GT3/GTR/CSL owners - do you get bored of overtaking people?
Discussion
I just wondered. Overtaking on track is nice, but if you're one of the quickest cars out there it must be hard to get a good lap in because you have to overtake more people. I'm sure they move sharpish, but it can still ruin your lap (not that anybody is timing and we're all there to enjoy our cars in the nice weather). I'd love a really quick car but aside from the cost this always puts me off.
Is overtaking only restricted to GT3/GTR/CSL owners? You forgot to ask the Noble owners if they get bored of overtaking those cars plus everything else :P
But seriously, I don't go on track to be a hero. Its about having a laugh and enjoying the car at the limits. You do get some people that are stubborn and won't move over but most trackday organisers deal with this behaviour well so its not a major concern.
But seriously, I don't go on track to be a hero. Its about having a laugh and enjoying the car at the limits. You do get some people that are stubborn and won't move over but most trackday organisers deal with this behaviour well so its not a major concern.
TuxMan said:
I Normaly find its the GT3/GTR/CSL owners that won,t get out of the way 
My experiences have tended to be different. Staying tongue in cheek I have seen many Nobles in the pits, but don't recall ever being passed by one on the track... I've passed a few, but not often as they don't seem to turn a lot of laps in a typical day... 
The ones that don't move over are almost always boost monkeys in turbo road cars (usually anything Japanese, 911 Turbos/GT2s or supposedly 'hot' hatches that aren't as fast as their owners would like to think) or the subset of racing cars that simply aren't being driven as fast as they should be. Generally it doesn't bother me unless it is lap after lap (during which time a good TDO will generally black flag them out of your way anyway), but it isn't a race and there is always another lap...
Also note that if it is a car that I really like seeing on a circuit (especially classic stuff) I actually quite like following them around for a bit just to see and hear them out there. Thus if the car is cool enough, they aren't holding me up, they are entertaining me.
nsa said:
I just wondered. Overtaking on track is nice, but if you're one of the quickest cars out there it must be hard to get a good lap in because you have to overtake more people. I'm sure they move sharpish, but it can still ruin your lap (not that anybody is timing and we're all there to enjoy our cars in the nice weather). I'd love a really quick car but aside from the cost this always puts me off.
Depends on the attendees doesn't it?Cheaper trackdays tend to have cheaper cars in attendance, expensive days tend to have expensive cars. I know that's a sweeping generalisation, but it's been my experience.
The other thing to bear in mind is whether the drivers are any good! It's all very well having a fast car, but if you're driving it slowly then you'll be getting passed, not passing people.
OP,
IMO you don't want a trackday car thats far, far more capable than the average attendee. If you watch e.g Juno, radical etc cars, all they do is sit behind people on every bend - presumably taking all the fun away.
Outside of that, it's all luck of the draw. Having a fast laptime but low straight line speed (caterham), you rely slightly more on the car ahead hading a good driver - you can't blast past a scooby / type r if they're being straight line heroes. The faster you are compared to others, the more time you spend waiting, but the easier it is to pass.
In general, I've rarely had problems on track days. The most common frustration is when a train of cars forms, all waiting to slowly pass some noob at the front, and it gets a bit frustrating. I just nip in/out of the pits, end up 1/2 a lap away, and continue on.
IMO you don't want a trackday car thats far, far more capable than the average attendee. If you watch e.g Juno, radical etc cars, all they do is sit behind people on every bend - presumably taking all the fun away.
Outside of that, it's all luck of the draw. Having a fast laptime but low straight line speed (caterham), you rely slightly more on the car ahead hading a good driver - you can't blast past a scooby / type r if they're being straight line heroes. The faster you are compared to others, the more time you spend waiting, but the easier it is to pass.
In general, I've rarely had problems on track days. The most common frustration is when a train of cars forms, all waiting to slowly pass some noob at the front, and it gets a bit frustrating. I just nip in/out of the pits, end up 1/2 a lap away, and continue on.
Some Gump said:
OP,
IMO you don't want a trackday car thats far, far more capable than the average attendee. If you watch e.g Juno, radical etc cars, all they do is sit behind people on every bend - presumably taking all the fun away.
Outside of that, it's all luck of the draw. Having a fast laptime but low straight line speed (caterham), you rely slightly more on the car ahead hading a good driver - you can't blast past a scooby / type r if they're being straight line heroes. The faster you are compared to others, the more time you spend waiting, but the easier it is to pass.
In general, I've rarely had problems on track days. The most common frustration is when a train of cars forms, all waiting to slowly pass some noob at the front, and it gets a bit frustrating. I just nip in/out of the pits, end up 1/2 a lap away, and continue on.
I know what you mean about the train. It can get a bit "M25" when I arrive at the back of a train, but no one else is making progress past each other or the noob / knob at the front. I hear what you're saying about "go thru pits to make space" but the problem is that I tend to catch them back up within a lap (depending on circuit/time in pits) so for me personally I'd rather just get past, carefully.IMO you don't want a trackday car thats far, far more capable than the average attendee. If you watch e.g Juno, radical etc cars, all they do is sit behind people on every bend - presumably taking all the fun away.
Outside of that, it's all luck of the draw. Having a fast laptime but low straight line speed (caterham), you rely slightly more on the car ahead hading a good driver - you can't blast past a scooby / type r if they're being straight line heroes. The faster you are compared to others, the more time you spend waiting, but the easier it is to pass.
In general, I've rarely had problems on track days. The most common frustration is when a train of cars forms, all waiting to slowly pass some noob at the front, and it gets a bit frustrating. I just nip in/out of the pits, end up 1/2 a lap away, and continue on.
Ekona said:
This is why I love my MX5 being the slowest thing on track by some margin. I never get held up by anyone
I don't buy that either to be honest. I sometimes share my trackdays with a friend who's not as experienced as me in trackdaying, so tends to go a lot slower. But as a result he's constantly having to watch his mirrors for faster cars, and move out of their way.I reckon that (if you're a polite driver who will move out of the way to not hold people up) then it's just as inconvenient having to pull over all the time as it is being held up behind people.
The real answer is to try and attend a day where the laptimes are similar between attendees. Session days can help with this I'm told, but I still prefer open pitlane for the flexibility on running the car.
Herman Toothrot said:
Passed a Nobel and a GT3 yesterday in my hair dresser MR2 it was chucking it down and I suspect they were finding it almost impossible to use any throttle mind :-)
Your mr2 is about as far from 'hair dresser' as can get Hope you're well mate and maybe catch up at Abingdon in August?mrmr96 said:
I don't buy that either to be honest. I sometimes share my trackdays with a friend who's not as experienced as me in trackdaying, so tends to go a lot slower. But as a result he's constantly having to watch his mirrors for faster cars, and move out of their way.
I reckon that (if you're a polite driver who will move out of the way to not hold people up) then it's just as inconvenient having to pull over all the time as it is being held up behind people..
I agree with you up to a point, but when you're talking such massive speed differentials between something like my '5 and a GT3 then moving out of their way is very easy and doesn't impact on my driving at all. Even if I keep my foot flat to the floor, as long as they do the same then even the tiniest straight becomes an overtaking opportunity. If the corners are too tight together then it's not a safe overtaking place regardless of car, and they should be keeping their distance IMHO.I reckon that (if you're a polite driver who will move out of the way to not hold people up) then it's just as inconvenient having to pull over all the time as it is being held up behind people..
Obviously there's no replacement for courtesy from all parties though, regardless of speed.
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