*INFO* Dans Trackday Guide
What is a trackday
A trackday is an opportunity for you and your car to become one, driving around a proper race circuit away from the public roads and speed camera's etc. It is generally a properly organised event with strict rules to follow which help towards you enjoying the day and still maintain a high safety factor. Everyone there is out to have fun with no competition involved, which makes a very low pressure and sociable day.
Although its rare accidents can still happen and is a risk taken by one and all attending, 9/10 of accidents are down to driver error so if you approach the day with the right attitude and keep the common sense switched on this shouldnt be a factor and will leave you wanting to do many more. Is my car acceptable
99% of all cars are acceptable, its a general rule of thumb that the car must be of an mot standard which involves seatbelts/tyres/brakes/lights/indicators etc etc. The main thing is it doesnt matter what car you drive as nobody cares, it could be a 1.0 nova or a ferrari. You will earn more respect for how you drive the car and the courtesey/common sense you drive with rather than driving like a loon trying to look good and ruining the day for others. Just drive within its and your limits and it will be fine.How can i prepare my car
To start with regardless of how the car gets driven on the road, a day on the track will be sure to work most components to their limit. Following the brief line up of tips will ensure your car stands a chance of getting you to and more importantly back from a track day...
1. Tyres are a vital part of the day, its what keeps you on the black stuff. You must ensure the tyres are of a good condition, especially if you intend driving to the event, using them on track, and driving home. A trackday will wear the tyres down quickly so you must ensure they are not low on tread. It is common knowledge that the less track prepared your car is and the less experience you have will mean tyres getting eaten at a greater rate. As you learn more about driving on a circuit and upgrade the car to suit the conditions things will improve with time. The key factors are to make sure you have equal pressures all round and that you keep a check on them when they are at track temperatures as when the tyres heat up the pressures will rise and need monitoring.
2. Brakes of all things will take the biggest hammering and are equally as vital as the tyres, you must make sure the pads and discs are in very good condition. Its not very often that every few minutes you are braking from 100+mph down to 20/30mph for tight bends like some circuits demand. With this in mind depending on the size or weight of the car you could trash a set of pads in one day. If the brakes are of poor condition then it is advised that you fit a new set before attending an event and making sure you have a minimum of 100 miles bedding in time with them. Ontop of those basics brake fluid should be taken into account, it does degrade over time and may boil up sooner than expected meaning lack of brake efficiency. Overheated brake fluid can boil in the caliper. Boiling produces gas bubbles within any boiling fluid which can lead to a ?soft? brake pedal with long travel. In extreme cases overheated brake fluid necessitates ?pumping the brake pedal? in order to get a pedal at all. If you are unaware of when this was last changed it would be advisable to get it done, whilst you are at it make sure you put in a good quality dot 4 + which will have a higher boiling point.
3. Engine will need a going over also. Oil level is critical as when charging round a circuit you will possibly get oil surge so making sure it is topped up is important. you should also make sure you have some spare oil on you for the day as burning oil when keeping the car at high revs all day is common place. Also check all the belts are in good condition along with any filters.
4. FUEL!!, as daft as it sounds make sure you have plenty of this. Always go out on track with at least 1/2 a tank of fuel as you wont be doing the normal 30mpg anymore. If you do run out the marshals can push the car to one side, and take all day to retrieve it if they decide, as it ruins time for everyone if you stop in a stupid place. This is a harsh example but is known to have happened on a few occasions.
5. Suspension and components could be spanner checked, make sure it is all in a good condition with no obvious weak spots. If any parts look faulty or worn out then they should be replaced before entertaining taking it on track (or the road for that matter) Another thing alot of people do is have their tracking/geometery checked and setup before a track day, aswell as making the car turn in and generally behave better it can also help reduce the tyre wear recieved on the day.
6. Projectiles inside the car must be removed which means anything that isnt tied or bolted down inside the car. This can be something as simple as pens through to cans of drink as they can hurt when flying through the air. even take into account things in the boot. Normally at these events there is somewhere to put them, or a friend can look after them for you.
7. Miscellaneous things like carrying a small tool box and some tape (some circuits require you put some on the headlights) is advisable, included in this should be a footpump and tyre pressure guage to help with the monitoring and changing of pressures. Carrying an extinguisher is also handy, not essential but if you have one fixed FIRMLY inside the car somewhere safe and easily reached it could make a difference if the worst happened. Marshall's all have them but theres a time inbetween, where they have to actually get to the carCan i prepare myself
Preparing yourself can be done and will save any hassles on the day, once you have the car sorted you must make sure you have the right clothes to wear. long sleeve tops are standard issue along with a decent helmet and appropriate foot wear. Mentally it can help to do a small bit of research on the circuit you intend to go to. Read any tips about the circuit and carefully study the shape of it and make mental notes about it. Obviously once on the track it will seem strange but what bits you have studied, after doing your sighting laps will start to make sense and help you out a small bit.
Other 'essentials' would be your driving license and a bottle of water to keep yourself fresh as the more time you spend out on track the more it demands from you.What are the key rules to obey
1. First of all, REMEMBER at the end of the day courtesey and good track manners towards others will help you along the most and people will be more willing to interact with you and help you out on the actual day with all manner of things. You are not there competitivly to race, just to have fun and drive within your own limits.
2. Your arms and legs must be fully covered with clothing, if you do not do this you will not be allowed on track.
3. When it comes to overtaking or being overtaken listen very carefully at the drivers breifing in the morning, all of this will be explained in detail. Dont worry if you feel you will be slow, nobody minds that, its the idiots that hold people up that cause friction.
4. Timing laps is NOT allowed. as stated this is not a race meeting and as such timing any laps can risk invalidating any insurance that is covering you. If you get caught that will be the end of your day in a worst case scenario, which is common as companies dont like to take risks like that.
5. Most circuits have noise limits imposed on them by the council, it does vary from place to place but a general rule of thumb is 98db. This is done by holding a meter 50cm away from the exhaust at a 45 degree angle, the reading is taken from the engine revving 3/4 of its maximum rev limit. The highest recorded reading is the one used. Say you hit 102db, with a maximum allowed limit of 98db you would not be allowed on track. this is not the fault of the organisers but down to the actual circuit staff.
6. Flags are used to comminucate between the marshals and yourself on track, they are very important. This is explained below.
7. After a few hot laps you may decide to come back in, dont just come straight back in and park up. Do a steady final lap off of the race line, without using the brakes if possible and cruise back into the pit area. Once parked up do not apply the handbrake