Trackdays, It began with a 306..

[Pebbles167]

I've been meaning to start one of these threads for a while, but never managed to get around to it. So with a week off work, I thought I'd share a history of my generally ambitious but rubbish driving, accompanied by some pics. I've compiled this all together over the last hour, using my phone and generally getting stressed with the formatting! To that end, apologies if it's a struggle to read, as it was hurriedly written. I'll edit and upload more pics as time goes on, or I do something new.



Previously owned Car/Bike list as of 08/09/2021

1 - Peugeot 106 Xsi 1.4
2 - VW Golf Mk4 1.6
3 - Renault Laguna Mk2 1.8
4 - Peugeot 306 Gti6 - Trackday
5 - Peigeot 306 Hdi
6 - Jaguar X Type 3.0
7 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III - Trackday
8 - Peugeot 106 Gti
9 - Peugeot 306 Gti6
10 - Peugeot 306 Rallye - Trackday
11 - Peugeot 306 Rallye race spec - Trackday
12 - Alpina B10 V8
13 - Peugeot 206 Gti 180 - Trackday
14 - Peugeot 406 Coupe 3.0 - Trackday
15 - Honda Civic Type R FN2
16 - Peugeot 306 Hdi Stage 2 - Trackday
17 - Subaru Legacy GT 2.0T
18 - Toyota Yaris T Sport - Trackday
19 - Volkswagen Golf MkV Gti - Trackday

1. Suzuki GSXR SRAD 600
2. Yamaha XJR 1300
3. Yamaha Fazer 600
4. Suzuki GSXR K4 1000
5. BMW K1200R - Trackday
6. Suzuki GSXR SRAD 750 - Race
7. Yamaha YZF600R
8. Yamaha R1 5VY
9. Moto Guzzi V7 iii Special

I started track daying at 18 in 2009, at the time I had a 306 Gti6 as a spare car, and thought this was something I'd like to get myself started in.



At the time, this was all new to me, and I thought I knew more than I did about cars. I stripped the car out and bought some crap lowering springs, and only when I came to fit them did I find myself baffled by what I now know is a rear torsion bar set up that was common on Pug hatches. Since fitting springs was all i knew how to do, i lowered the front alone, and took it on track anyway. The handling characteristics became rather... interesting, and after a snapped droplink, it all ended how you might expect.






I broke the car for parts and did a few track sessions in my Evo III, due to a divorce, I stopped trackdays and started riding motorcycles. After crashing my Evo into a kerb on my way to the shop, I sold that and my old GSXR, and bought a brand new XJR1300 as a divorce present to myself, only to crash it within a year and do some significant damage to myself, including broken vertebrae, ribs, damaged organs, and both wrists broken, especially the right, after which I have regained about 75% movement.








As soon as I could walk and drive again, I bought a couple of 306 Rallyes, one nice white one which actually had a few seconds of time on BBC Top Gear, and a black one with coilovers, thick ARBs and a cage on Yoko AD08. I did trackdays in both, the white one was great, but the black one really could have done with a bit more power to go with the decent chassis.








Missing the speed of bikes, I sold the Rallyes and bought a GSXR 1000, only to find that I began to miss cars again a few months later. An Alpina B10 V8 came up cheap, and so bought that to scratch the V8 itch, and at the same time traded my GSXR for a BMW K1200R to go riding with my old man, who'd just bought his first bike in about 30 years.






I started doing motorcycle trackdays on the BMW, and wanting something with 4 wheels to track, I looked to the Alpina, but found that I was always terrified it might blow up and cost a fortune. I sold that, and bought a 206 GTI 180 which proved to be a brilliant, if occasionally troublesome bit of kit.







Deciding that I wanted to focus solely on bikes from here on out. I traded my 206 for a wafty 406 coupe V6 that I'd always wanted, and sold my BMW K1200R. Next, I got my race license and bought a prepped GSXR 750 SRAD. Two weeks later I was in my first race weekend at Castle Combe, on a bike I barely knew. The Saturday race was cancelled after a horrific fatal crash further up the field, but I did okay in the following races on Sunday, managing a 12th place out of 30 in the rookie class. I also managed to get my daughter into the spirit by finding a pink Yamaha PW50 fairly local.











Having only ever done Castle Combe for trackdays, I ventured further out on my bike and rode Donington, Rockingham, Pembrey, Silverstone and at the end of the year I booked a European trackday weekend and rode Cartagena circuit in Spain.




Early in 2017, I was testing in March for the coming race season. It was a soaking day, and being a bit overconfident in the wet, I managed to get a tank slapper on, and binned the bike on Combe straight at around 80-100mph and hit the metal barrier. I broke my lower spine fairly severely, and ruined my right ankle.

[url]




I spent the next 4 months in a wheelchair, and for a while it was touch and go as to what parts below my waist would recover. Ultimately, everything healed up fine, and I was healthy again, albeit with some loss of reflexes and feeling.



Forbidden by my family to ride bikes, I found myself stuck with a rather good condition and comfortable 406, which handled like a bit of a Pudding when driven hard.





Unfortunately that summer, I rear ended someone on entrance to a roundabout, and despite their car being fine, for a 3mph impact it certainly ruined the front end of my 406. I decided that since the car would look fine with a cheap fix, but always be slightly tatty unless I spend a lot, I decided to turn it into a track car.



So far I've managed a trackday at Rockingham, several at Castle Combe, and I managed to get it over to the Nurburgring in the summer with my old man.








I've cut out two of the four cats, and straight piped the back, put some decent stiff springs on it, also lowering it by about 60mm, stripped out the interior, fitted two race seats with harnesses and stuck a good half cage in it. I also upgraded the tyres to Nankang NS2R, and I gotta say, while it's no hot hatch, it's not a bad handler. I don't really know where to go from here. I think in the future, I'll probably buy something faster with a turbo that I can mod at will, but for now, my trusty 406 is keeping my happy

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Pebbles167 on Sunday 10th April 20:48

[Fast and Spurious]

Awesome post, very enjoyable read. Best stay clear of bikes!!

[Pebbles167]

Fast and Spurious said:

Awesome post, very enjoyable read. Best stay clear of bikes!!

Thanks buddy

Yeah no more racing for me, although I am tempted by an Aprilia RS125

[samoht]

Thanks for sharing, you've certainly been adventurous and of course that makes the best stories to share :-)

If it was me, in terms of what's next I'd look for a car that's RWD and relatively lightweight, that way you can have rather a lot of fun on road and track, while still having a bit more protection if (when) you overstep the mark. Maybe an SW20 turbo?

Also, please don't take this the wrong way but I've personally found that having a bit of instruction on both road and track makes it easier to get the best out of the car while keeping it in one piece.

[a11y_m]

You've fitted a hell of a lot into the past 10 years! Good effort, although it sounds like although you like bikes I don't think the feeling's mutual

How much weight did you manage to get out of the 406? A good friend had a couple of them back in the day and they really were wafts cruisers but good fun down the local backroads.

[Pebbles167]

samoht said:

Thanks for sharing, you've certainly been adventurous and of course that makes the best stories to share :-)

If it was me, in terms of what's next I'd look for a car that's RWD and relatively lightweight, that way you can have rather a lot of fun on road and track, while still having a bit more protection if (when) you overstep the mark. Maybe an SW20 turbo?

Also, please don't take this the wrong way but I've personally found that having a bit of instruction on both road and track makes it easier to get the best out of the car while keeping it in one piece.

Not taking it the wrong way at all, I appreciate the advice! I'm not incredibly fast, but I found driving and riding came naturally so I was quick straight away on bikes and cars. I soon realised that being able to sort it out when things got tricky was something I was not so good at, so I did invest in tuition. Hopefully wont happen again!

As for the car, I was thinking down silimar lines to you. Main choice was possibly an MX5 maybe with a turbo, or possibly even a Westfield if funds allow. My brother in law has an SW20 turbo he's just got, were taking it on track in Feb, so might get one if I like it

a11y_m said:

You've fitted a hell of a lot into the past 10 years! Good effort, although it sounds like although you like bikes I don't think the feeling's mutual

How much weight did you manage to get out of the 406? A good friend had a couple of them back in the day and they really were wafts cruisers but good fun down the local backroads.

Haha yeah dont think the bikes work so well for me! Shame, as I was pretty good and I'm crap at conventional stuff like footy

I reckon that after seats, carpets, spare wheel etc I lost about 250kg. Book weight is 1500kg. But the cage is probably a good 25kg, and I'm 65kg. A guy on the owners club has his down to 1050kg! It handles pretty well, but is prone to a bit of understeer if you press too hard in slow speed corners.

[idealstandard]

Brilliant post, and nice to see some serious love of the french stuff. When I was growing up my Mum had a 306 XSI 2.0 which always seemed like such a cool car.

Steer clear of the bikes

[tvrfan007]

I recognise the white rallye but I cant place the owner. Has red decals but they are normally grey on the 306 plus its only 1 digit different from my reg, that’s why I know I’ve seen it somewhere on the Gti6 forum.

Quite a journey, you must have had 9 lives!

[Pebbles167]

idealstandard said:

Brilliant post, and nice to see some serious love of the french stuff. When I was growing up my Mum had a 306 XSI 2.0 which always seemed like such a cool car.

Steer clear of the bikes

Thanks

The XSI was a decent car to be honest, it might not have had the higher end punch, but as with all the 306 range, it handled well. Plus the 2.0 XU was surprisingly frugal in all its forms. Compared to my Girlfriends thirsty 2005 Astra 1.8 SRI, the XU10 could even be called economical.

tvrfan007 said:

I recognise the white rallye but I cant place the owner. Has red decals but they are normally grey on the 306 plus its only 1 digit different from my reg, that’s why I know I’ve seen it somewhere on the Gti6 forum.

Quite a journey, you must have had 9 lives!

Most Rallyes has very similar reg. I've seen a few online and thought it was mine, only to realise there was a character or two different. As for the decals, some were grey and some were red. These looked fitted from factory, not sure if it was because Rallyes were sort of parts bin specials made from phase 2 and 3 bits.

I know a few of the previous owners that were on the forum, I was on gti6.com and 306oc myself for years. Silky owned it at some point I think, went to the ring in it.

Was a great car, but i just cant seem to ever keep hold of one for more than a year or two. That's slowed to three or four more recently.

[Trophy Husband]

You, Sir, are a fecking mentalist. Hats off to the insane!
To apply some gravity to your obvious obsession, a pal of mine came off his trials bike at less than 20mph trialling on Snowdonia tracks and is now wheelchair bound having landed on his ar5e on a rock.
His kids are 7 and 4.
Time to back off maybe but I do admire your commitment however, once you've got dependents, your selfishness needs to shift?

[Pebbles167]

Trophy Husband said:

You, Sir, are a fecking mentalist. Hats off to the insane!
To apply some gravity to your obvious obsession, a pal of mine came off his trials bike at less than 20mph trialling on Snowdonia tracks and is now wheelchair bound having landed on his ar5e on a rock.
His kids are 7 and 4.
Time to back off maybe but I do admire your commitment however, once you've got dependents, your selfishness needs to shift?

You're right of course, a friend is paralyzed after a bike crash, and is an occasional reminder of what could have been. Think I'll skip bikes, but I couldnt do that with cars. The risk is an acceptable one, besides, I don't drive fast stuff anyway

[tvrfan007]

Pebbles167 said:

tvrfan007 said:

I recognise the white rallye but I cant place the owner. Has red decals but they are normally grey on the 306 plus its only 1 digit different from my reg, that’s why I know I’ve seen it somewhere on the Gti6 forum.

Quite a journey, you must have had 9 lives!

Most Rallyes has very similar reg. I've seen a few online and thought it was mine, only to realise there was a character or two different. As for the decals, some were grey and some were red. These looked fitted from factory, not sure if it was because Rallyes were sort of parts bin specials made from phase 2 and 3 bits.

I know a few of the previous owners that were on the forum, I was on gti6.com and 306oc myself for years. Silky owned it at some point I think, went to the ring in it.

Was a great car, but i just cant seem to ever keep hold of one for more than a year or two. That's slowed to three or four more recently.

Found it! Dangti6. It's still his avatar on gti6oc that's why I remembered it. Didn't realise he bought it from you but I also remember silkys pics so perhaps a forum 'bike'. Lol.

There were about 10 or 25 t*tre regs, all seemingly red or white, all registered towards the end in April 99 so probably around the time production shifted to P3. Had my white Rallye for 9 years now, though it is far from standard. I have been meaning to put a thread up when I have the time and patience.

Cracking read though chap. I'm amazed you rode bikes as long as you did. I know I would end up broken so I leave bikes well alone, except the pedal ones!

[Pebbles167]

tvrfan007 said:

Found it! Dangti6. It's still his avatar on gti6oc that's why I remembered it. Didn't realise he bought it from you but I also remember silkys pics so perhaps a forum 'bike'. Lol.

There were about 10 or 25 t*tre regs, all seemingly red or white, all registered towards the end in April 99 so probably around the time production shifted to P3. Had my white Rallye for 9 years now, though it is far from standard. I have been meaning to put a thread up when I have the time and patience.

Cracking read though chap. I'm amazed you rode bikes as long as you did. I know I would end up broken so I leave bikes well alone, except the pedal ones!

That's the guy! Still got first dibs on it on case he ever sells definitely get a thread on your 306 up, I'd love to see it. The main reason I ended up spending more time on PH was because the forums got a bit quiet once facebook became the giant that it is now.

[Fonzey]

Christ good effort so far

Clearly no lack of commitment, looking forward to some updates!

[viciousj377o]

Please just give everyone a heads up if you're in their area, accidents seem to follow you a bit!

Some cool french kit there, if that is possible.

[Pebbles167]

Fonzey said:

Christ good effort so far

Clearly no lack of commitment, looking forward to some updates!

I was picked last in school for just about everything (apart from running, speed is all I have ) so when I found something I loved, i committed to it.

Trackday in Feb should prove interesting. Crash or no crash, I'll update.

viciousj377o said:

Please just give everyone a heads up if you're in their area, accidents seem to follow you a bit!

Some cool french kit there, if that is possible.

Dont worry, the only one who ever gets injured is me

I've always liked French cars. My first car was a 106 XSI, that went from my dad, to my gran, then to me, and it kind of went from there.

I've only had one Renault though, and it was a 1.8 Laguna, but even that was a good laugh. Wouldn't mind a Clio next!

[miniman]

That's a hell of a transporter right there

Whereabouts in Wiltshire are you? Somewhere near Castle Combe presumably?

[Pebbles167]

miniman said:

That's a hell of a transporter right there

Whereabouts in Wiltshire are you? Somewhere near Castle Combe presumably?

Well done! Did you dig that out of my poor formatting? Can't see it in my post, but did try to upload.

I'm in the Melksham area, so not hugely far. Definitely made things easier with the crashing, being close to home & all

[Pebbles167]

Update for the thread, which I'm sort of using as a basic diary of my motoring history. As always, apologies for the formatting and/or spelling and grammar. I'm sat in bed with a cup of tea doing this on my phone

Well, 2020 was certainly strange... and boredom got the best of me on occasion.

I managed to get the 406 out for a trackday with two mates, for an early one in February. It was hacking it down and blowing a gale, so left the wets on and the car was faultless, as was the Clio 182. Unfortunately the same cant be said for the MR2 Turbo. Started overheating after thr first session, suspected thermostat/radiator problem.



At the end of February, I decided that having the 406 was my only car, wasn't worth the hassle I got if I ever needed to give my girlfriend a lift anywhere, nor was it worth the odd looks I got if I ever needed to pick my daughter up from school. So I went on the hunt for something new. Standard Ebay friday night search (albeit without any beer) so £2 max, within 20 miles. I expected nothing but riff raff, and after fighting the urge to buy one of two rather ropey 306 Gti6's, I came across this:



I was surprised, I had no idea the price had come so low! I remeber when these came out, and always wanted one, ideal! Sure, it had 170k miles, but full Honda service history and one owner from new meant it was pretty much a done deal. Off I went, and returned with my first Vtec equipped Honda. Another tick off my list.

Have to say, it's arguably the best car I've owned. Handles well, reasonably comfortable (although it does have rock hard suspension) and decently quick. I obviously purchased the obligatory aftermarket intake and exhaust, and so it sounded phenomenal. Interior is lovely too and is very spacious thanks to the clever rear seats. Even managed to fit my kids little Yamaha in for some dirt bike action!




March came around, and I was sent to work in Sweden for a few weeks, unfortunately this was just as Covid took a hold of the world and everything went to hell! I watched the news as the UK went into lockdown, and recieved some panicked calls from my girlfriend, and since airlines were shutting, down flights, I tried to sort a way back home. Needless to say, I had about five flights cancelled and was facing the possibility of being stuck there for a fair old while. Rather nerve wracking, but luckily, I managed to find a BA flight back to Heathrow. My car was in Bristol airport, but getting back to the UK was the main thing.

The months rolled on, and with nothing automotive on the cards for the foreseeable near future, I was able to take advantage of the situation, by addressing the family boredom, and a friends recent situation by bringing these two little buggers home!




By now it was pretty much summer, and things were starting to look up. After a garage clear out, where I suddenly realised I'd unknowingly accumulated an irrational number of bicycles, I was left with a fair bit of space.



To that end, I began to plan. I'd been toying with an idea in my mind for a while now (probably too many retro/neon/futuristic films and videogames) and so found something local to satiate the petrol head in me.. after several years off, I grabbed another bike.



It's a Yamaha FZR600 (or YZF600R internationally). 100bhp 16v in all its 90's glory! 47k miles, stacks of receipts and a fantastic paint job, I think they call it one of two 'Cocktail' colours, the other using a black base. After the worry and annoyance of my family and friends calmed down, it was nice to get back out on two wheels with my dad again. Even the pubs opened in time for a nice drink in the beer garden on the increasingly warm evenings.



Since I had got myself another motorbike, my daughter who is now 10, argued that she should get one too. I agreed. We all went for one last ride on the PW50, and realised that it was indeed hilariously small, too small really.



So we sold her trusty PW50 and I went on the hunt for something else. I'd considered pit bikes and the like, but they are mostly very powerful and designed for adults. Really, I wanted to stick with the Japanese brand adolescent bikes, and luckily found a PW80 in price range. Unfortunately it was the other side of the country, and is a fair bit bigger than the PW50 so wouldn't fit in the Civic. The van rental place had to availability either, so I removed a seat from the 406, which took on the duties of load lugger, and actually worked surprisingly well. 300 miles of rattling home with the smell of petrol was less pleasant though!



The PW80 suits the kid much better, it's more powerful and has 3 gears, without using a clutch lever. It's big enough in fact that an adult can comfortably ride it. Giving it the beans in 2nd with a bit of persuasion on the bars, it'll even pop a decent wheelie!



Things on the Covid front continued to improve, so much so that my local circuit opened up for a car show, and I was able to get a bit of track time in. Car performed great, but unfortunately the tired gear linkage gave up just as I was about to head home.. so I had to wait the next few hours for a tow. Luckily it was just a worn joint, that was an easy bodge back together for my trusted mechanic.



Next up I had an offer out of nowhere. An old family friend had finally accepted that his cherished R1 that hadn't seen the road, or even been started in 8 years, would never again be ridden by him. He literally made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and so brought this back home to being it back to life. It's a 2004 5VY R1, 170bhp and 20k miles. In very good condition all things considered.




I got to work in my garage. A strip down, decent service and refresh of forks, tyres, brakes, battery etc saw it looking good as new in no time.



My initial plan with the R1 was to start trackdaying and possibly racing again, since I never really got the chance to get seriously involved with that before my last crash. I began to think about it though, and realised that this was exactly the thing I said I wouldn't do again, as it nearly ruined my life last time. I decided that this was something that wasnt worth the risk for me, and so decided it was time for the sports bikes to go, my FZR600 included, and that if I wanted to pursue biking, it would be on something with a more steady pace. So I sold both my bikes and began to look for something else.

Almost immediately I found something I liked. Brand new, albeit pre reg to the dealer, but with around £2k off list price. A Moto Guzzi V7 iii Special. 52bhp, V Twin. Perfect.



I didn't even bother test riding, I knew It was what i was after. Phoned the dealer immediately and went to collect the next day. Completely different from anything I'd ridden before, but plenty quick enough, relaxing, and easy to ride. Only problem was the sewing machine sound from the restricting exhaust. 10 minutes on ebay and a LeoVince exhaust later, and it sounds glorious!




Next up, it was time for the 406's MOT. Now theres a line between being a friendly tester, and passing dangerous cars. My local place would never do the latter, and although it was okay for now, it was definitely getting to the point it would require some money thrown at it in the future. By this point it was autumn and lockdown restrictions were coming back into force, I didnt see a lot of opportunities for track time until at least summer, and so sadly realised it was time to let the Peugeot go. I listed it for £750 on ebay, in a very honest ad pointing out all the good and bad, and had a buyer immediately. I'm still in contact with him now, and he's sorted the car in time for 2021 summer, hope he enjoys it as much as I did!

Another bit of news was that my girlfriend was pregnant. Christ, it's been 10 years since my last kid, but good news. The Civic was a decent car, and would likely be fine for a family of four, but as I often do, I used to situation to justify another purchase. I sold the Civic quickly, although I've never had so many utter bellends message me about a car as I did for this! buyer though, was a decent welsh lad and was very happy with the car.

I initially looked to get something imported from Japan as my next car, but was staggered by the huge import tax, and so decided to find something already in the UK. A few days on Ebay brought up this, a Subaru Legacy GT. It's a JDM turbo version. 280bhp in manual (mine is auto and 260bhp). It uses a twinscroll turbo, so sadly no classic rumble, but it's a good performer, and it's the limited edition WR model, which gets the snazzy interior and the blue paint. Its got many of the mods I'd like to do already done, which suits me well.






Thanks for reading! No idea what's next, but I'm sure I'll find something!

Edited by Pebbles167 on Sunday 28th February 09:03

[B'stard Child]

Interesting car and bike history - you probably have more plates and screws than most - I think the Guzzi will be ideal

From your later pics it seems you still have a lot of pedal powered transport

I've got two plates and several screws holding my wrist together which has put sports bikes off the agenda since '83 but big old armchairs with some wind protection and an upright riding position are fine