Worst Track Day, Organisers & Most Expensive.....
Discussion
I was in the green MINI, I hate holding up quicker cars. Learn more behind quick car than from holding it up.
But some the Caterhams and MX5 drivers were complete bell ends. White with Blue MX5 was lunatic. Also had lad in Burgundy Civic overtake me on wrong side into first hairpin on about the second lap of the day. But all the idiots seem to carry on being idiots without punishment.
But some the Caterhams and MX5 drivers were complete bell ends. White with Blue MX5 was lunatic. Also had lad in Burgundy Civic overtake me on wrong side into first hairpin on about the second lap of the day. But all the idiots seem to carry on being idiots without punishment.
Just replied to your other post on love or hate wet track days.
I am in agreement with you yesterday was a complete disaster (I was in the white MR2).
Wasn't sure if that was standard for a track day, however reading these posts I take it no.
Is there a chance to get a refund, as yesterday was expensive and for the 70miles I managed to get between red flags I felt very short changed due to the idiotic driving.
I am in agreement with you yesterday was a complete disaster (I was in the white MR2).
Wasn't sure if that was standard for a track day, however reading these posts I take it no.
Is there a chance to get a refund, as yesterday was expensive and for the 70miles I managed to get between red flags I felt very short changed due to the idiotic driving.
E-bmw said:
I trust you ALL reported these instances to the TDO on the day as there is not much point complaining after the fact if you didn't.
I understand it's down to the drivers to report back to race control for unacceptable driving, however when you don't really get to go out on track to witness anything due to having red flags left right and centre makes it very hard. Surly the organisers would then cotton on and start paying attention and flagging people?
Yesterday was very unusual in terms of stoppages. Done quite a few Javelin run days, plus a few MSV ones. Both with wet/dry/greasy conditions. But none this bad by far. I wanted to pack up and go home after one near miss with other driver.
The marshalls are all employed by MSV, Javelin just provide the admin. So to it’s up to javelin who they punish and how. They either should run separate events for people wishing to test or police standards effectively. The worst drivers were still out, I noted the blue and white MX5 was with a truck and four cars so maybe they're trying to appease big customers.
I too barely managed 70 or 80 miles, probably could have driven back to London on one tank. My mate brought his dad to his first track day, paid for him to drive but the way others were he didn’t want to.
I’m going to post on there Facebook when pics come out. Will email them too. Happy to put a joint email in If you are up for that. You’re right they should spot more or less everything. I had reported so many that they were sick of the sight of me!
Sir Chris Hoy was good fun to watch though!
The marshalls are all employed by MSV, Javelin just provide the admin. So to it’s up to javelin who they punish and how. They either should run separate events for people wishing to test or police standards effectively. The worst drivers were still out, I noted the blue and white MX5 was with a truck and four cars so maybe they're trying to appease big customers.
I too barely managed 70 or 80 miles, probably could have driven back to London on one tank. My mate brought his dad to his first track day, paid for him to drive but the way others were he didn’t want to.
I’m going to post on there Facebook when pics come out. Will email them too. Happy to put a joint email in If you are up for that. You’re right they should spot more or less everything. I had reported so many that they were sick of the sight of me!
Sir Chris Hoy was good fun to watch though!
Edited by shost on Monday 12th March 15:49
Edited by shost on Monday 12th March 17:00
frodo_monkey said:
Although I agree it was a pretty crappy day, I personally found the ‘trackday’ drivers to have significantly poorer track etiquette - although there was some questionable driving pretty much everywhere. A lot of times I found the person in front of me not using the mirrors, or my personal favourite driving the whole length of one of the longest straights in the UK on the left hand side without a regard for the train of cars behind. In fact even on the sighting map it was poor - a Civic in front of me slowed so much that I had to go round Coram in first... and I was in a Fiesta.
I know a Civic had mechanical issues on the sighting laps and kept loosing drive, which might explain why it slowed so much. To be fair he didn't miss much apart from lots of lost time due to red flags which was the worst I've know it at Snetterton. First time I've ever know all the drivers being summoned to race control for a talking to!
That's only effective if there's a minority misbehaving.
I empathise as while I didn't goto this day I was at a Snetterton track day a month ago that was full of misbehaving race teams. The organisers knew full well what was going on, they encouraged it by inviting their race series. No timing, when there's garages full of monitors providing telemetry? Pull the other one.
I empathise as while I didn't goto this day I was at a Snetterton track day a month ago that was full of misbehaving race teams. The organisers knew full well what was going on, they encouraged it by inviting their race series. No timing, when there's garages full of monitors providing telemetry? Pull the other one.
Agree with the comment about complaining on the day not after the fact.
However mauricegb above is also correct. Personally I’d avoid Feb/Mar track days due to per-season testing, unless it’s on a faraway track such as Anglesey or airfield such as Bedford. Some TDOs are particularly good as well, such as Lotus-on-track. Having said that I have never had any issue with Javelin; all depending on who turns up on the day I suppose.
However mauricegb above is also correct. Personally I’d avoid Feb/Mar track days due to per-season testing, unless it’s on a faraway track such as Anglesey or airfield such as Bedford. Some TDOs are particularly good as well, such as Lotus-on-track. Having said that I have never had any issue with Javelin; all depending on who turns up on the day I suppose.
mauricegb said:
That's only effective if there's a minority misbehaving.
I empathise as while I didn't goto this day I was at a Snetterton track day a month ago that was full of misbehaving race teams. The organisers knew full well what was going on, they encouraged it by inviting their race series. No timing, when there's garages full of monitors providing telemetry? Pull the other one.
Same at that day. Put lane full of telemetry. However I'm dissapointed other drivers didn't complain more if that was the case. I empathise as while I didn't goto this day I was at a Snetterton track day a month ago that was full of misbehaving race teams. The organisers knew full well what was going on, they encouraged it by inviting their race series. No timing, when there's garages full of monitors providing telemetry? Pull the other one.
I'll defintely avoid Javelin and Feb/March days from now on. There response to my complaint was really pathetic.
Crippo said:
Surely the marshalls can also report bad driving? Overtaking in braking zones or on the apex of a corner is easy to spot
Truthfully, while they obviously do an unenviable job of standing around in all weathers for hours on end, trackday marshals aren't the most motivated or proactive of people...C70R said:
Crippo said:
Surely the marshalls can also report bad driving? Overtaking in braking zones or on the apex of a corner is easy to spot
Truthfully, while they obviously do an unenviable job of standing around in all weathers for hours on end, trackday marshals aren't the most motivated or proactive of people...Snetterton, for one, has a control tower. If you have ever been in there, it has a wall of screens, with cameras covering every inch of the track.
Rockingham also has a control room, ditto re cameras.
I cannot imagine for one minute that Brands and Oulton aren't similarly equipped.
so, perhaps choose your track?
Crippo said:
Surely the marshalls can also report bad driving? Overtaking in braking zones or on the apex of a corner is easy to spot
This is correct I think.My son is a marshall so I am fully aware of how it can contain some glamour and also a fair bit of wet weather drudgery!
However, at Snett and I believe others the TD marshalling is all paid work as opposed to the usual free lunch scenario at race events. My lad has to report track infringements and dangerous driving for race events so why can't marshalls on a TD do the same?
It's all well and good saying noobs should shut up or complain there and then but when you have some of the big race outfits behaving like they do it can be rather intimidating for a beginner (who has booked a TD, NOT a test day in good faith) to start spouting off. Can you all remember being a beginner? I can - just.
I've been tracking for 15 years now and like many other posters have seen good and bad aplenty (mainly good) but the 'sport' is getting so popular now it is forgetting it needs new people coming in at the bottom.
I love Snett but did a day there in 2015 with a whole host of Lotus race team knobbers who just totally ruined it for all others. The organiser did not care a jot and would put them in the 'sin bin' temporarily only to return.
If an organiser is going to allow this level of mixed equipment then they should absolutely run a sessioned day imho.
It absolutely flabbers my ghast that grown men with decent salaries who have obviously been doing this caper for sometime get an ego kick out of intimidating noobs in fast but ultimately road going cars. It's not hard to outperform pretty much any road car in a slick equipped exige ffs.
I was particularly annoyed that day as I had spent a long time talking my mate into doing a TD and it was his first event. I thought at the time he was never gonna forgive me! I, like many others that day complained at the time and it too ended up in a lunchtime get together for all drivers which I swear most of the failed racing drivers didn't turn up for. It would have been easy to create a modicum of separation that day but for whatever reason they couldn't be arsed.
/Rant off
I was at that track day at Snetterton too. I have to say to was quite possibly the worst track day I've ever been on (and I've done lots).
Firstly, it was definitely more of a test day than a track day. Lots of telemetry being downloaded on laptops in the pits (hardly amateur).
But worst of all were the "racers" who clearly thought they were god's gift to driving. Mainly driving Caterhams, I was later told they were Caterham Academy drivers. From what I saw, they'd have been more at home at a grasstrack event - they were frequently off and across the grass/mud. And, despite the reminder during the briefing that Snetterton has cameras for track limits, and the "spin and in" rule, they didn't appear to have either rule enforced.
And then there was the diving under braking, cutting you up on Coram and just generally pretty poor track standard tbh.
Throw in at least 2 occasions when someone laid down a nice trail of fuel around the wet track, and the misery was complete.
I did complain to the TDO, who said he needed specific cars to be identified, to which I replied "specifically every Caterham". The guy who appeared to be the chief marshal said he'd complained too and called them "f....ing wasps".
It got so bad that the TDO eventually closed the session down and got all the drivers back for a further briefing early afternoon to remind them that it was a track day, not a test day, and that poor driving standards would result in immediate black flag and end of the day for that car.
And guess what? Pretty much all the Caterhams packed up and went home. And then it was a great couple of hours on the circuit.
Firstly, it was definitely more of a test day than a track day. Lots of telemetry being downloaded on laptops in the pits (hardly amateur).
But worst of all were the "racers" who clearly thought they were god's gift to driving. Mainly driving Caterhams, I was later told they were Caterham Academy drivers. From what I saw, they'd have been more at home at a grasstrack event - they were frequently off and across the grass/mud. And, despite the reminder during the briefing that Snetterton has cameras for track limits, and the "spin and in" rule, they didn't appear to have either rule enforced.
And then there was the diving under braking, cutting you up on Coram and just generally pretty poor track standard tbh.
Throw in at least 2 occasions when someone laid down a nice trail of fuel around the wet track, and the misery was complete.
I did complain to the TDO, who said he needed specific cars to be identified, to which I replied "specifically every Caterham". The guy who appeared to be the chief marshal said he'd complained too and called them "f....ing wasps".
It got so bad that the TDO eventually closed the session down and got all the drivers back for a further briefing early afternoon to remind them that it was a track day, not a test day, and that poor driving standards would result in immediate black flag and end of the day for that car.
And guess what? Pretty much all the Caterhams packed up and went home. And then it was a great couple of hours on the circuit.
This makes me a bit nervous, eek.
I’ve raced for 20+ years, and worked as an instructor for a while. However, I’ve never done a track day.
I’ve just bought a full house historic race car, and I need to test it before my first race in it. Any trackers have experience of that? For example, it is very quick round corners, but will be relatively slow on straights. I don’t want to get in anyone’s way, but equally, over the course of a lap it would be as quick as most?
I’ve raced for 20+ years, and worked as an instructor for a while. However, I’ve never done a track day.
I’ve just bought a full house historic race car, and I need to test it before my first race in it. Any trackers have experience of that? For example, it is very quick round corners, but will be relatively slow on straights. I don’t want to get in anyone’s way, but equally, over the course of a lap it would be as quick as most?
Don't let stories of one particular track day put you off.
With common sense just enjoy the corners & use your mirrors to know when to get out of the way, let them go & enjoy the next corner without being hassled again.
In my previous car I was the same, but over a lap was significantly faster than the POWER brigade in front, then at a particular complex you end up so much faster that if you time it right you can mug them out of the corner sufficiently to remain ahead & disappear into the distance on the next complex.
Cadwell is particularly good for this.
With common sense just enjoy the corners & use your mirrors to know when to get out of the way, let them go & enjoy the next corner without being hassled again.
In my previous car I was the same, but over a lap was significantly faster than the POWER brigade in front, then at a particular complex you end up so much faster that if you time it right you can mug them out of the corner sufficiently to remain ahead & disappear into the distance on the next complex.
Cadwell is particularly good for this.
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