martx

I've just had a look through the Track events section of this forum and was shocked to see how few of you endulge in trackdays.

We've all got these crackin' cars, spend hours trawling through web pages tryin' to find out which mods will give us an extra 0.5bhp!, then drive 'em on $hitty roads filled with potholes & to$$ers.

Its got me wondering do the majority of people on SN mod there cars for show or to use the 'go'?

In my opinion trackdays are FAR FAR safer than flexin' through lanes where every turn could potentially be a cyclist or branch etc. etc.

So the question is: ARE YOU FOR 'SHOW'
.......................OR ARE YOU FOR 'GO'?

rallying1

I think the answer is mainly cost to be fair.

The last track day I did cost me £100 for track time, £50 in fuel, £80 for insurance and a set of tyres, so its not a cheap day out, but having said that flying past the GTI Golf and Focus RS brigade is a bit of a crowd pleaser for me

Also the availability of the track is a problem there are few days available and a lot of people wanting them, I think the closest to me and the most available is Bedford, J Palmers place.

Blueblaster

Spot on. The real cost of a day on the track is at least £500 and that is if you buy cheap tyres and go easy on the brakes. If you look at the thread where people list their occupation you will see that the average Scooby owner is not the sort of person that can regularly afford these kind of costs.

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

I wish I could afford it!!

martx

£500!! for a track day! BULL$HIT

You don't HAVE to kill your car OR be the fastest person on the track!

This time of year you can get a track day for £119 + 50 squid for petrol!

Get someone to come with ya and chip in the petrol for the luxery.

The likes of Bedford are well managed with massive run offs. I don't bother with insurance & just drive within my limits.

I find it very disapointing that the money card is getting played...

Why buy a car, lower it, chip it, put gauges in etc. & NOT USE IT?!?!

£120 for a day out with ya pride and joy? come on man, it aint the money...

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

So what if someone hits you, and they're not insured?

monkeyboy840

dont want to fry my car, kill clutch, brakes etc.

also dont want some idiot who cant drive hitting my car.

martx

If ANYONE drives like a ***** the're black flagged (removed from track). IT IS A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.

I used to think 'Trackday = Days of Thunder' lol, couldn't be farther from the truth.

I've no vested interest in trying to promote trackdays other than I know how much you trackday virgins are all missing out, you really are.

No watching for coppers, potholes, kids, oncoming traffic, corsa kid, side turnings, kerbs, motorbikes etc....

People on trackdays are 'Car Enthusiasts' like us whom 'like us' love there cars and have no intention or ambition to damage your your car, let alone theres.

Nürburg_Ringa

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

My last track day in the UK cost me around £3000

davedipster

Why would you trackday a practical 4 door saloon?

martx

Why would you join an owners club for one?

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

martx

I understand where you are coming from buddy, but to be fair to the poster about the cost, it is always far higher than just the cost of the trackday and petrol. I always wanted to do one and add in the cost of the day on the track, petrol there and back (unless you are lucky to live 5 miles from one), the cost of the petrol on the day (remember even if you take it fairly easy, your MPG is way way down) etc. The hidden cost is the wear and tear on tyres (my tyres were pretty fooked and that was taking it fairly easy ), the wear and tear on the car etc and that is without even considering the thorny question of trackday insurance.

I absolutely loved it and although I would recommend it to anyone, just to see how good your car and your driving is, to a lot of people it is just not viable, financial wise, which is a shame.
I was envious of all then people who turned up on the day in actual track cars, ones that you just knew they used on ther track and nowhere else.

Mine is my everyday car, gets me to work, the shops, picks up the kids etc, so I couldnt afford to trash it (hence why i drove like miss daisy for the first few laps ).

I resolved not to do another trackday as such, but am quite happy to go to Santapod and give it some welly up there

You just have to ask yourself if it is worth it for the cost, thats all.
I dont think though that the "money card" is the biggest factor here, just quite an important one when deciding if trackdays is where you want to be with your scoob.


Swiss (used to be all go, now quite happy to be more all show )

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Karting is much more fun!

Blueblaster

Track days are particularly hard on tyres and brakes. What is the point of modifying your high performance car and the pootling around a race track? You want to rag the nuts of it. At track day cannot be done for £169. Impossible. You're living on a different planet if you think you can turn up at a track uninsured ( ), lob £50 quid's worth of petrol in and at the end of the day drive your car home in the same condition as it started the day. It is you who is talking "BULL$HIT"

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

I used 4 full tanks of petrol on my last one, that included driving there and back

Thats £200 before anything else

martx

I respect that tone, at least you've done one!

I think it's laughable the things people do & money they spend on there motors on SN but can't afford a trackday.

"PLASTIC BAD BOYS!"

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

I think its laughable that you cant respect the fact that people do what the hell they want with their cars and couldn't give a toss what you think.

Martin2005

For me the answer is simple, scooby's aren't great track cars, if you want to go on a track, get/hire a track car. Plus 1 track day is the equivilant wear and tear of 10k miles on the road.

Russ71

I like my car the way it is and I like my bank balance the way it is, and at 35 I've had my track day fun, and my pod days/weekends. So been there, done that, got a wardrobe full of those tshirts.

Blueblaster

And how many of "us" have had any kind of advanced driver training? one small misjudgement by someone driving apparently sensibly and it's curtains for your pride and joy. How many people on here can afford to replace their car like-for-like if it gets written off by a wally like you who drives without insurance?

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Does track day insurance not only cover the car itself, so even if someone thats insured hits you you are responsible for your own car.

martx

No offence intended bruv, and i wouldn't expect you to give a toss what i think, we don't know each other. This a forum for opinions & i'm expressing mine. Sorry if I touched a nerve.

I just don't know why you'd buy a shotgun, join a forum, spend lots of time on that forum yet not fire it because of the price of ammunition?

It amuses me...

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Last time i went shooting it cost me £20 for clays etc.

Bit of a difference

Martin2005

nice one

martx

Easy Tiger,

I'm a 'wally' for driving without insurance? 6 years tracking without incident tells me not to bother. I used to when i started but i don't think its worth it. Maybe I'm a gambler? maybe not? But either way I'm not a silly name caller.

st3v3

Another Troll no doubt,So ill bite

Couple of things to think about,im guessing you have done a couple of track days.
The "money card" is probably the biggest factor to take in to account,

Trak Fuel =£80 ish give or take
Journey Fuel=£20ish
New brakes,as you know theres a good chance they will be fubard after= £100
Trak pass=£100 ish (dependant on which trak)
A set of tyres=£150-£300 (depent on your tyres of choice i guess)
Trak ins= £50 at least

You also metioned about people driving within limits,even if you do,it doesnt mean they will.You also mention Black flagged,fine if you catch someone in time, 2 seconds later they may have just wiped you out,ive seen it too many times when some one loses it on the exit,do 180' and you end up in the gravel trap/wall/someone else.

So yes i like going on trak, but only if i could afford the car to be written off (as the ultimate price to pay)which i actually cant at this time in life.

WRXshaneWRX

iTrader: (1)

i love track days, everyone shoudl at least try it once

Paul3446

Quote:
"Karting is much more fun!"

Well said, it's also a truer driving test as they are all pretty much the same!

Martin2005

Totally agree