Number5 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 7:08 pm
mr wilks wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:30 am
A decent well planned roadtrip 4/5 days will lay to rest any track desires , there are many places you can get out & really use these cars to their & your best without going 130mph on a long straight .
I was out in the Dales + Pennines recently for 3 days with 8/9 other M / 35is cars , we have done many similar drives around Northern France , all enjoy a spirited drive , none of the owners have any desire to visit a track to see what their cars can do , they already know
this year we decided not to do the France trip as we all agreed the speeds over previous 4 years had reached crazy
( far better roads , zero traffic through vast forests its impossible not to push on
imagine the Nurburgring being 80 - 100 miles & having it to yourself ) but talking to all after the "slower"
roads of the north of England all agreed the pleasure of pushing the cars to their best can be enjoyed at 50-70mph
when the terrain is more challenging .
So sack the trackday idea & get a roadtrip planned , you will see a different side to your car
I have to agree with all of the above. Its a thoroughly good way to learn your car and spend some time with like minded people.
However...
mr wilks wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:21 pm
I don't get the buzz of chasing the same tarmac lap after lap ( most likely shared with others who you have no idea on skill level) when i can head off for 3 - 4 hours & enjoy the different scenery & landscape .
Scenery ? I dont remember much Scenery. I was concentrating far too hard on the car in front and the road to notice any scenery
Many good points raised in the various posts and I now enjoy the track as a safe environment to drive quickly without breaking the law. I also enjoy spirited safe driving on road trips here in NZ.for different reasons.
My Introduction to the track was through car clubs. and “driver training” programmes using either ex police advanced driving instructor’s, race series drivers and / or factory test drivers accredited by BMW or Porsche in my case.
The point was to provide a safe environment to understand the dynamics of car control, what can go wrong, how to control your car when it does and the best way to try and get out of trouble using braking tests, slaloms, car positioning and how your specific vehicle will behave under emergency circumstances. Understeer, oversteer, correct driving position etc. All these lessons gave me a great understanding of coping with the unexpected when driving on the road.
I went on to more serious track stuff, still have my national Motorsport licence and enjoy going to the track to blow out the cobwebs of myself and the car, we both feel better for it. Equally, I enjoy the monthly day out over the twisties with like minded enthusiasts.
Either way it’s all fun but the grounding of the track programmes made road driving more enjoyable and safer for me. Room for both.