Skid Pan experience

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Mat

Mat

Mat

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I'm toying with the idea of booking a skid pan morning for my gf (and myself) as part of her birthday but having never done one, I'm unsure as to whether they're all the same or do you get what you pay for?

It's likely to be between the Silverstone Experience (one size fits all cradle) or the more local Drive Alive offering (figure of 8 oil and water track, FWD/RWD cars) .

Silverstone is about 2hrs away and £129 each whereas Drive Alive is less than 30 mins away and costs half the price. Fairly obvious choice, perhaps, but do you get more for your money at Silverstone?
 
Mat said:
I'm toying with the idea of booking a skid pan morning for my gf (and myself) as part of her birthday but having never done one, I'm unsure as to whether they're all the same or do you get what you pay for?

It's likely to be between the Silverstone Experience (one size fits all cradle) or the more local Drive Alive offering (figure of 8 oil and water track, FWD/RWD cars) .

Silverstone is about 2hrs away and £129 each whereas Drive Alive is less than 30 mins away and costs half the price. Fairly obvious choice, perhaps, but do you get more for your money at Silverstone?
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They have something similar at Thruxton (IIRC) and saw a smallish one at Mercedes Benz World.

http://www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/skidpan
 
I did similar many years ago when I was living in Holland, except it was at Zandvoort. Most fun I've ever had in a car to this day. I've been looking for a cheapish one for myself recently as I've got a sis in law and a friend of hers coming over in August and this'd be an awesome day out.

£300 for four of us at that Drive Alive place looks great, I'll probably go for that. Cheers OP!
 
I did the John Watson one at Silverstone in late 80's - I enjoyed it but mrs's was pooing her knickers.

If you get too cocky the tutor turns up the height and you just end up spinning round in circles.

Go for it.:eek:
 
Go for it!

Any track opportunity you get, always take it, you can never have enough experience under your belt. :)
 
Gibbo said:
Go for it!

Any track opportunity you get, always take it, you can never have enough experience under your belt. :)
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+1

Had a few hours on a skid pan years back with Mercedes Benz - in an artic - invaluable experience that's helped me out more than once since.

As Gibbo rightly says, you can never have too much experience.
 
I fully intend to do it, the issue was more to do with whether the higher price of Silverstone was worth it really. I'll probably go for the local, cheaper one.
 
Personally I'd always go with a oil/water track over a hydraulic cradle car every time, but then maybe I am biased as i am a skid car trainer here at work and have been doing it for the last 8 years, have experience of both systems and far prefer the oil/water track as it is far more realistic.
 
Where do you work Entai?

When I did it years ago, they had huge patches of asphalt painted white which they kept wet. We did it in Merivas with slicks on the back and it seemed to work perfectly, loved every moment of it. I would've thought it'd be more accurate than a cradle.
 
I used the police training oil pan in Lincolnshire a couple of years ago and loved it! BMW 3 series with slicks fitted. Great fun :)
 
Entai said:
Personally I'd always go with a oil/water track over a hydraulic cradle car every time, but then maybe I am biased as i am a skid car trainer here at work and have been doing it for the last 8 years, have experience of both systems and far prefer the oil/water track as it is far more realistic.
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Do you cater for the public or can you recommend somewhere? Bedford isn't too far away either...
 
I've just contacted Rockingham who have a skid pan next to their circuit. They said if I book on for a track day(£205) they'll make a note on their system that I'm not bothered about the circuit and to let me use the skid pan all day! They have instructors there all day too so should be good.

I've done one of the cradle training afternoons before, in a car park in Manchester, and I didn't really get on with it. I've wanted to do one in my own track car for a while as you get black flagged if you get the back end out too much on track!
 
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