Donnington Noise Limit 98db`s and a Std GT3 - DO NOT MIX
Discussion
This is posted as a warning before you spend your money to blast round Donnington on a 98db driveby noise limit day. It is not intended to put you off the place just arm you with the experience I had last week in order for you to make a decision before you part with your cash........
I completed a Donnington trackday there last week with the 98db driveby noise limit in force. I was Black flagged twice in the morning for excessive noise. I appealed and was let on in the afternoon after promising to short shift and not overtake any cars ( ridiculous I know on track). Despite this I was further Black flagged in the afternoon and sent packing.
My car is a bog stock 997.1 GT3
The problem seemed to arise when more than one car passed the noise meter at any given time and the combined noise was over the limit. The circuit have to be seen to be taking positive action - regardless.
The organisers ( Circuit Days ) were very helpful in pleading my case as they had recently had a GT3 RS round the circuit by itself and it only managed 89db`s driveby. Obviously with other cars added the noise increases.
I did say to the circuit staff what if it was a Porsche only day ? Their reply was it would have been finished by mid morning !
There is no static test on arrival and you will not see the readings that are radio`d down to the pit lane marshall. On our day there were two GT3`s and two RS`s. 3 out of the 4 were sent home and all were standard cars. The last one was not being driven particularly hard.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that was my experience as of last week and thought it needs sharing as the organisers will take your money but have no sway with the circuit should you be over the noise limit and cannot overrule them should you be black flagged.
Donnington is now off my list unless they increase the noise limits allowed. I reiterate again my car is totally standard and road legal.
People were stuffing exhausts full of wire wool and holding it in with chicken wire to try and creep below the limit. Various cars were struggling with noise including a VW golf , Radical and a GTR
Forewarned is forearmed
I completed a Donnington trackday there last week with the 98db driveby noise limit in force. I was Black flagged twice in the morning for excessive noise. I appealed and was let on in the afternoon after promising to short shift and not overtake any cars ( ridiculous I know on track). Despite this I was further Black flagged in the afternoon and sent packing.
My car is a bog stock 997.1 GT3
The problem seemed to arise when more than one car passed the noise meter at any given time and the combined noise was over the limit. The circuit have to be seen to be taking positive action - regardless.
The organisers ( Circuit Days ) were very helpful in pleading my case as they had recently had a GT3 RS round the circuit by itself and it only managed 89db`s driveby. Obviously with other cars added the noise increases.
I did say to the circuit staff what if it was a Porsche only day ? Their reply was it would have been finished by mid morning !
There is no static test on arrival and you will not see the readings that are radio`d down to the pit lane marshall. On our day there were two GT3`s and two RS`s. 3 out of the 4 were sent home and all were standard cars. The last one was not being driven particularly hard.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that was my experience as of last week and thought it needs sharing as the organisers will take your money but have no sway with the circuit should you be over the noise limit and cannot overrule them should you be black flagged.
Donnington is now off my list unless they increase the noise limits allowed. I reiterate again my car is totally standard and road legal.
People were stuffing exhausts full of wire wool and holding it in with chicken wire to try and creep below the limit. Various cars were struggling with noise including a VW golf , Radical and a GTR
Forewarned is forearmed
Magic919 said:
I thought this mentioned a while back. Donington and Bedford can be problematic in stock cars.
Did you unplug the exhaust valve vacuum tube first?
I have read about this but TBH have no interest in doing it. Its not how the car was designed to be run in the upper reaches of the rev range.Did you unplug the exhaust valve vacuum tube first?
If its totally road legal then it should be no problem on track. Which is more than I can say for some of the other sheds that were there on the day , but thats another story.
Perhaps a car meet needs to be organised outside the house of the moaning MP that is the cause of Donnington`s problems. I`d happily dive up and down his road all day in first gear at 8k revs - perfectly legally !
Having sniffed round Google a little I found this. Interesting part is at the bottom of the QUIET DAYS section about the UK MOT.
Strange that on the Donnington Park Circuit Website they seem to have missed this sentence off. What they hope to achieve by this is a mystery. UK MOT noise limit is 101db`s according to Dft website. So ultimately we can take from this is that even if your car is road legal it is not necessarily going to pass the noise restriction imposed by Donnington.
""Motor Racing, Motorcycle Racing and associated Motorsport activities are permitted at Donington Park under four Section 73 Planning Permissions which were granted in November 2011. Conditions set out in the Permissions specify the periods, timing and noise control under which activities are permitted to take place at the circuit, and these are a matter of public record. They are summarised below.
RACE DAYS
Racing or pre-race practising by vehicles with a drive by test noise limit in excess of 98dBA is permitted on a total of 60 days per annum between the hours of 9am and 8pm and is subject to the following noise limits:
The total number of days cannot exceed 60 per calendar year consisting of
Up to 20 days may be unsilenced (i.e above a noise level of 118dBa)
Up to 40 days may be above a noise level of 108dBa but below 118dBa
Up to 60 days may be above a noise level of 98dBa but below 108dBa
The noise levels are measured in accordance with the procedures set out by the appropriate motorsports Governing Body. Racing normally takes place at weekends.
TEST DAYS
Testing of motorsports vehicles is permitted on 2 days per week throughout the year between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
Testing is not subject to noise limits, but no more than 6 unsilenced vehicles may be on the circuit for testing at any one time.
Test Days cannot be consecutive, cannot take place on weekends or Bank Holidays and cannot take place immediately before or after a Race or Pre-Race Practice Day. Testing normally takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
QUIET DAYS
Use of the circuit is permitted on 365 days per annum between the hours of 9am and 5pm and, on days not governed by the Race or Test day rules as above, is subject to the following noise limit:
Not exceeding 98 dBA on a circuit drive-by test.
Quiet days are used for driver/rider training, or to gain circuit experience. The noise limit is below that required for the UK MOT test and so vehicles used are normally road legal.
RALLY DAYS
Use of the circuit and the Donington Estate is permitted on 2 days per annum to hold a stage of the World Rally Championship.
Not exceeding 100dBA as measured at the same height as, at an angle of 45 degrees to, and at 0.5m away from the exhaust, at normal operating temperature 4500rpm.
The rally stage must be held in the months of November or December and only between the hours of 9am and 9pm.
Procedures for managing noise are detailed in Donington Park’s Noise Management Plan. The plan is subject to routine review. The circuit operator, the track hirers, race promoters and the motorsports governing bodies carry out noise measurement tests to ensure all vehicles comply with the appropriate noise restrictions. Vehicles exceeding permitted noise levels are prevented from using the circuit.
Visitors to all events held on the Donington Estate are controlled by licensing limits. For race or pre-race practising events where vehicles with a noise limit in excess of 98dBA are used, on no more than 40 days per annum may the total visitor number exceed 10,000.""
Strange that on the Donnington Park Circuit Website they seem to have missed this sentence off. What they hope to achieve by this is a mystery. UK MOT noise limit is 101db`s according to Dft website. So ultimately we can take from this is that even if your car is road legal it is not necessarily going to pass the noise restriction imposed by Donnington.
""Motor Racing, Motorcycle Racing and associated Motorsport activities are permitted at Donington Park under four Section 73 Planning Permissions which were granted in November 2011. Conditions set out in the Permissions specify the periods, timing and noise control under which activities are permitted to take place at the circuit, and these are a matter of public record. They are summarised below.
RACE DAYS
Racing or pre-race practising by vehicles with a drive by test noise limit in excess of 98dBA is permitted on a total of 60 days per annum between the hours of 9am and 8pm and is subject to the following noise limits:
The total number of days cannot exceed 60 per calendar year consisting of
Up to 20 days may be unsilenced (i.e above a noise level of 118dBa)
Up to 40 days may be above a noise level of 108dBa but below 118dBa
Up to 60 days may be above a noise level of 98dBa but below 108dBa
The noise levels are measured in accordance with the procedures set out by the appropriate motorsports Governing Body. Racing normally takes place at weekends.
TEST DAYS
Testing of motorsports vehicles is permitted on 2 days per week throughout the year between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
Testing is not subject to noise limits, but no more than 6 unsilenced vehicles may be on the circuit for testing at any one time.
Test Days cannot be consecutive, cannot take place on weekends or Bank Holidays and cannot take place immediately before or after a Race or Pre-Race Practice Day. Testing normally takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
QUIET DAYS
Use of the circuit is permitted on 365 days per annum between the hours of 9am and 5pm and, on days not governed by the Race or Test day rules as above, is subject to the following noise limit:
Not exceeding 98 dBA on a circuit drive-by test.
Quiet days are used for driver/rider training, or to gain circuit experience. The noise limit is below that required for the UK MOT test and so vehicles used are normally road legal.
RALLY DAYS
Use of the circuit and the Donington Estate is permitted on 2 days per annum to hold a stage of the World Rally Championship.
Not exceeding 100dBA as measured at the same height as, at an angle of 45 degrees to, and at 0.5m away from the exhaust, at normal operating temperature 4500rpm.
The rally stage must be held in the months of November or December and only between the hours of 9am and 9pm.
Procedures for managing noise are detailed in Donington Park’s Noise Management Plan. The plan is subject to routine review. The circuit operator, the track hirers, race promoters and the motorsports governing bodies carry out noise measurement tests to ensure all vehicles comply with the appropriate noise restrictions. Vehicles exceeding permitted noise levels are prevented from using the circuit.
Visitors to all events held on the Donington Estate are controlled by licensing limits. For race or pre-race practising events where vehicles with a noise limit in excess of 98dBA are used, on no more than 40 days per annum may the total visitor number exceed 10,000.""
Sunnysidebb said:
So coming from an owner of a 650bhp 911 ( not all that quiet) it still has to be said that Racing circuits are finding it incredibly difficult in this NIMBY country we live in. Motorsport of all disciplines in a risk, it was in the 90's and 2000 and still is. So its a hard pill to swallow considering these tracks were built many many years before any housing scheme were built in the area. If this is what has to be done to keep all forms of Motorsport alive in this country, well it has to be done and actively policed.
On another point ,what we have to remember is that regardless who holds the moral high ground ,peoples lives and living conditions will and must always take precedence over what we do for fun. It hurts me to say all that and I feel a bit peeved, but we have to think about others no matter if they are right or wrong.
Just a wee thought, but eventually, IMHO all forms of motorcar ownership will be seen in the way Smokers are now. Second Class citizens, but hey its a democracy we live in...................isn't it!
Ok ... so why dont the circuits get more aggressive in their defence of their likelihood ? On another point ,what we have to remember is that regardless who holds the moral high ground ,peoples lives and living conditions will and must always take precedence over what we do for fun. It hurts me to say all that and I feel a bit peeved, but we have to think about others no matter if they are right or wrong.
Just a wee thought, but eventually, IMHO all forms of motorcar ownership will be seen in the way Smokers are now. Second Class citizens, but hey its a democracy we live in...................isn't it!
Edited by Sunnysidebb on Sunday 8th April 09:35
People living conditions are usually a result of their own choices and I would like to know how many of the moaners and whingers were forced to move into their current house.
Second class citizen for owning a car ???? I doubt it...... the revenue alone is worth squillions they could not do without.
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