Advice for a track day beginner

[911p]

I did post this in the track day section, but that doesn't seem to get frequented very often.

I'm 17 years of age, and after doing a fair amount of driver training with RWD cars (with CAT Driver Training might I add, absolutely fantastic company), I'm really hankering after a car to do track days in. I've a few questions;

1) Will I need insurance to go on track?
2) Good track day car for circa £1.5k? I'm looking for fun, not speed.
3) How much will fuel set me back? For a full day at the track with say a Mk1 MX-5?
4) How much will consumables set me back? Do tyres wear quickly etc.

And anything else I've forgotten? Thanks in advance for all responses

[davepoth]

911p said:

1) Will I need insurance to go on track?

No; it's available but more expensive than your car will be worth.

911p said:

2) Good track day car for circa £1.5k? I'm looking for fun, not speed.

See your question 3.

911p said:

3) How much will fuel set me back? For a full day at the track with say a Mk1 MX-5?

Assume a full tank of fuel - it's best to run the car with a lot of fuel to avoid the fuel tank being exposed in high speed corners. Typically you won't do more than about an hour on track at the most.

911p said:

4) How much will consumables set me back? Do tyres wear quickly etc.

Depends on how serious you get. An MX-5 is a light car, and not especially powerful. If you have cheap tyres they'll last longer than expensive tyres. If you have expensive tyres you'll put more load through the suspension which will wear that out quicker, and you'll also be able to brake harder which will put extra strain on the brakes, and so on, and so on.

911p said:

And anything else I've forgotten? Thanks in advance for all responses

Crash helmet. You'll definitely need one, and you need to get a good one.

[busta]

On some tracks you may need a fire extinguisher in the car too- a small powder one from ebay will do the job.

Cheap tyres are probably the way forward if your after fun, although some can give very weird handling characteristics. I'd imagine a set would last you a few trackdays on an MX5. It's not as if you'll be drifting around in clouds of white smoke!

Decent brake pads would be the only pre-emptive modification I'd make, otherwise just see what works and what is worth upgrading as and when.

[FRA53R]

How about this, looks good and has been well modded.

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/mot...

[shim]

911p said:

I did post this in the track day section, but that doesn't seem to get frequented very often.

I'm 17 years of age, and after doing a fair amount of driver training with RWD cars (with CAT Driver Training might I add, absolutely fantastic company), I'm really hankering after a car to do track days in. I've a few questions;

1) Will I need insurance to go on track?
2) Good track day car for circa £1.5k? I'm looking for fun, not speed.
3) How much will fuel set me back? For a full day at the track with say a Mk1 MX-5?
4) How much will consumables set me back? Do tyres wear quickly etc.

And anything else I've forgotten? Thanks in advance for all responses

No insurance necessary and as only generally for your won car, a £1.5k car would not be worth insuring is my guess.

Mk1 mx5 is a great choice. Probably about 15mpg on track so maybe about £60 of fuel a day.

Consumables on mx5 are diret cheap. Join mx5nuts and get discounts on spares, look out for spare on eBay and get some hard road tyres like hankooks and they will last all year.

I would advise to fit some roll over protection, pref a cage. You won't need to have one, or an extinguisher or cut off, but to a bad idea with old cars (anything that stoops fuel spraying across you is welcomed.

Go for it.

[davepoth]

shim said:

I would advise to fit some roll over protection, pref a cage. You won't need to have one, or an extinguisher or cut off, but to a bad idea with old cars (anything that stoops fuel spraying across you is welcomed.

Go for it.

That. Best to look out for a pre-modded car - caged and stripped already, possibly with some upgrades too. They come up quite regularly, and they don't cost much more than a standard one even with all of the extra kit.

[ukkid35]

Try not to mess up other peoples' track time, so make sure your car doesn't leak fluids, and be careful with tyres (it's embarrassing when an old tyre delaminates within the first ten minutes).

Flush brake (and clutch) fluid unless you want your track time cut short. Doesn't hurt to carry a spare set of pads too. Take any tuition offered by the TDO, it's often free and always useful.

[juansolo]

I used to track the st out of an MX-5. They're very cheap to run on track. Yoke A539s used to be my tyre of choice, lasted well enough and were cheap at the time (no idea what they are now). I'd go through probably about 4-5 sets a year. Brake pads I'd do about 2 sets of fronts a year. Again cheap and easy to swap yourself. The single weakness I found was that it can bend the caliper pins with really hard use. I just used to swap them when I changed the pads.

All I did additionally maintenance wise was an additional oil/filter change in between the regular servicing. That was it.

As first track cars go, you can't go wrong with an MX-5. Though if you can stretch a little further, the Mk3 MR2 is even better. Swap the tyres for Yoke Advan Neovas (expensive, but they last) and just leave it be. It's spot on out of the box. Just gut the pre-cats (have a look on Mr2 forums about that), it's a known issue.

Edited by juansolo on Monday 22 October 08:59

[911p]

Thanks for all replies so far, much appreciated.

[sunbeam alpine]

A couple of posters have said no insurance necessary.

Don't you need insurance in case you hit someone else or cause damage to the circuit?

[911p]

sunbeam alpine said:

A couple of posters have said no insurance necessary.

Don't you need insurance in case you hit someone else or cause damage to the circuit?

I was thinking about this. What happens if I fall off the track into someone else with a much more expensive car?

[chris7676]

I was getting around 20mpg with the comparable MR2 mk1.
And I normally would shed AROUND 1mm of tyres and brakes.

[RB Will]

911p said:

I was thinking about this. What happens if I fall off the track into someone else with a much more expensive car?

You sign a disclaimer before going on track that basically says anything happens out there its tough st so if some knobber in a Saxo takes out your new GT3RS then that is life.
You don't need insurance and it only really pays off if you really write off a reasonably priced car anyway.
If you did get insurance it would still only cover you and not 3rd party as I understand it.

Other things to add are start your day off slow and build up the speed and also unless you are in a superlight car do a good cooldown lap/half lap at the end of each session and park the car up and leave the handbrake off (park it in gear if you have to just in case your cool down was not good enough you don't want to warp the discs.

Alternatively get your dad to lend you his car? go to Bedford where there is not much to crash into.

I presume from the Golf in your profile that you do have a driving license, just not sure as don't know how far into 17 you are but I don't think you will be allowed on a track day without a road drivers license no matter how much off road training you have done.

[simoid]

RB Will said:

You don't need insurance and it only really pays off if you really write off a reasonably priced car anyway.

[RB Will]

Was thinking that when I wrote it.
Or as a real world example. This MX5 OP might buy- not worth it. His dad's GT3 - worth it

[911p]

I do have a full driving licence.

Bedford sounds good - any other tracks good for a beginner?

[IanOE]

911p said:

Bedford sounds good - any other tracks good for a beginner?

I like doing the airfield tracks as there's generally more run off and not as much to hit if things go wrong.

Javelin trackdays has a good FAQ on their website that should give you a fair amount of info and answers to questions you may have.

I have a fairly standard MX-5 track car and it generally uses about a tank of fuel per trackday, so about £50-60 (although less if it's a wet track day).

I agree with other posters above that it's worth getting decent brake pads and maybe uprated brake fluid too. the MX-5 is relatively light and so doesn't wear the tyres and brakes out as much as other, heavier cars. If it's a wet trackday then these won't wear out as quickly.

It should be possible to get a nice track prepared MX-5 for around £1,500 - just make sure to check for rust, or factor this into your budget.

If you want to find out more then look at which track days are on and see if you can go along and watch and speak to the people taking part. I've generally found people to be very friendly on track days and happy to talk about their cars. If you have a helmet or borrow one then someone may be willing to take you out for a passenger ride.

[src1971]

911p said:

Bedford sounds good - any other tracks good for a beginner?

Blyton is a good track for beginners with very little to hit if you fall off.

[AdiT]

src1971 said:

Blyton is a good track for beginners with very little to hit if you fall off.

Good call! I "fell off" at over 80 on Sat and didn't come close to hitting anything.

It's a proper tarmac track but laid out on an old airfield so lots of concrete run off, making it better to drive than an average airfield but still very safe.

[sparkyhx]

do airfield ones for your first time
replace pads and fluid before you go - especially fluid unless its brand new. Get Dot5.1 or Super Dot 4 fluid.

Old fluid is the killer of brakes, if its old it will have a high water content and boil at a much lower temp.

make sure you have plenty of oil and water.
Helmet, although they can be hired,
long sleeves and long trousers
take your licence