Croft track day 19th September

[tvrbob]

So who's in?

Full day £150, half day £85. Full day is better all round and provided there are no novices turning up for the afternoon only session the track will go open pit-lane (much better). If we can get 10 or more cars on the full day then I should be able to negotiate something for us.

If you good folk want half days then novices will be encouraged to go AM so that regular trackers can have open pit in the PM. That will inevitably split us up and spoil the fun.

I'll be going full day anyway.

[tvrbob]

docevi1 said:

I'll come. I'll be there a full day but will probably only look to the afternoon session.

Stefan, as a novice they will probably allow this but it may cause them to keep the pit lane closed in the PM. They really do like new comers and novices to be there in the morning so that they get a fuller safety briefing and they get to follow the pace car round a few times so that people can find the braking points. The PM session doesn’t usually include a pace car session and novices aren't allowed on track without it.

[tvrbob]

Stefan, I know Claire Jones and find she responds better to e-mail than direct over the phone.

As for learning how things work at Croft, that is the very reason novices go in the morning. The mornings are set up to help you learn your way around the track and pits. The morning pace car session is just what you need to see the track in a safe and controlled environment. Believe me, if you have any worries, fears or concerns then go in the morning. The afternoon sessions are full of mad racers like me.

You could do the morning in your car and then have passenger rides in the afternoon.

>> Edited by tvrbob on Monday 19th July 14:52

[tvrbob]

byff, £150 is for the car and one driver, you'll have to pay extra for another driver or passenger. If memory serves it's £25 for a second driver, I'm not sure how much for a passenger but they do insist that passengers are registered and attend the safety brief so there's likely to be some charge.

YHM

[tvrbob]

Wendy there will be many Elise's there, there always are. I'm sure from what I've seen of these chaps that they would love to sit in your passenger seat and advise you of the finer points of Elise tracking.

Fun in yours in the morning and blaging rides in the afternoon.

....and of course you can have a passenger ride.

[tvrbob]

Stefan, your safer on the track than on the road. Everyone is travelling in the same direction and the corners don't have curbs so you simply end up on the grass. Marshals black flag anyone overtaking incorrectly. Ask on the trackday forum how many people have had or witnessed a trackday accident. It really is a rare event and is normally only people who are seriously testing the limits of their cars and even then they won't be crashing into you because they aren't allowed to be that close. I'm not going to say it won't happen but trust me, it is safe. I do promise you that it'll be the safest, most policed road you'll ever drive on. People behave very well on track, numpties and maxes aren't permitted.

[tvrbob]

People so far

tvrbob - Chimaera
Docevi1 - Passenger riding
Byff - Cerbera
3rtt - Noble GTO 3R
MickC - Chimaera
foggie - Cerbera
daydreamer - Ginetta G20R or S2000
hobo - T350c
millerman - Tuscan
wendyg - Elise 111s Type 25
minimax - Ginetta G33
dexy - 350i Wedge or Focus

Possible

chrisj - Marcos Mantula Coupe

>> Edited by tvrbob on Tuesday 27th July 18:41

[tvrbob]

Stefan, Come along anyway and book yourself in as a passenger. That way you can have the pleasure of being in several cars.

[tvrbob]

Ian, Normally open pit lane is granted in the afternoon provided the track officials agree that the people are safe to mingle. I intend to ask the direct question of them indicating that we won't be signing up unless it's open.

[tvrbob]

3rtt said:

...I'm just off to polish my helmet

The mind boggles.

[tvrbob]

gemini said:

is he a pro driver

Not sure but he does have a shiny helmet.

You need to join us too. Give your Chimaera a run out.

[tvrbob]

gemini said:

Pembrey

Where's that? Is it a track or an airfield?

[tvrbob]

tvrbob said:

3rtt said: ...I'm just off to polish my helmet The mind boggles.

Not sure about polishing helmets but Carole is sitting there eating my nuts. Don't you just hate it when they do that?

>> Edited by tvrbob on Monday 26th July 23:35

[tvrbob]

I'll speak to Claire tomorrow to set things in motion. Any more takers?

[tvrbob]

minimax said:

tvrbob said: I'll speak to Claire tomorrow to set things in motion. Any more takers? don't forget me!

You're on the list

[tvrbob]

dexy said:

can i come in me focus

There's plenty of time to get new bearings in that gearbox. Better still buy another TVR.

[tvrbob]

dexy said:

bob ive settled for a griff for me next tvr.

There's a rather interesting 5.2 ltr Griff in PH Classifieds. Or perhaps you'll be looking for a pre-cat to compete with byff.

[tvrbob]

wedg1e said:

I have an aging bike lid that I got away with last time at Croft, will they be looking that closely?

They do specify a standard but I've never known them check. In the end there's helmets to hire there for £5

wedg1e said:

Warning: may exit track sideways at some point...

Me too and probably more than once on current form

[tvrbob]

Well folks we get a 10% discount but I have learned that all MSA registered tracks are now required to maintain separation between novice, intermediate and skilled drivers on track days. Implication is that there will be no open pit lane option. Some MSA tracks have not made this change yet but all are required to before next year, Croft has made the change early. I discussed this at length with Claire and she suggests we take an exclusive session, that way the track will ours for 6 x 20min slots. Problem is 10 or 12 cars will not be enough, a session is 25 cars. If we can get more takers then Claire will probably agree to an exclusive group at 20+ cars.

Another thought would be to ensure we split ourselves up between the groups, novice, intermediate and skilled. That way when, for example, an intermediate driver is stuck in the pit lane (s)he can be a passenger with a skilled or novice driver. It'll not be perfect because the majority of us are likely to be classed as intermediate but it's worth thinking about.

More people please!!!

[tvrbob]

hobo said:

So how do you know whether you are a novice, intermediate or skilled driver ?

Croft do a very simple selection process.

Q - Have you done a track day before?

A - No = novice
A - Yes = next Q

Q - How was it?

A - Scary = novice
A - Great fun = next Q
A – Loads of them = skilled

Q - Have you raced professionally?

A - No = intermediate
A - Yes = skilled

You get the drift!

They then watch and move people from group to group if they appear to be wrongly classed.