone else with about the same experience as myself, i.e none, over assumed their ability and piled into me.

If that happened, the only way I'd manage to get on to PH would be if the prison I'd be in had free WiFi.

Thoughts?, or advice?

Relax a bit - more generally. Trackdays are supposed to be fun, not stressful. If you're that worried about the small possibility of car-to-car contact (and I gather it's a pretty rare occurrence), either take up autosolo or sprinting.

Alternatively, don't do it in a car that you're precious about. My co-owner and I run a cheap hot hatch, meaning that any damage is both low-stress and cheaply/easily repaired.

[moktabe]

Thanks for the advice guys, more than welcome.

Might be an idea to get myself a crash hat, turn up at the odd track day (Donington is on my doorstep) and cadge one or two PAX rides.

Can see how things work then and go from there.

[james_gt3rs]

moktabe said:

Thoughts?, or advice?

Just like on the road you can tell by the way they are driving whether they will cause an issue or not. Some are simply clueless drivers who can't look in their mirrors and drive at the same time. Others are just dicks like that kebab GTR video posted a while back. In either case I keep my distance, it's pretty unlikely you'd have problems.

[Dakkon]

james_gt3rs said:

moktabe said:

Thoughts?, or advice?

Just like on the road you can tell by the way they are driving whether they will cause an issue or not. Some are simply clueless drivers who can't look in their mirrors and drive at the same time. Others are just dicks like that kebab GTR video posted a while back. In either case I keep my distance, it's pretty unlikely you'd have problems.

Indeed, that was the guy I was referring to, I did not see the actual crash, but his driving up to that point was pretty shocking and I gave him a wide berth.

[Willeh85]

moktabe said:

Thanks for the advice guys, more than welcome.

Might be an idea to get myself a crash hat, turn up at the odd track day (Donington is on my doorstep) and cadge one or two PAX rides.

Can see how things work then and go from there.

I can see from your profile that you're based in Derby, so am I.

A cheaper alternative that I've been to twice this year is Curborough sprint course near Lichfield. You can either become a member of the club for £30 a year and get a number of free days, or you can come to one of the private events run Mark Beardmore of Curburgring Trackdays.

£60 for a days driving, 20cars max, and you get a free breakfast AND lunch in the price. Everyone is really nice there too and will take you on passenger rides. I've found it to be a great introduction to motorsport, and I'll be putting a lot more time into it next year.

Eventually I'll build up to doing the more expensive option of Donington.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curborough-Sprint-C...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/215089785270816/

[moktabe]

Willeh85 said:

I can see from your profile that you're based in Derby, so am I.

A cheaper alternative that I've been to twice this year is Curborough sprint course near Lichfield. You can either become a member of the club for £30 a year and get a number of free days, or you can come to one of the private events run Mark Beardmore of Curburgring Trackdays.

£60 for a days driving, 20cars max, and you get a free breakfast AND lunch in the price. Everyone is really nice there too and will take you on passenger rides. I've found it to be a great introduction to motorsport, and I'll be putting a lot more time into it next year.

Eventually I'll build up to doing the more expensive option of Donington.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curborough-Sprint-C...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/215089785270816/

That's a great help mate, thank you.

[andygtt]

Dakkon said:

moktabe said:

How do folk generally find the standard of driving ability in general on track days?

The reasoning behind the question is I own a CSL and quite fancy sometimes the idea of taking it on track. Having never been on a trackway prior, I'm well aware that I'm not going to be able to howl it around like some of the more regular track day enthusiasts.

Therein lies my problem!

I am 100% aware of my shortcomings re driving ability but, taking to track in a car that is supposedly built for that reason, is it likely to be a target to be overtaken? That in itself wouldn't bother me remotely. I am well aware it's more the drivers ability to drive than the car, what would bother me if someone else with about the same experience as myself, i.e none, over assumed their ability and piled into me.

If that happened, the only way I'd manage to get on to PH would be if the prison I'd be in had free WiFi.

My outlook for going on a track day wouldn't be to nail every car that I could see in front of me but enjoy the experience of driving to the edge of my ability without having a chat with the local plod.

Thoughts?, or advice?

Driving standard varies massively day to day, track to track, I have seen some complete tools driving round Bedford, one even took out a 650S in his GTR and the marshals did very little despite complaints. However, I see that as a low point, generally it is fine, just let the quicker guy past and park your ego before you go on track.

If you are sharing a track with race cars testing before a race on that circuit then you can see some aggressive driving too, Bedford wins on that count as it is never part of a race series.

Drive within your limits, be courteous, use your mirrors, you should be fine

The problem with driving a fast car is you DO become a target, plus you catch lots of cars so end up in traffic a lot.... many won't move over or try to race you even though they are a lot slower.

As a novice Im nervous in traffic and it actually becomes a hindrance being in a fast car as you end up catching traffic constantly rather than just going round at your own pace.

My advice for those Novices in faster cars, pick a larger track with a track day company that keeps numbers low (means cost is higher tho).

[QBee]

For those reading this who have never been on a track day;

It's NOT a free for all.
It does NOT resemble the worst dodgems excesses of the BTCC, or any other race series.
There ARE strict overtaking rules - generally only on the straights, only with the permission of the car in front, and always on the side nominated by the organiser. This is usually the outside, so on a clockwise (right handed) track, it's on the left.

Courtesy is usually good, race circuits are more fun on the whole than airfields. And there will be plenty of time in the seven hours of the track day to get some quality time on track. After the initial urgent rush to get on track it settles down. It's actually nice to have other cars on track, being entirely on your own is actually a little boring.