Trackdays and driving experiences

EGAddick

I've never tried one of these before but a few of my friends have and I've had some mixed responses. Some have been good, some have been awful! For my birthday I'd really like to try a few laps in an Ariel Atom and it seems prices are from about £75-£125 at various circuits in the south-east.

I wonder if any of you on here have been on any of these days and what your experiences were, and if good, which would you reccomend?

Alex Wright

I did Brands Hatch many years ago. It was awesome. It taught me more about how to handle a car than all my previous road driving experience put together.

It my day they used modified Escort XR3i's (Shows how long ag it was) with the option of moving up to formula ford single seaters. I went several times, in the end i was within 12 seconds of John Watson's lap time ina an escort. Souns good but the laps only take abour 70 - 90 second to do!

If you get the chance, do it!

Elthamaddick

I did Brands Hatch for my 21st (15 years ago), absolutely fantastic, drove a 3 series BMW in the morning, first the instructor takes you round on some slow laps, shows you where to brake etc, then you drive it, following by him then showing you how to really drive it!!!....and then the single seater fomula 1st cars in the afternoon, good long drive on your own in those.

Cracking day including all the briefings and lunch etc...stacks of photo's and ended the day with a 3 lap 'special' in a lotus driven by the instructor, never been so scared in a car in my life !

think my day was around the £100 mark with an extra £20 for the lotus laps, present at the time from the girl I was seeing.

would highly recommend and would love to do it again

Saga Lout

I did Brands a few years ago and it was Audi TTs and Audi powered single-seaters. It was okay, but I was a bit worried about the other lunatics going round with me. So I then did a Rally Driving Experience, which was much better because there were no other bvggers to crash into (just the odd tree!).

Both great experiences, which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in driving and/or motorsport.

cafckev

I have also done the Rally driving at Brands Hatch, it was great fun, but time flew by and was over very quickly.

I have also done the single seater at Goodwood, that was better. At the end of it, the instructor asked what I thought of it, and I said I'd wish I went faster. He asked me how fast I thought I was going, so I said about 40-50. He laughed and said I was going at just over 100!!

I have also done the Aeroplane, helicopter and the best ever the microlight! If you want some real fun, do the microlight, I was really worried about doing it, but it was almost as good as sex....and it lasted longer too!!!!!!

ken from bexley

I did Brands a few years ago and it was Audi TTs and Audi powered single-seaters. It was okay, but I was a bit worried about the other lunatics going round with me. So I then did a Rally Driving Experience, which was much better because there were no other bvggers to crash into (just the odd tree!).

Both great experiences, which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in driving and/or motorsport......

Fancy taking the Jag around mate..... I will buy the petrol! Could be quite a handful. Went round 20 odd years ago in my own XR3i, burnt the tyres out, just remember the track just being so bumpy! and span it at Druids..... Thought they had stopped boy racers tear arseing around..... I will take the ST you have the jag then !

EGAddick

Cheers guys, sounds like you all had a good time. The only complaints I've heard are that, for instance, the single seat cars are limited and you cannot overtake on bends (and therefore pretty much the whole time you're on the track), which can be frustrating if you're stuck behind a slower driver.

The rally driving is on the list, for me, but first I'd like to experience being behind the wheel of an Atom, I think.

Addickted

I've done three or four of these with various manufacturers and have always had a fab time.

However, without doubt the best track day experience you can have is with Palmer Sport at Bedford aerodrome.

An absolutely stunning day with first class treatment from the moment you arrive. Not cheap but worth every penny.

I drove a Porsche 911 JP3, Jaguar XKR, Palmer Le Mans Jaguar JP1, Off Road with a defender, Clio Cup Racer, Caterham 7 Superlight and best of all a Formula Jaguar - an old GP2 single seater.

I know they've added M3s and DB9s recently, but look here.....

http://www.palmersport.com

EDIT: If anyone wants to know my lap times (smug grinning smiley thing).......

ken from bexley

Looks a good day Addickted, cannot see them letting you 'let loose' though....
At Brands all you had to do was wear a crash helmet and 10 minutes tuition and you were off!
2 rules keep to your left, or keep your foot down!..... I think it was £10 for ten laps..... I got my £10 's worth, not sure the XR3i felt the same afterwards.......Got a Fiesta ST150 at present, but not as much fun as those old Dagenham dustbins.....

Addickted

[cite]Posted By: ken from bexley[/cite]Looks a good day Addickted, cannot see them letting you 'let loose' though....

You are positvely encouraged to thrash the living daylights out of the cars - all your laps are timed against everyone else on the day with an impressive prize winning ceremony after your cream teas!

I spun the Le Mans Jag when I went on the throttle too quickly and wasn't quick enough to hold it. The GP2 was awesome. I'm a big lad and thought I'd be claustrophic being race geared up with the cockpit fitted around me. We had to follow a Lotus Exige for a couple of laps and I thought I'd do that then pull into the pits. By the end of the first lap I just wanted the Lotus to get out of our way :-)

fatrob

Don't do it in a car do it on a bike its the nuts

revellinit

EGAddick

You could try this guy, Chris is an instructor at Silverstone and is competing in the Radicals he currently has a 500bhp skyline converted to rear wheel drive for drifting.
Have a chat as he may be able to offer you a more one on one situation giving you more time on the track.

Dymondmotorsport@aol.com

www.chrisdymond.co.uk

I have just done Silverstone, little prezzie from her indoors, a few laps in the Aston Martin! time goes so quickly but well worth it.
Tempted to sprint my TR6 now umm.....

Saga Lout

[cite]Posted By: ken from bexley[/cite]I did Brands a few years ago and it was Audi TTs and Audi powered single-seaters. It was okay, but I was a bit worried about the other lunatics going round with me. So I then did a Rally Driving Experience, which was much better because there were no other bvggers to crash into (just the odd tree!).

Both great experiences, which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in driving and/or motorsport......

Fancy taking the Jag around mate..... I will buy the petrol! Could be quite a handful. Went round 20 odd years ago in my own XR3i, burnt the tyres out, just remember the track just being so bumpy! and span it at Druids..... Thought they had stopped boy racers tear arseing around..... I will take the ST you have the jag then !

I couldn't afford the tyres to be honest, let alone what other damage I could do to it! Much better to do it in someone else's car!

cafcfan

Do it - it's great fun. Haven't been on the bedford aerodrome day but everyone says it's awesome. Snetterton's great fun too - with a long straight. My highlight was going to the Isle of Man with the TVR Car Club a few years ago to "do" the TT course. Because it was an official car club event the Isle of Man Govt shut the mountain section of the course to general traffic, so you could blast up the mountain with no worries about what was coming the other way. (Well most of us could - someone hit a wall at the first hairpin!) We were really lucky with the weather and it's not often you get the chance to top 140mph on a public road! One word of caution if you're using your own car make sure your own insurance covers you or buy specialist track day insurance. And get your own helmet too!