Introduction
Track
days probably represent the very best value for money in terms of actual time
on the circuit than any other form of motorsport. So if you are considering taking up
motorsport and aren’t sure if it will truly be for you, track days provide an
ideal way in that doesn’t have to be expensive.
I
hope you find these notes useful and that you will scratch that itch and try a
track day for the first time. Be warned – track days are VERY addictive!
Sometimes just one event means you are hooked for life.
Really
the only difference between a track day and an actual race is that the track
day is strictly non-competitive and there are rules about when and where you
can overtake. The risk of contact with
another car is therefore very low and you can get out there and learn how to
drive on a race circuit knowing that you are in the relative safety of
controlled conditions. Oh and of course another very important aspect – have
truly huge amounts of fun.
Of
course defying the laws of physics never works except on the Starship
Enterprise, so keeping on the black stuff and off the green stuff and avoiding
the barriers means always driving within your comfort zone and the cars
capability. I always strongly recommend
that newcomers take advantage of the qualified instruction that’s always
available at a very modest outlay at the circuit.
So
where do you start? Let’s look at what
different kinds of track days there are, how they are organised and then what
happens on a typical track day.
Track
Day Formats
The
two formats you are most likely encounter are sessioned and open pit lane.
The sessioned event, as it’s name suggests, divides each
hour into a number of timed sessions and drivers are assigned to a particular
session within each hour. Group
allocation is often arranged by driver ability and hence typically into novice,
intermediate and advanced groups. Here
advanced usually means quite a few competition licence holders and the action
can be very “full-on”. The number of
sessions per hour is determined by the TDO (track day operator); 20 minute or
15 minute sessions are common, but as little as 10 minutes or as much as 30
minute sessions are sometimes offered.
Pros
–
·
Normally
cheaper than an open pit lane day because it’s possible for the TDO to run much
larger number of cars than an open pit lane event (see below).
·
You
know when you are going on track to the minute.
·
Broadly
speaking the other drivers in your group will have similar levels of skill to
you and an attempt may also have been made by the organiser to have cars of
similar capability grouped together.
Cons
–
·
You
are only going to get 15 minutes or so in the hour on track so a lot of hanging
around if you are sharing with another driver.
Remember that the session include getting out of the pits and up to
speed, and the in lap, so actual session time at circuit pace will be less than
the session time by at least 3 or 4 minutes.
·
You
will be in a potentially large bunch of cars for the first laps especially if
the first few cars in the queue are slower than you. You could find yourself in a queue
reminiscent of the M25 at rush hour!
·
If
there is a stoppage because of a breakdown or other incident then you will lose
the remainder of your session while the incident car is recovered. Bad luck if the stoppage is at the end of the
session before yours because you could have to wait for the thick end of 2
hours before you get any track time.
·
If
you need to adjust or fix anything on your car you are under time pressure to
do it or you will miss a session.
The open pit lane, by comparison is, as it suggests, an
event where you are free to go out on circuit at any time to suit you, and for
as little or as long as you wish. We
always recommend circuit time be around 15 minutes at a time though. Driving on circuit requires sustained high
levels of concentration and 15 minutes is a good limit and plenty of time out
there (it amounts to about the length of a club race for example). Also your car may very well be a road going
model not really intended for prolonged high speed and repeated heavy
braking. Regular cool down periods are
good for you and help preserve the engine and brakes.
A
good open pit lane track day will usually be more expensive than a sessioned
event because the numbers of cars booked must be smaller. The entry fees are directly linked to the
number of cars ie circuit hire cost plus TDOs overheads divided by the number
of cars = entry fee broadly speaking. It’s
not a free-for-all on the circuit and numbers permitted on track are limited by
the circuit licenced maximum, so the number of cars booked needs to be properly
matched to this circuit limit in order to avoid long queues of cars in the pit
lane waiting for access. A rule of thumb
is around twice the number of cars booked than the circuit limit or maybe a bit
more depending on the circuit.
A
sessioned event running 4 x 15 minute session per hour by comparison can run up
to four times the circuit limit so you would expect entry fees to be around
half those for open pit lane at the same circuit.
A
good open pit lane day may have some queuing at busy times like immediately
after lunch for 20 minutes or so, or after a stoppage but when running smoothly
there should usually be no queue or if there is one, drivers shouldn’t expect
to have to wait more than a very few minutes.
Pros
–
·
Very
relaxed in terms of circuit access as there is no pressure on being ready at a
set time every hour. It tends to be more
sociable too because drivers get chatting more in the paddock when they aren’t
worrying about the time.
·
A
stoppage has much less impact on track time than a sessioned event.
·
You
can drive as little as you like if you don’t want to stay out a long time or
you are trying out some adjustments to the car.
·
No
bunching of cars on circuit as the circuit is live all the time.
Cons
–
·
Will
be more expensive than a sessioned event if it’s properly organised (see
below).
·
If
you are brand new to track days it can be a bit daunting going out on circuit
for the first time but not much more so than a sessioned event. Good organisers will arrange introductory
instruction for you, and further instruction is also available.
BHP TrackDays only runs high specification open pit
lane track days because that’s what our customers want and expect from us. In common with the other good operators out there
you will find our prices are not the cheapest, but that’s because we are
running fewer cars than the budget end open pit lane days. Bear in mind that the TDOs are all paying
around the same for circuit hire so a significantly cheaper day can ONLY be paid
for by higher numbers of cars. You will
have less track time on a budget day so you need to ask is budget the
overriding factor for you. If not then
avoid the budget end of the market.
When
researching which TDO to go with there are a lot of car forums available to you
so you can see what other people’s experiences are with the various TDOs. Don’t forget though that many of the posts on
car forums have a hidden agenda that’s all to do with marketing under the guise
of a “satisfied customer”. If the post
looks like a truly wonderful recommendation and gives links etc to the TDO
website then it might very well be a spoof posting.
So
What Happens When I Book and What Information Should I Get?
Well
as a minimum you should receive a confirmation by email that includes
directions about how to get to the circuit, a programme for the day, ie when
you should be there and where to sign on etc, information about how the day is
organised, and a copy of the indemnity forms you will be required to sign. Some operators also require to see your
driving licence. If for some reason you
can’t produce a licence, then all is not lost as a phone check with the DVLA
can usually be arranged, but there will probably be a charge for this.
Check
to see that you are booked in correctly and the details are all ok. Also see if there are any optional extras you
might like to reserve like tuition, garage, or if you would like to book on
extra drivers and passengers. Also check
any cancellation clauses if you haven’t already done so because there is
usually a penalty in the form of an administration charge for cancellation and
a cut-off point when cancellations will no longer be refunded.
If
you do have to cancel it’s worth asking the TDO if you can transfer to another
date. They will often accommodate you if
they can.
Some
TDOs offer newcomers a free introductory tuition session. We’d recommend you sign up for one. There is often limited availability so don’t
leave it until the day of the event to do this.
Do book some tuition on the day anyway.
It will stand you in good stead.
What
Happens on the Day?
Arrive
at the circuit in good time and find a place to park in the paddock. Spaces aren’t normally reserved, so anywhere
is ok. The bays are usually marked and
enormous so they can accommodate large lorries on race days. If you have trailered your car there allow
time to both sign on and get it off the trailer before the start of the safety
briefing. You will need the car for the
sighting laps (see below). All is not
lost if you haven’t time to off-load the car – you may be allowed to do the
sighting laps in the tow car.
Signing on is often in the restaurant so you can
normally get a cup of coffee and breakfast.
You’ll need to fill in and sign an indemnity form. The sign-on staff will check your details and
give you a wrist band or other identification to wear that confirms you’ve been
through the sign-on process. You’ll also
get a programme for the day and they’ll tell you about things like getting the
car noise tested, and where the safety briefing will be held and the time. You’ll also get an identification sticker to
put on your car to identify it. You can
sometimes also get a “Novice Cross” to put on the back of your car. It’s just to let others know that you are new
and they’ll give you more room.
The
safety briefing is mandatory for all
drivers and informs everyone about the circuit rules for the day, what to do in
an emergency, what signals will be used to control traffic ie flags or traffic
lights or both and other circuit specific information that you need to know. Don’t
be late for the briefing. If it’s
started you won’t be admitted. At the end of the briefing you should be issued
with a second wrist band to confirm that you have been briefed. You need both wrist bands to drive on the
circuit.
Sighting Laps are required to be attended by all
drivers and take place immediately before the circuit goes live. Drivers roll up to the appointed place and
are taken in groups behind a pace car out onto the circuit usually for three
laps when they return to the paddock.
The purpose of the sighting laps, which are carried out at a slow pace,
is to see the circuit layout, note track conditions (ie dry, wet, greasy), and
to note the locations of the marshals posts where flag signals will be given,
and any traffic light locations.
The
pace car will follow the “racing line” and the crocodile should follow it so
all drivers get a feel for the correct lines around the circuit.
There
is no point weaving or accelerating/braking in the crocodile (like they do on
F1) and in fact it’s usually forbidden.
No overtaking!
There
may also be a noise test to confirm
your car is within the permitted noise level for the day. You will be tested when you go out on circuit
for the first time (another sticker) or you will have to go to a designated
noise test location.
Track time starts as soon as all of the cars
have completed their sighting laps. If
it’s a sessioned day go to the appointed place and queue in good time for the
start of your session. If it’s an open
pit lane day present yourself at the circuit access point and you will be
admitted to the circuit by the pit lane marshal after your wrist bands have
been checked.
Other
things you might like to consider
How
do I pick a reputable organiser? A good
place to look for the names of organisers running properly operated track days
is the Association of Track day Organisers.
All of its members meet the requirements of the track day code of
practice so you have a guarantee that the day will be properly run and
operated. Also membership of the ATDO is
recognised by insurers and track day insurance premiums are cheaper if you are
attending a day run by an ATDO member.
The list of members can be seen here - www.atdo.co.uk.
How
much should I pay? You will undoubtedly
see a range of prices quoted for what seem like identical track days at the
same circuit. So which one should I go
for? Well if it’s open pit lane then the
cheaper priced days will be running with more cars booked than the more
expensive days. I would avoid the really
cheap ones unless you don’t mind the risk that you may be sitting for long
periods in pit lane queues. If it’s a
sessioned day and looks cheap just check out how many groups per hour are
running. Some days run with as little as
10 minutes per session.
I
do hope that you found this useful. If
you have anything you’d like to add, please post a comment and I’ll take it on
board.
I’ll be adding a blog
on choice of track day car soon.
Now that I’ve been running track
days for over 10 years, my picture about cars and their capabilities is
quite a bit altered. Also our customers,
except for a very few who I could probably count on one or two hands out of a
total of literally thousands since we started up, all fall into the
classification of real enthusiasts making the most out of their chosen car be it a recovered insurance
write off to really exotic supercars.
You’d be surprised at how many McLarens there are out there although
there are a lot more VW Golfs!
A small selection of front wheel drive cars 
