First trip to the ring

B

bigdog

Senior member
 Walla Walla, Washington
Greetings all.
Before I left the house I called my insurance company. Told them I was going to the ring. They asked if I was entered in a race. Told them it was a tourist drive. I was told "have fun" Well done Mirscon.

Decided to rent one of the rings go pro video cam's. Only problem was that the mount had a little slop in it. As a result. The cam was vibrating against the front glass and recorded a rather annoying rattle. Of course I was way to busy trying not to die or poo my knickers to have noticed. :o That's a pretty wild track when one does not have every turn committed to memory.

The zed was great as were the hankook ventus evo tires. Going on a Tuesday was a good call to. No queue to get on the track. Also not much traffic on the track either. Was about 65deg F with a light overcast. Lots of fun was had by my mate and I. I can now tick the ring box.

Cheers
Jerry
 
bigdog said:
Greetings all.
Before I left the house I called my insurance company. Told them I was going to the ring. They asked if I was entered in a race. Told them it was a tourist drive. I was told "have fun" Well done Mirscon.
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That's the bit that riles UK drivers at the 'ring. Every other European country has insurance companies that are reasonable. In the UK they would have said "You're not covered" and bankrupted you for 3rd party costs if you have an accident.
 
bigdog said:
That's a pretty wild track when one does not have every turn committed to memory.
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It's even worse when you think you're confident in the layout of the track, only to realise the no-lift corner you're heading into is not the no-lift corner after all - or you find an oil/wet patch from a (usually) Porsche.

There's a point at about 50 (accident-free) laps when confidence has built up to a point where you think you know the track really well...and that's when a lot of accidents occur.

My method is to start each trip as if it's my first, and assume I know nothing about it, and gradually build up my track knowledge corner by corner. Some trips I'll concentrate on the first 10-20 corners and drive the rest at a cruise, sitting on the RHS of the track.
 
jamiez said:
How many laps?
Did the car hold up well?
Any special pre ring prep?
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Jamiez.
I did 3 laps

Car held up very well. I did as was suggested on a ring tour web page. And did 1 lap then came in for a cool down break(for me as well as the car) The non race cars weak link are the brakes. They need to cool down otherwise they might fade or you may ruin them.

Prep. First, prey and ask the lord to watch over you. You as a driver will need more prep than your car. You can't let the fact that there are some very fast drivers out there bother you. You WILL get passed by cars that you would normally think couldn't keep up with a 3.0SI zed. Driver skill and track knowledge can trump a fast car.

I went to the ring to have fun. Not impress others. If you try and show off. The ring will kick your ass and laugh in your face while doing it.



For the car. If you keep up with your maintenance your car should be fine. If your having brake issues get it fixed. You should increase the tire pressure to help resist heat build up. And take a peak under the bonnet to check for any issues.
 
Lance said:
Am going 17-21st Sept if anyone fancies tagging along. I can sort hotels if needed.
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Check out this web site. http://www.live-like-a-german.com/
Some great deals. Usually cheaper than hotels. Nice to share a flat with travel mates.
I have no affiliation with that site. Just a tip to save money.

Cheers
Jerry
 
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