On track at last

[mmm-five]

Haven't been on track for over a year as I knew how much extra wear it put on the M5 (i.e. triples the wear rate of everything, and ruins a set of tyres in 1 day).

However, I thought I'd have to at least have one day on track, and as it was a marshal's freeby from Dr Palmer it would have been rude not to. Once this one was arranged I decided I'd need some practice, so I booked a BMW Car Club day there the week before to get my track sense back up to speed before I pushed it.

Whilst it wasn't a true test of the car's performance, there were only 2 cars there that could keep up the same pace, and both of them were stripped out turbo-nutters with over 300bhp too.

Despite 20 minutes and 10 laps of Oulton Park at a time, the car performed flawlessly, and has even given me more confidence in how it will handle in lift off oversteer, braked oversteer and two-wheel scenarios

Fastest corner was 100mph (Island Bend) which only needed a settling dab of the brakes from 125mph before turning in, and Druids & Old Hall can be taken 20mph faster than I ever thought I'd do them. Brakes never felt like fading, and gave confidence all day. In the end the two race cars cooked their pads (one had new pads at 9am and had 4mm left at 3pm) whilst I carried on until closing.

I don't think I'll be doing as many as I used to, as I know the toll that track days take out of cars & wallets, but I won't be scared to do the odd one here and there and am looking forward to the 'Ring, Spa and Catalunya at some stage (work permitting).

[Mr Whippy]

Good work

Natural habitat of the M's so nice to see it being used properly (two wheels )

I'm semi-tempted to take the Z4 to an Elvington track day to see what it can really do given some space for me to get it wrong

Just need an elmit!

Dave

[Road Trip]

Nice one

Good pic. Is that at the exit of Knicker Brook, at the bottom of Clay Hill?

Oulton is a great circuit, but there very little run off in some parts. The double apex right hander and blind crest at Druids is very

[mmm-five]

Nice one

Good pic. Is that at the exit of Knicker Brook, at the bottom of Clay Hill?

Oulton is a great circuit, but there very little run off in some parts. The double apex right hander and blind crest at Druids is very

I didn't take the photo, but from the tapering gravel trap, relation to the tyre wall and the narrowness of the track it must be. There's only a few places with gravel traps (Cascades, Island, Shell, Druids & Lodge) and they're all on the entry line - this looks to be more straight, so must be the exit of Knicker.

I used to have this big 'thing' about Druids, but since I've been getting it right I don't seem to have any fear of it any more - maybe that's a dangerous thing, but I'm only taking it at 80mph and still powering out like mad.

Old Hall is becoming more and more fun along the same lines at Druids, and carrying lots of speed down Avenue into Cascade means I've got to brake now instead of just turning in.

Still, I'm hitting 120mph+ on the run along Lakeside before dabbing for Island. Still think I could just feed a bit of steering and and hope for the best rather than braking at all, but then I'd be braking from 120mph into Shell rather than from 100mph

Brittens/Foulstons is a bit of a waste of time as it just spoils a lovely curved run up to Hilltop, but I assume coming down from Hilltop into Knicker with an extra 20-30mph on the clock could soil some undergarments.

Knickerbrook up over Clay Hill and along to Druids are pure power and there are passing places as long as you keep your steering inputs slight and don't touch the brake pedal.

Druids has gone from a 60mph corner to an 80mph corner and I know the car's got more in it, but I'm building up the speed gradually as I don't want to be spun off by that bump on the exit.

Lodge is still a strange corner for me as I can't seem to regularly get the corner right - it doesn't help when someone waves you past and then pulls back in front and brakes 50m before you would, but it's a track day so everything's forgiven.

Deer Leap and the pit straight are just places to get the car sorted and have a bit of a breather before it all starts again

[cj10jeeper]

Yes nice to see the ///M on circuit

What surprises me is how quiet they sound compared to other track day specials, yet they are leaving them for dead.

[mmm-five]

Yes nice to see the ///M on circuit

What surprises me is how quiet they sound compared to other track day specials, yet they are leaving them for dead.

Softly, softly catchy monkey

Although I have seen a nice exhaust with electronically controlled butteryflies & bypass for race/road use - ignore the Aussie accent and crap, it's the exhaust you're looking/listening for - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7jGYnhbQQU

I used the first trackday (the one you attended) to get back up to speed after being off track for over a year. I was probably at 7/10ths by the end of that day and probably only 8/10ths by the end of the 2nd day. Most of my speed was gained by linking the corners a lot better than last time, and I was carrying a good 20mph extra through most.

I only got one session where I was in the car by myself - I had a passenger for every session after that, which I limited to 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off - plus at least one cool down lap where the brakes were not used at all but where the speed was kept at 50-70mph.

I think the car handled better with a passenger in it, and I didn't notice as much tyre wear as on my first day, nor did I use as much fuel - 12.3mpg for the 1st event and 13.2mpg for the 2nd (both over 160-170 miles). Although some of that could be down to me being in a higher gear for longer and not braking as much?

[fridaypassion]

I've got cadwell park booked for the end of March also looking to go to elvington some time in April.

I've previously done a lot of trackdays but always in VX220's. They can do 10 trackdays before they will need a tyre or brake pad replacing so a far cheaper than taking the M. However I know that to really experience a car you have to take it on track! I've just invested in a set of e46 M3 wheels with tyres to use for trackdays. If you factor in the money you get back when you sell them I figured buying a spare set of wheels and picking up part worn tyres off ebay would work out better than ruining road tyres, especially on airfield tracks. Just refurbing them at the moment

[mmm-five]

I've got cadwell park booked for the end of March also looking to go to elvington some time in April.

I've previously done a lot of trackdays but always in VX220's. They can do 10 trackdays before they will need a tyre or brake pad replacing so a far cheaper than taking the M. However I know that to really experience a car you have to take it on track! I've just invested in a set of e46 M3 wheels with tyres to use for trackdays. If you factor in the money you get back when you sell them I figured buying a spare set of wheels and picking up part worn tyres off ebay would work out better than ruining road tyres, especially on airfield tracks. Just refurbing them at the moment

If you're driving to Elvington on your track wheels, how are you going to get home after destroying them - or have you a cunning plan to take a spare set with you.

I did lots of days at Elvington in my M5s - in the snow, ice, wind, rain, fog, etc. - and except for the snow & ice conditions, I always got through a set of tyres by the end of the day and sometimes in less than an hour, due to the abrasiveness of the surface

Elvington is a good place to learn due to the amount of space you've got - and the pit corner (just after the pit exit) is great for doing 100m drifts.
http://mmm-five.neth/Other/Drift.mpg


The Z4 is a lot lighter than an e34 so that will help a bit, but I know there's a copper who likes to stop cars just up the road at the end of the day to check tyres. I was a bit naïve when I first started as I had 4 tyres that were so worn & losing so much pressure that I had to stop every 30 minutes to top them up. That was the scariest & slowest drive back from a track day that I've ever done, and I was just lucky that I left early and missed PC Plod - although I'm quite sure I'd have not been in a position to argue had I been stopped. Since then I took a spare set of 17" wheels with track/part-worn rubber to change onto.

There's a bit more body roll in an e34 M5 too...

[Lucy]

Great picture. Looks like fun

[mmm-five]

Great picture. Looks like fun

It is a lot of fun

It's only when you get home and analyse the costs that you start having second thoughts. I won't post them here as I don't want to put anyone else off!

Although they only last until the next event

[Aebous]

Yeah I hear that, I hate, yet love track days. Glad to see you had fun!