Book a Track Iberia Trip
Discussion
Sorry this is a few days late, but arrived home on Sunday from the marvelous Book a Track Iberia Trip, which included track days at Ascari, Jerez and Portomao.
What a fantastic time of the year to leave our grey skies and head down to Southern Spain, to enjoy shirt sleeve weather and beautiful blue skies, along with three of the best circuits next to the Nurburgring that could ever be driven. Truly, I could not rank the three circuits, all are beautifully laid out, all have elevation change, all have the most dramatic mountain backdrops, Ascari & Portomao have numerous blind-crested-entry, high speed flowing bends, Ascari even has some banking !
I chose to trailer my Caterham from Santander to Ronda ( our hotel stop for the Ascari Circuit ), which with the help of a co-driver it was a direct eleven hour journey. Because of ferry schedules, our arrival gave two free days before the first event. After an excellent nights sleep the Caterham was unloaded from the trailer, and off we drove for two days of the most epic road driving I've ever known ( thank you to John Lyon for bashing some road driving skills into me so many years ago ! ). The mountain roads around Ronda and Malaga at this time of the year are completely deserted, the road surfaces are close to perfection, so even before turning a wheel on track, two fantastic road driving days had been enjoyed.
Book a Track ran a really slick event, my fellow drivers were a courteous, confident and friendly bunch, the driving standards were very high. The whole event reminded me of the original pioneering Wheeltorque Nurburgring events of the late nineties, a fantastic atmosphere !
For those who looked at the event and didn't go, you really missed something.
God willing, I'll be back again for 2012, to Jonny and the crew, my Thanks.
Regards,
What a fantastic time of the year to leave our grey skies and head down to Southern Spain, to enjoy shirt sleeve weather and beautiful blue skies, along with three of the best circuits next to the Nurburgring that could ever be driven. Truly, I could not rank the three circuits, all are beautifully laid out, all have elevation change, all have the most dramatic mountain backdrops, Ascari & Portomao have numerous blind-crested-entry, high speed flowing bends, Ascari even has some banking !
I chose to trailer my Caterham from Santander to Ronda ( our hotel stop for the Ascari Circuit ), which with the help of a co-driver it was a direct eleven hour journey. Because of ferry schedules, our arrival gave two free days before the first event. After an excellent nights sleep the Caterham was unloaded from the trailer, and off we drove for two days of the most epic road driving I've ever known ( thank you to John Lyon for bashing some road driving skills into me so many years ago ! ). The mountain roads around Ronda and Malaga at this time of the year are completely deserted, the road surfaces are close to perfection, so even before turning a wheel on track, two fantastic road driving days had been enjoyed.
Book a Track ran a really slick event, my fellow drivers were a courteous, confident and friendly bunch, the driving standards were very high. The whole event reminded me of the original pioneering Wheeltorque Nurburgring events of the late nineties, a fantastic atmosphere !
For those who looked at the event and didn't go, you really missed something.
God willing, I'll be back again for 2012, to Jonny and the crew, my Thanks.
Regards,
Agreed.
It was a truly wonderful trip, and the circuits were superb, each quite different.
(As an aside I think we spoke briefly on that first evening at the hotel in Ronda.)
I haven't finished processing the 30+ GB of video I recorded, but these two have been uploaded:
chasing a Carrera GT at Ascari
chasing a Ruf Rturbo at Jerez
It was a truly wonderful trip, and the circuits were superb, each quite different.
(As an aside I think we spoke briefly on that first evening at the hotel in Ronda.)
I haven't finished processing the 30+ GB of video I recorded, but these two have been uploaded:
chasing a Carrera GT at Ascari
chasing a Ruf Rturbo at Jerez
Eduardo de Sousa said:
Sounds fantastic,
How much was it?
What did you think of the Portuguese track? I go back to Portugal every year and dying to do it.
Thanks,
Eduardo.
Quite a lot ... How much was it?
What did you think of the Portuguese track? I go back to Portugal every year and dying to do it.
Thanks,
Eduardo.
I thought Portimao was immense: hugely challenging, lots and lots of elevation, very deceptive with corners that would lead you in far too fast and then sprung a surprise on you. I described it at the time as like a combination of Cadwell Park and the Nurburgring GP circuit. However, it was a real power circuit and my K series Elise was really struggling there - it was the only circuit I couldn't make any impression on the more powerful cars. For that reason it was actually my least favourite of the three, but in a more powerful car it was truly fantastic.
tertius said:
Quite a lot ...
I thought Portimao was immense: hugely challenging, lots and lots of elevation, very deceptive with corners that would lead you in far too fast and then sprung a surprise on you. I described it at the time as like a combination of Cadwell Park and the Nurburgring GP circuit. However, it was a real power circuit and my K series Elise was really struggling there - it was the only circuit I couldn't make any impression on the more powerful cars. For that reason it was actually my least favourite of the three, but in a more powerful car it was truly fantastic.
Thanks,I thought Portimao was immense: hugely challenging, lots and lots of elevation, very deceptive with corners that would lead you in far too fast and then sprung a surprise on you. I described it at the time as like a combination of Cadwell Park and the Nurburgring GP circuit. However, it was a real power circuit and my K series Elise was really struggling there - it was the only circuit I couldn't make any impression on the more powerful cars. For that reason it was actually my least favourite of the three, but in a more powerful car it was truly fantastic.
Eduardo.
awesome trip and well done to BAT for making it happen.
The standard of driving was the best I have ever seen.
The weather was awesome!
The circuits were interesting.
I am so glad that I made the trip and I would love to do it again - finances and time permitting.
In answer to the last post - they were "normal" track days, just in a different country.
The standard of driving was the best I have ever seen.
The weather was awesome!
The circuits were interesting.
I am so glad that I made the trip and I would love to do it again - finances and time permitting.
In answer to the last post - they were "normal" track days, just in a different country.
Edited by RMac on Thursday 17th February 23:13
HereBeMonsters said:
I really want a go on Ascari, actually, looks like a great track. Do they do "normal" trackdays? I'd like to be able to set my own itinerary for the trip and save some cash.
As the previous poster says they were run as "normal" trackdays, however, I don't think Ascari run a regular schedule of trackdays that you can simply book like you do at other circuits. I think it has to be organised in the way BaT did, e.g. a club/TDO makes a specific arrangement to book the circuit.Happy to be corrected on this one.
tertius said:
HereBeMonsters said:
I really want a go on Ascari, actually, looks like a great track. Do they do "normal" trackdays? I'd like to be able to set my own itinerary for the trip and save some cash.
As the previous poster says they were run as "normal" trackdays, however, I don't think Ascari run a regular schedule of trackdays that you can simply book like you do at other circuits. I think it has to be organised in the way BaT did, e.g. a club/TDO makes a specific arrangement to book the circuit.Happy to be corrected on this one.
Did you guys get a tour of the storage garages where they keep the Ascaris and F1 cars etc
Some vids from the three tracks:
Ascari - http://vimeo.com/20142364
Jerez - http://vimeo.com/20146684 look out for the gooning Caterham at the end of this lap and at the start of the next one http://vimeo.com/20147564.
Finally Portimao, bumps 'n all http://vimeo.com/20133622
Ascari - http://vimeo.com/20142364
Jerez - http://vimeo.com/20146684 look out for the gooning Caterham at the end of this lap and at the start of the next one http://vimeo.com/20147564.
Finally Portimao, bumps 'n all http://vimeo.com/20133622
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