Track Days

[TINO]

Um would finish off the run flats!!
might have a look just dont want to get adicted!!

 

[mmm-five]

might have a look just dont want to get adicted!!

Let me put it this way...at one point it was costing me an average of £1000 per trackday in my M5.

The breakdown was something like:

• Track day = £100-£200
• Fuel for 150-200 track miles = £100-£150
• Fuel for getting to track & back = £25-£100
• Tyre wear @ 1 set per 3 days = £250
• Pads @ 1 set per 3 days = £50
• Insurance = £100-£150
• Loss of work = £100-£250
• Oil & filter change = £50

Plus there's the incremental cost increase of the accelerated wear on all the other components, such as £4k every 3 years to completely replace worn out suspension components.

 

[UaeExile]

might have a look just dont want to get adicted!!

Let me put it this way...at one point it was costing me an average of £1000 per trackday in my M5.

The breakdown was something like:

• Track day = £100-£200
• Fuel for 150-200 track miles = £100-£150
• Fuel for getting to track & back = £25-£100
• Tyre wear @ 1 set per 3 days = £250
• Pads @ 1 set per 3 days = £50
• Insurance = £100-£150
• Loss of work = £100-£250
• Oil & filter change = £50

Plus there's the incremental cost increase of the accelerated wear on all the other components, such as £4k every 3 years to completely replace worn out suspension components.

can i be the first to say....f**k that!!! :thumbsdown:

 

[ChawenHalo]

might have a look just dont want to get adicted!!

Let me put it this way...at one point it was costing me an average of £1000 per trackday in my M5.

The breakdown was something like:

• Track day = £100-£200
• Fuel for 150-200 track miles = £100-£150
• Fuel for getting to track & back = £25-£100
• Tyre wear @ 1 set per 3 days = £250
• Pads @ 1 set per 3 days = £50
• Insurance = £100-£150
• Loss of work = £100-£250
• Oil & filter change = £50

Plus there's the incremental cost increase of the accelerated wear on all the other components, such as £4k every 3 years to completely replace worn out suspension components.

can i be the first to say....f**k that!!! :thumbsdown:

Few pointers I received from fellow forum members and well worth adhering to:

Take it easy, it does not matter if people ovetake you
Leave traction and ESP on
Definitly get an instructor to show you the track
Short stints only (you'll overheat the brakes otherwise)
Brake properly not just your foot sitting on the pedal.
Elbows off the door and gearbox tunnel
Look well ahead and towards the cones
Warm up and cool down lap
leave the handbrake off when back in the pits (just stick it in 1st gear)
Talk to the other fellas on that day

personnal favourite: slow in fast out.

it a little stress full the first time with your own car but its such great fun, get the car on its toes and the adrelin going.

Have fun.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I've done half a dozen track days in the last few months and I've consumed one set of tyres (to canvas) and a couple of sets of pads, and I've performed one additional oil and filter change. I wouldn't have needed to replace the pads twice had one of my EBC Yellowstuff pads not delaminated, shedding the friction material from the back plate I am now using Bluestuff (bought before the Yellowstuff fell apart) and I'm considering Pagids next. I keep my OEM wheels solely for the track, and use CSLs for the road. This way I can wreck a set of tyres and still use the car.

I used to suffer with significant understeer, but I have markedly reduced this by fitting a strut brace, 15mm spacers on the front, and most importantly binning the OEM Contis in favour of PS2s on the front. Any residual understeer can be dealt with through trail braking or getting on the power earlier. When I have time I'm planning to pull the camber pins (increasing negative camber) to reduce both understeer and also rapid wear of the outer edge of the tyre. I have to take off the strut brace and spacers for the road to avoid additional insurance costs, but fitting these and my track wheels takes only half an hour at the start of the day.

I've also run a Westfield on track for about ten years, in the last few years often side by side on the same tracks as the ///M. I've never significantly worn a set of tyres despite driving at ten tenths on the track. Similarly, it doesn't consume pads or much fuel. Mr Chapman's theories on lightness and speed extend to consumables too...

I always insure my ///M but never my Westfield on the premise that I've owned the Westfield for a decade so a total loss would be the equivalent cost of less than £1000 per year. Also, Westfield repairs are somewhat less pricey. As I have a trailer with a winch for the Westfield, I would be able to get it home again except in the event of a severe accident when likely I would have more pressing priorities anyway... Single day track insurance varies from just under to just over £100 per track day for an ///M.

In terms of fuel, I expect to use 60 to 80 litres on the track (single figure mpg), plus that getting to and from the event.

I would strongly suggest turning off the DSC or this will apply the brakes when cornering hard overheating them unnecessarily which will lead to fade and may shorten the life of your pads. Just make sure you build up speed progressively whilst maintaining smooth driving then you shouldn't come a cropper! I've unintentionally spun my Zed a few times on track, and it usually occurs through carrying too much speed into a corner (typically after a late overtake when the normal line into a corner may not be possible). Our cars are very forgiving under power, losing grip progressively unless you're really heavy-footed.

Always take it easy until your car is up to temperature, and always do a slow final lap to let your brakes and engine cool before stopping (when airflow will be nil). I would keep an especially close eye on the temperature guage if you're in the desert.

Most of all enjoy yourself and recognise when you and your car need a break!

 

[domsz4]

it is worth doing one tho. if your a novice maybe just one of the novice days if your not confident. my first track day was at anglesy one jan/feb before they changed it and was an open pit lane day so had everyone on the track.

theres some good advice here esp the brakes thing which i'd forgotten about.

im glad BMWZ4MC your not wearing out your westy too as i was wondering if i wasnt driving mine hard enough. :lol:

 

[dario]

Probably the best thing to do is keep your prie and joy for the road and get a POS for the first few track events.

I landed up getting a radical SR3 after doing 20 odd track days and understanding that road cars are exactly that. They never meet expectations on track In my opinion. But that's just me.

 

[Mangozac]

Probably the best thing to do is keep your prie and joy for the road and get a POS for the first few track events.

After reading through the thread this seems like a much safer option. A friend of mine does this; he has a Nissan 180sx as his "hobby" car which he takes on track.

 

[ChawenHalo]

Probably the best thing to do is keep your prie and joy for the road and get a POS for the first few track events.

I landed up getting a radical SR3 after doing 20 odd track days and understanding that road cars are exactly that. They never meet expectations on track In my opinion. But that's just me.

Its a fair point and you rarely catch up the boys and girl in Lotuses and Catherams exept on a decent straight. HOWEVER, there is nothing better than getting up early for an hour drive to the track with no one on the road with you coffee and croissant at a petrol station, track shoes on with all the anticipation of a fun sunny day on the track. Blasting around all day with fellow enthusiast then driving home in the same car listeneing to some soft music shades on.

Whilst the Z4M is not exactly a track car and definately needs some basic modification to perform (Brakes essential), it get the "fun" part of the job done.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I think it can be a track car with little or no modification. I can usually keep up with most things on track, including GT3s, with the exception of GT2s, Ferraris, etc.

 

[ChawenHalo]

I think it can be a track car with little or no modification. I can usually keep up with most things on track, including GT3s, with the exception of GT2s, Ferraris, etc.

if you can keep up with a 997 GT3, you're either a driving god or they're not. Can't think of many cars that keep up with wrung out GT3...

 

[dario]

I forgot to mention, sometimes it can go wrong and you also get lucky! this could have been a lot worse than it was. got back to the pits after 1/2 hour and the driver of the car that had hit me had left the circuit very quickly.

I think its probably just as well as i was not happy at all.

damaged the car to the tune of £4.5k

 

[mmm-five]

That video is the perfect example of why you only overtake by consent.

Same thing happened to me at a soaking Silverstone a few years back. I was coming up behind a Caterham, spray everywhere, Caterham waved me past and as I pulled out to pass a Radical driver came out of the spray behind me and took to the grass to avoid me.

Luckily the only damage was the cost of some dry cleaning/new underwear, but he blamed me for not letting him pass (I didn't even see him) and I blamed him for overtaking without consent (I hadn't seen him, so couldn't have waved/indicated him past).

I had insurance on that day and would not have worried that the Radical owner didn't.

 

[dario]

That video is the perfect example of why you only overtake by consent.

Whilst i do understand what you are saying, the inquest by the clerk of the course (Spa) adjudged me not to be at fault in the manoeuvre. If you look closely a the poor quality video you might be able to see that the majority of my car was in front of his nearside front wheel and he struck me in the rear wheel. This was the second day of a great event and he moved in to me and kept pushing.

I will admit that after this, i did make sure that drivers are aware of you before make a move to overtake and not take it for granted that they must have seen you.

Same thing happened to me at a soaking Silverstone a few years back. I was coming up behind a Caterham, spray everywhere, Caterham waved me past and as I pulled out to pass a Radical driver came out of the spray behind me and took to the grass to avoid me.

Luckily the only damage was the cost of some dry cleaning/new underwear, but he blamed me for not letting him pass (I didn't even see him) and I blamed him for overtaking without consent (I hadn't seen him, so couldn't have waved/indicated him past).

I had insurance on that day and would not have worried that the Radical owner didn't.

I'm not so sure that the other parties insurance status is of any consolation, as i believe that insurance only pays out for your damage, less the compulsory excess which is normally quite high.

 

[mmm-five]

I'm not so sure that the other parties insurance status is of any consolation, as i believe that insurance only pays out for your damage, less the compulsory excess which is normally quite high.

I meant that if he's going to overtake without consent, then it would be wise to have sorted out his insurance - specifically because of the first person only conditions - as a 2 tonne M5 into a 500kg Radical isn't going to damage the M5 much

I can get track day insurance for about £100 a day in the UK, or £150 if I want it to cover the excess too.

The cover I used to have on my road policy had an excess of £1500, plus you'd have a claim on your road policy.

 

[exdos]

Whilst i do understand what you are saying, the inquest by the clerk of the course (Spa) adjudged me not to be at fault in the manoeuvre.

Was it one of those trackdays at Spa, where overtaking on either side is allowed and where you are advised in the track briefing to just stick to the "normal line"? IMO, those "rules" are ridiculous for a bunch of amateurs of differing abilities in a mismatch of machinery on track together.

Your video clearly shows the other guy ran into you.

 

[ChawenHalo]

Whilst i do understand what you are saying, the inquest by the clerk of the course (Spa) adjudged me not to be at fault in the manoeuvre.

Was it one of those trackdays at Spa, where overtaking on either side is allowed and where you are advised in the track briefing to just stick to the "normal line"? IMO, those "rules" are ridiculous for a bunch of amateurs of differing abilities in a mismatch of machinery on track together.

Your video clearly shows the other guy ran into you.

:lol: you should try track driving in france! its apocalypse and anything with anything with a BMW or Porsche badge fair game.

I actually left a Nogaro open day because of shitty attitude no safety briefing or instructors on the track that day. Told them there open day was scandalous and I had no intention of getting my car busted up because of some morron in a slicked up clio.

 

[Mowflow]

This is exactly why I will only ever drive cars that I don't actually own on track