Reply to: Track Days

[JoJoGabor]

I do about 5 trackdays a year in my own car, a Lotus Elise. Great fun, you'll realise you know very little about driving properly to start with, and road driving will lose its appeal somewhat.

To start with pick your track carefully, Caste Combe is responsible for something like 25% of all trackday accidents nationwide, so start off on one of the airfield days. I dont know where you live but Bedford, Snetterton or Blyton Park are ideal.

in terms of cars, Ive convinced quite a few mates to bring their cars, some of which have needed new brakes or radiators afterwards. My Lotus is very cheap to run for trackdays as its so light, Ive done no upgrades and nothing has broken in two years. S2000 is also good as are Caterhams.

Mates who have taken Porsches, Mini Coppers, and Skodas/VWs etc have had to replace things after a single day.

If you want to look at all trackdays and an overview of each circuit go to Track Days and Driving Experiences Gift Vouchers | Trackdays.co.uk

[mudskipper]

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Pah, can you not do a search http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...rack-days.html, are you sure your cut out for track days?

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qh

you're - NLUK wouldn't get that wrong!

[quackhandle]

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Pah, can you not do a search http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...rack-days.html, are you sure your cut out for track days?

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qh

[Old Hack]

Yes, the F355 and the 360 Modena are the other two I'd like to try. I quite like the look of the 456 as well, these don't seem to turn up on "drive a supercar" days though.

Does anyone have an idea of the running costs on these things? I'm guessing it's going to be £3-4k/yr based on one service a year + tires.

A good friend works for Mclaren, and they have loads of cars, ferraris, lamborghinis, astons, jags, etc, which they use for evaluation purposes. He's taken me out in the 12C, a 458 Italia, a 430 stradale and a 360 modena. The 355 will never sound like them, so if I was after one, I'd go for a 360 (430's still a little expensive), as it was just raw, and perfect. However, if money were an obstacle, it would be a 355 as every report I have read, say they are the best, most affordable ferrari there is.

I'd count on putting away £5k a year into a box, and leaving anything left after servicing, for when you need an engine out clutch change, or cam belt changing, which will be about once every 3 years.

I'd love to, but I have 3 girls, so there's no chance...

[d000hg]

Do tracks let you buy a car and keep it on-site, in the same way that you can keep your boat at a club and come down at the weekend to have a go?

[bobspud]

Cos it's much safer than a test drive. I won't have to sit there at the end of it resisting the urge to hand over my bank card.

[doodab]

Why drive something on a track to decide if you can put up with it at a 10th of the speed and power while it rattles your internal organs around every time you hit a pot hole and kills your left leg every time you change gear?

Cos it's much safer than a test drive. I won't have to sit there at the end of it resisting the urge to hand over my bank card.

[bobspud]

Yes, the F355 and the 360 Modena are the other two I'd like to try. I quite like the look of the 456 as well, these don't seem to turn up on "drive a supercar" days though.

Does anyone have an idea of the running costs on these things? I'm guessing it's going to be £3-4k/yr based on one service a year + tires.

There are plenty of Ex ferrari service guys out there that will provide you with a bespoke service so you know the car is running sweet rather than owning a stamped service book and a hole in your pocket.

[doodab]

348's are notoriously unreliable, and one of the worst ferraris. If you're looking to get into ferraris at not top dollar, you want a 355, one of the best cars they've made. Avoid a Mondial like the plague too.

Yes, the F355 and the 360 Modena are the other two I'd like to try. I quite like the look of the 456 as well, these don't seem to turn up on "drive a supercar" days though.

Does anyone have an idea of the running costs on these things? I'm guessing it's going to be £3-4k/yr based on one service a year + tires.

[bobspud]

348's are notoriously unreliable, and one of the worst ferraris. If you're looking to get into ferraris at not top dollar, you want a 355, one of the best cars they've made. Avoid a Mondial like the plague too.

The problem with ALL supercars is the same. Guys buy them then leave them in a garage for all but 10 days a year. My friends hubby was a ferrari mechanic on Jersey and said the best ferrari on the island was being used as the everyday shopping cart. Meanwhile the pristine, lived in an air conditioned garage and only driven on sunny day toys were in bits most of the time... Have another contact that said the same for Lambo's (he worked for them in Australia for a while)

[bobspud]

I don't want to buy a Ferrari to drive on the track. I don't want a car to drive on the track at all. I want a Ferrari to drive on the road (probably a 348 as they are cheap and sound good) but I'd like to have a spin in a couple of different ones on a track so I can decide whether it's going to be worth it or whether I am better off spending my money on something else like flying lessons or more holidays.

Why drive something on a track to decide if you can put up with it at a 10th of the speed and power while it rattles your internal organs around every time you hit a pot hole and kills your left leg every time you change gear?

[Old Hack]

I don't want to buy a Ferrari to drive on the track. I don't want a car to drive on the track at all. I want a Ferrari to drive on the road (probably a 348 as they are cheap and sound good) but I'd like to have a spin in a couple of different ones on a track so I can decide whether it's going to be worth it or whether I am better off spending my money on something else like flying lessons or more holidays.

348's are notoriously unreliable, and one of the worst ferraris. If you're looking to get into ferraris at not top dollar, you want a 355, one of the best cars they've made. Avoid a Mondial like the plague too.

[doodab]

This really isn't a lottery win fantasy. You can buy most of the ferrais that you would be interested in for sub 100k I found an F430 the other day for £70k. (I am waiting for Mercedes to sort out their pricing for the 2014 SL500 and I was bored). But the answer is you don't take a road ferrari on a track. (unless you have the extra £1200 pet set for the new tyres that you will need fairly quickly) Meanwhile a chap with more skill and intelligence will be lapping you in some crappy little kit car that has better power balance and weight distribution. I worked with a guy a few years back that destroyed a very nice ubber-tuned BMW M3 CSI sport trying to turn it into a track day car. He ripped the thing apart, chucked out the interior doors and bonnet then replaced everything with carbon then tore out the suspension and and air con and ended up with a track car that a standard Honda Civic Type R could piss all over... He was not a happy bunny.

You also need to bare in mind if you go for a racing car then you need to be divorced from common sense to get the brakes to work and going fast enough for the airfoils to work so that you actually grip the track...

I don't want to buy a Ferrari to drive on the track. I don't want a car to drive on the track at all. I want a Ferrari to drive on the road (probably a 348 as they are cheap and sound good) but I'd like to have a spin in a couple of different ones on a track so I can decide whether it's going to be worth it or whether I am better off spending my money on something else like flying lessons or more holidays.

[bobspud]

That is exactly what I want, a day driving a selection of Ferraris around a track so I can decide which one to buy.

This really isn't a lottery win fantasy. You can buy most of the ferrais that you would be interested in for sub 100k I found an F430 the other day for £70k. (I am waiting for Mercedes to sort out their pricing for the 2014 SL500 and I was bored). But the answer is you don't take a road ferrari on a track. (unless you have the extra £1200 pet set for the new tyres that you will need fairly quickly) Meanwhile a chap with more skill and intelligence will be lapping you in some crappy little kit car that has better power balance and weight distribution. I worked with a guy a few years back that destroyed a very nice ubber-tuned BMW M3 CSI sport trying to turn it into a track day car. He ripped the thing apart, chucked out the interior doors and bonnet then replaced everything with carbon then tore out the suspension and and air con and ended up with a track car that a standard Honda Civic Type R could piss all over... He was not a happy bunny.

You also need to bare in mind if you go for a racing car then you need to be divorced from common sense to get the brakes to work and going fast enough for the airfoils to work so that you actually grip the track...

[Mich the Tester]

Is she the one they had driving a transit on Top Gear?

Didn't know you could get a 'taxi', quite neat as a way to see what a proper driver would experience without having to actually have any skill!

That's the one. You pays your money and she takes you around the track at speed. Pack a fresh pair of undies. Really, it's terrifying. Here's a racing driver taking his wife around the track, a bit SLOWER than Sabine Schmitz; his wife actually remains somewhat calmer than most people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o96xcZtaVI