Learning in a Ferrari

[bigothunter]

Stuart70 said:

bigothunter said:

Stuart70 said:

And again - get a Caterham.

And join the merry throng of Caterhams at track days?

Absolutely - they are ubiquitous for a reason.

Caterhams are great track cars but my perverse nature means I prefer driving unusual cars at track days. For practical reasons, that whim is not always satisfied

[Itsallicanafford]

Just go for it! I would choose a really expensive day to ensure you don’t get T boned by a couple of lads in a puma, book instruction and just pick your moments when the track is nice and empty and take your time. You don’t have to set records, park any ego and make sure you let any faster cars through.

[Steve H]

You should definitely do a day in the Ferrari at some point, I’d say it’s kind of rude not to!

But if you want to learn some basics first then hire something more accessible with some coaching for a day or two, or if you are thinking of trackdaying regularly with occasional Ferrari use then I’d suggest getting something more practical but of the same broad type of car so what you learn in the track-hack will be more transferable to the posh toy.

Boxster or Cayman would be the obvious choice for me. Similar size and balance but less power and budget (to buy, run and repair).

[fred bloggs]

Man has a new ferrari ,and asks whether he should take it on track ?

Kings road may the place for you I think.

Sorry to be trollish, but yes, take it on track, why ask randoms on the internet ?

[Stuart70]

bigothunter said:

Stuart70 said:

bigothunter said:

Stuart70 said:

And again - get a Caterham.

And join the merry throng of Caterhams at track days?

Absolutely - they are ubiquitous for a reason.

Caterhams are great track cars but my perverse nature means I prefer driving unusual cars at track days. For practical reasons, that whim is not always satisfied

Having run track day cars including a mini, a Corrado VR6, MX5 NB, a Caterham R300, a 911S (997) and a Mini R53 with varying degrees of appropriateness.

None as individual as the diesel Peugeot 106 rental car that I once saw at a Brands Hatch track day . And to be fair they were making a decent effort of embarrassing a few hot hatches!!

[paulmnz]

as someone who races, but also has a ferrari which occasionally visits tracks... DO IT! the F8 will be quite an experience compared to driving it on the road. it's still a 'road car' so it feels completely different to a racing car, but they are intoxicating when you drive them 'as Enzo intended' which you can't really do on the road.

I'd recommend you do a modern F1 circuit (Silverstone or Spa) as they have huge tarmac run off, lots of space to drive at your own speed, they have big straights where you can let the V8 sing and long laps so traffic isn't usually an issue.

Book a trackday and take the F8 plus another car (or a mate with another suitable slower/cheaper car). You'll find the F8 tiring to drive with the concentration (either because you are going fast or you are concentrating very hard on not crashing / being crashed into). start the morning session in your other car / mates car as it will be probably be damp and cold. once you know the track, get an instructor from the trackday to go out with you in the slower car and talk through your driving and how the F8 will differ. do a couple of sessions in the F8 when your comfortable and the track isn't too busy. I usually end up doing about 20-25% of the day in the ferrari and spend the rest of the time hammering around in a 'cheaper' car. best times tend to be late morning or late in the day when a lot of people have packed up and gone home.

I'd recommend RMA - they tend to have high-end machinery, although quite a lot of racecars so you need to be ok with getting passed swiftly (driving standards usually good, but the speed differentials can be surprising!)

the 'supercar' experience is very different to the 'racing car' experience so it depends what you want from a trackday - noise, going quickly, chasing laptimes and corner g-forces, fun...

I have a friend with Caterham 620r - completely different experience to a ferrari - caterham is faster around a lap, but I personally found it pretty forgettable compared to a ferrari V8 at full chat - a ferrari has 'emotion' in spades, the caterham is more of a 'tool' to deliver a laptime but you might like them. For a racecar experience, try a Ginetta GTA/G55, for fun, I'd say anything reasonably light, probably RWD, maybe front engine rather than mid as they are more forgiving...

I wouldn't buy anything until you have dipped your toe a little - hire track cars or do some passenger rides with folks at the trackday who have cars you like the look of and see how you react after a lap (assuming Covid restrictions lift at some point!). but you want to at least do one day in F8 so you have something to compare and contrast to which will help you decide if you want to keep using the F8 or buy a 'track car'

Good luck and get someone to video the F8 from the pit wall - it will sound epic!

[bigothunter]

Stuart70 said:

None as individual as the diesel Peugeot 106 rental car that I once saw at a Brands Hatch track day . And to be fair they were making a decent effort of embarrassing a few hot hatches!!

Love it

[rossins]

You obviously love Ferrari’s. Why not have a go racing. Pirelli Ferrari Classic Series. Great race series, gentleman racing & friendly bunch. Beginners made very welcome. Series visits - Brands Hatch, Donnington, Snetterton, Croft, Silverstone, Oulton Park, Silverstone & Spa.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=We5z-qazdjg&list...
Pm me if you want more info.

[PGNSagaris]

paulmnz said:

as someone who races, but also has a ferrari which occasionally visits tracks... DO IT! the F8 will be quite an experience compared to driving it on the road. it's still a 'road car' so it feels completely different to a racing car, but they are intoxicating when you drive them 'as Enzo intended' which you can't really do on the road.

I'd recommend you do a modern F1 circuit (Silverstone or Spa) as they have huge tarmac run off, lots of space to drive at your own speed, they have big straights where you can let the V8 sing and long laps so traffic isn't usually an issue.

Book a trackday and take the F8 plus another car (or a mate with another suitable slower/cheaper car). You'll find the F8 tiring to drive with the concentration (either because you are going fast or you are concentrating very hard on not crashing / being crashed into). start the morning session in your other car / mates car as it will be probably be damp and cold. once you know the track, get an instructor from the trackday to go out with you in the slower car and talk through your driving and how the F8 will differ. do a couple of sessions in the F8 when your comfortable and the track isn't too busy. I usually end up doing about 20-25% of the day in the ferrari and spend the rest of the time hammering around in a 'cheaper' car. best times tend to be late morning or late in the day when a lot of people have packed up and gone home.

I'd recommend RMA - they tend to have high-end machinery, although quite a lot of racecars so you need to be ok with getting passed swiftly (driving standards usually good, but the speed differentials can be surprising!)

the 'supercar' experience is very different to the 'racing car' experience so it depends what you want from a trackday - noise, going quickly, chasing laptimes and corner g-forces, fun...

I have a friend with Caterham 620r - completely different experience to a ferrari - caterham is faster around a lap, but I personally found it pretty forgettable compared to a ferrari V8 at full chat - a ferrari has 'emotion' in spades, the caterham is more of a 'tool' to deliver a laptime but you might like them. For a racecar experience, try a Ginetta GTA/G55, for fun, I'd say anything reasonably light, probably RWD, maybe front engine rather than mid as they are more forgiving...

I wouldn't buy anything until you have dipped your toe a little - hire track cars or do some passenger rides with folks at the trackday who have cars you like the look of and see how you react after a lap (assuming Covid restrictions lift at some point!). but you want to at least do one day in F8 so you have something to compare and contrast to which will help you decide if you want to keep using the F8 or buy a 'track car'

Good luck and get someone to video the F8 from the pit wall - it will sound epic!

This is a great post.

[MDL111]

I started out doing track days in my Ferrari with a few days in my Clio thrown in. No point in only driving it on the road, which I find rather boring as without a manual transmission there really is not much to do / excitement to be had without very quickly exceeding the speed limit (occasional autobahn runs for fun are the exception to this).
Enjoy - they are great fun on track (just do a few cool down laps after every session to get those CCBs and Turbos/engine cooled down a little before parking it)

[QBee]

.....and don't park it with the handbrake on - you can crack the disks.

[silverthorn2151]

I would drive to the circuit, hop out and jump in something you have hired.

Putting an f8 in the gravel outside Clearways or Paddock is going to be a ghastly experience. Either that or buy a track day car that costs less than your front splitter.

When you know what you are doing get it out there.

The advice above about Silverstone run offs is sound, but that limits your track day opportunities.

[bigothunter]

silverthorn2151 said:

I would drive to the circuit, hop out and jump in something you have hired.

Putting an f8 in the gravel outside Clearways or Paddock is going to be a ghastly experience. Either that or buy a track day car that costs less than your front splitter.

When you know what you are doing get it out there.

Putting an F8 into the barrier is much worse

[silverthorn2151]

I would agree but you've only got to fall of a little bit at Brands to be in the gravel.

Nudge the barriers in an F8 and it would have been cheaper to buy a Radical!