Trackday as a Gift

tom_nieto

tom_nieto

tom_nieto

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I am looking into tack days as a birthday present for my old man and I thought a track day would be fun and we would both enjoy it. I would be using my own car. For those in the know about these things, I have a few questions:

Where is the best circuit in terms of setup of the day to maximise driving time?
(based near Staines/Reading or Birmingham)

I have never been on a track, and my dad to my knowledge has only been round on motorbikes. I think it would be great to have some tuition added in for both of us to make the most of it. Which circuit in your experience has the best instructors?

What is best for insurance on the day?

Maintenance wise, I'm looking to replace disks and pads all round anyway so would do that before going. I'll most likely get a geo setup with my next MOT. Tyres will probably be replaced after the event!

In terms of extra drivers, I presume there is a fee, but are spectators allowed in most venues?

I'm quite keen on Silverstone as it's the GP circuit, but it seems expensive, and I wonder if Donnington might be a cheaper alternative. Silverstone also states that any extra driver must be intermediate or expert level... I'm unsure of what that means and everyone in their office appears to have gone home.

Any other thoughts? Hooning in someone else's car might also be fun, but I fear will be expensive to hire... although Donnington have Caterhams apparently.
 
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For a trackday novice I'd recommend Bedford, although it's a couple of hours drive from Staines/Birmingham.

Plenty of run off area, nice long track which keeps everyone spaced out, and the open pit lane days are always really well organised which gives you plenty of track time.

There's usually a fee for extra drivers but I've always managed to get it waived by calling them up, and there's never any fees for spectators.

I've never had instruction at Bedford, but a friend of mine did and seemed pretty impressed.
 
donington park is a good call as there is plenty of run off.

you ideally want a open pit lane rather than sessions.

any decent trackday organiser will have a good instructor on hand for a reasonable price on the day

i have used javelin and bookatrack. the latter is cheaper but generally have more cars there.
in an OPL environment, you may have to queue as they only allow a certain number of cars on the track at once.

insurance, try your own insurer but tbh i dont bother when i go on track.
there are trackday specialists though who will sort you out for a day policy for not much but the price will depend on your circumstances.

drive defensively and dont try to be a hero. as long as your awareness is good and you check your mirrors, you will be able to let the quicker stuff past and still have plenty of time to get your foot down.

for an S2000, maybe consider replacing your discs if they need doing but replace them with honda oem. then consider a track orientated pad from either EBC/ferodo/Dicxel/carbonelorraine depending on what your budget allows.

as long as your car is properly maintained, then you will be fine.
take a few litres of spare oil and make sure your oil is on max as the S2000 does have issues with blowing smoke on long corners. [depends how sticky your tyres are i guess as i have RE050s on mine and have not experienced that]


buy a Tyre pump and pressure gauge [check yoru pressure after each run to keep your tyres at optimum pressure.


if you have an S2000, it will be a fun day. if you have the money, grab a caterham from the organiser.



also, if you do go to donington park and you are in an S2000, dont go in too fast into redgate otherwise you will be refurbishing your wheels.
 
Not done a car trackday yet but lots of experience from the bike equivalent, and some applies just the same.

Spend the first sessions learning where the track goes, and don't fall into the common trap of getting onto a nice long straight and just booting it then binning it when you don't realise how fast you can/cant get round the inevitable corner at the end of it.

Much better to build your speed up through the day as you learn the track and how your car goes round. Also get into the habit early on of using all of the track, right out to the kerbs. While your initial speed won't be forcing you out to the kerbs, as you get quicker you will and better to already be prepared for it. You've paid for all the track, so use it :)

Avoid target fixation if a car goes off the track or spins in front of you - you go where you look so if you're fixed on that car you'll just follow it yourself or plough into someone else's crash.

Also, between sessions pay attention to your own fluid levels as well as those for the car ;)
 
I've emailed Donnington with loads of questions, so hopefully they will get back to me soon. I think I'd be far more defensive in my own car than an organiser's hired car! The advertised one at Donnington in December seemed to run in sessions split by driver ability. I think it'd be really fun to see what the S2000 is capable of, although I think I'll run out of talent long before the car will.

Touch wood, the car hasn't skipped a beat since I've owned it, nor used a drop of oil. I have RE050's so probably won't be suffering from oil issues before losing traction! Bringing spare would be useful. How important is it to get Honda OEM disks? My rears are very corroded, and I probably need to change these anyway. Fronts don't look too bad to my eyes.

Presumably for a mug like me, there's no need to hire a garage!

Thanks for the responses so far, interesting reading!

EDIT: Bedford doesn't look too far away, and it's reasonably priced. Is it cheaper to grab an instructor on the day? It's £250 for an hour on the MSV website.
 
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CoreKrogoth said:
Abingdon is good and only down the a34, its perfect for beginners.
Click to expand...

I found Abingdon a bit underwhelming personally. Very poor surface, far too much of the track simply marked out with (often knocked over) cones and an aggressive, shouty organiser who got the E36 I was driving confused with another one and only grudgingly apologised after having a massive go at me.
 
geekman said:
I found Abingdon a bit underwhelming personally. Very poor surface, far too much of the track simply marked out with (often knocked over) cones and an aggressive, shouty organiser who got the E36 I was driving confused with another one and only grudgingly apologised after having a massive go at me.
Click to expand...

what company was that with?
 
I'd say go for a non sessioned day, as you can choose the time you go out and if someone if annoying you, just come in and give it 10 mins.

I can only speak for Javelin but their intsruction is £20 for about 20 mins, which is about the time you should be spending on track on one stint. Their instructors are a mix of current and ex racing drivers. Good blokes.
 
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