I've never done one before but thinking about booking some trackdays locally.
I have the choice of Blyton and Cadwell within a 25 mile radius. Has anyone driven both tracks? What would peoples advice be for my first track day?
Also, any other bits of advice for me or the car?
Finally, whats the opinion on track day insurance?
Been to Blyton but not Cadwell,
It's a cracking track at Blyton, great surface and good run offs with concrete surface. IIRC there are only two corners with any chance of hitting a barrier and you'd have to completely bork it up to manage that.
The only down side with Blyton is that it's completely flat, would make a great place to start out though
Flat sounds good to me for now.
Watched some drifting at Cadwell last year and from where I was watching the track didn't seem overly wide in places.
The idea of disappearing off track quite honestly terrifies me lol.
Blyton is quite narrow too, compared to the likes of Brands and Silverstone but plenty wide enough for a track day
I've done 4 trackdays at Blyton. The appeal for me is the lack of kerbs and tyre-walls. I wouldn't fancy a real track without a cage in the car - otherwise you can't bring yourself to push it. Blyton is better than the average Airfield though because it has a clearly marked set of white lines to stay between. So it's the best of both worlds.
Probably sound like a
Whichever track you choose... make sure the car is in good working order.
Do only a few laps at a time so that the brakes don't overheat.
When in the pit-lane, leave the handbrake off so the rears don't stick on.
I get trackday cover but just for peace of mind as I don't really push too hard as invariably the car has to get me home afterwards.
Take oil, petrol, basic tools, both parts of your driving license etc
Some tracks require drivers to have long sleeved tops on too so in the height of summer that's worth checking.
Also check the noise limit of your track if you have a loud exhaust.
Blyton was my first trackday. Cadwell Park was my second.
They are pretty much diametric opposites, as tracks go.
Blyton was an airfield so is almost 100% flat, then with a nice tarmac 'road' laid over the concrete. As said, it's safe so you can push, also has some nice corners. I saw a Celica spin off violently at huge speed with no damage - I didn't see any cars damaged when I was there.
Cadwell Park is across a small valley, so has a lot of elevation change, the road disappears away from you in a few places, over the Mountain the rear wheels will spin up as you jump the crest of the hill. When I was there an Escort came off and hit the barriers. It's really a motorbike track, it's quite narrow and there isn't much run-off around some of the corners.
It is also an absolutely epic track, almost magical to drive and I loved it.
My advice would be to go to Blyton first to get the hang of things, then try Cadwell next, to experience something really special.
Threads with my writeups at the time:
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.p...=samoht+blyton
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.p...Dec&highlight=
I don't believe anyone's ever died at a car trackday in the UK. A quick google turns up nothing. Never heard of any serious injury either (has anyone else?).Originally Posted by Kieran O'Quick
I've been happy pushing the 180 to the limit, tyres squealing. It's not like a small error will spell disaster - a small error just means you miss the apex and run a bit wide, or get a slower run onto the next straight. While perhaps not the most sophisticated or grippiest of cars, the S-body chassis is fundamentally very benign in its responses, it's not waiting to kill you.
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Last edited by samoht; 05-04-2012 at 21:12. Reason: dbl post
Agree with what nitroboss said.
Other tips:
Socialise. If you can arrange to go with a mate (or another SXOCer), then do. If not, no worries, just strike up conversation with someone when you arrive in the morning. It's much more fun to have someone to share the experience with, get feedback, swap passenger rides, get tips, and perhaps borrow tools off if you have any problems.
Petrol. I was at Brands on Tuesday, guy arrived in a 300C SRT-8 with a full tank (£105 worth) for his first trackday. Got out on track around 9.45am. At about 11.15, the session is red-flagged to allow said SRT-8 to be towed back to the pits, having completely run out of fuel. In the 180 I used nearly £50 worth in the morning, filled up at lunch, and probably about the same again in the afternoon. Start off with a nearly-full tank, and if you don't have a jerry can, then expect to go to the closest petrol station during lunch hour. (Unless it's wet or frosty, in which case you'll use less).
Food. Most tracks have nil, or mediocre and overpriced food. So maybe take sandwiches with you - certainly take a drink.
Overtaking. A trackday is not a race. Strictly speaking you don't overtake someone, they let you past by pulling over to the inside of the track along a straight (and ideally indicating).
If someone appears in your mirrors, they are faster than you over the lap and you should let them past. It's quite possible that a car/driver that is faster in a straight line may be slower over the lap. In this case, if the more powerful car pulls over on the straight but keeps full throttle, the other car will be unable to pass, and will then continue being held up through the corners. So if someone appears behind you, pull over and ease off the throttle on the next decent straight, indicate and let them past.
Ideally this point will be made at the drivers' briefing at the start of the day, and ideally everyone else will remember this. If not, and you find yourself being held up by say an R35, you may have to pull into the pits briefly to avoid getting frustrated.
Timing. Arrive in time for the drivers' briefing, otherwise you'll have to wait for the latecomers' briefing at c.10am before getting out on track. At the end of the day, some people may very well leave a bit early, so the last hour of the day can be good for getting a more uninterrupted run.
Driving. Instruction is a good thing to get used to driving at the limit, maybe book for late morning or early afternoon to give yourself time to learn where the track goes first. But don't worry if you don't want to / can't / can't afford to. As you learn the track and get greedier on the power on exit, the back will come out under power in 2nd and 3rd gear corners. Don't panic, look where you want to go, ease the throttle and just gather the car up with steering. BTW, you can probably do most of most tracks in 3rd gear, which can help if you just want to focus on lines and braking initially. With stock brake discs, I tend not to nail the throttle right up to the braking zone, but ease off early and brake early. Doing this I can stay out on track rather than having to come in to cool off every two laps.
Sessions. Agree with going out for short sessions initially, then build up to ~20 mins each. I generally spend about half my time actually driving (or less), and half hanging out in the pits, chatting, unwinding, taking photos, and letting the car cool off.
Upgrades. If you've not changed the brake pads or fluid since buying the car, I'd do so before your first trackday. Otherwise, if a car's roadworthy, then it's trackday-worthy. You'll soon discover a long shopping list of expensive wants, but it makes more sense to find this out yourself than start thinking you absolutely MUST have x, y and z parts fitted before daring to go out on track for the first time.
Most of all, don't worry, go out and have fun!
That's fair enough. I suppose it's how you react to the error. Trying to 'save it' often makes it worse?
My 14 is really predictable - even a couple of my massively in-experienced pals have managed a powerslide safely. But I drove a pal's MX5 on a greasy Blyton and it was determined to throw me in to the next county - I was really glad of the run-off space
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtwqjWQbMkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5H8OoSyaZs
The 'spinning around' music was a bit un-imaginative I thought.
Top Tip:
Don't be surprised when the seemingly-sane chap who invites you out for a passenger lap turns out to have a death wish and a glovebox full of dildos....
... and central locking...
Wow, didn't expect such a response, this is great stuff guys - really appreciating your thoughts and feedback.
So much I hadn't thought of, but that's why I asked I guess...
I've spoken to some local lads so hopefully there'll be a few of us in a variety of cars.
also consider Elvington, airfield track wide with plenty of runoff - a good first time track.
Brakes will be your best improvement - get some decent pads and fluid - 5.1 or SUPER dot 4 - the rest or the car can be left as standard, but the brakes will need to be better to handle the abuse
And without stating the obvious but I don't think it's been mentioned. You need a helmet to get on track
Aye, assuming you keep oil in your car and dont run bald tyres, brakes are the bit that are going to be shown up on track. Definitely do the fluid, if you can afford to upgrade the brakes themselves you wont regret it.
I get the feeling that this would only work if we could pursuade Ernest Borgnine to drive the Isle of Wight to Portsmouth hovercraft.
Do Blyton as your first track day. Doing Cadwell first is like taking your first driving lesson in a Lola.
I knew there was something I'd have missed!And without stating the obvious but I don't think it's been mentioned. You need a helmet to get on track
Generally you can hire a helmet for £10 for the day. You can either book in advance or just arrange it when you get there. I guess after a few trackdays it's worth buying your own. For a closed car like the S-body, an open-face helmet is acceptable, which is slightly less enclosing.
Any airfield type track would be better as you generally get wider tarmac, loads of flat runoff and less obstacles generally
There are obviously exceptions
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