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Thread: Track day advice

  1. #1
    Master
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    Track day advice

    I've been given a track day at Brands Hatch for this winter by a kind friend. Key here is it's a track day, not an experience; i.e. bring your own vehicle.

    Unfortunately I'd already sold my sporty Impreza and replaced it with a 2 tonne automatic Mercedes CL500. Fortunately I have driven Brands before.

    In this instance there are no novice days / road-car-only days - it's a general day open to anything.


    Question is - how doable is a track day in such a car - should I just get on with it and not worry...and how many sets of brake pads will I get through!!

  2. #2
    Master TKH's Avatar
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    I think you will struggle with a CL will be hard on brakes and tyres and gearbox temps

    But all depends how far you want to push it ? Or are you happy to just waft around and enjoy the day ?

  3. #3
    Master
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    Can you not hire a car for the day?
    Bookatrack & others supply cars fit for purpose?
    Too far South for Rodders & his MX5 race cars unfortunately.

  4. #4
    Master
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    Timed sessions or open pit lane?

    Brake pads and fluid are a must:
    Upgrade the pads for the day, your road pads will burn through. Go for Pagid RS19 or RS29, it's a race pad and with the weight of your car you'll need something that can take the temperatures you'll generate. If you want to take it a bit easier go for Pagid RS4-2, the advantage of these is that they will also be OK for the road and you could leave them in.

    Make sure you have good fresh brake fluid(DOT4) in, if it's old it will have absorbed some moisture which will then boil when the brakes get hot and you'll get a spongey pedal. Somebody may come along and say you need racing fluid(DOT5.1) but if you do short sessions and do at least one(preferably 2) full cooling off lap before you come into the pits you'll be fine.
    Do not apply the handbrake until you are confident the brakes are cooled.

    Stay smooth so your tyres don't suffer too much but if you want to really have a go at it get some spare wheels and track tyres off Ebay then sell them back on.
    Just stay within the limits of the car/gearbox and to do this and enjoy it more get some instruction.

  5. #5
    Master
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    Erm...yep. don't go to the track in your CL.

    Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    brake like you mean it, and only in a straight line, no confidence braking , slow in, fast out, if it were a manual I would say go round in a gear higher than the one you think you need.
    Last edited by adrianw; 17th October 2019 at 13:01.

  7. #7
    Master
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    You are going to love it!

    None of the advice here is wrong, but I wouldn't worry about spending any money on the car at all. Especially if it's for just one day...

    It's not a race, and if you are sensible you can use that car with no issues at all. You may find you've used some tread and pad so make sure the car is fit befohand but I wouldn't try turning it into a track ready weapon.

    I'm not a racer or setting lap records but done maybe 75 track days and the best advice I can give is to leave your ego at the door. Do shorter stints more often which don't cook the car, and despite what everyone thinks, after a while your concentration wavers. If it feels like it's complaining come in and don't go that extra lap chasing cars that you feel you should be passing. Seen many cars go home early have stayed out too long and cooked something.

    While the car is cooling down get chatting to people and get some passenger laps, you'll learn lots from other drivers of all abilities of the most and least effective techniques.

    I did the Lotus on Track French frolic last year (2000 miles, LeMans, Dijon and Magny Cours in 6 days) in an Elise with £15 discs and £25 pads from eurocarparts and it was fine, just not quite as good as those with race parts.

  8. #8
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    To add I've been to a few Maserati days with a lot of big old quattroportes on track. They do fine and their owners have just as much fun as anyone.

  9. #9
    Craftsman
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    Buy a bodily rough cheap mx5 with short test do the brakes and wring its neck on track.....sell it on for roughly what you paid for it

  10. #10
    Master
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    Thanks for the replies guys.

    In short....hiring another car appears to be £1,000!! I have no alternative to bring either.

    I'm happy to go slowly - you can't have an ego when you're cruising around in a luxo barge...if I still had the Impreza that'd be another matter.

    I just want to make sure I'm not going to be totally in the way and surrounded by guys in Caterhams and Radicals.

  11. #11
    Master
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    As others have said, you could think about uprating the pads and brake fluid - an easy job to do yourself if you have basic tools and a mechanical inclination.

    Enjoy the day, Brands is a great little circuit. There will be quicker cars but they will pass by easily, if not they will be reprimanded by the marshals.

  12. #12
    Worth noting that it's a track day, not a race. There will (or should) be strict rules about overtaking etc so - as long as there are no idiots about - it should all be nice and safe and it shouldn't matter how fast you go.

    I'd echo the comments about wear having got through the front tyres and a set of pads on a track day at Castle Combe many moons ago, but as long as you remember the track day not race logic you should be fine whatever you go there in.

  13. #13
    Do they not hire cars out, a 2 Tonne car is no good on a race track unless it has a V12 twin turbo or something lol

  14. #14
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by xellos99 View Post
    Do they not hire cars out, a 2 Tonne car is no good on a race track unless it has a V12 twin turbo or something lol
    Yep, at £1,000 a pop. The car is a 5.5 litre V8....it's just also very heavy.

  15. #15
    The CL's a cruiser, not a sports car.. you know that already. But even the 500 has a decent amount of grunt - no reason why you shouldn't have some fun if you drive within the car's limits. Let the Elises etc. whip past in the corners and get on with it. You'll still come away with a better feeling of what the car can do when you're pressing on than you'll ever get a chance to do (legally) on the road. Make sure your tank's full before you set off though - my SLK55 used to do 8 MPG at the circuit! A whole tank gone in 120 miles. Great way to burn a tank of fuel :)

    Cheers,

    Plug

  16. #16
    Master
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    Ask a mate you don' really like if you can borrow his car for the day.

    Seriously though:
    Buy a bodily rough cheap mx5 with short test do the brakes and wring its neck on track.....sell it on for roughly what you paid for it
    I knew a guy who used to do this kind of thing regulalrly, the last one was a BMW 5 series E34, he bought it off Ebay for some hundred pounds, it had at least an MOT and some tax(it was a while ago when tax was left on the car), drove it to Oulton Park, thrashed the pants off it with his mates as passengers and they took turns driving it. Had a hoot of a time.

  17. #17
    By the time you factor in tyres and anything else you might use and abuse on the day, hiring, or buying something cheap and sorted (would be my choice), there might not be too much in it - but it could be too much of a headache/hassle.

    I borrowed a Renault Alpine for a local track day, and ended up going off the track backwards, no damage and avoided hitting anything, but accidents do happen and if the worst happened what would you do about your car?
    It's just a matter of time...

  18. #18

  19. #19
    Master
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    lol

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by funkstar View Post
    lol
    You laugh, I was a a Donny track evening session & several professional drivers were out in hired golfs!
    Let’s just say the handback would of been worth listening to.

  21. #21
    Go and buy a nippy hatch back for £500 ,and thrash it for a day and then sell it and probably not lose too much


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by mk1974 View Post
    Go and buy a nippy hatch back for £500 ,and thrash it for a day and then sell it and probably not lose too much


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Clio 182, but not for £500

  23. #23
    Craftsman RS404's Avatar
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    Just cruise around and enjoy yourself, I've seen allsorts on track days, diesel poverty spec Golfs and Vectras, an old boy in an XJS, a young girl in a 1.0l Fiat. Just keep an eye on your mirrors, especially if there's any Caterhams or Radicals about! You don't necessarily need to be right on it the whole time, just take it steady.

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

  24. #24
    Cough, cough.... Avis/Hertz/Enterprise etc for the day.





    Just don’t forget: a) don’t crash, b) cover up the plates.

  25. #25
    Master alfat33's Avatar
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    It’s a good job that you already know Brands Hatch. Two tonnes coming round the top of Paddock Hill Bend would test anyone’s nerve I think :).

    I drove a Mercedes saloon of some sort on a track a few years ago and found it very capable, certainly not a soft wallowy barge. I thought the suspension was very good, if a bit dull and safe (which of course it is supposed to be). You’ll have as much fun figuring out your braking points and lines as in any other car I reckon, especially as you won’t be able to flatter yourself by just stomping your foot down.

    I hope you have an enjoyable day whatever you decide to do.

  26. #26
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    I would watch old Sweeny car chases for inspiration,they had fun throwing Granada’s around.

  27. #27
    Craftsman
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    I did an airfield track day in a estate car once

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by bwest76 View Post
    I would watch old Sweeny car chases for inspiration,they had fun throwing Granada’s around.
    Always makes me laugh that you can see all the practice tyre marks on the road

  29. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by RS404 View Post
    Just cruise around and enjoy yourself, I've seen allsorts on track days, diesel poverty spec Golfs and Vectras, an old boy in an XJS, a young girl in a 1.0l Fiat. Just keep an eye on your mirrors, especially if there's any Caterhams or Radicals about! You don't necessarily need to be right on it the whole time, just take it steady.

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
    I think that would be a very dangerous thing to do on Brands Indy circuit if it is open pit lane, I wouldn't want to suddenly come behind a car doing that, for the quicker cars there are no straights on the Indy, if its ability groups then ok,

  30. #30
    Master
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    In other news I am doing my first track day with mission motorsport next month.
    When I innocently asked if I was in our own cars I was told they would be bringing something interesting for us to drive.

    It was my first meeting with them on Wednesday,we had a little guided tour and ended up surrounded by millions of pounds worth of cars.
    One was worth over 5 million by itself

  31. #31
    Craftsman JayGee's Avatar
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    My advice (as a moderately successful club racer in his day, who is now far too fat for single seats & turned to track days later in life)
    You can have fun in any car, book a tuition session for the morning, the instructor will add some calm to the situation and appraise your lines/flow, it'll boost your confidence early on to carry more speed through the turns & you'll get a lot more from the day. Definitely fresh pads & fluid before you go. Keep the first couple of sessions shortish & check fluids/temps/tyre pressures often, it'll be all gravy & even better if it rains.

  32. #32
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by bwest76 View Post
    In other news I am doing my first track day with mission motorsport next month.
    When I innocently asked if I was in our own cars I was told they would be bringing something interesting for us to drive.

    It was my first meeting with them on Wednesday,we had a little guided tour and ended up surrounded by millions of pounds worth of cars.
    One was worth over 5 million by itself

    Are they sending a Team to Race Of Rememberance in Anglesey in NOV?

  33. #33
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by g40steve View Post
    Are they sending a Team to Race Of Rememberance in Anglesey in NOV?

    It looks like it.
    I was invited years ago but have only just joined so I am not in the loop yet.

    We had a lady 100 years old with us yesterday,she loved motorbikes we got along famously.
    someone had taken her out in a sidecar for one birthday, she told me she wanted to go faster




    https://www.missionmotorsport.org/calendar

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