VXR Trackdays - Everyone's invited!
- Thread starter Janesy B
- Start date
If you don't have it I think they can just ring the DVLA on the spot referencing your card license. I *believe* that happened to someone this morning but ring them to double check.
Had an absolutely fantastic time at Rockingham this morningThoroughly enjoyed it!
What was the best there?
Can't wait till saturday! How do these things work? Go from car to car at choice? or set allowances for what you can use and when? 
What was the best there?
Strangely my favorite car was the Corsa VXR on the track. So nimble and you really could throw it into the corners, I was shocked at the amount of grunt it had on the straights as well. Very impressive little thing. I think it just suited my driving personality though as I'm used to throwing my MX5 around.
The VXR8 of course deserves a mention, nothing like the punch of that engine around the banked oval turn and out of the corners. But I found the small lively cars more fun once the big power novelty wore off.
There are "bus stops" in the pit lane for each car - Corsa VXR, Astra VXR, Insignia, Zafira VXR, VXR8 and a fast passenger lap with a BTCC driver (we had Matt Neale today, no idea if it changes). There were generally 4 of each car at each bus stop, simply queue for whichever car you wanted or jump in whatever arrives first. So you could try them all or focus on the car you want to drive the most, entirely up to you. I was in the AM session and we were a very small group - 28 people for 28 cars on track, so I was never out of a car more than 2minutes.
The auto testing was also great fun, as well as drifting a VXR8 (lots of epic fails there) and taking an Astra VXR over a "kick plate" which snaps the back end of the car left or right and you have to catch it. They also use that to demo how good ESP is by turning it on/off for consecutive runs.
Overall a fantastic day, with as much free quality street and cans of pop you can consume, as a bonus AM session goers get a small cooked breakfast too
Summed up perfectly above.
I preferred the Astra VXR though, i loved the Corsa through the corners, but just didn't have the speed on the straights for overtakes. I think the Astra had the balance of chuckability and speed!
Also, i was very surprised at the Insignia GSi that was there. I never though estate car's could be so.....oh hell i'll say it.....fun!! It went round corners brilliantly! However, was a bit underpowered on the straights, which i imagine the Insignia VXR will not suffer from. I'll be going next year and hopefully they'll have the Insignia VXR to have a play in!
I preferred the Astra VXR though, i loved the Corsa through the corners, but just didn't have the speed on the straights for overtakes. I think the Astra had the balance of chuckability and speed!
Also, i was very surprised at the Insignia GSi that was there. I never though estate car's could be so.....oh hell i'll say it.....fun!! It went round corners brilliantly! However, was a bit underpowered on the straights, which i imagine the Insignia VXR will not suffer from. I'll be going next year and hopefully they'll have the Insignia VXR to have a play in!
Sounds awesome Matthew
Hoping that it can be 28 for 28 again on Saturday, I'm geeting tingly thinking about it, down there
hehe
Hopefully my mate should be better by Saturday as he has stomach problems that have really flared up this week
But i'll be there, cannot wait!!
Oh, and I'm there PM
Hoping that it can be 28 for 28 again on Saturday, I'm geeting tingly thinking about it, down there
heheHopefully my mate should be better by Saturday as he has stomach problems that have really flared up this week
But i'll be there, cannot wait!! Oh, and I'm there PM
One thing I didn't realise before going was that spectators can go along too. They get full access to the trackside and can go with you to the auto test and skid pan area so if you want more personal photos drag someone along and stick a camera in their hand.
T minus 19 hours woo!
Friend couldn't make it in the end due to illness so my gf is stepping in! Are there usually many girls on these kinda things? She's worried about not keeping the pace but I'm trying to reasure her its about the fun and nothing competitieve against others, she's not a slow, slow driver, but feels she might look it compared to more people there, hell, I probably will anyways!
woo!Friend couldn't make it in the end due to illness so my gf is stepping in!
Are there usually many girls on these kinda things? She's worried about not keeping the pace but I'm trying to reasure her its about the fun and nothing competitieve against others, she's not a slow, slow driver, but feels she might look it compared to more people there, hell, I probably will anyways!T minus 19 hours
Friend couldn't make it in the end due to illness so my gf is stepping in!
Tell her to stay to teh side and leave indicator on at all times as people wil be flying by at Mach 20
She wiil be fine, and will absolutely love it. The instructors will teach her a lot and help her get the most out of the car after assessing her driving skills.
I want to go back again.
Me too! What colour group were you? I was in the White band. It was great that the track dried out for us. Did you do the telemetry lap?
I thought the day was excellent, great fun messing around with the Corsa SRi in the first session and got round to some serious track action, it's a really brilliant track to drive on.
Heres my telemetry print out, did pretty well!
this doesnt make much sense. as already mentioned the G figures seem out,
also looking at where they have put the corners is wrong, first dip is paddock, and then where paddock is indicated is druids, was thinking that 40mph is bloody slow through paddock! and also how it was quicker through druids!
might look at the thruxton days as looks like good value.
Which circuit layoutdoes rockingham use? there are a few circuits on there aren't there? Wanna find an overhead for tomorrow Tempted to download that iphone app that tracks gforce etc!
Found this, assuming its correct!
Tempted to download that iphone app that tracks gforce etc!Found this, assuming its correct!
Last edited:
Just got back from this and it was an awesome day.
Cant believe i got a passenger ride with matt neil. The bloke is an absolute legend. His car control was beyond belief and he had the astra powersliding round rockingham in ways that i never thought the astra could.
The autotest and other bits and pieces were awesome too. Managed to set an awesome time with the pitstop challenge. 7.3 seconds
autotest time was crap though, only managed 35 and best on the day was 31 so well off the pace. The VXR8 drifting and astra kickplate were awesome too. Because we were in a small group we got a go twice at each, so 4 goes at each event in total.
Got loads of freebies and there was free food and drink on the way. We got a cooked breakfast and lunch too as well !
got matt neal to sign my scorecard as well as all the instructor comments too which im chuffed to punch with.
I only got overtaken twice. And the second time i was in the VXR8 and was just too **** scared after the tale of the person who binned it at brands hatch. My telemtry score was rather good too. Ill post it up when vauxhall get it on their website.
I only drove the VXR8 and Astra / Corsa. Couldnt be bothered with the insignia or zafira. Will definately have a go with the insignia VXR next year though
Cant believe i got a passenger ride with matt neil. The bloke is an absolute legend. His car control was beyond belief and he had the astra powersliding round rockingham in ways that i never thought the astra could.
The autotest and other bits and pieces were awesome too. Managed to set an awesome time with the pitstop challenge. 7.3 seconds
autotest time was crap though, only managed 35 and best on the day was 31 so well off the pace. The VXR8 drifting and astra kickplate were awesome too. Because we were in a small group we got a go twice at each, so 4 goes at each event in total.
Got loads of freebies and there was free food and drink on the way. We got a cooked breakfast and lunch too as well !
got matt neal to sign my scorecard as well as all the instructor comments too which im chuffed to punch with.
I only got overtaken twice. And the second time i was in the VXR8 and was just too **** scared after the tale of the person who binned it at brands hatch. My telemtry score was rather good too. Ill post it up when vauxhall get it on their website.
I only drove the VXR8 and Astra / Corsa. Couldnt be bothered with the insignia or zafira. Will definately have a go with the insignia VXR next year though
I considered booking rockingham at short notice to have another go but didnt in the end. Just gotta hope they do them again next year.
Given financial worries and no Vauxhall BTCC team next year it doesnt look a sure thing
Given financial worries and no Vauxhall BTCC team next year it doesnt look a sure thing
Just got back from this and it was an awesome day.
Cant believe i got a passenger ride with matt neil. The bloke is an absolute legend. His car control was beyond belief and he had the astra powersliding round rockingham in ways that i never thought the astra could.
The autotest and other bits and pieces were awesome too. Managed to set an awesome time with the pitstop challenge. 7.3 seconds
autotest time was crap though, only managed 35 and best on the day was 31 so well off the pace. The VXR8 drifting and astra kickplate were awesome too. Because we were in a small group we got a go twice at each, so 4 goes at each event in total.
Got loads of freebies and there was free food and drink on the way. We got a cooked breakfast and lunch too as well !
got matt neal to sign my scorecard as well as all the instructor comments too which im chuffed to punch with.
I only got overtaken twice. And the second time i was in the VXR8 and was just too **** scared after the tale of the person who binned it at brands hatch. My telemtry score was rather good too. Ill post it up when vauxhall get it on their website.
I only drove the VXR8 and Astra / Corsa. Couldnt be bothered with the insignia or zafira. Will definately have a go with the insignia VXR next year though
Was awesome wasn't it
went out on a lap with James, last one of the day and it was awesome, but due to the rain he was drifting then suddenly hit a dry patch and sending us swerving across We had a big group, 36 I think, but it was brilliant and really well ran! The Insignia/wall activity was a fun start, nice and light to start the day off, the handling with the Corsa was brilliant, really fun little car, sadly turned a bit too soon before the reverse needing a reverse at a big of an angle so I ended up with a 37.97
But still, was really good fun My gf and I only got 11 secs on the wheel change, don't think Team VXR will have a job opening for us just yet Astra on the kick plate was brilliant fun, but got the none-vxr (Did you, MrLoL) with worse stability which was unable to power out of the slide, unlike the VXR which just revved through it!
Didn't manage to get a drift out of the VXR-8 but it sounded sublime and felt brilliant Drove the Corsa, Astra and Zafira on the track, didn't get time for the Insignia and wet weather and massive VXR8 queues made me jump in the Zafira to try something a bit different (And there was only a queue of 1!
)All in all, loved the Corsa SO much, the Astra was great but tendancy to spin it up in the wet a LOT easier, and the Zafira was really nice, just too higher centre of mavity to really get the feel down right!
Corsa defnitely stole the show for me and pretty much made my mind up on my next car, too...off to the searches I go
Didn't take many pics as I had only my phone on me as we were both driving, will dig a few out and post 'em up
Just back from Rockingham - shame about the weather but can't fault the setup!
Nailed both corrects on the skid plate and managed to drift the whole corner in the VXR8 after 360'ing my first run!
Track was VERY wet and made the VXR8 kinda pointless. Dried up towards the end of the session, Was quite fun keeping up with the VXR8's in a zafira (which are actually quite capable!)
All of the vauxhall range are pretty wallowy, and the interiors particularly steering wheels are REALLY bad - but not as horrific as I expected overall
Nailed both corrects on the skid plate and managed to drift the whole corner in the VXR8 after 360'ing my first run!
Track was VERY wet and made the VXR8 kinda pointless. Dried up towards the end of the session, Was quite fun keeping up with the VXR8's in a zafira (which are actually quite capable!)
All of the vauxhall range are pretty wallowy, and the interiors particularly steering wheels are REALLY bad - but not as horrific as I expected overall