Track day. Which one first?
- Thread starter nags
- Start date
pauljmcnulty
Active member
You could do worse than the Porsche Club track days. They are not the cheapest but highly renowned for good supervision and behaviour. Instructors are also available and a real help.
RPM also run trackdays, Bedford is near you and has massive run-off areas if you get it wrong! 01296 661881, speak to Darren and mention the 944 Register.
RPM also run trackdays, Bedford is near you and has massive run-off areas if you get it wrong! 01296 661881, speak to Darren and mention the 944 Register.
steve 944t
Member
Silverstone is also a pretty good venue - most of the walls would be quite diffcult to hit [
]. As a relative novice myself, I would recommend the Silverstone track evenings - you get about 3 hours on track, starting at 5pm. Open pitlane, so you come and go as you like. Booking is either via goldtrack or RPM - I am going with RPM on 13th May. It costs an extra tenner via RPM, but is worth it in my opinion - they give your car a good checkover after each session, oil, tyres etc. Saves you getting your hands dirty and makes you feel like a professional driver [].
If you let the organiser know it is your first time, they can arrange for an instructor to sit in with you for a few laps to help you learn the lines, braking points etc. You can also book an additional session with an instructor. On my first outing with Goldtrack last year I booked a 30 minute session with Callum Lockie (owns and races a 968 so is pretty familiar with our cars).
Hopefully there will be a few of the regulars on 13th May (although a couple of them are taking an age to get their cars ready []), so should be a good crack if you can make that one.
]. As a relative novice myself, I would recommend the Silverstone track evenings - you get about 3 hours on track, starting at 5pm. Open pitlane, so you come and go as you like. Booking is either via goldtrack or RPM - I am going with RPM on 13th May. It costs an extra tenner via RPM, but is worth it in my opinion - they give your car a good checkover after each session, oil, tyres etc. Saves you getting your hands dirty and makes you feel like a professional driver [].If you let the organiser know it is your first time, they can arrange for an instructor to sit in with you for a few laps to help you learn the lines, braking points etc. You can also book an additional session with an instructor. On my first outing with Goldtrack last year I booked a 30 minute session with Callum Lockie (owns and races a 968 so is pretty familiar with our cars).
Hopefully there will be a few of the regulars on 13th May (although a couple of them are taking an age to get their cars ready [
]), so should be a good crack if you can make that one.
Diver944
Active member
ORIGINAL: steve 944t
Hopefully there will be a few of the regulars on 13th May (although a couple of them are taking an age to get their cars ready [
Oi - I don't know you are referring to [
]Silverstone and Bedford are both good places to start due to the run off and the nice wide track so you have plenty of space to let other cars past or overtake slower people. The Goldtrack evenings are definately great value and as they only last 3 hours it's a good taster without getting too hot and bothered.
AndrewS
Member
Hi Nicholas,
If you are in Herts, you are not too far away from Bedford Autodrome. This is by far and away the safest venue to start with. As Bedford is not a competition venue, there are plenty of track days throughout the year (on weekends too). The surface is extra grippy and it is very difficult to have an incident on the track as there is very little to hit.
Silverstone is a more challenging venue because of the woodcote and club corners having armco either side as you exit. However, these are easy corners in the dry and Silverstone is still a safer bet than Brands Hatch or Castle Combe (in terms of run off and challenging corners where it could go wrong).
The evening events with Goldtrack at Silverstone are an ideal sampler and are well run open pit lane events. You just need your car up to scratch (decent tyres, brakes and engine oil), a crash helmet and driving licence. After a comprehensive Goldtrack briefing, you're ready to take to the circuit.
The Silverstone evenings are quite popular with the 944 crowd and I plan to be there on May 13th myself.
Regards,
Andrew
ronald smith
New member
Hi All,
Would like to come to Silverstone tue May 13th, not to track but to see some other 944's on track.
I havent been to a track day before. What is form do I still have to book, just turn up or what. Perhaps
someone can give me some info.
Thanks for that.
Cheers Ron
Would like to come to Silverstone tue May 13th, not to track but to see some other 944's on track.
I havent been to a track day before. What is form do I still have to book, just turn up or what. Perhaps
someone can give me some info.
Thanks for that.
Cheers Ron
Diver944
Active member
It's a Goldtrack evening and they allow spectators for no charge. Passenger wristbands are normally £10 and you can bagsy a ride with virtually anyone as we are all show offs and like to give rides []
Funnily enough, I don't seem to be as popular since my accident [&:]
The track is normally open from 5pm to 8pm so just drive up to the main gate and tell the guard you are here for the Goldtrack evening and he will wave you over the bridge to the paddock behind the pits. Look for a group of 944's and say hi []
] Funnily enough, I don't seem to be as popular since my accident [&:]
The track is normally open from 5pm to 8pm so just drive up to the main gate and tell the guard you are here for the Goldtrack evening and he will wave you over the bridge to the paddock behind the pits. Look for a group of 944's and say hi [
]
ronald smith
New member
Thanks for info Paul work permitting i'll be there as close to 5pm as I can, and look forward
to meeting some of you guys there.
Ron
to meeting some of you guys there.
Ron
Snetterton is deceptively fast and things can go the way of the pear at some velocity.
I have done more laps of Snetterton than I can remember (probably the most of any circuit) but still find it intimidating and awkward to find the best line. It's a great circuit if you like to have the car on the edge of adhesion a lot of the time. It is hard on brakes (and engine) and has some hard things to hit (ask Paul). While it can forgive mistakes (sometimes) I have seen some spectacularly bent cars there. There is a very fine line between braking too early and too late. Too early and you loose a lot of time, too late and you most likely wont crash but will loose a lot of time. It wouldn't be my first choice of first circuit. Those that are going quick will be going very quick and will close on you spectacularly fast.
Silverstone is good and very forgiving in lots of places. It's down side is it is long, and has a number of similar but different corners and is very very wide in places. The width can becomes confusing and you can feel like you are driving around a car park. However, you can see other cars for a long time and they can see you. You have plenty of time to get out of their way and won't slow them or yourself much in doing so.
Strangely I think Brands could be great first circuit - particularly the short "Indy" circuit. It is short enough that you get back to a bend quite quickly so can still remember what you did last time. The lines aren't necessarily that obvious but you don't have many choices. The difference between the right and wrong line is very noticable so you know when you find it. Because of the undulations it isn't very hard on brakes and because of the shape isn't very fast. In the dry it is a great circuit. In the wet it could bite you very hard - but then so can Silverstone. The down side is, because it is very technical you have to tell yourself to look in the mirror a lot of the time as you can otherwise get tied up at looking at the next braking ot turn in point and forget there will be cars around you.
My first circuit was Mallory Park. It is tight without much run off but it is very short, like Brands Indy, so is easy to remember a bend when you arrive at it again.
Taking all of the above on board now ignore it. Go and buy a good racing simulator. Drive all the tracks that are available to you and choose which one you like best. Many modern simulators have excellent reproductions of the tracks. This way you will learn what the track does and get a reasonable idea of lines. Its not the same but, once you get out on the track, you will be surprised how much you have learnt.
Finally - do an evening first. They are cheaper and less stressful on the car and the driver.
I have done more laps of Snetterton than I can remember (probably the most of any circuit) but still find it intimidating and awkward to find the best line. It's a great circuit if you like to have the car on the edge of adhesion a lot of the time. It is hard on brakes (and engine) and has some hard things to hit (ask Paul). While it can forgive mistakes (sometimes) I have seen some spectacularly bent cars there. There is a very fine line between braking too early and too late. Too early and you loose a lot of time, too late and you most likely wont crash but will loose a lot of time. It wouldn't be my first choice of first circuit. Those that are going quick will be going very quick and will close on you spectacularly fast.
Silverstone is good and very forgiving in lots of places. It's down side is it is long, and has a number of similar but different corners and is very very wide in places. The width can becomes confusing and you can feel like you are driving around a car park. However, you can see other cars for a long time and they can see you. You have plenty of time to get out of their way and won't slow them or yourself much in doing so.
Strangely I think Brands could be great first circuit - particularly the short "Indy" circuit. It is short enough that you get back to a bend quite quickly so can still remember what you did last time. The lines aren't necessarily that obvious but you don't have many choices. The difference between the right and wrong line is very noticable so you know when you find it. Because of the undulations it isn't very hard on brakes and because of the shape isn't very fast. In the dry it is a great circuit. In the wet it could bite you very hard - but then so can Silverstone. The down side is, because it is very technical you have to tell yourself to look in the mirror a lot of the time as you can otherwise get tied up at looking at the next braking ot turn in point and forget there will be cars around you.
My first circuit was Mallory Park. It is tight without much run off but it is very short, like Brands Indy, so is easy to remember a bend when you arrive at it again.
Taking all of the above on board now ignore it. Go and buy a good racing simulator. Drive all the tracks that are available to you and choose which one you like best. Many modern simulators have excellent reproductions of the tracks. This way you will learn what the track does and get a reasonable idea of lines. Its not the same but, once you get out on the track, you will be surprised how much you have learnt.
Finally - do an evening first. They are cheaper and less stressful on the car and the driver.
Peter Empson
PCGB Member
My first track day was Donington and it's still one of my favourites but would agree with others here about the +'s and -'s of the various tracks discussed. I think I might have found Brands a bit too non-stop if it was my first, a bit of thinking time on a straight is really helpful to gather your thoughts and check your gauges and the main straight at Brands is curved [].
I would say by far the most important thing with any track day is attitude, I'm sure we've all seen lots of brovado and ego's at briefings and you can often tell if someone is going to drive like a plonker or is going to fall off.
Stick with well run days (Goldtrack etc) so there are less plonkers to begin with and make a point of not holding anyone up by watching your mirrors, this way you can concentrate on lines with no pressure and you'll have a whale of a time wherever you choose.
].I would say by far the most important thing with any track day is attitude, I'm sure we've all seen lots of brovado and ego's at briefings and you can often tell if someone is going to drive like a plonker or is going to fall off.
Stick with well run days (Goldtrack etc) so there are less plonkers to begin with and make a point of not holding anyone up by watching your mirrors, this way you can concentrate on lines with no pressure and you'll have a whale of a time wherever you choose.
nicholaswgmay
New member
I went to the Silverstone gold track evening yesterday as a spectator and had a blast huge thankyou to Steve who took me for a couple of laps in his well sorted KW 944T which was quick enough to have a 997 turbo (done very sensibly though) at the end of the Hangar straight.... Excellent
steve 944t
Member
glad you enjoyed it Nick []. The car was going pretty well by the end (once I had remembered how to drive []), although the brakes and tyres are in dire need of replacement!
A good turnout too - sorry I could not hang around for long afterwards. Those burgers smelt wonderful []
]. The car was going pretty well by the end (once I had remembered how to drive []), although the brakes and tyres are in dire need of replacement! A good turnout too - sorry I could not hang around for long afterwards. Those burgers smelt wonderful [
]
ronald smith
New member
Hi all,
Had a good evening at Silverstone, very good to meet a few members and see some nice porsches.
Sold the Lux, got the lovely S2, perhaps the Turbo next- reality check SWMBO would kill me.
Thanks to Paul for comparing clutch Judders, and Steve for offer of a passenger ride, I will take you
upon it next time.
Cheers Ron
Had a good evening at Silverstone, very good to meet a few members and see some nice porsches.
Sold the Lux, got the lovely S2, perhaps the Turbo next- reality check SWMBO would kill me.
Thanks to Paul for comparing clutch Judders, and Steve for offer of a passenger ride, I will take you
upon it next time.
Cheers Ron
Diver944
Active member
....and all the fuel you burn't [
]Steve must have been driving well as both Nicks had big grins on their faces when they got out from their passenger laps. Quite a few red flag stoppages last night and they were virtually all for mechanical failure on track, mostly from race cars using it as a test session. One of them even ran out of fuel - VERY NAUGHTY [:-]
ORIGINAL: Diver944
....and all the fuel you burn't [
Steve must have been driving well as both Nicks had big grins on their faces when they got out from their passenger laps. Quite a few red flag stoppages last night and they were virtually all for mechanical failure on track, mostly from race cars using it as a test session. One of them even ran out of fuel - VERY NAUGHTY [:-]
Have to say thats put me off of the idea of one of these evening trackdays - its one of my least favourite things sharing a session with race cars......( I know that sounds odd if you are on a racetrack, but I find them a pain in the neck)
Glad you had fun though
Pete
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