TRACKDAY GUIDE

Organise and discuss trackdays and meets
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TarmacTerrorist
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TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by TarmacTerrorist » Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:47 pm

What is a track day?

A track day is a non-competitive motor sport event generally held at a motor racing circuit or airfield.

What do you need to take with you (the basics)?

Your current valid driving license.
A helmet (full or open face).
If you don't have a helmet you can usually rent one from the trackday operator for around £5 -£10 but check first that they are available and prebook one if possible as there will be limited numbers. Preference would be to have your own helmet as the hire ones can be a bit dank! You can buy your own from £40 upwards.
Covered arms and legs are required - don't forget this as you wont be allowed on most UK circuits in shorts and/or a tee-shirt.
Suitable footwear - Something light and comfortable. No clobber boots etc.
A tyre pressure gauge.
Last but not least dont forget to bring a coat... Standing on the side of an airfield/circuit can get cold even on sunny day.

Preparing your car.

Check for -

Tyre condition and pressures. Look for the obvious - tread depth, nails, gashes to the sidewalls etc. Be sure that there will be enough tread left to get you home legally after you have done your trackday, it's no good starting the day off with barely legal tyres as they will be totally gone by the time you have finished.
Wheel nuts are tight and are at the correct torque settings.
Brake discs and pads have plenty of life left in them and the brake fluid is topped up. If you are due to have your brake fluid changed in the next coming months (usually every 2 years) then get it done before your trackday as older fluid will overheat easier with repeated hard braking on track.
Fluid levels, oil, water, brakes etc. are all topped up to the max levels.
Ideally you should check all of these a week before your track day as it will give you time to sort any problems out.
Ensure the cabin space and boot are free from any loose items that can become projectiles.


Format of your day

1. Arrive and sign on.
First thing you need to do when you arrive on site is to sign on for the day. You will be issued with a numbered sticker for your car and a wrist band (different colour bands for drivers and passengers). You will also need to present your driving licence at this point so dont forget to bring it along with you to signing on.

2. Drivers safety briefing.
After signing on you will need to attend the drivers breifing. Don't miss the briefing as you wont be allowed on the track without it. If you are unsure of when and where it is ASK! During the breifing you will be told about the flag signals that are going to be in use and the general rules that must be adhered to. Novice/First time drivers are usually asked to stay back after the main breifing for further instructions/advise. Dont be afraid to ask about anything if you are unsure. After the briefing is over, people who are signed on as drivers will be issued with another wristband to say that they have attended. Passengers don't have to attend the briefing but it doesn't harm in doing so.

3. Parade laps.
Before the main event gets underway there is usually a 5- 10 minute period following a pace car slowly around the circuit for a couple of laps so there are no unexpected surprises on your first outing.
A tip here is that the person you are following in the pace car is often the circuit instructor or a very experienced trackday operator and he/she will be driving on the racing line, albeit slowly. If it's a new circuit to me I will try and be the very next car following him around the track watching where he positions the car to take the corners. If you are at the back of 15 cars behind the pace car then the racing line can get lost in a series of chineses whispers as it gets passed back down the line. Free instruction, yay!

4. Cars on circuit
You are then allowed out on circuit and the fun begins.

Open Pit or Sessioned Day?

On an open pit day cars can go out onto track as and when they like.
Numbers on track are limited so you may have to queue.
You should only stay out for 15 - 20 minutes at a time, both you and the car will become tired.
Open pit lane events can be a very intimidating for beginners as there is a mixed ability group on the track with the possibility of some very fast cars that can seem to appear from no where.

On a sessioned event drivers are usually split up into sessions according to driver experience.
Typically a sessioned day would have of 3 x 20 minute sessions per hour with Novice, Intermediate and Advanced groups.
Sessioned days are great for newbies as you should only be on circuit with other drivers of similar experience.

Going faster.
Smooth steering, progressive throttle input and braking in a straight line before the corner and your half way there.
Modify yourself with training and practice before modifying your car.
Most circuits will have a qualified trainer on hand that will cost you about £25 for 20 minutes on track instruction.
If you do modify your car, grip and braking make more difference than power.
It is beyond the scope of this guide to go into car mods in any detail but there are lots of people on the forum with experience in this area.
You can sometimes book an instructor for half a day on your trackday or you can go on one of the many intensive driver training programs available though out the country that can be tailored to you own needs.

Choose a Trackday operator wisely
There can be a marked difference between the organisation of trackday operators.
Some will have more cars on track than others or will share a day with different operators.
It is best to check with other forum users if they have used a particular operator.

Don't Worry
There will usually be at least one full group of beginners at most sessioned events.
Any driver driving aggressively, spinning often etc.should be removed from the track (black flagged) by the track marshals.
Don't be afraid to report any bad track behavior to a marshal after your session - you are doing everyone a favour.
Its best to choose a sessioned day for you first track day.

Noise Limits
When you book your trackday check the noise level restriction for that day.
The track will often run different noise restrictions on different days.
ie Quiet and Noisy days.
Different tracks measure the noise in different ways. Drive by or static. Drive by is measured as you would expect when you are driving by. Your car will produce a lower noise reading on drive by. A 98db drive by limit is actually pretty loud so unless you have a sports exhaust you should pass. A 105db drive by noise limit should cater for even the most modified cars.
Static is measured when your car is stationary by holding a noise meter near to your exhaust and getting you to rev the engine to a required rpm. Tips here are that the operator can't see the rpm so give 500 rpm less than he asks for just to be sure if you think you may be noisy! Also go smoothly and slowly as you raise the revs up and back down from the the required RPM so you don't get any throttle blip spikes and also depress the clutch.

Tyre Wear
An airfield is usually much more abrasive on your tyres. When you factor in tyre wear (and stone chips!) a proper trackday can be cheaper than an airfield day.
Obviously tyre wear depends on the weather and how you drive. In the rain you will hardly use any tyres.
Tyre pressure and suspension setup will also effect the area of tyre that is worn.
As mentioned further above, ensure you have enough tread depth left on your tyres to do your trackday and get you home legally (3 points for each bald tyre these days!)

Fuel
Turn up with a full tank as you don't want to miss track time filling up. Most tracks are in semi rural areas where the nearest petrol point may be many miles away. Its worth noting the nearest garage and keeping an eye on the gauge as its amazing how quickly you will use fuel. It is considered a big NO NO to run out of fuel on track as you will need to be towed off and will cause a red flag situation. Some TD operators will charge for towing if you simply run out of fuel. Also remember that many rural petrol stations will not stock 'super' unleaded petrol. I usually find that I will use a full tank of petrol in the morning and then go and fill up again at dinner time. Where is the nearest petrol station? Ask in the briefing. Some of the larger tracks will have fuel available on site but it is usually very expensive.


Passengers
Passengers must be over 16 years old.
Some organisers will allow free passengers where as others will charge up to £20
Your passengers will need to sign and indemnity form and get a passengers wrist band. Passengers can sign on at any time during the day.
Beware the first time you take a passenger out in your car as it will behave differently ie. braking distance and body roll will increase.

Spectators
Are usually free at all events.

Insurance
Insurance is not mandatory. Your standard insurance policy will more than likely NOT cover you for trackdays. Some insurance companies will cover you for trackdays for a premium.
You can usually book insurance on an event basis through the trackday operator but if you are a regular trackday enthusiast that would be prohibitively expensive. In the event of a car to car accident each party is normally only responsible for the damage to their own car regardless of blame.

Airfields
Elvington - North Yorkshire
Bruntingthorpe - Leicestershire

UK Tracks

Cool map here
www.racedandrallied.com/motorsportlocations.php?catid=1

Anglesey - North Wales www.angleseycircuit.com
Bedford - Bedfordshire www.bedford-autodrome.com
Brands Hatch - Kent www.brands-hatch.co.uk
Cadwell Park - Lincolnshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk/cadwell-park
Croft - North Yorkshire www.croftcircuit.co.uk
Donnington Park www.donington.co.uk
Knockhill - Fife www.knockhill.com
Llandow - Wales www.llandow.com
Mallory Park - Leicestershire www.mallorypark.co.uk
Oulton Park - Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk/oulton-park
Pembury - Wales www.barc.net/pembrey.htm
Rockingham - Northants www.rockingham.co.uk
Silverstone - Northants www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk
Snetterton - Norwich www.motorsportvision.co.uk/snetterton
Thruxton - Hants www.thruxtonracing.co.uk
Three Sisters - Lancashire www.racing-school.co.uk

Popular Europe Tracks

Nuerburgring - Germany www.nuerburgring.de
Spa Francorchamps - Belgium www.spa-francorchamps.be
Too much is bad.
Plenty is better.

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derdle
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RE: TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by derdle » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:24 am

Excellent, and many thanks .. well done TT
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RS_LTG
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Post by RS_LTG » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:53 pm

castle coombe too?

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Jambon
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Re: TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by Jambon » Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:23 am

Goodwood, West Sussex too?
:redrs4: :FIREdevil: No mods. :bigblink:

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FaisalJ
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Re: TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by FaisalJ » Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:19 am

10 years 2 months

Is that a record?


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bam_bam
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Re: TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by bam_bam » Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:35 pm

Da fuq you digging up zombie threads for?!
No matter where you go, there you are.

bam_bam
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Re: TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by bam_bam » Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:29 pm

Zombie thread. For s h I t s n giggles
No matter where you go, there you are.

bobededog1
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Re: TRACKDAY GUIDE

Post by bobededog1 » Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:32 am

What are you driving now Bam?

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