Test days vs track days; cost, where, how?

[wioifoiee]

i'm trying to find information on what track day organisers allow certain types of cars.
i'm currently shopping around for either an SR3 or ideally, a Formula renault, for a track toy, not for racing. But i need to figure out whether i can practically use these types of cars.

The cost of a test day is...quite a lot. - on the MSV test day calendar for next year, for open wheel cars at Donington (my local track) it costs £500 and goes up to £640 in March.

Are there any TDO's that allow open-wheelers? I'd primarily want to use Donington and Bedford, and treat myself to Silverstone once in a while.
Which ones would allow Radicals?

where do all of you test your race cars, on regular track days or dedicated test days?
and with which organisers?

thanks

EDIT: MSV small print for general track days:
Slick cars allowed. Open wheelers No.

Looks like i'll have to just accept that if i want a single seater....£6-700 is the price i'll have to pay to drive it each time! ouch.
anyway, Problem solved.

Edited by wioifoiee on Wednesday 24th November 13:59

Edited by wioifoiee on Wednesday 24th November 14:07

[mattnoss]

I know it’s nowhere near the 3 circuits you mention but I thought Anglesey use to do open wheeled track days before the pandemic?

[andy97]

You may also find that Radicals and the like are frustrating to drive on a track day as they are just so much quicker than many other cars

[F12 Josh]

Javelin do open wheel days, or did anyway. They were sessioned rather than open pitlane and not sure what other machinery there was as to how a Formula Renault would stack up.

[smokey mow]

Do you currently have an MSUK race licence? If not you’ll need one in order to do test days.

[Dave.]

andy97 said:

You may also find that Radicals and the like are frustrating to drive on a track day as they are just so much quicker than many other cars

Watching DannyDC2’s footage of the Birkett Relay race confirms this, the speed differential is insane.

Edited by Dave. on Wednesday 24th November 20:00

[jimhcat]

I heard that Silverstone were not having any more track days from the end of 2021. They are just doing corporate events etc
I know Javelin allow open wheel cars on some of their days at Mallory Park

[mattnoss]

jimhcat said:

I heard that Silverstone were not having any more track days from the end of 2021. They are just doing corporate events etc
I know Javelin allow open wheel cars on some of their days at Mallory Park

Silverstone still doing trackdays next year but only their own days, no independent TD’s anymore.

[andrewcliffe]

The semi-exclusive test days are quite expensive but the general test days are generally significantly cheaper - < £ 400. They're often session based as you will need downtime to refuel the car and on some single seaters recharge batteries as many do not have chargers. Javelin did run some track days for open wheeled cars, as did Anglesey.

A single seater usually needs a helper to plug in the slave battery and to strap you in.

Edited by andrewcliffe on Wednesday 24th November 21:27

[I Like Tea]

Liverpool motor club run 2 track days a year at Aintree. It’s a sessioned day and they allow single seaters in one of the sessions. Pre COVID Anglesey circuit also ran single seater sessions at some track days, worth checking if they plan to start those up again. Another option is you can hire 3 sisters near Wigan by the hour for £100ish, very technical course that’s good fun in a Radical or single seater.

[Trev450]

Llandow can be hired for around £200 a day for testing. Unless you are the only one there, which can happen, they run sessions for different types of vehicle.

[whp1983]

I often do Trackdays with my (saloon) race car but you have to take it a little easier- they don’t like you taking a lot of curb for example.
Not just the cost that’s better you get so much time.

Test days are great for pushing it but you usually only get 4x30 minute sessions- and if one or more are red flagged then it can be frustrating. Silverstone is only tests I’ve done which were open pitlane so maybe check their calendar.

As someone else said you’ll need a race license and full race clothing etc for test days.

[jj.]

Do some test days (again as someone as mentioned, assuming you have a licence).

Still remember my first test day, got out of the car after first session, I was shaking with adrenaline, something a trackday never provided. S**t just got real compared to many previous trackdays…!

Go testing...!
jj

[Chunkychucky]

jj. said:

Do some test days (again as someone as mentioned, assuming you have a licence).

Still remember my first test day, got out of the car after first session, I was shaking with adrenaline, something a trackday never provided. S**t just got real compared to many previous trackdays…!

Go testing...!
jj

Absolutely - trackdays are frustrating in extremis, getting stuck behind someone slower in the bends in a quicker car, having to wait for the fabled 'point by' on the straight.

Not bad for familiarisation of a circuit, but IME useless for development work on a car. Just about to get some temp in the tyres and then you get stuck behind some nonce in a GT3/GT4/M3/whatever that can't drive, but also doesn't realise it's not a race so they can let you past.

Another vote for Llandow from a cost/track time point of view, only negatives from my experience are the track isn't the longest/most technical and it's in the arse end of nowhere. Otherwise a useful facility.

[Sigmamark7]

I bought a Radical to do track days in, but the noise tests were a nightmare and I frequently had problems, even with a Radical “quiet” silencer fitted. Unless you want to strangle the power by fitting extra silencing, I think that at many circuits, you might not get out.
Companies offering noisy track days are often similarly priced to test days, so take your ARDS test and go to proper test days, or do what I did and go racing.

[andrewcliffe]

Sigmamark7 said:

I bought a Radical to do track days in, but the noise tests were a nightmare and I frequently had problems, even with a Radical “quiet” silencer fitted. Unless you want to strangle the power by fitting extra silencing, I think that at many circuits, you might not get out.
Companies offering noisy track days are often similarly priced to test days, so take your ARDS test and go to proper test days, or do what I did and go racing.

Very valid point. Test days are often 108db static, occassionally unsilenced, whereas track days are often much quieter and a noisy road car / race car will not be allowed out without additional silencing.