Snetterton 300 Friday 28th Feb
Snetterton 300 Friday 28th Feb
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Discussion

billyboysm3

Original Poster:

171 posts

177 months

Thursday 20th February 2014
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Anyone going? Im tempted as not done Snetterton this year yet?

http://www.opentrack.co.uk/snetterton-300/

Will be in Black E36 328

QBee

22,092 posts

166 months

Thursday 20th February 2014
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If you want a cheaper one at Snetterton, and are free tomorrow, its £99....and apparently (not looked myself) the forecast is good.

http://www.clubmsv.com/

chormy

636 posts

218 months

Friday 21st February 2014
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Opentrack day is booked for me, great TDO and free donuts and pics.

fat80b

3,171 posts

243 months

Friday 21st February 2014
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We're booked on this one in the MX5, winter has seen a head rebuild and new Gaz golds fitted so looking forward to it.

This is the shakedown for the autosolo and targa rally season starting in March

Bob

edh

3,498 posts

291 months

Friday 21st February 2014
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I'm there in my silver Boxster - first time at Snetterton.

Opentrack package is excellent IMO

Oh Behave

342 posts

247 months

Monday 24th February 2014
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I'll be there in my 172 Cup & my mate is bringing his freshly built & tuned MADevelopments Evo 8 MR. Going to be fun :-)

sbird

325 posts

200 months

Saturday 1st March 2014
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I was there on Friday. Probably the slowest thing on track frown Lest just after 4pm due to the westher getting worse, but was still a good day.

Anyone one here span? I forget what car it was, but someone in a white car span in front of me, and the red tricked-out car (a Renault?) with bolt-on aero mods ended up on the grass.

Oh Behave

342 posts

247 months

Saturday 1st March 2014
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The red car was a seat Leon. Really enjoyed the day, had one big moment but managed to recover it!!

GTO600

1,877 posts

273 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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It was slippery early on with a few people going off ploughing up Mr Palmers grass laugh

Dried up nicely & managed some good laps until the rain at 3pm so decided to pack up & make my 5 hour journey home weeping

Edited by GTO600 on Sunday 2nd March 10:04

edh

3,498 posts

291 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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I thought the general level of driving & courtesy was very good. My first visit to snett so taking it pretty easy. Several corners are faster than they look..

Saw a few clios go off - two right in front of me turning into the rh after the bomb hole

Looking forward to seeing the pics (if you're reading this dave..)

sbird

325 posts

200 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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The 'keep off the grass' thing annoyed me a lot. I've never done any serious damage to grass verges, but I've accidentally cut corners due to poor lines or incorrectly judging a braking point on many occassions - it's one way to learn.

The extra rule put me off trying so hard, as I could have easily clocked up 2 pointless black flags by 11am. It's enough of a downside to discourage me from visiting Snett for a while - there's other good tracks I can go to instead.

The day was well run though. Marshals got the cars onto track quickly, and plenty of announcements as to what was going on with the handful of track closures. Sighting laps were faster than I've experienced elsewhere.

It's the first time I've been out where overtaking was allowed in the bends. Most people acted sensibly, but a few misunderstood the "don't cut people up in the braking zone" bit of the briefing. At one point a car (won't say which), dived up my left hand side at the last minute, preventing me from getting back on the driving line to take the corner at the normal speed. End result was some harsh emergency braking to be able to make the corner at all.

The relaxed rules did make things flow better. I was holding most of the cars up in the corners, but a few of them had no chance to get past on the main straights, except in the braking zone. Using the outside of Williams & Bomb Hole/Coram sorted that out nicely.

Appologies to anyone that I got in the way of. Felt like a bit of noob at times.

QBee

22,092 posts

166 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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sbird said:
Apologies to anyone that I got in the way of. Felt like a bit of noob at times.
No need to apologise- I love MX5s on track, its nice to have something out there i can guarantee to be able to overtake, after an appropriate period of making the making the MX5 driver believe he's a driving god, of course hehe
Seriously. so long as you drive with half an eye on your mirror, an MX5 is, from other peoples' perspective, an nice predictable car and so not a danger.
What gets my goat on track is drivers not using their mirrors and weaving all over the track, and dangerous overtaking in stupid places. The general rule is "with the consent/knowledge of the person you are overtaking". It upsets me when i am driving well over £10,000 worth of road car on track, and some prat in a stripped out old shed worth 45p (on a good day), and brought to the track on a trailer, comes barrelling past at the last second into a corner because he frankly "doesn't give a damn", to paraphrase Clark Gable. furious

GTO600

1,877 posts

273 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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Well l hope l didn't upset anyone overtaking & did try to obey the general rules.

QBee

22,092 posts

166 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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GTO600 said:
Well l hope l didn't upset anyone overtaking & did try to obey the general rules.
I imagine that everyone went "Wow, a Noble" and admired the way you hurtled past. Your car will be on their wish list now - a Noble certainly is on mine, and I already have a 5 litre TVR.

On my last visit to Snetterton it was a general car day, rather than a road car only day, and a race team had brought a fully race-prepped Ginetta G55. To say he was quicker than the rest of the crew was an understatement, even in the wet. He just appeared out of nowhere in our mirrors. But he remembered his manners and was a pleasure to be on track with, and being bright blue we were able to see him coming and not hold him up. Good day all round

sbird

325 posts

200 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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QBee said:
Seriously. so long as you drive with half an eye on your mirror, an MX5 is, from other peoples' perspective, an nice predictable car and so not a danger.
What's the power-to-weight on your TVR?

QBee

22,092 posts

166 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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sbird said:
What's the power-to-weight on your TVR?
283bhp per tonne

sbird

325 posts

200 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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QBee said:
sbird said:
What's the power-to-weight on your TVR?
283bhp per tonne
Believe it or not, there are a couple of newer MX5 around that ballpark (one at ~280 and one at 300), so don't dismiss them entirely.

QBee

22,092 posts

166 months

Sunday 2nd March 2014
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sbird said:
QBee said:
sbird said:
What's the power-to-weight on your TVR?
283bhp per tonne
Believe it or not, there are a couple of newer MX5 around that ballpark (one at ~280 and one at 300), so don't dismiss them entirely.
Yup, read about the turbo one - was just gently winding you up whistle
Of the group of us who do track days together, mine is about the lowest powered at 300 bhp in a 1060kg car. Highest of the Chimaeras is around 370, and we have a friend with a 4.7 cerbera who is around 480 bhp in a 1170 kg car. . But mine is well set up, and has bucket loads of torque (330 ft lbs/lbs ft,can never remember which it is), so is a match for most of my higher powered friends

TBH, the handling is far more important. A well driven Caterfield, with far less bhp per tonne, will leave me for dead in the corners (only to watch me cruise back past on the straights). As does a Lotus Evora or a Noble, but I don't get back past them! A well driven MX5 is a good challenge for a TVR, as I like to catch them in the corners to prove my car's handling and my driving skill. Out-dragging on the straight is not actually all its cracked up to be, and I tend to back off on the straights unless I need to overtake.

gruffalo

8,089 posts

248 months

Monday 3rd March 2014
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Just thought I would stick some stats up from Saturday, mine is the 480bhp Cerbera that QBee has mentioned and I had a RaceLogic V Box in the car for a few laps.

Average lap time is around 2:23, max lateral G was 1.35, max braking G was 1.21 and max acceletating G was 0.741.

Max speed was on the Bentley straight at 135 so I was being to gentle on the brakes as she can stop alot harder than that was I was too late on the power at the start of the straight as last time I was at Snett I was hitting a max speed of 137 and that was with 402bhp.

Engine had only done 1500 miles since the rebuilt and was a little tight however.

edh

3,498 posts

291 months

Tuesday 4th March 2014
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Pics are up on opentrack's flickr photostream