going from novice day to full on - talk to me
Discussion
So - myself and fellow PHer Peatmoor had an absolute f
king blast at an MSV noobie track day at Snetterton on sunday. Absolutely brilliant fun and am now totally hooked and want to race the s2000 every weekend.
Question - how much more hardcore is a proper trackday and how much more risk to trashing my car am I taking if I do one? Snetterton felt safe and secure - no overtaking on corners and obviously everyone there is a noober so they are feeling their way and being cautious. I liked the fact I felt relatively sure there were no nutters out there who were going to trash my car by doing stupid st so I could relax and enjoy the day , but having watched the Youtube videos of trackday carnage I'm slightly concerned about stepping up into the big boys league. Reassure me...
king blast at an MSV noobie track day at Snetterton on sunday. Absolutely brilliant fun and am now totally hooked and want to race the s2000 every weekend.Question - how much more hardcore is a proper trackday and how much more risk to trashing my car am I taking if I do one? Snetterton felt safe and secure - no overtaking on corners and obviously everyone there is a noober so they are feeling their way and being cautious. I liked the fact I felt relatively sure there were no nutters out there who were going to trash my car by doing stupid s
t so I could relax and enjoy the day , but having watched the Youtube videos of trackday carnage I'm slightly concerned about stepping up into the big boys league. Reassure me...krunchkin said:
So - myself and fellow PHer Peatmoor had an absolute fking blast at an MSV noobie track day at Snetterton on sunday. Absolutely brilliant fun and am now totally hooked and want to race the s2000 every weekend.
..
You need to give up trackdays and go racing then. Even "full on " track days have overtaking rules.king blast at an MSV noobie track day at Snetterton on sunday. Absolutely brilliant fun and am now totally hooked and want to race the s2000 every weekend...
Every trackday has rules regarding overtaking, usually it is permitted only on one side and only on the straights.
I have never driven at a novice day but I've been to one and although everybody was slow and well behaved, I don't think it's a significant step up to a normal all-comers trackday. Of course some folk will be going faster but the rules still apply.
It's also worth noting that while genuine nutters are rare, you could meet one at a novice day just the same as you could on a normal trackday.
I have never driven at a novice day but I've been to one and although everybody was slow and well behaved, I don't think it's a significant step up to a normal all-comers trackday. Of course some folk will be going faster but the rules still apply.
It's also worth noting that while genuine nutters are rare, you could meet one at a novice day just the same as you could on a normal trackday.
Goldtrack day on Monday will have the same rules , overtake on left only with consent on the straights , biggest difference is speed and the type of cars there , full on race cars , very high powered sports cars mainly all going pretty quick , most important is to watch your mirrors as there is always faster than you and obey the rules .
Still great fun but you need your wits about you .
Tux
Still great fun but you need your wits about you .
Tux
krunchkin said:
jumping ahead a bit there. I want to take my s2000 out and track it properly but just interested to know how much more nutty an open pit lane day is compared to a noob day.
You will be fine , just as some said watch your mirrors and stick to the rules. You will tend to find that the most experience track drivers tend to be most of the time quite courteous and won't put you under pressure.
The main thing is not to panic when you see fast cars approching, that can push you to get out of shape. Keep your line , and on the straights let them pass. They won't expect more from you.
Enjoy
Eduardo.
in my opinion you should not worry to much about the step up if you are aware of whats going on around you but there is a difference. Lots more race cars on track with vast speed variations between straights and corners for example 7 type kitcars fast in corners but not necessarily on straights so do have to be considerate in letting them past to avoid last minute lunges at end of straights.
But most of all is avoiding your own red mist when getting carried along with what can be a faster more self competitive time pushing you into a making your own mistakes
But most of all is avoiding your own red mist when getting carried along with what can be a faster more self competitive time pushing you into a making your own mistakes
Some TDOs have started to off a "no race cars" policy on some of their days - this could be a good intermediate stage for you.
I agree that it can be somewhat unnerving to have a full-on GT3-spec race car hare past you and make you feel like you're going backwards. The important thing is not to do anything unpredictable - stick to your line.
I agree that it can be somewhat unnerving to have a full-on GT3-spec race car hare past you and make you feel like you're going backwards. The important thing is not to do anything unpredictable - stick to your line.
krunchkin said:
jumping ahead a bit there. I want to take my s2000 out and track it properly but just interested to know how much more nutty an open pit lane day is compared to a noob day.
Not nutty at all but faster that is all.Yo uwill learn loads about your cars and your limits.
Never stop taking instruction.
I guess for us there is no harm in doing another novice day, and like you were doing - double sessions to get time on the track up and reduce waiting around time. Like the man says, never stop taking instruction and by the end of the second novice day we'll be fed-up of novices and want to move onto the "big boys"! The next step a road-car only event sounds perfect.
I think I'll be upgrading my brakes first though, the stock brakes are not up to the job for a full day.
I think I'll be upgrading my brakes first though, the stock brakes are not up to the job for a full day.
Trackdays are generally very easy going and 90% of people behave themselves.
If you're worried then go on a more expensive day - they generally have people with more expensive machinery (not saying this makes them quick though), and fewer people. They "seem" to be hotter on pulling people up that misbehave.
I've done quite a few trackdays over the years and the only time i've thought things were getting iffy were a) at a cheapo donington trackday that was full of idiots many years ago and b) when the guys i race with in the grads club have pretty much fully booked a trackday because it happened to be the day before our race weekend and people have started to properly race each other.
All trackdays have rules on overtaking and it's generally not acceptable to be 6" off the bumper of the car in front forcing them over.
If you want proper no limits stuff then do your ARDS and book onto a test day with a race car. Mixing it with other cars with different abilities is great fun!
If you're worried then go on a more expensive day - they generally have people with more expensive machinery (not saying this makes them quick though), and fewer people. They "seem" to be hotter on pulling people up that misbehave.
I've done quite a few trackdays over the years and the only time i've thought things were getting iffy were a) at a cheapo donington trackday that was full of idiots many years ago and b) when the guys i race with in the grads club have pretty much fully booked a trackday because it happened to be the day before our race weekend and people have started to properly race each other.
All trackdays have rules on overtaking and it's generally not acceptable to be 6" off the bumper of the car in front forcing them over.
If you want proper no limits stuff then do your ARDS and book onto a test day with a race car. Mixing it with other cars with different abilities is great fun!
g40steve said:
Cannot think of anything worse than track full of virgins tripping over each other & copying each others mistakes.
That's not my experience of novice days at all (I did 3 before moving to normal OPL events). To the OP, good advice above, be courteous, non-macho and have some tuition and you'll get better and enjoy yourself more and more. GT4EDS said:
You will tend to find that the most experience track drivers tend to be most of the time quite courteous and won't put you under pressure.
The main thing is not to panic when you see fast cars approching, that can push you to get out of shape. Keep your line , and on the straights let them pass. They won't expect more from you.
Enjoy
Eduardo.
This!The main thing is not to panic when you see fast cars approching, that can push you to get out of shape. Keep your line , and on the straights let them pass. They won't expect more from you.
Enjoy
Eduardo.
If you drive sensibly, there is no reason an all-comers track day should be any less safe than an all-newb day.
The VAST majority of UK track days (but not all) operate the rules of:
Only overtake on the straights, and by "consent" (usually by the 'slower' car indicating or waving);
Overtaking is on one side only (either left or right - They will tell you, several times, in the briefing);
No overtaking in the corners OR the braking zones.
Anyway, with an S2000, you should be able to keep up pace with the majority on track days (There will ALWAYS be both faster AND slower cars, no matter what).
If you find yourself on the same bit of track as someone who looks like they are being a bit lairy, then just ease off for a half-lap or come into the pits for a rest.
And importantly, concentrate on what YOU and YOUR car are capable of - don't try and brake 20 feet later in that last corner just because you seen the guy in the Caterham do it the lap before!
Olivera said:
Unfortunately on most UK trackdays that is the case, which causes the inevitable trains of cars due to quicker stuff gunning it on the straights.
And this can be the most frustrating part of any track day... No matter how often I hear in a briefing for the fast straight-line cars to be aware of the faster-cornering cars and let them past if they are 'lapping' faster overall, I rarely see this in practice!... Only remedy in these situations is to drop back for a while yourself, or come in for a rest (before the red mist sets in!!).Gassing Station | Track Days | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff