Epiphany - What have I been doing all these years
Discussion
I went along to Donington for my first track day on Sunday. What an amazing experience! The last time I experienced a similar ‘Buzz’ was back in 1990 on my KDX200. I thought those days where gone.
Epiphany is possibly too strong a word but the experience has answered a number of nagging issues that have been growing over the years. I currently drive a Cerbera and although it is a quick car I consider it very flawed when I experience the crashes and bangs of normal road driving, coupled with the tramlining and unpredictability (even with Nitrons) when dealing with an uneven surface. I have always considered this the price I have to pay for the compromise between handling, performance and comfort.
So I take the Cerbera to Donington and suddenly it appears to make allot of sense. The rattley AJP8 sounds great between 5 – 7k and the smooth surface compliments the stiff suspension. Then I start chatting to the guy in the next garage who’s little Caterfield type car costs a fraction of mine, is just as quick and handles a dam site better. It also costs bugger all to maintain (relatively) and costs far less to straighten up after he hits the barrier or ends up in the kitty litter. Hmmmm, I’m starting to smell another compromise from my ‘Sports Car’ at this point.
So I was driving home feeling very content with my first track experience. For the first time in sports car ownership I’m not cursing at the fact that the poor road conditions are stopping me from ‘enjoying’ my car. Suddenly I wish I had some luxo barge to waft me back home with minimal fuss! I also realised that I was no longer paranoid about getting those extra 3 points, and who I was going to ‘collect’ when honing around the next B road bend.
So my Cerbera is still up for sale. But instead of substituting it for another ‘Sports Car’, I’m going to buy a Misti L200, a trailer and some kind of Westeram to spend my evening’s spannering away with. I can do all this through the sale of my Cerbera and have 1 trackday a month for far less than I currently pay for the pleasure of paranoia and frustration.
Have I been mad for all these years?
Sorry for the rant!
Rob
Epiphany is possibly too strong a word but the experience has answered a number of nagging issues that have been growing over the years. I currently drive a Cerbera and although it is a quick car I consider it very flawed when I experience the crashes and bangs of normal road driving, coupled with the tramlining and unpredictability (even with Nitrons) when dealing with an uneven surface. I have always considered this the price I have to pay for the compromise between handling, performance and comfort.
So I take the Cerbera to Donington and suddenly it appears to make allot of sense. The rattley AJP8 sounds great between 5 – 7k and the smooth surface compliments the stiff suspension. Then I start chatting to the guy in the next garage who’s little Caterfield type car costs a fraction of mine, is just as quick and handles a dam site better. It also costs bugger all to maintain (relatively) and costs far less to straighten up after he hits the barrier or ends up in the kitty litter. Hmmmm, I’m starting to smell another compromise from my ‘Sports Car’ at this point.
So I was driving home feeling very content with my first track experience. For the first time in sports car ownership I’m not cursing at the fact that the poor road conditions are stopping me from ‘enjoying’ my car. Suddenly I wish I had some luxo barge to waft me back home with minimal fuss! I also realised that I was no longer paranoid about getting those extra 3 points, and who I was going to ‘collect’ when honing around the next B road bend.
So my Cerbera is still up for sale. But instead of substituting it for another ‘Sports Car’, I’m going to buy a Misti L200, a trailer and some kind of Westeram to spend my evening’s spannering away with. I can do all this through the sale of my Cerbera and have 1 trackday a month for far less than I currently pay for the pleasure of paranoia and frustration.
Have I been mad for all these years?
Sorry for the rant!
Rob
Thank for the input JonnyW!
I have been thinking about the kind of car to get. I was thinking about an oldish rear wheel drive turbo car, perhaps a stripped out cosworth. Then I think about the weight and how this is going to cost in tyres, brakes and handling etc. There's also the added complexity / cost of a turbo engine. On the other hand there are plenty of 200BHP 2L Westerams out there (QED or Duratec). I would imagine that 200BHP in a 600kg car is quick enough but then again I stand to be corrected! I understand that these things produce a lot of drag? On the other hand I'm not sure if I would be comfortable with speed over 110 -120 in a Westfield type car. Certainly felt hairy enough in the Cerbera!
Cheers,
Rob
I have been thinking about the kind of car to get. I was thinking about an oldish rear wheel drive turbo car, perhaps a stripped out cosworth. Then I think about the weight and how this is going to cost in tyres, brakes and handling etc. There's also the added complexity / cost of a turbo engine. On the other hand there are plenty of 200BHP 2L Westerams out there (QED or Duratec). I would imagine that 200BHP in a 600kg car is quick enough but then again I stand to be corrected! I understand that these things produce a lot of drag? On the other hand I'm not sure if I would be comfortable with speed over 110 -120 in a Westfield type car. Certainly felt hairy enough in the Cerbera!
Cheers,
Rob
Jeremy,
I don't think I could afford an R400. I'll be in the market for a < 10k car, possibly not road legal. With this in mind I have a couple of questions....
Should I really try and go for a road legal car? I can see the advantage when trying out mods / repairs away from the track but are there any advantages?
Also, if I don't have normal road car insurance do I need to get some kind of indemnity insurance?
Finally, I've always been concerned about not having a roof / windows. What happens in a role? I'm not referring to crushing as it will have a roll cage but what about flaying arms outside the cage? I've not heard any horror stories but it seems likely?
Cheers,
Rob
I don't think I could afford an R400. I'll be in the market for a < 10k car, possibly not road legal. With this in mind I have a couple of questions....
Should I really try and go for a road legal car? I can see the advantage when trying out mods / repairs away from the track but are there any advantages?
Also, if I don't have normal road car insurance do I need to get some kind of indemnity insurance?
Finally, I've always been concerned about not having a roof / windows. What happens in a role? I'm not referring to crushing as it will have a roll cage but what about flaying arms outside the cage? I've not heard any horror stories but it seems likely?
Cheers,
Rob
Gassing Station | Track Days | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff