Just booked me and my latest Puma on a hot-hatch trackday at Knockhill on 19th April, woohoo.
Anyone else up for it?? Room at mine for folk to stay if needed
Just booked me and my latest Puma on a hot-hatch trackday at Knockhill on 19th April, woohoo.
Anyone else up for it?? Room at mine for folk to stay if needed
power-crazed Head-Mod
Is it just a hot hatch day or is it a private TrackScotland day?
I was gonna say the same thing. The hot hatch days are ok but quite hectic with a large number of cars and the groups/sessions are annoying as the red flag comes out to get the next session on just as your settling in.Originally Posted by Rubix_Cube
I would suggest sack the Knockhill run hot hatch days and book yourself into a TrackScotland day. Cost more but much better value for money as it's low numbers, open pitlane (mega tracktime) and good standard of driving, nice and interesting mix of vehicles too.
http://www.trackscotland.co.uk/forum...pic.php?t=7505
Just a Knockhill day. At £65 I'm happy to just go along, have a blat and see what's what. It's only down the road and never been before. I'm not a total track time fiend anyway.
power-crazed Head-Mod
Fair enough, you will still have a lot of fun
Have fun Bob! Just beware and be prepared for the general level of driving and etiquette to be quite poor. Imagine everyone thinking they are the next Hamilton LOL
and they will be in either mental fast evos or stripped out 2lt Corsa with a point to prove.
Or shit boxes LOL
I've never done a hot hatch night as sessions do nothing for me, have done a couple of KH organised Open pit ones though, the night OPL was full of idiots and I won't do one again but the full day that KH was much better, I put that down to the cost of it though.
I'll be at KH on the 16th. Doing passenger experience laps for the charity Mission Motorsport's Scottish launch type thing. 20 of us on track giving wounded Ex service men laps. Jimmy McRae is also going to be up along with a couple other big name motorsport related people. Should be a good day
Sounds Cool Jamie
Well, it was an interesting day. The Puma was ace fun, though slow in comparison to just about everything else, and I was definitely exploring adhesion limits and lift-off oversteer. Big grins. However, between me booking the thing and the actual event a round of Super Lap Scotland got added to the proceedings and I missed the memo... until I found it in my spam folder Sunday night. My feedback as sent to Knockhill
Hi,
Unfortunately I did not discover this email in my spam folder until Sunday night following a rather disappointing day at Knockhill. I did smile wryly at the 'we are looking forward to welcoming you' as I did not feel especially welcomed as a paying participant on the day. The level of organisation and customer care was frankly farcical. To give some general feedback.
I arrived at the circuit at 845am. My original confirmation had stated that signing on would be between 8am and 9am. I had checked that email over a few days before, then again on Saturday evening. I was surprised to find the SLS cars in the paddock as my original booking had been for an all-day 'hot-hatch' event. I asked the nice scrutineering people where signing on was, and was directed to race control. On starting to complete the indemnity form I was rather brusquely told that signing on for hot hatch track time was not until 1030 and told I should come back later. This was in the email I had been sent. I did assert that I had had no email, but the young lady doing sign-on appeared rather busy and preoccupied from her manner so I beat a hasty retreat and wondered what I would do for the next hour and a half to take my mind off ruing a missed extra hour in bed.
Some vintage cars were on track so I decided to find a vantage point and watch. I've never been to Knockhill before, and I am unfamiliar with the site. I walked into the area where the ambulances are by accident. The large blue 'no entry' sign did not register until I was shooed out of that area by a staff member, again rather brusquely. As I exited it struck me that it looked more like a notice to vehicles than people. Perhaps a 'restricted area' notice would be better?
I decided to go and spectate from the pit wall instead. The only notice on the pedestrian entrance to the pit area was one advising that children, pets etc were not permitted. Therefore I was surprised to be shooed out again. Hence my exclamation of 'for God's sake' which the shooer tried to take issue with as I attempted to promptly leave the area, subsequently being followed and confronted fairly aggressively by the other chap who had removed me from the ambulance area. His manner was escalatory. I advised of my disappointment and my consideration that in addition to the email miscommunication I was on the verge of going home. As I advised him to back down and walked away his parting shot was that I should leave. I went to my car to consider what to do.
I had a coffee, twiddled my thumbs a bit, played with my phone and hung around. The coffee from Kinnairds was very pleasant, congratulations to them on that. I also changed my jacket to reduce my chance of recognition in case any of the previous blokes saw me still on the site and felt the need to confront me again... I went to sign on at 1030 and was advised the drivers briefing was at 1120 in the media centre. The lady made a kind of directional gesture that I took to mean the media centre was at the other side of the paddock.
Here's a heads-up. The media centre doesn't say media centre on it. I walked round the paddock three times. I followed folk who looked like they might be drivers and going to the briefing. They weren't. In the end I asked in the gift shop. Thankfully I found it. The briefing was brief. Too brief. I'm not going to blame it for the standard of driving and track etiquette, but at the very least it could have been made clear that overtaking on a track day is by consent, and should be on straight bits. The group of wannabe-Maldonardo Clio drivers who had come along to have their own little race meeting were the worst offenders, and would have been the recipients of many black flags at any other trackday I have been to. I had two fifteen minute track sessions, an hour and a half apart and decided to head home and watch the F1.
I appreciate that you have given me credit towards any further events with yourselves. Following this experience it's unlikely I will take you up on that. Shortly after my initial booking some friends on an Internet car forum suggested I cancel and look into trackscotland days as these were less prone to 'rally heroes in Evos and idiots in Corsas with a point to prove' and offered more track time. My naive response was that I was just out for an enjoyable time and the opportunity to push the car a little more in a controlled environment. The degree to which I achieved that fell short of my already reduced expectation sadly. Had your email not landed in my spam folder (and I don't think I'm the only participant this happened to judging by the couple of other disgruntled chaps in the briefing) in honesty I can't be entirely sure whether I would have fully cancelled, but at least things wouldn't have got off quite so badly on the wrong foot.
To end on a positive note, I did feel the toilet facilities at Knockhill were excellently maintained.
Yours sincerely
power-crazed Head-Mod
Has to be said, fair play to Knockhill
(should add here I'm really not too fussed about compensation etc but they've made a nice offer which it'd be rude not to take them up on)
power-crazed Head-Mod
Very well written letter, and amusing, it is a shame when you get treated like crap as a newbie, I think local and experienced people get into clicks in all sorts of sporting facilities, and they just forget that everyone has to have a learning curve when they approach a new sport or facility.
Ive not been to Knockhill, but I have heard of other people having experiences like your own. Crail and Driftland, I found to both be very welcoming to beginners (I appreciate that these are not "real" tracks.)
Having been snowboarding in Scotland a few times with friends and family. Someone is always made to feel like dirt by the staff, as though there is an expectation that everyone got into it as a child and there-for you are just causing trouble by not being that good at it. It boils my blood.
At-least they acknowledged your complaint however!
Fair play Bob. I've always been told to avoid Hot Hatch days for sure, the TrackScotland nights have far less knobs for sure!
I did think you were brave
Hot Hatch days tend to be much busier at any one time on track due to the lack of open pit, and the driving can be quite different to your average track day.
I haven't bothered with one in ages, even the "Car Trackday" open pit events they've replaced the Hot Marques events with have been a bit hit or miss and after doing 3 or 4 I don't think I'd bother with another. To be fair every track day I've done up there has always had a proper briefing, with extra briefings put on for latecomers.
Club organised events are usually much more enjoyable, as there's always more track time, usually less red flags and the driving is a bit calmer. Track Scotland have consistently been good, similar sort of feel to a Weekender track day etc. and I'm sure the SIDC organised days are much the same. Plus they're free to spectate.
It's a really good wee track to drive though with the elevation changes, the feeling you get as you hit the chicane not knowing which direction you're leaving it again lap after lap is pretty cool
I've done a few of their own Car trackdays, The evening one had a terrible level of track etiquette and driving but most of the worst offenders eventually left after being spoken to by the marshalls, The all day one was flawless though bar one incident my mate had with a Civic trying to stick it up the inside at the hairpin, After he had already been passed. I guess the higher price of the full day put a lot of the arseholes off.
But aye, TS/SIDC days are the best value for money in regards to quality track time. MonsterUnit nights as well i guess but i have never driven one of them, Just spectated.
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