Donington noise issues

[bencurry]

LongQ said:

FWIW a lot of the 'lads' I have spoken to seem to be much more involved with and knowledgable about their Novas and Fiestas than a surprisingly large number of exotica drivers are about their toys. Or at least that is the way it seems. Just my opinion.

glad you said that. i drive a nova and love doing trackdays. donington is ideal because it is local and cheap. not everyone wants/can afford to pay £200+ to tootle about in there flash sports car all day. i have been to donnington a few times and i have never had a problem with noise. the people who i have been with and have had a problem all knew they were boarderline before going out. and once warned they were carful not to give it full beans past the sound box, this is the same sound box that is pointed out to everyone in the briefing so if you keep driving past it at full throttle then it's your own fault.

[LongQ]

micky g said:

It's a good point - the airport IS next door for crying out loud!! Scuse me, but have you de-catted that Boeing sir? Killjoy, partypoopers the lot of 'em, just hate to think of people actually having fun!

Indeed, and it's a bit noisy between midnight and 5 am when the noisy old freight stuff is particulalry active.

But only for a few seconds at a time.

The single engined prop stuff (and the Spitfire when it is around, but the sound of that is just wonderful ...) can be much more intrusive than the modern jets, the best of which are very quiet indeed.

But the thing to remember about the track is that, other then a lunch break, there is some level of noise, variable according to weather conditions and wind direction, from 9 am though to 5 or 6 pm and then into the evening during the summer months several days a week.

Add to that the several villages located in any direction from the park and someone will get the noise at all times. If you check the calender you will see that there is something on, usually noise associated, for about half the days in a year.

I don't know who it is that always complains - there will always be one as Castle Combe knows as well. She probably complained also about the Download Festival last weekend. I didn't hear much of that as I was away from Saturday evening before the noisy bits started.

Personally I can happily live with the noise and would be very willing to add to it! But I can understand that many are not so keen. And given that people around here tend not to move far away I don't think the issues can be blamed solely on newcomers moving into the area and then objecting to what is already here.

Finally remember there are some differences between the noise and disruption of, say, the Download Festival or the MotoGP weekend and a week of track days. The Trackdays probably do no more than help to defray the costs of maintaining the facilities. The Download weekend and MotoGP attract thousands of visitors, many of whom camp at the park and spend a deal of money locally. Most locals will accept a few days noise for a £10million injection of cash to local businesses.

Of course none of that explains or excuses some inconsistencies in noise measurements, but there are a few people, as a previous poster pointed out, who turn up knowing they may be on or over the limits set. I guess it's a gamble they feel willing to take. They may also fall foul of induction noise topping up the exhaust without realising it. I have my suspicions that the equipment may be more sensitive to certain frequencies as well. Can't prove that of course and it's probably way off the mark.

I think the need for restrictions is a shame - but then if every day was a 'noisy' day things would be a bit grim even where I live - there are many living much closer where it is much louder.

[993rsr]

There is only one noise meter at Donnington, it's next to the gantry at the start of the pit straight. I was there in the afternoon in a 993GT2 with 200 cell cats and Fabspeed muffler bypass and had no problems. All I did was ease of the throttle when I went under the gantry. As an 'excercise' in the last session I floored it under the gantry and was black flagged!

Everywhere else I was flat out no problem at all.

[Chris Wilson]

I was pretty sure they had TWO noise microphones, one on the pit lane straight, the other around Starkeys Bridge?

[stringer_m]

I also thought there were 2 noise traps.

I was there on Saturday and never seen so many stoppages and all mainly due to noise issues. There was some doubt at one point as to whether the day would continue due to apparent risk of heavy fines for the circuit/TDO.

It seems that some of the issue is that 98db is not unreasonable on a "quiet" day but that there is some doubt over the accuracy/veracity of the monitoring that takes place.

Perhaps someone should ask to see the calibration certificates for the noise measuring equipment in much the same way that one may ask to see the calibration certificate for a GATSO??

[barrisimo]

I was there on Saturday, not in my own car but with the Rupert Lewin crowd. It was my first experience of a proper track day having only done brief track experience days before and I must say it was a lot of fun but the constant stoppages did annoy me somewhat. I can't understand why people complain about the noise, if you move near a track what do you expect. I bet that most of those complaining have only lived there for a few years. It is like moving next to Heathrow then complaining about the noise, idiots!

[jleroux]

unfortunately noise monitoring is very much a black art. The exact noise levels that are recorded for each car can vary enormously based on several factors - including (but not limited to):-

Engine temperatures
Exhaust temperatures
Amount of packing in the exhaust
Ambient temperatures
Wind direction
Precipitation
and finally of course - driver ability

Sadly the only way to be sure is to bolt & braces. my eRise runs a fairly standard back box AND a catalytic converter. OK this saps some power, but nothing a set of sticky tyres and some nitron suspension can't sort out.

J5
BaT

[jeremyc]

jleroux said:

unfortunately noise monitoring is very much a black art.

This I think is the main problem: regulations are all well and good, but only if it is possible to prepare for them in advance.

Static noise testing isn't too much of a problem - it is possible to test your car prior to the track day and get an idea of how close to the limit you will be (but even then the calibration of the circuit's meters and the measurement environment can result in discrepancies).

However, it is almost impossible to replicate the driveby noise measurements since there are so many variables: the position of the mike on the circuit, the measurement environment (walls for reflections etc.), the likely state of the car (gear, revs etc.) at the point of passing the meter as well as the calibration of the meter.

The only way to find out is drive around the circuit and see if you pass. Even with Jonny's offer of only needing to pay if you pass on an initial few laps, I'm certainly not going to travel all the way to and from Donington if there is a chance I won't be able to enjoy the full day.

Sadly I can see the days (in the near future) where track days will only be for standard specification road cars which surely, to a great extent, misses the point.

[LongQ]

barrisimo said:

I can't understand why people complain about the noise, if you move near a track what do you expect. I bet that most of those complaining have only lived there for a few years. It is like moving next to Heathrow then complaining about the noise, idiots!

So, who gave you that tip and have you laid that bet yet? And can you compare usage this year with previous years? Do have have the activity lists? Also, how close to the track do you think you have to be to hear the noise?

Let's see, what aural enjoyment have I experienced today that others, especially those living closer, might consider as nuisance noise.

Well, the DP web site no longer tells me what was on today but I suspect bikes from 9am to about 5pm and then an evening session for cars - probably 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The day time stuff was fairly insistent this morning and I could hear the evening stuff quite clearly when it started out. I tend not to notice it after a while anyway and the double glazing cuts the level once inside the house.

Tomorrow we have a Ron Haslam Bike School.

Thursday is a General Test so I assume it will be a 'noisy' day.

Nothing on the calendar for Friday but that does not mean there is nothing going on - non-Clear Channel events are not usually listed.

Saturday and Sunday will be noisy days with the Aston Martin Owners Club (Jag Owners Club last weekend. DOwnload Festival the weekend before.)

Next Monday is the Matt Neal "On-Track Premier" day.

Tuesday is unknown

Wednesday is a Haslam day again.

Thursday unknown.

Friday 1st July is another General Test (Noisy Day)

Saturday 2nd July is a Track Day for Bikes and Sunday 3rd is a Trackday for cars.

As I said in a previous post, yes the planes can be louder, especially the single engine prop jobs that are also slower to exit the vicinity of the airport. And yes there are more air movements now than there have been in the past, though the majority of the planes are MUCH quieter than they were.

But for anyone who had no affinity with the sound of a revving internal combustion engine or squealing tyres, the noises from DP will have a similar effect on them to that of a buzzing fly which won't go away. Annoying, disturbing and always there. Very irritating.

I agree it is frustrating if the noise check kit is suspect but that is an entirely separate issue to the points you made in your post. I could counter by suggesting that anyone who feels the need to make a huge amount of noise (which seems to be the drift of your comments) in order to enjoy a driving experience is obviously missing the main point of driving at speed, as jleroux so adroitly commented.

Me, I love the noise (provided that idiots with stupidly loud cars warn anyone around that ear defenders are required) but I can sympathise with those who don't.

If you give up on Donington, try Santa Pod. That should offer an opportunity to give out all the decibels you can muster.

Personally I will stick with Craner Curves, with or without aural accompaniment.

[LongQ]

stringer_m said:

I also thought there were 2 noise traps. I was there on Saturday and never seen so many stoppages and all mainly due to noise issues. There was some doubt at one point as to whether the day would continue due to apparent risk of heavy fines for the circuit/TDO.

I think they have a mobile unit (or two) and sometime go out to the back of the circuit and take some measurements from there. On the national circuit the 2 straights mean the exhaust are pointing in the general direction of Donington (unless you are in a Sagaris) whereas the Old Hairpin/Starkey's and so on will mean blasting at Melbourne and Kings Newton. Isley Walton and, to some extent, Wilson and Breedon presumably have a different susceptibility.

Saturday may have suffered from some unusual weather conditions affecting the db level recorded on the ground.