Ring / Spa 2012 Do's and Dont's.....advice please
Discussion
Must still be in the good books as the missus has approved a boys trip to the Ring/Spa for next year (sometime before July 2012)
At the moment there looks like there will be 4 of us going from the Aberdeen area (911 Turbo, TVR SpeedSix, Escort Cosworth, Audi TTS...or maybe TTRS, if a deal can be done in time).
Any good advice from anyone who has done something similar recently would be much appreciated. (Apart from get breakdown cover for the TVR
)
Thanks.
At the moment there looks like there will be 4 of us going from the Aberdeen area (911 Turbo, TVR SpeedSix, Escort Cosworth, Audi TTS...or maybe TTRS, if a deal can be done in time).
Any good advice from anyone who has done something similar recently would be much appreciated. (Apart from get breakdown cover for the TVR
)Thanks.
Done it 3 times now, twice with a tvr and once in the noble.
Never had a breakdown but things I've done to make it hassle free...
Uk+Europe breakdown cover,
Track day insurance,
Check over the car a couple of times with tools, give it a good clean and change brake fluid.
Take a toolbox with any specific tools you regularly use.
Fire extinguisher, first aid kit, high viz vests and small warning triangle.
The Ring is relatively gentle on cars, Spa will boil your brakes if you are pushing on so take a spare bottle of fluid and engine oil if you can.
If you are clever it's surprising how much kit you can pack into a small car.
You MUST go to Pistonclause in Nurburg for an amazing steak!
Room for a Noble?
Never had a breakdown but things I've done to make it hassle free...
Uk+Europe breakdown cover,
Track day insurance,
Check over the car a couple of times with tools, give it a good clean and change brake fluid.
Take a toolbox with any specific tools you regularly use.
Fire extinguisher, first aid kit, high viz vests and small warning triangle.
The Ring is relatively gentle on cars, Spa will boil your brakes if you are pushing on so take a spare bottle of fluid and engine oil if you can.
If you are clever it's surprising how much kit you can pack into a small car.
You MUST go to Pistonclause in Nurburg for an amazing steak!
Room for a Noble?
Errrm also
Book ferrys with direct-ferries as it was over 100 bones cheaper than with dfds for the same cabin and ferry crossing when I went in October.
On track advice -
On the ring, take your time and treat it as a country road you don't know and you'll be fine. As you do more laps you'll become more comfortable and really enjoy it. Don't listen to too many doom and gloom stories, for most it's an amazing experience and driving standards are normally ok.
Spa - nice big wide track, plenty space and much better run off areas in case of mistakes. I had a spin in the wet but didn't hit anything. Great track and pushing through Eu Rouge is such a buzz. Can't wait to go again!
Do try and book onto the Goldtrack days, very well organised and plenty space on track, also get use of the F1 pits at spa!
Graham
Book ferrys with direct-ferries as it was over 100 bones cheaper than with dfds for the same cabin and ferry crossing when I went in October.
On track advice -
On the ring, take your time and treat it as a country road you don't know and you'll be fine. As you do more laps you'll become more comfortable and really enjoy it. Don't listen to too many doom and gloom stories, for most it's an amazing experience and driving standards are normally ok.
Spa - nice big wide track, plenty space and much better run off areas in case of mistakes. I had a spin in the wet but didn't hit anything. Great track and pushing through Eu Rouge is such a buzz. Can't wait to go again!
Do try and book onto the Goldtrack days, very well organised and plenty space on track, also get use of the F1 pits at spa!
Graham
For any ring trip I'd do at least one shakedown test of the car beforehand at a local trackday, that way you can ascertain if the brakes, cooling and reliability are up to the job. Otherwise 8-10 minutes flat out at the ring per lap has a pretty decent chance of braking something that was comparatively under very little strain on the road. I'm thinking Speed 6 TVR and Escort Cosworth here especially 
I use competition car insurance. They cover for any organised trackday but not tourist days, as far as I know you can't get tourist day cover any more, although legally you still have 3rd party cover but your insurance co may try to claim it back from you if they specifically list the ring as not covered.
Graham
Graham
Ring:
Learn it on games console. It makes a huge difference.
Check for punctures the day before and day you go. Turned out I had 2 slow.
Keep an eye on mirrors. You wouldnt believe how fast some things appear behind you.
For flat out driving, autobahn :-)
Take first lap easy, it really will be quite like on the game.
If you get the ring taxi, get the BMW test driver, not the police driver.
Enjoy
Learn it on games console. It makes a huge difference.
Check for punctures the day before and day you go. Turned out I had 2 slow.
Keep an eye on mirrors. You wouldnt believe how fast some things appear behind you.
For flat out driving, autobahn :-)
Take first lap easy, it really will be quite like on the game.
If you get the ring taxi, get the BMW test driver, not the police driver.
Enjoy
On the ring, watch your mirrors at all times; even when going quick, it's amazing how quickly other cars approach from the rear, which brings me onto the second thing, you will never be the quickest out there, so don't try to be (and don't get drawn into racing anyone). Even the 911 turbo will probably be humbled by a stripped out 20 year-old golf.
Having been there 7 times in the last 4 years i have seen alot of good & bad. Thankfully myself & others i have travelled with have been fine.
Just make sure you have all your travel sorted, dates that the track is open for tourist driving (dates are normally released in Febuary) & accomodation before you get there as if its a busy weekend you will find it hard to find a place to stay.
On track, treat it with respect coz it will bite you in the arse if your not careful. There are many people head over there every year & have done hundreds of laps but still get caught out. Keep to the right of the track & keep an eye on your mirrors. Dont follow bikers closely going into corners as they will get in your way. If its wet then just take it easy, theres so much rubber on that track you will find it hard to get a good wet line.
All in all, just enjoy yourself & think of every metre of armco as 100euros less in your wallet if you touch it with your car.
Also, whoever is taking the Escort Cosworth, tell him/her to make sure the crankshaft oil seal has been done as a mate of mine went over with his & lost a sumpfull of oil in 3 straight laps & almost lost the engine because of it. Thankfully we noticed in time.
Enjoy
Ross
Just make sure you have all your travel sorted, dates that the track is open for tourist driving (dates are normally released in Febuary) & accomodation before you get there as if its a busy weekend you will find it hard to find a place to stay.
On track, treat it with respect coz it will bite you in the arse if your not careful. There are many people head over there every year & have done hundreds of laps but still get caught out. Keep to the right of the track & keep an eye on your mirrors. Dont follow bikers closely going into corners as they will get in your way. If its wet then just take it easy, theres so much rubber on that track you will find it hard to get a good wet line.
All in all, just enjoy yourself & think of every metre of armco as 100euros less in your wallet if you touch it with your car.
Also, whoever is taking the Escort Cosworth, tell him/her to make sure the crankshaft oil seal has been done as a mate of mine went over with his & lost a sumpfull of oil in 3 straight laps & almost lost the engine because of it. Thankfully we noticed in time.
Enjoy
Ross
That would be my Escort Cossie then! Can't advise you on the Spa side as its still on the "to do" list but the ring we've done a few times now.
You would do well to familiarise yourself with two key areas before heading over. First the main one, the track layout itself. If you can use a games console great as its more interactive or even just study the many youtube videos that are around of cars heading round.
You wont get a true feel of the gradients or the variable surfaces that you encounter on the way round but knowing if you are on a fast section or a slow one would be very useful and knowing which way the next corner goes is invaluable, as most of them you can't see the exit on approach and so you are running blind as to where the apex sits.
Second on the preparation list would be to research the rules, etiquette and practices of the place. What makes sense here and there aren't the same. For instance if you are taking the racing line on a left hander and a 911 doing twice the speed collects you from behind and shunts the pair of you off the tarmac, that ones your fault for not being on the correct side of the road (the right). Where contact is made with another car the police tend to be called and where contact is made with the barriers, the credit card better be handy.
Ben Lovejoy's site which I think someone has posted a link to already is invaluable. There have been many threads on this site and others about the place too, all worth a read if you've the time to trawl through them.
The usual route to being on track is tourist driving days/evenings which are the cheapest but can be quite hairy too. You can hire track cars (with a large but limited insurance excess) instead of risking your own as insurance is at best a grey area.
TDO run days will give you potentially less of a risk of being collected by someone who is over keen and maybe even the chance of getting track day cover too, but will increase the costs involved substantially.
Getting over the water gets cheaper the further south you go, the Hull ferry is a reasonable blend of driving hours vs hours on boats and cost. My preference is the Tunnel as its so flexible for crossings, takes no time at all and costs peanuts. It is a long slog home again though bearing in mind you have a 4 to 5 hours drive on the continent side to any of the ports.
Finally, (I promise!) keep a very watchful eye on everything you know about mechanically on your car, having made sure its up to the trip before you go.
We take spare brake pads, exhaust clamps/rubbers, all types of fluids, at least one full size spare wheel if not more, spare plugs & anything else we're aware of being a weak area on the cars concerned. Plus a couple of jacks and as many tools as we can carry & are capable of using. (the spare stuff comes out at the hotel though!)
The cars come off every lap or two usually to have the tyre pressures, fluid levels etc checked and generally left to cool off while the drivers do the same. Its particularly hard on brakes.
p.s. Respect the place and be humble, older slower cars will be faster than you. If something approaches from behind, hang right, indicate right and let them go, particularly if its a white BMW 3 series with another close behind!
You would do well to familiarise yourself with two key areas before heading over. First the main one, the track layout itself. If you can use a games console great as its more interactive or even just study the many youtube videos that are around of cars heading round.
You wont get a true feel of the gradients or the variable surfaces that you encounter on the way round but knowing if you are on a fast section or a slow one would be very useful and knowing which way the next corner goes is invaluable, as most of them you can't see the exit on approach and so you are running blind as to where the apex sits.
Second on the preparation list would be to research the rules, etiquette and practices of the place. What makes sense here and there aren't the same. For instance if you are taking the racing line on a left hander and a 911 doing twice the speed collects you from behind and shunts the pair of you off the tarmac, that ones your fault for not being on the correct side of the road (the right). Where contact is made with another car the police tend to be called and where contact is made with the barriers, the credit card better be handy.
Ben Lovejoy's site which I think someone has posted a link to already is invaluable. There have been many threads on this site and others about the place too, all worth a read if you've the time to trawl through them.
The usual route to being on track is tourist driving days/evenings which are the cheapest but can be quite hairy too. You can hire track cars (with a large but limited insurance excess) instead of risking your own as insurance is at best a grey area.
TDO run days will give you potentially less of a risk of being collected by someone who is over keen and maybe even the chance of getting track day cover too, but will increase the costs involved substantially.
Getting over the water gets cheaper the further south you go, the Hull ferry is a reasonable blend of driving hours vs hours on boats and cost. My preference is the Tunnel as its so flexible for crossings, takes no time at all and costs peanuts. It is a long slog home again though bearing in mind you have a 4 to 5 hours drive on the continent side to any of the ports.
Finally, (I promise!) keep a very watchful eye on everything you know about mechanically on your car, having made sure its up to the trip before you go.
We take spare brake pads, exhaust clamps/rubbers, all types of fluids, at least one full size spare wheel if not more, spare plugs & anything else we're aware of being a weak area on the cars concerned. Plus a couple of jacks and as many tools as we can carry & are capable of using. (the spare stuff comes out at the hotel though!)
The cars come off every lap or two usually to have the tyre pressures, fluid levels etc checked and generally left to cool off while the drivers do the same. Its particularly hard on brakes.
p.s. Respect the place and be humble, older slower cars will be faster than you. If something approaches from behind, hang right, indicate right and let them go, particularly if its a white BMW 3 series with another close behind!
There are a crowd of us (some from down south) planning to do the goldtrack days at spa on the 4th and 5th of June and go to the ring for a day or two before and after.
Think there will be about 6 nobles, a M3 csl, a Golf Gti, an Atom, an rx7 and possibly a few more.
Would be good to get a few more involved. Will post more details re hotels and ferrys closer to the time.
Graham
Think there will be about 6 nobles, a M3 csl, a Golf Gti, an Atom, an rx7 and possibly a few more.
Would be good to get a few more involved. Will post more details re hotels and ferrys closer to the time.
Graham
Don't want to put a downer on your trip, but worth reading this.
Ive been to the ring about 6 -7 times now and i still get goose bumps driving into the car park. Ive also been involved in a crash with about another 15-20 cars after someone left a load of petrol on the track. Dont go with the "it will never happen to me" attitude. Things have changed a lot in the last 4-5 years.
Spa is a great track. Have fun
http://bridgetogantry.com/2/index.php?option=com_c...
Ive been to the ring about 6 -7 times now and i still get goose bumps driving into the car park. Ive also been involved in a crash with about another 15-20 cars after someone left a load of petrol on the track. Dont go with the "it will never happen to me" attitude. Things have changed a lot in the last 4-5 years.
Spa is a great track. Have fun
http://bridgetogantry.com/2/index.php?option=com_c...
Spa is great, the scenery, roads and eateries around about are good too.
Only thing I can say about the circuit is it is deceptively fast. The old grid straight down to Eau Rouge is long and downhill, a lot of speed can be gained and getting it wrong there would not be fun. I saw a C6 Z06 destroyed in the concrete to the left at the top of the hill and watched a Griff have a 50m tank slapper that was recovered on the pit exit (which was in use).
Only thing I can say about the circuit is it is deceptively fast. The old grid straight down to Eau Rouge is long and downhill, a lot of speed can be gained and getting it wrong there would not be fun. I saw a C6 Z06 destroyed in the concrete to the left at the top of the hill and watched a Griff have a 50m tank slapper that was recovered on the pit exit (which was in use).
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