Novice day out
07 November 2002, 05:46 PM
#1
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Bedford is my first 'full' track day out. What do people recommend I need to watch out for or need apart from petrol and a helmet! eg, are brake pads gonna take a beating, etc? I've got a UK standard MY95
Ta
Ta
08 November 2002, 09:39 AM
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Tedd,
You will love it, my first TD was this year and I have done four so far with one more to go at Oulton on the 30th November then it's a break until next year for me. Make sure you take your drivers license. How much wear your breaks and tyres gets depends on how hard you drive. My OEM front pads lasted two TDs then they started to crumble the rears seem to be fine. You should rotate your tyres front to back half way through the day to even out the wear, don't be worried if the car feels different after doing this it just takes a few laps to get the tyres working properly again. I put more air in the tyres to stiffen the sidewall, around 6psi extra over normal road use and check it before I go out, the 20mins cool down in the pits should be enough to allow the tyres/air to cool to give you a good reading. Make sure you do a good warm up lap and a good slowing down lap to give everything time to warm-up/cool down, keep off the brakes as much as possible for the slowing down lap. When you come off the track park the car on a flat surface and don't apply the handbrake as the heat in the disk/pads will cause damage. I allways lift the bonnet and leave the engine running for 5 mins to allow the engine to cool down and let some heat out. As a rule I do around 5 laps and then come in and give the car at least 20mins to cool down before going out again. When on track if you start to notice any brake fade it is a good idea to come in and let everything cool down. Use your mirrors and look out for faster drivers, it's amazing how much faster some drivers are in the same car as you. Most of all have fun but don't push it early on, get used to being on-track with other cars you will find there is a lot to take in for the first few laps.
Si.
You will love it, my first TD was this year and I have done four so far with one more to go at Oulton on the 30th November then it's a break until next year for me. Make sure you take your drivers license. How much wear your breaks and tyres gets depends on how hard you drive. My OEM front pads lasted two TDs then they started to crumble the rears seem to be fine. You should rotate your tyres front to back half way through the day to even out the wear, don't be worried if the car feels different after doing this it just takes a few laps to get the tyres working properly again. I put more air in the tyres to stiffen the sidewall, around 6psi extra over normal road use and check it before I go out, the 20mins cool down in the pits should be enough to allow the tyres/air to cool to give you a good reading. Make sure you do a good warm up lap and a good slowing down lap to give everything time to warm-up/cool down, keep off the brakes as much as possible for the slowing down lap. When you come off the track park the car on a flat surface and don't apply the handbrake as the heat in the disk/pads will cause damage. I allways lift the bonnet and leave the engine running for 5 mins to allow the engine to cool down and let some heat out. As a rule I do around 5 laps and then come in and give the car at least 20mins to cool down before going out again. When on track if you start to notice any brake fade it is a good idea to come in and let everything cool down. Use your mirrors and look out for faster drivers, it's amazing how much faster some drivers are in the same car as you. Most of all have fun but don't push it early on, get used to being on-track with other cars you will find there is a lot to take in for the first few laps.
Si.
08 November 2002, 09:49 AM
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Listen the instructors, they will tell you everything you need to know. Your common sense will be of great help to you also
Just get out there, don't drive beyond your own ability (and don't let others push you) and have a great day out!
simon
Just get out there, don't drive beyond your own ability (and don't let others push you) and have a great day out!
simon
08 November 2002, 07:51 PM
#4
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Remember you drove your car there You'll probably wan't to drive it home 
Give you and your car a good rest you'll both need it
remove excess wieght and loose items (to late for the Gym though) LOL
Never run the tank under 1/4 full or you can get fuel surge on tight right handers
Tyre pressures and Oil water checks
A spare set of brake pads
Money for tyres fuel Etc.
150 miles on a track could be the equivelent of 3000 road miles wear and tear on Brakes tyres Etc, IMHO
Tony
Main thing is to enjoy
You'll probably wan't to drive it home Give you and your car a good rest you'll both need it
remove excess wieght and loose items (to late for the Gym though) LOL
Never run the tank under 1/4 full or you can get fuel surge on tight right handers
Tyre pressures and Oil water checks
A spare set of brake pads
Money for tyres fuel Etc.
150 miles on a track could be the equivelent of 3000 road miles wear and tear on Brakes tyres Etc, IMHO
Tony
Main thing is to enjoy
11 November 2002, 02:39 PM
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Cheers Guys, helpful stuff. I did notice at the National Day how fast other drivers were, it keeps you on your toes! Looking forward to it, should be a good one.
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