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First track day advice

I've got the M1144 pads in mine and they're great (as Tony the Tiger might say) but for a full weight road car I'd use the 1155s too.

You'll be fine, just build your speed up gradually and don't be a hero. Get at least 2 sessions of instruction, one as early as possible and one after lunch.

Druids and Lodge are under tree cover and will probably be wet and greasy all day, knickerbrook can be quite slidey too but speeds here are much lower so you'll be fine and can have a little play with the balance of the car under power in relative safety here. Heading up Clay Hill towards Druids, aim for the tallest tree over the blind crest and you'll be in the right place in the track.

Just enjoy the day and take it at your own pace, in the damp/wet the Fwd cars make oulton look easy so just because your car would be faster on the road doesn't equate to faster on the track.
 
Wow, thanks for all the tips. Sounds like there is a wealth of experience out there. The track day is organised by Javelin and its on the 14th feb. Seems to be a lot of Honda civics that day.

Will look at getting a set of Mintex 1155's.
 

ORIGINAL: edh


Most importantly - get some instruction, and get it early. You need to understand the lines, which won't be intuitive at Oulton. It will make you much safer, faster, and will reduce the mechanical wear on the car. Most new track drivers go too fast into slow corners & too slow into fast corners [:D]. Don't be too disheartened if you feel your car is a soggy understeery mess - part of that might be your driving, but it's a road car, so won't be able to corner as fast as a track prepped car with stiff suspension and sticky tyres. Having said that, the 944 has a lovely balance, and even softly sprung models like the 924S go well in stock form.
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THIS, in spades. Particularly the bit about getting instruction.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HOW TIRED YOU WIlL GET. Keep the sessions short, do a slow, cooling down lap at the end of each session and don't be afraid to come in to the pits if you find yourself getting too enthusiastic and making mistakes, and don't be afraid to end the day early. Plenty of people have come a cropper doing, "just one last session"!

Enjoy it.
 

ORIGINAL: JM1962

Wow, thanks for all the tips. Sounds like there is a wealth of experience out there. The track day is organised by Javelin and its on the 14th feb. Seems to be a lot of Honda civics that day.

Will look at getting a set of Mintex 1155's.
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Javelin is a decent TDO - I have done a fair few days with them. You shouldn't get too many really quick cars on their days that appear out of nowhere. At their end of the market, there will be plenty of cheaper cars, but that won't stop them being much faster than you. Don't think you'll be able to follow an experienced driver in a cheap Clio, for example. He'll be much quicker, particularly in the wet.

but

They do pack a lot of cars into the day, so it will be busy. This means you'll spend a fair bit of time letting people through. Bear in mind it's much less busy in the last couple of hours when some people will have already broken things or packed up for the day.
 

ORIGINAL: JM1962

Wow, thanks for all the tips. Sounds like there is a wealth of experience out there. The track day is organised by Javelin and its on the 14th feb. Seems to be a lot of Honda civics that day.

Will look at getting a set of Mintex 1155's.
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Theyre made to order. Leads time is approaching six weeks.
 
The most important thing about Oulton is lunch.

Are you going to take your own or go to the canteen?

Do you like pie and chips? If so don't muck about, get in there early and secure your dish before everyone else.

Are you going to have gravy on your pie & chips? If so see above and go 5 minutes earlier.

Puddings: will you be happy with a Kit Kat or do you want apple crumble & custard? If so knock off 5 minutes.

I usually go for lunch at about 10.15am, saves me getting sad & angry.


As for the track:

Be careful, have fun, take regular breaks, have a check list in your mind for car checks: oil, coolant, fuel, fluids. It's just a track day, not a race - get comfortable, confident and assertive when you can. Experienced drivers respond well to novice drivers who are predictable and in control.
 
UPDATE

Track day completed. I am intact and so is the car. Had a really good day apart from spinning on my first lap going into the chicane before Knickerbrook, so not a great start. Track was vey slippery in the morning but by the afternoon a dry line had appeared. Grew in confidence during the afternoon and was enjoying it by the end even though I was slower than just about everyone else there. Great day out and track day cherry popped.
 
Glad to hear it went well. I've only driven Oulton once and it was a tricky little beggar.

Has the bug bitten or will the one day satisfy your cravings?
 

ORIGINAL: Diver944

Glad to hear it went well. I've only driven Oulton once and it was a tricky little beggar.

Has the bug bitten or will the one day satisfy your cravings?
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Would like to do it again. May invest as a group in a dedicated track car.

Here are a couple of pics.

15920408943_6c65f107d7_b.jpg


15920420683_bd5db0eb43_b.jpg
 
Marvellous!

I'm doing Cadwell with OpenTrack on Monday the 9th of March, get involved as it's a fantastic track!
 
Glad you enjoyed your day out. Now you've got a taste for it, next time out, try to get a session with an instructor. You'll find it really enjoyable, and you'll be amazed how it will improve your lap times.
 

ORIGINAL: Eldavo

Marvellous!

I'm doing Cadwell with OpenTrack on Monday the 9th of March, get involved as it's a fantastic track!
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Yes, if you're looking for something a bit more challenging and scary than Oulton, then cadwell is the place [:D]

My favourite uk circuit so far.
 
I also spun very early on my first time. The thing is you start driving around and feel like the car has loads of grip so start attacking the corners like you would an empty roundabout only race tracks have smoother tarmac than the road so the loading and feedback in the steering isn't as rough feeling so you get a very false impression of how much grip is available. Notice how people always say stuff like a public road feels more grippy, even if they did their track day on a bone dry summers day [;)].
 
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