Recommendations for first track day
Discussion
Hi All
I'm after some recommendations for a good track day for a novice track driver. My short list based primarily on location:
Bedford
Brands Hatch (Indy circuit)
Castle Coombe
I don't want something where mistakes have a risk of mess, or something that is particularly likely to destroy my tyres (I appreciate this is a bit subjective but presumably some circuits are worse than others). Bedford looks good but I notice their days seem to include race cars etc - is this something to be concerned about? Brands is nearish and they do evening sessions which would work well but what is the Indy circuit like?
I also have Silverstone on the list but not sure if their dates will work but I've done the national at Sunday Service (my only experience) so keen to try the whole thing
Thruxton is nearby but their sound limits look challenging - a mate who is joining has quite a noisy exhaust - need to test it but I think he'll struggle.
Any thoughts much appreciated - will be coming from Reading area in case I've missed something not too far
Cheers
I'm after some recommendations for a good track day for a novice track driver. My short list based primarily on location:
Bedford
Brands Hatch (Indy circuit)
Castle Coombe
I don't want something where mistakes have a risk of mess, or something that is particularly likely to destroy my tyres (I appreciate this is a bit subjective but presumably some circuits are worse than others). Bedford looks good but I notice their days seem to include race cars etc - is this something to be concerned about? Brands is nearish and they do evening sessions which would work well but what is the Indy circuit like?
I also have Silverstone on the list but not sure if their dates will work but I've done the national at Sunday Service (my only experience) so keen to try the whole thing
Thruxton is nearby but their sound limits look challenging - a mate who is joining has quite a noisy exhaust - need to test it but I think he'll struggle.
Any thoughts much appreciated - will be coming from Reading area in case I've missed something not too far
Cheers
I love Combe. I live close by and did my first trackday there. Spun it but got lucky. 9 years and many track days later, I've crashed twice, once in a car, once on a bike. Neither were pretty. If you build your speed sensibly you'll likely be fine, but there's not a lot of run off and it can be pretty unforgiving on a few of the corners if to you get them wrong.
I think Rockingham would make a good first trackday venue. The international circuit has a good mix of corners, is fairly safe and is good fun. Cheaper than Combe, with a proper open pit format too.
I think Rockingham would make a good first trackday venue. The international circuit has a good mix of corners, is fairly safe and is good fun. Cheaper than Combe, with a proper open pit format too.
.Agree with the above. Brands Indy is small and often booked to capacity so the quicker drivers are regularly catching the slower ones - making it frustrating for both groups.
Bedford is a good first track. Lots of space and lots of run off (still possible to write your car off though). The GT circuit has some long straights which can punish the brakes so make sure you have suitable pads/fluid.
Rockingham also worth considering, just don’t over cook it on the banked section and find the wall.
Bedford is a good first track. Lots of space and lots of run off (still possible to write your car off though). The GT circuit has some long straights which can punish the brakes so make sure you have suitable pads/fluid.
Rockingham also worth considering, just don’t over cook it on the banked section and find the wall.
I have been on all the tracks mentioned and agree with the posters above. Rockingham is a good shout with a mixture of corners and a reasonable amount of run off.
As an airfield, Bedford is probably the 'safest' of all the tracks with not much to hit but as a consequence it is also pretty featureless.
Brands Hatch is busy and has Paddock Hill which has caught out many a driver. Combe has a couple of tricky corners and almost no run off so it is quite easy to put it into the barrier.
As an airfield, Bedford is probably the 'safest' of all the tracks with not much to hit but as a consequence it is also pretty featureless.
Brands Hatch is busy and has Paddock Hill which has caught out many a driver. Combe has a couple of tricky corners and almost no run off so it is quite easy to put it into the barrier.
Bedford is a terrible place to start learning how to drive properly on track, especially if you're self-learning.
I've yet to see a car in the wall through the banking at Rockingham, most incidents there end in a gravel trap. I've also never seen a car on it's roof at Rockingham, unlike Bedford.........
I've yet to see a car in the wall through the banking at Rockingham, most incidents there end in a gravel trap. I've also never seen a car on it's roof at Rockingham, unlike Bedford.........
Steve H said:
Bedford is a terrible place to start learning how to drive properly on track, especially if you're self-learning.
I would respectfully disagree, yes the GT circuit is long so there is a lot to remember, however on the flip side it can take a lot of cars so you won't spent every second in your mirrors worrying about holding people up or feeling pressured. There is a good mix of slow & medium speed corners, which are ideal for beginners, the surface is camberless with little elevation change and there is lots of run off. Where ever you decide to go, take a 20 minute instruction session to help with the lines, build your speed up slowly and enjoy!
CrashBang said:
I would respectfully disagree, yes the GT circuit is long so there is a lot to remember, however on the flip side it can take a lot of cars so you won't spent every second in your mirrors worrying about holding people up or feeling pressured. There is a good mix of slow & medium speed corners, which are ideal for beginners, the surface is camberless with little elevation change and there is lots of run off.
Where ever you decide to go, take a 20 minute instruction session to help with the lines, build your speed up slowly and enjoy!
My issues with Bedford do include it's difficulty for novices to learn but I'm more bothered by the perception of safety that, while false, often means no attention is given to driving well. Where ever you decide to go, take a 20 minute instruction session to help with the lines, build your speed up slowly and enjoy!
My next issue is the width of the track and general vagueness of lines. While ideal for no-limits corporate days, it's a poor layout that results in novices not recognising regular mistakes that would be obvious on a decent track.
The length is the next problem, even more experienced drivers struggle to take in the detail of the track which is made more complex by actually being a number of individually designed layouts tacked together resulting in some rather odd joints.
I've instructed for Palmersport and on trackdays for other organisers and this is what I've found. It may be a great place to rag a car round but it's not a great place to start to learn how to drive well on a proper circuit.
A novice would learn a lot more at Cadwell.
Just IMO, obvs
Other people will tell you this, and I'm surprised I'm the first tbh.... You won't crash on any track fi you drive within your limits. I sounds obvious but you CAN drive moderately, slowly increasing speed. Noone will laugh at you and you most likely won't be the slowest either. Th eonly chance of trouble then is someone else hitting you, but that's rare. I've not seen it.
I've done sessions where there are two or three track prepped Beemers driven by teens who overtake on corners etc, I just let them pass and keep out of their way.
I've done countless car and bike track days in all sorts of things and I've never spun or had any incidents - and I'm not super-driver, but I'm fairly fast. You just drive 5-10% slower than you think your car and you are capable of. Only time I've really pushed it was at Cadwell with professional tutoring. It was so fast I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed it!
Pick the track based on how easy it is to get there and back, particularly, on time early in the morning - it will take the stress out of yoru first day.
You'll love it, guaranteed. You really won't know how fast a car can corner until you track one.
p.s. grab a decibel meter and check the proper way (45 degrees, 1m from pipe exit I think , without googling) if you even suspect your car might be on the loud side. Trying to sort it track side is a pain. Cost me half a day on my 1st outing.
I've done sessions where there are two or three track prepped Beemers driven by teens who overtake on corners etc, I just let them pass and keep out of their way.
I've done countless car and bike track days in all sorts of things and I've never spun or had any incidents - and I'm not super-driver, but I'm fairly fast. You just drive 5-10% slower than you think your car and you are capable of. Only time I've really pushed it was at Cadwell with professional tutoring. It was so fast I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed it!
Pick the track based on how easy it is to get there and back, particularly, on time early in the morning - it will take the stress out of yoru first day.
You'll love it, guaranteed. You really won't know how fast a car can corner until you track one.
p.s. grab a decibel meter and check the proper way (45 degrees, 1m from pipe exit I think , without googling) if you even suspect your car might be on the loud side. Trying to sort it track side is a pain. Cost me half a day on my 1st outing.
Good advice re noise testing before the event - but it’s half a metre from the tail pipe.
Another idea is to phone the nearest track to you, ie the track itself, not the booking agency it track day organisers, and tell them you want to book track days but are not sure how loud your car is. They will be happy to agree a time when you can pop in and have your car tested.
If you happen to go on a day when there is a track day on, you can watch for free from the track side. If you fancy passenger rides, take your crash helmet with you (or hire one from the organisers for a tenner), get chatting to drivers in the pits, and just ask. A good number of participants will be happy to take you out, but you will then need to sign on with race control and get a wrist band. It normally costs £5-10 for the entire day.
Another idea is to phone the nearest track to you, ie the track itself, not the booking agency it track day organisers, and tell them you want to book track days but are not sure how loud your car is. They will be happy to agree a time when you can pop in and have your car tested.
If you happen to go on a day when there is a track day on, you can watch for free from the track side. If you fancy passenger rides, take your crash helmet with you (or hire one from the organisers for a tenner), get chatting to drivers in the pits, and just ask. A good number of participants will be happy to take you out, but you will then need to sign on with race control and get a wrist band. It normally costs £5-10 for the entire day.
I have done Bedford as my 1st track day last year, and can highly recommend it. It’s long, takes good half day to learn, but it’s one of the safest considering lot of run off, not even that many gravel pits and almost no walls to be concerned with. Depending on the car and driver’s ability long straights may get boring and flat terrain with few natural markets do not add to excitement either, but for a novice I think combination of corners and straits with run off space is just about perfect.
You can also try evening session in SW layout which is shorter (and cheaper).
Brands also does novice days and no race cars days and evenings. Novice days are sessioned (less convenient and prices on per session basis IMO), but again good choice for a novice. Few tricky parts at Brands have decent gravel pits, may end up picking stones from the tyres which is more difficult than brushing off the grass, but again take it a bit slower and pick up speed and brake later only when you get comfortable enough to and do consistent laps. Brands may also get a bit monotonous after 20 odd laps in a single session.
You can also try evening session in SW layout which is shorter (and cheaper).
Brands also does novice days and no race cars days and evenings. Novice days are sessioned (less convenient and prices on per session basis IMO), but again good choice for a novice. Few tricky parts at Brands have decent gravel pits, may end up picking stones from the tyres which is more difficult than brushing off the grass, but again take it a bit slower and pick up speed and brake later only when you get comfortable enough to and do consistent laps. Brands may also get a bit monotonous after 20 odd laps in a single session.
Thanks all for ideas and input. I’m going to try Bedford as it is relatively close and looks like it has plenty of space - part of the attraction is a chance to push the car (modern 911) which is so fast that I can’t really use it on the road in terms of speed and cornering grip. Whilst I’m sensible enough to not go mad, I’d prefer to avoid tricky tracks initially but as noted above, key is to drive within my limits. I did a session at Silverstone Sunday Serive back in October which was incredible and have been waiting patiently for the warmer weather to do a full day - I feel an expensive new hobby coming on!
I know you are driving a fast car & that you say you will be driving it well within the capabilities of the car nut just something to be aware of.
Brakes, brakes, brakes!
I would highly recommend as a minimum that you get everything checked over before going as even taking it easy you will do far more heavy braking than normal & much closer heavy braking events than normal by a long way.
When was your fluid last changed? If more than a year ago change it.
How old are your pads & are they good pads or just (insert manufacturer of standard road pads here) standard pads? if not virtually brand new get new good quality "fast-road" pads as a minimum fitted.
How are your discs looking? If not 95% perfect change them as well.
You can always keep the others as spare but, believe me, if you run out of brakes for the want of a few hundred quid spent as above it could cost you LOTS more.
It happened to me at 110mph at the end of a straight on my third day & I thought I had the above covered.
Brakes, brakes, brakes!
I would highly recommend as a minimum that you get everything checked over before going as even taking it easy you will do far more heavy braking than normal & much closer heavy braking events than normal by a long way.
When was your fluid last changed? If more than a year ago change it.
How old are your pads & are they good pads or just (insert manufacturer of standard road pads here) standard pads? if not virtually brand new get new good quality "fast-road" pads as a minimum fitted.
How are your discs looking? If not 95% perfect change them as well.
You can always keep the others as spare but, believe me, if you run out of brakes for the want of a few hundred quid spent as above it could cost you LOTS more.
It happened to me at 110mph at the end of a straight on my third day & I thought I had the above covered.
Another vote here for Bedford, especially on the GT layout.
I would vote against Coombe - there's a couple of nasty 'gotcha' corners and not a lot of runoff.
I love Brands, but as a first day (as others have said) its a busy circuit so traffic can be a problem unless on a novice day. Paddock (turn 1) is awesome but scary and hard. But it is a *short* circuit (Indy) - so you'll get many laps which makes it easier to learn the track and learn how to be faster.
Silverstone would be good. GP can be boring in a slower car; but there's loads of runoff, its open, wide and sweeping. the Southern layout is ok. Better if you have more BHP to play with.
NB: as others have said, as a novice you shouldn't actually be coming off the track much or at all. But my points aren't about actually coming off - they're about *fear*; i.e. as you get used to what being on a track actually means, it can be helpful to not think you're about to die in a wall at any second. If you can *feel* like you won't hurt the car or yourself if you mess up then it helps in getting comfortable and gaining confidence and skills.
So yeah I'd pick simpler (but not too boring - dependent on your car speed), with as much runoff as possible - even though you won't actually need that runoff.
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