Brands Hatch in an R8
Discussion
Brake fluid upgrade, I've used Castrol SRF and its been really good. Otherwise just ensure you have enough tyre left to drive home on, its not really abrasive and its cold so will help your cooling. Have fun and as mentioned after a stint do not put your handbrake on when you park up and always do 1 or 2 cooling laps. Your road tyres might get pretty hot so just adjust pressures as you coming after a stint.
Have fun!
Have fun!
Brands Indy is a fun track
one of the benefits I find with it is that you can get many, many laps in as its so short, and you can play around with different lines quite quickly.
I'd be surprised if you suffer with brake fade due to the ceramics.
I never have there (991 GT3, also on ceramics)
Tuition is a very good idea - it may look a simple circuit, but to extract the most (fun) a bit of tuition always helps.
Keep an eye on tyre pressures - you may be surprised how much they rise. Decent (i.e. accurate ) gauge helps.
most of all, have fun !
one of the benefits I find with it is that you can get many, many laps in as its so short, and you can play around with different lines quite quickly.
I'd be surprised if you suffer with brake fade due to the ceramics.
I never have there (991 GT3, also on ceramics)
Tuition is a very good idea - it may look a simple circuit, but to extract the most (fun) a bit of tuition always helps.
Keep an eye on tyre pressures - you may be surprised how much they rise. Decent (i.e. accurate ) gauge helps.
most of all, have fun !
I've done Brands in December a couple of times now, one time the temperature was hovering just above freezing so it was hard to get (and keep) heat in the tyres and the next time it chucked it down so was happy I was on rainsports, it dried out in the afternoon and only in the last hour were track tyres quicker.
Make sure you have a tow hook on the front of the car, I came off and got beached at Paddock hill very near to the end of the day (couldn't fit the tow hook due to it being corroded), a unimog came and towed me out using the strut brace which bent it so ended up quite an expensive lesson.
Make sure you have a tow hook on the front of the car, I came off and got beached at Paddock hill very near to the end of the day (couldn't fit the tow hook due to it being corroded), a unimog came and towed me out using the strut brace which bent it so ended up quite an expensive lesson.
The brakes should be fine on the Indy circuit with current ambient temperatures, you're only braking hard once per lap coming upto Paddock Hill bend, the rest of the time are just short sharp stabs on the brake.
I spent a day at Brands on Friday and there was a GTR on track which was probably the heaviest car that day and it didn't seem to be having any brake fade.
General behavior from the other drivers was good (much better than at Bedford) but still there were two big crashes that red flagged the session whilst they were recovered, both were from MX5's, one crashed into the barrier on the main straight and the other rolled in the gravel.
Short video here from early on in the morning session, was faster later on as the track improved but one of the marshals didn't allow the helmet cam so had to stow it away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz4pjamftQA?t=80 (some slight nsfw cursing as my gearbox was playing up getting into 3rd).
I spent a day at Brands on Friday and there was a GTR on track which was probably the heaviest car that day and it didn't seem to be having any brake fade.
General behavior from the other drivers was good (much better than at Bedford) but still there were two big crashes that red flagged the session whilst they were recovered, both were from MX5's, one crashed into the barrier on the main straight and the other rolled in the gravel.
Short video here from early on in the morning session, was faster later on as the track improved but one of the marshals didn't allow the helmet cam so had to stow it away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz4pjamftQA?t=80 (some slight nsfw cursing as my gearbox was playing up getting into 3rd).
Thanks very much for the tips everyone. It was chilly, and started damp, but the track was nearly dry by lunch.
I was a bit worried that I’d be a mobile chicane, but other than during the tuition no-one caught me, so I was doing fine and not holding anyone up.
The engine, as you’d expect, was amazing, but the rest of the car cooed pretty well too. The tyres were fried by the end but the brakes held up very well, only going slightly spongy once.
In the end I didn’t have the chance to bring the Abarth as I had to pop off in the afternoon to get my SL63, but I had a really good day out.
I was a bit worried that I’d be a mobile chicane, but other than during the tuition no-one caught me, so I was doing fine and not holding anyone up.
The engine, as you’d expect, was amazing, but the rest of the car cooed pretty well too. The tyres were fried by the end but the brakes held up very well, only going slightly spongy once.
In the end I didn’t have the chance to bring the Abarth as I had to pop off in the afternoon to get my SL63, but I had a really good day out.
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