Worst Track Day, Organisers & Most Expensive.....
Discussion
It seems my post from last evening was removed due to my mentioning the trackday company by name as well as the foul mouthed organiser who also does the very unprofessional briefing.....
So....
No names....
Suffice to say I have just returned from a 2 day stint in Spa which was £795 for both Monday & Tuesday 22/23rd.
Briefing at Le Source Hotel Sunday at 7.10pm....
The chap in his late50's early 60's started the briefing and began with a huge amount of swear words, many women were present but this didnt seem to matter to this bombastic, GOD like person who has been doing trackdays for 25yrs and didnt he tell us..... Lol....
He continued to swear, rant, rave...... Said very little about the importance of the day, flag signals, entry and exit pit lane, etc...etc.... Basically your on the best track in the World with the best trackday company in the World so you shoudnt need to ask, if you do then your not for us so flip off..... In harsher words peeps....
He then went on to ask people to raise their hands if they havent been here to Spa before and who hadnt booked his glorious son for tuition.... Many did and bet they wished they hadnt..... He absolutely ripped into them with more harsh swear words and hoped they would learn their lesson by running off and terminally ruining their car....
Im serious peeps.... 100% !!!!!!
So to the days themselves.....
Attended by McLaren for their F1 & P1 buying customers, numerous race teams, Radical, Ginetta (who's driver ploughed his G50 into the wall, ran out of talent, not road.....) Porsche GT Cup cars, Ferrari Challenge race teams.... All supported with their 40ft lorries, dozens of mechanics, computers, air jacks, new slicks, more new slicks, blah.... Blah....
Oh.... And a few of us.... Normal tintop driving good old fashioned customers.... Who'd paid the very same price as these teams.... Yet with overtaking left, right, centre, diving down the inside, taking your lines, apex, braking points etc.... It was a case of keeping one eye on your rear view mirror, the other ahead and your third anywhere you could think of....
Oh.... And some of these race cars ran off the track, broke down, caused reds etc.... Real good they were...
Then to top it off the very three organisers, father, son and young lady were in the same restaurant as us last night, two tables down, didnt know us etc.... Probably thought we were unsuspecting locals, however, it was amusing listening to them slag many of the customers off inc the poor lad who totalled his Nissan GT-R....
So.....
In closing, I hope this remains here for people to read, to at least avail them of what this company is really about.... We have been doing trackdays on and off for a good 15yrs.... With many who are still in business, some who are not.... We were at Spa at the earlier part of this month with who we regard as the very best out there great DAYS on CIRCUIT with them everytime....
Regards
Chris King
So....
No names....
Suffice to say I have just returned from a 2 day stint in Spa which was £795 for both Monday & Tuesday 22/23rd.
Briefing at Le Source Hotel Sunday at 7.10pm....
The chap in his late50's early 60's started the briefing and began with a huge amount of swear words, many women were present but this didnt seem to matter to this bombastic, GOD like person who has been doing trackdays for 25yrs and didnt he tell us..... Lol....
He continued to swear, rant, rave...... Said very little about the importance of the day, flag signals, entry and exit pit lane, etc...etc.... Basically your on the best track in the World with the best trackday company in the World so you shoudnt need to ask, if you do then your not for us so flip off..... In harsher words peeps....
He then went on to ask people to raise their hands if they havent been here to Spa before and who hadnt booked his glorious son for tuition.... Many did and bet they wished they hadnt..... He absolutely ripped into them with more harsh swear words and hoped they would learn their lesson by running off and terminally ruining their car....
Im serious peeps.... 100% !!!!!!
So to the days themselves.....
Attended by McLaren for their F1 & P1 buying customers, numerous race teams, Radical, Ginetta (who's driver ploughed his G50 into the wall, ran out of talent, not road.....) Porsche GT Cup cars, Ferrari Challenge race teams.... All supported with their 40ft lorries, dozens of mechanics, computers, air jacks, new slicks, more new slicks, blah.... Blah....
Oh.... And a few of us.... Normal tintop driving good old fashioned customers.... Who'd paid the very same price as these teams.... Yet with overtaking left, right, centre, diving down the inside, taking your lines, apex, braking points etc.... It was a case of keeping one eye on your rear view mirror, the other ahead and your third anywhere you could think of....
Oh.... And some of these race cars ran off the track, broke down, caused reds etc.... Real good they were...
Then to top it off the very three organisers, father, son and young lady were in the same restaurant as us last night, two tables down, didnt know us etc.... Probably thought we were unsuspecting locals, however, it was amusing listening to them slag many of the customers off inc the poor lad who totalled his Nissan GT-R....
So.....
In closing, I hope this remains here for people to read, to at least avail them of what this company is really about.... We have been doing trackdays on and off for a good 15yrs.... With many who are still in business, some who are not.... We were at Spa at the earlier part of this month with who we regard as the very best out there great DAYS on CIRCUIT with them everytime....
Regards
Chris King
Ive attended many over the years, when trackdays were quite new.... My first in 1999 in a lowly std Subaru.... A lot of the Forums used to organise the days as well as a number of companies, some who are still here, some who are not....
I qualified as an ARDS instructor mainly to help & enjoy the " hobby ", I remember doing near 3-5 days a week when times were really good.... Often attending corporate days for manufacturers, I remember Honda back in 2001/2 bringing NSX's & some down to a Silverstone day & myself, Tim Mullen & Phil Bennett taking "Customers" out for hot laps....
Then I supported my son in karting for the next 10yrs.....
So getting back into the odd trackday over the last year or two Ive done some UK & Spa meets. The companies Ive attended have always been professional, FIRM but courteous, helpful etc with a good amount of banter....
Id never attended this other companies day before but it seemed high end, professional & the fact they had a two day event at Spa fitted in quite well for my wife & I who made it into a long weekend trip etc....
Ive come away quite shocked to be honest & simply wanted to share our experience with others. Some wont mind being treated as such, some will....
An extra note..... We were using the F1 garages..... I was sharing with a race team who had brought their own race fuel, dispensing it out of the usual fuel drums via suction.... Other teams were also doing this.... Yet the organiser himself smoking a large cigar often came into the garages for a look around whilst still smoking....
Unbelievable !
We will not attend any of their days again.
I qualified as an ARDS instructor mainly to help & enjoy the " hobby ", I remember doing near 3-5 days a week when times were really good.... Often attending corporate days for manufacturers, I remember Honda back in 2001/2 bringing NSX's & some down to a Silverstone day & myself, Tim Mullen & Phil Bennett taking "Customers" out for hot laps....
Then I supported my son in karting for the next 10yrs.....
So getting back into the odd trackday over the last year or two Ive done some UK & Spa meets. The companies Ive attended have always been professional, FIRM but courteous, helpful etc with a good amount of banter....
Id never attended this other companies day before but it seemed high end, professional & the fact they had a two day event at Spa fitted in quite well for my wife & I who made it into a long weekend trip etc....
Ive come away quite shocked to be honest & simply wanted to share our experience with others. Some wont mind being treated as such, some will....
An extra note..... We were using the F1 garages..... I was sharing with a race team who had brought their own race fuel, dispensing it out of the usual fuel drums via suction.... Other teams were also doing this.... Yet the organiser himself smoking a large cigar often came into the garages for a look around whilst still smoking....
Unbelievable !
We will not attend any of their days again.
Edited by Northern Chap on Thursday 25th September 07:35
As the OP I simply wanted to make people aware of a poor experience both myself & my wife had with the said organiser. Everything I have stated has been supported above. The time at Spa was a little more special for us as my wife has a son (my stepson) with severe Cerebral Palsy who at 18yrs old lives with us 24/7 & always will do, he is totally dependent on us from feeding to dressing so its a fair old role we've got, more so my wife. We employ a carer to help us and occasionally give us some respite & will look after Ryan in our home whilst we have a rare weekend away......
When Spa came available I convinced my wife we could make it into a 5 day break.... Travel down from Manchester (all in the car we'd be taking on track), stay over near the tunnel.... Travel Sunday to Spa, attend the briefing, enjoy the Sunday evening, do the trackdays Mon & Tues whilst sampling the local food & wine (& very nice too :-) ) then leisurely travel back home Weds....
My wife has been a passenger many times on track & has always enjoyed 2-3 laps at a time.... At registration we paid £50 for her as a passenger for both days....
The briefing, in particular the chap saying " if you have an off it will big a very big off " put the fear of GOD up her, to the point of her saying she'd see how she felt after watching for a while..... That was enough to simple put her off & never actually went out.... I can write the money off but even though we all know trackdays are potentially dangerous we accept it & drive & hope that all things considered we will have a trouble free time....
When boarding a plane & taking your seat we wouldnt expect the Captain to say " if we go down, have a crash, it will be a big one & doubt any of us will survive " yet we all know were there to be an accident, we know the consequences.... But we still fly !
My wife fortunately spent the two days at track taking lots of photos, it kept her mind off things etc... We are due to go to Cadwell Weds Oct 1st but she's 50/50 even though Im trying to convince her the experience we had was a one off.....
We attended the day in a white Mitsubishi EVO 6 RS..... Driven at 8/10ths I enjoyed the 4-5 sessions per day I had out there.
Chris King
When Spa came available I convinced my wife we could make it into a 5 day break.... Travel down from Manchester (all in the car we'd be taking on track), stay over near the tunnel.... Travel Sunday to Spa, attend the briefing, enjoy the Sunday evening, do the trackdays Mon & Tues whilst sampling the local food & wine (& very nice too :-) ) then leisurely travel back home Weds....
My wife has been a passenger many times on track & has always enjoyed 2-3 laps at a time.... At registration we paid £50 for her as a passenger for both days....
The briefing, in particular the chap saying " if you have an off it will big a very big off " put the fear of GOD up her, to the point of her saying she'd see how she felt after watching for a while..... That was enough to simple put her off & never actually went out.... I can write the money off but even though we all know trackdays are potentially dangerous we accept it & drive & hope that all things considered we will have a trouble free time....
When boarding a plane & taking your seat we wouldnt expect the Captain to say " if we go down, have a crash, it will be a big one & doubt any of us will survive " yet we all know were there to be an accident, we know the consequences.... But we still fly !
My wife fortunately spent the two days at track taking lots of photos, it kept her mind off things etc... We are due to go to Cadwell Weds Oct 1st but she's 50/50 even though Im trying to convince her the experience we had was a one off.....
We attended the day in a white Mitsubishi EVO 6 RS..... Driven at 8/10ths I enjoyed the 4-5 sessions per day I had out there.
Chris King
911Viking, you truly have missed the point of this thread.
With regards to pace, overtaking, quickness, experience etc.... Only when drivers are in vehicles of equal nature can you really start willy waving..... ;-)
I was the O.P yet I'll guarantee Ive done more laps on more circuits in the UK, Europe & USA in more different cars, in more different conditions, in both race, track, corporate & demo...... Than yourself..... But Im sure you flew past me Mon/Tues in my lowly white Mitsubishi Evo 6.....
Get my point ?
With regards to pace, overtaking, quickness, experience etc.... Only when drivers are in vehicles of equal nature can you really start willy waving..... ;-)
I was the O.P yet I'll guarantee Ive done more laps on more circuits in the UK, Europe & USA in more different cars, in more different conditions, in both race, track, corporate & demo...... Than yourself..... But Im sure you flew past me Mon/Tues in my lowly white Mitsubishi Evo 6.....
Get my point ?
Uprated front brakes, slightly better suspension & a few more horses are the modifications....
No roll cage, interior trim still intact inc rear seats, etc... Cheap Nankang road/track tyres, underside still std ie; bushes, anti roll bars etc.... I coudnt have done any better than the 2:55 to be fair. 130mph through Eau Rouge & then the car maxed out at 140-145 at the end of Kemmel.... Firmer suspension, a better geo set up would have helped but Id only taken the car in PX the Friday of last week so couldnt do a great deal other than put fuel in & check oils etc...
Oulton this Tuesday & Cadwell Weds with a few additions/changes.
No roll cage, interior trim still intact inc rear seats, etc... Cheap Nankang road/track tyres, underside still std ie; bushes, anti roll bars etc.... I coudnt have done any better than the 2:55 to be fair. 130mph through Eau Rouge & then the car maxed out at 140-145 at the end of Kemmel.... Firmer suspension, a better geo set up would have helped but Id only taken the car in PX the Friday of last week so couldnt do a great deal other than put fuel in & check oils etc...
Oulton this Tuesday & Cadwell Weds with a few additions/changes.
2 weeks prior in a fairly std Evo 6 Extreme but uprated brakes, suspension I was taking ER at 120/125.... Ive always feathered the throttle going down to the compression whilst increasing the speed, no braking, no gearchange to the point of accelerating as the car runs over the left then straight line right and at this speed a huge amount of the left run off is taken....
This part of the circuit and coming onto the start/finish straight was the strength of the car where most things I came across (road car wise) would be slower....
The pure acceleration of the car is very aggresive as a very nice orange GT3 RS found out from the start of the start/finish straight..... Oh to have had better brakes ;-)
This part of the circuit and coming onto the start/finish straight was the strength of the car where most things I came across (road car wise) would be slower....
The pure acceleration of the car is very aggresive as a very nice orange GT3 RS found out from the start of the start/finish straight..... Oh to have had better brakes ;-)
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