First trackday help
 

Just about to go into a meeting all afternoon, and i've had a call to say I'm on for a trackday tomorrow!!!

Now i've never taken a car on track, let along my lowly M3, so what should I do/take to prepare? I've got a helmet already, and the brake fluid's already been uprated, plus braided hoses.

Oh, and not funny stuff like 'sell it and buy a CSL' :blalalala:

Re: First trackday help
 

Where are you going....I'm doing one tomorrow a at Goodwood.

Oulton Park. International circuit.

Someone pulled out, so I'm in!

get all the loose stuff out of the car.

check the fluids just in case.

helmet and long sleeeves (just in case they insist)

if you have large feet get the tightest shoes you have.

leave the M button or DRC ON if its greasey at Oulton.

Thrash the pants out of it. :thumbs:

Then go home and buy a CSL :blalalala:

Good advice...especialy the thrash bit.

Oulton Park tomorrow? That is the one Nick Wright is organising. You cannot go wrong on Nick's track days. Supreme nice guy and really looks after 1st timers.

Make yourself known to him, and he will make sure you get an instructor to take you out for a few laps, and they will guide you around with braking points, apex's etc. Really worth doing. Anyone can be quick in a straight line, but a track is all about being smooth and carrying speed through the corners.

You've picked a really good track session with Nick as a 1st timer.

Your 1st one is not about being the quickest, its about learning you, and your cars ability, and building from that. You will have a superb day!

Tell Nick "Tim says Hello " :smt023

Enjoy!

And then go home and buy a CSL!!! :blalalala:

Haha, will do Tim.

Yeah, was chatting to Nick earlier - nice guy. My original booking was lost in the post, and I only found out once the day was fully booked and I checked with Nick. He seemed genuinely concerned that I was missing out.

So when he called before to offer me a place, he sounded as chuffed as me! :thumbs:

Yeah, Nick is a top bloke and always organises top track days. Have done several with him, but have not done Oulton Park.

I am jealous now as I was going to do tomorrow, but can't make it! :moan:

Have a good one!

Did I get your place then? Was told a Dr can't make it so I'm in instead.

Got another quick question; my rear tyres are nearly bald - will they allow me on? I'm taking a spare set of wheels with new tyres on, but would rather use the worn ones if it's dry.

Any tools I should take just on case?

No, I've known for a while that I wasn't going to make tomorrow, and I ain't no Doctor!!!! :hahaha:

Don't worry too much about tools. There will be plenty of people with enough tools there should you need anything, and you shouldn't.

You won't get your too scrutinised, if your tyres are legal you should have enough tread for one track day. Although, I believe that Oulton Park can be a greasy track at this time of the year (anyone got any better knowledge?), so as this is your first track day you want to make sure.

You need to build confidence in your cars, and yours ability so I would just go with decent tyres for this one.

Oulton Park is an awesome circuit :)

My advice oover anything else would be to get an instructor session - you'll get more out of that than anything else :)

Cheers guys! Yeah, plan is to bag an instructor first thing.

Well I've loaded my spare rears into the car, plus a big tool box with my jack and a few other bits in, so now I'm off to bed.

Camcorder and camera fully charged too! Nite!

yes instructor can work well, probabaly around 11-12 am after youve learnt the track

tyres are your own problem, as unlikely anybody will look at how bald they are (as slicks are ok)

if they are road tyres you should be fine as long as you dont get heavy rain

just take it easy early a.m. as last time i was there is was greasey first thing and the GOOSE POO was treacherous

How did you get on Windy?

Im hoping to do some track days next year, be first time ever in any car.

Well the track was greasy as hell!!! Plenty of rear-end twitching going on! But it was absolutely brilliant!!! I'm hooked. By the end of the day I was flying, despite the conditions, and keeping up (and in some cases ahead!) of most things bar the track cars. So, my E36 M3 track car project begins... :smokin:

Anyway, here's a few of us queueing up for out sighting laps...

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8484/waitingrg9.jpg

Me getting in the zone ;)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/4274/img0588wi2.jpg

Taking the wheels & tyres off that I killed drifting on Saturday...

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2361/img1870rq3.jpg

...didn't realise quite how much I'd killed them though... :whistle:

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1338/img1903qx9.jpg

First casualty of the day - tasty E30 M3 that came off at Druids... which was such a greasy bend I was locking the back wheels up just by changing down...

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6898/img0591kv2.jpg

There was this CSL, plus a black one...

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4571/img1880yu3.jpg

Just couldn't get anywhere near these track prepared E30 M3's... must weigh nothing!

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3192/img1891yp2.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/8606/img1889im5.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/2259/img1875ex8.jpg

I was behind the blue Saxo at one point, and I got the impression he was determined not to let me pass as he was sliding all over the place trying to keep pace, driving way beyond his limits (so it seemed). It ended up stuffed into the tyres at the chicane

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/553/img1888ia5.jpg

Glad you had a good day mate. It is a drug, and its easy to get addicted.

Did you get an instructor to go out with you?

I need to get myself on the track. Just cant bring myself to abusing my baby :gayfight:

LOL - you're abusing it by not taking it on track - that's what it was built for :thumbs:

Exactly, you're taking it "home"!

Yeah, I did a few low-speed laps on my own first to find my feet and familiarise myself with the circuit, then got one of the instructors (who arrived in a Magnum-style Ferrari) to show me how it's done.

Was a hell of a lot quicker after that.

Nice one, glad you had fun.

Felt a bit like you bryce86 until I took it to Goodwood yesterday.....It just takes it all in it's stride and feels completely at home...I could not believe the speed you can take through and oput of corners...it made mincemeat all the 15 Maseratis there. The Maserati owners didn't really pay the two CSL's much attention when we got there but after we had been on the track they came over for a look and chat.

Get it on the track you will love it.

Glad you enjoyed yourself Windy......hate seeing the old E30's mashed....such a classic.

Totally agree with Andyk. When i bought my CSL i had no real desire to go on track but a last minute visit to the Ring on the way home from this summer's touring holiday soon changed that! 3 Ring trips done and a Car Control day and 2 track days booked to do before the end of the year! You could say that i like it!

The CSL was meant to do this! :thumbs:

Nice, glad you enjoyerd yourself on track...

Mate, I was pretty worried about taking my car on the track as I have a serious case of lead-foot and was worried that I'd get carried away, but it's not that bad at all.