How do I plan for a track day?
Its a question often asked by someone who is venturing out into the wonderful adrenaline filled world of track days. For anyone new it can be a very daunting situation. Will my car be ok? What if damage something? Will I be fast enough? Do I need insurance? There is a never ending list of questions but fear not! We are here to help!!
On this page we'll go through the very basics you need to go out an enjoy a track day and we'll also give you step by step guidance on how to develop not only your car but you as a driver.
The common feeling around cars is the more mods you can do to your car the better, this couldnt be further from the truth... Take power for an example, you can't handle the average power hatch back with around 120bhp, then what good is 300bhp going to do? Nothing.
On this page we'll go through the very basics you need to go out an enjoy a track day and we'll also give you step by step guidance on how to develop not only your car but you as a driver.
The common feeling around cars is the more mods you can do to your car the better, this couldnt be further from the truth... Take power for an example, you can't handle the average power hatch back with around 120bhp, then what good is 300bhp going to do? Nothing.
The basics
So what are the bare essentials you need to go out an enjoy a track day? Well obviously for a starting point you'll need a car. Any car is good on a track day, its all about enjoying the experience and getting the most from what you have but there is more to it that, you'll need to make sure your well prepared. Most track days are full of friendly people are will to help out but always make sure your ready.
the only item you actually need to take is a helmet, either your own or most track day organisers will offer the option of hiring one on the day.
A small selection of tools is always hand to have, you dont need an entire snap on top box full of kit, a simple socket set, spanners, breaker bar and some sort of brake cleaner.
A jack and axle stands are handy if you can get them in the boot as well. A roll of gaffer/electrical tape comes in handy as well.
On top of that some extra oil and brake fluid is essential, your car will more than likely burn a bit of oil on a track day.
Fuel cans, its much cheaper to take fuel than it is to be ripped off filling up at a race track, its often £1.50 a litre minimum at most circuits.
Another essential that you'll need to take is your driving license so take it with you, no license, no track action.
the only item you actually need to take is a helmet, either your own or most track day organisers will offer the option of hiring one on the day.
A small selection of tools is always hand to have, you dont need an entire snap on top box full of kit, a simple socket set, spanners, breaker bar and some sort of brake cleaner.
A jack and axle stands are handy if you can get them in the boot as well. A roll of gaffer/electrical tape comes in handy as well.
On top of that some extra oil and brake fluid is essential, your car will more than likely burn a bit of oil on a track day.
Fuel cans, its much cheaper to take fuel than it is to be ripped off filling up at a race track, its often £1.50 a litre minimum at most circuits.
Another essential that you'll need to take is your driving license so take it with you, no license, no track action.
How to prep your car?
So you've got the basics, you've booked your track day and its fast approaching, how do you go about making sure your car is up for the job of a days track driving?
This is pretty simple really, make sure your brake pads have plenty of meat on them, you'd be surprised just how quick you can get through a standard set of brake pads on track! Check the tyres for tread and pressure. Check the fluids, make sure the oil, water and brake fluids are topped up nicely.
You also need to have your tow eyes in on a track day so make sure you have it fitted before you go. Make sure there are no loose items in the car, empty the glove box of all those CD's in there and find that can of red bull that rolled under the seat about a week ago, the last thing you want is something that rolls under your brake pedal or flies at you if you have an off. Other than that your going to need a full tank of fuel and your ready to go.
This is pretty simple really, make sure your brake pads have plenty of meat on them, you'd be surprised just how quick you can get through a standard set of brake pads on track! Check the tyres for tread and pressure. Check the fluids, make sure the oil, water and brake fluids are topped up nicely.
You also need to have your tow eyes in on a track day so make sure you have it fitted before you go. Make sure there are no loose items in the car, empty the glove box of all those CD's in there and find that can of red bull that rolled under the seat about a week ago, the last thing you want is something that rolls under your brake pedal or flies at you if you have an off. Other than that your going to need a full tank of fuel and your ready to go.
How to prep yourself?
The car is ready to go, are you? Think carefully about what your doing at a track day. Driving quickly requires a huge amount of concentration, do you really want to be going out on the beers the night before and waking up hung over? No, didnt think so! You want to wake up fresh and ready to go, a track day is a very mentally draining thing to do, you'll get home in the evening and feel worn out.
So off to bed, alarm set nice and early, in the shower, freshen up and a good breakfast... Stay away from the greasy spoon cafe!
If you want to maximise yourself on a track day then the best way to do that is book some tuition, it'll cost you around £20 for 20 minutes but nothing is more guaranteed to make you go faster around a circuit. For some the speed comes naturally, for others we need to work at it, we're not all blessed with the talents of Lewis Hamilton, most of us are more like James May.
So off to bed, alarm set nice and early, in the shower, freshen up and a good breakfast... Stay away from the greasy spoon cafe!
If you want to maximise yourself on a track day then the best way to do that is book some tuition, it'll cost you around £20 for 20 minutes but nothing is more guaranteed to make you go faster around a circuit. For some the speed comes naturally, for others we need to work at it, we're not all blessed with the talents of Lewis Hamilton, most of us are more like James May.
What to do when I arrive at the track?
Most track day organisers will email you an itinerary for the day, this outlines what time the circuit opens, briefing times, noise testing etc. When you arrive your going to to want to find your garage, or claim one that isnt already occupied. If you cant get a garage space then a nice space in the paddock to get yourself setup and organised will do just fine. Dont arrive late, there is nothing worse than rushing around, it puts you in the wrong frame of mind for track day driving.
The first order of the day is usually noise testing, get in early for this, you dont want to be sat queuing up for it forever plus this then gives you plenty of time to get yourself sorted and do some final prep on the car. After that its signing on and the briefing. Pay attention to the flags and rules of the circuit as some circuit rules can differ slightly.
Next comes sighting laps, try and get as close to the front as possible for these, the nearer the instructors car the better chance of learning the proper racing line you'll have. The idea is that its supposed to filter down through the pack but it rarely does. Usually you'll have 2 or 3 laps so take these low speed laps as the perfect opportunity to make some brake and turn in reference points.
The first order of the day is usually noise testing, get in early for this, you dont want to be sat queuing up for it forever plus this then gives you plenty of time to get yourself sorted and do some final prep on the car. After that its signing on and the briefing. Pay attention to the flags and rules of the circuit as some circuit rules can differ slightly.
Next comes sighting laps, try and get as close to the front as possible for these, the nearer the instructors car the better chance of learning the proper racing line you'll have. The idea is that its supposed to filter down through the pack but it rarely does. Usually you'll have 2 or 3 laps so take these low speed laps as the perfect opportunity to make some brake and turn in reference points.
Time to get your foot down
From now on your on your own, just you and your car, man and machine in perfect harmony.... Well that is how its supposed to be, right? Sort of. If its your first time on track or your first time at a new track it can take a little bit of time to learn the circuit. The idea is not to go to hard to fast, you've got a whole day to get through and a whole day to build things up gradually. Make sure that after you've done your first 3 or 4 laps that you head back to the pits and give the car a quick check over, oil leaks, fluid levels, tyre pressures. All ok? then your good to go again.
Take the morning to build confidence in the car and your knowledge of how its performing on that day. Learn the corners, get your braking points right. Dont over do it.
By the lunch break you'll be ready to have a little breather and so will the car. The afternoon session is the where you can really start to build it up and begin to push on. There's nothing more satisfying than taking a corner flat out or stringing a chicane together on the perfect racing line.
Take the morning to build confidence in the car and your knowledge of how its performing on that day. Learn the corners, get your braking points right. Dont over do it.
By the lunch break you'll be ready to have a little breather and so will the car. The afternoon session is the where you can really start to build it up and begin to push on. There's nothing more satisfying than taking a corner flat out or stringing a chicane together on the perfect racing line.
On Track Etiquette
The rules of driving on track are simple, do to others as you would have them do to you. Basically what that means is respect other people on the track. Now obviously at some point you are going to have a faster car filling your mirrors, this is not a time for panic. Over taking is a given on a track day and its safe and easy to do it with pretty much all circuits adopting the same rule. Only on the left hand side, only with permission and only on the straights. That means no one should be diving down the inside on the brakes or coming round the outside of you. To be over taken safely is very easy, simply indicate right, move over and ease off the throttle then once the car has passed you take up the racing line again. If you have car on your tail coming into the braking zone do not suddenly jump out of the way, just take the corner in the way you would normally and then allow to the faster car to pass in the next safe area. The golden rule to remember is once you've hit the brakes the corner is yours to take with the line you wish to do so. Its down to person behind to keep a safe distance.
How to improve?
Now that we've covered the basics and your a full on track day warrior your probably going to want more of everything from the car. Now this might seem like an easy thing to do, make the car faster and i'l be faster, right? Wrong!! You car is only as fast as you are, more power will get you down the straights faster but what about the corners, if you run out of talent it'll just be a bigger crash. Power isn't everything. If you cant handle 130bhp then 300bhp wont do you any favours. Lets have a look at some of the basics for being a better driver and improving your car.
Track Day modifications, step 1.
Ideally you want to start with improving yourself and the only way to do that is to get some tuition, it is hands down the best way to get more speed from you. Tuition will give you a better understanding of how you car is set up and you'll also begin to understand how you can affect what the car is doing. 20 minutes tuition for £20 is much better value for money than any power increases you can make to a car.
Track Day modifications, step 2.
So, you've had some tuition, you getting everything you can out of the car and now you want a bit more. The best place to start when it comes to modifying a car for a track is to add bits gradually, if you bolt a tonne of new stuff to the car how will you know which bits are making the big difference and what was a waste of money?
The most common thing we hear from people with track cars is "my car isnt ready." Now, what this actually means is it doesnt look, sound or go like a BTCC racer. Truth is that the best car to start with is a standard one.
When it comes to modifications your probably going to start with handling and braking. The biggest game changer you can do to your car is fit some proper track day tyres, there's no end out there for all budgets, Nankang AR-1's, Toyo R888's, Federal 595's, Yokohama AD08's, Marangoni Zeta's.... The list goes on. A good set of coilovers will go a massive way to helping the car handle better, you can adjust the ride height and the stiffness of the suspension, team that with a poly bush kit and your car will be transformed. Add in a strut brace to help stiffen the chassis up and you'll really feel the benefits when cornering. Now that we've hopefully upped our apex speed we need to get the car stopping properly, you dont need to spend £££'s on a big brake conversion, there are other options, simply changing the brake fluid for some high temp stuff like Tarox Road Race fluid will vastly improve the braking feel in your car. It has a much higher boiling point over standard stuff so it can handle the punishment of track driving. Performance disc's and pads are worthwhile investment, Tarox offer a vast amount to choose from and it all comes down to personal preference and how much cash your willing to part with. Finish it off with some braided brake lines and you'll be braking later and later every time. Of course, if you are feeling flush a nice 6 pot kit would be brilliant investment.
The most common thing we hear from people with track cars is "my car isnt ready." Now, what this actually means is it doesnt look, sound or go like a BTCC racer. Truth is that the best car to start with is a standard one.
When it comes to modifications your probably going to start with handling and braking. The biggest game changer you can do to your car is fit some proper track day tyres, there's no end out there for all budgets, Nankang AR-1's, Toyo R888's, Federal 595's, Yokohama AD08's, Marangoni Zeta's.... The list goes on. A good set of coilovers will go a massive way to helping the car handle better, you can adjust the ride height and the stiffness of the suspension, team that with a poly bush kit and your car will be transformed. Add in a strut brace to help stiffen the chassis up and you'll really feel the benefits when cornering. Now that we've hopefully upped our apex speed we need to get the car stopping properly, you dont need to spend £££'s on a big brake conversion, there are other options, simply changing the brake fluid for some high temp stuff like Tarox Road Race fluid will vastly improve the braking feel in your car. It has a much higher boiling point over standard stuff so it can handle the punishment of track driving. Performance disc's and pads are worthwhile investment, Tarox offer a vast amount to choose from and it all comes down to personal preference and how much cash your willing to part with. Finish it off with some braided brake lines and you'll be braking later and later every time. Of course, if you are feeling flush a nice 6 pot kit would be brilliant investment.
Ok, so more power is better, step 3.
I know I said power isn't everything... and it isn't but its always nice to have a bit extra! This is where it gets a bit tricky, with most turbo cars its quite easy to get a few more BHP's, with N/A its a bit more difficult but try not to be put off!
The most basic engine modifications to free up some horses are a better air filter and exhaust, again, there's so many to choose from its all down to personal preference and the amount your bank account can handle.
After that cams and a remap will give even greater gains and much more torque. torque is key, you need the torque to drag you out the corners, torque gets you going, power keeps you going. Beyond that its gets expensive, turbo conversion, engine conversion. Your imagination is your limitation.
One of the great modifications to make is fitting a snug bucket seat and harness, this will hold you in your driving position much better which means you'll be able to concentrate on the job of driving better. In a standard seat its easy to spot people holding themselves up via the steering wheel. The only work your arms should be doing is steering input.
The most basic engine modifications to free up some horses are a better air filter and exhaust, again, there's so many to choose from its all down to personal preference and the amount your bank account can handle.
After that cams and a remap will give even greater gains and much more torque. torque is key, you need the torque to drag you out the corners, torque gets you going, power keeps you going. Beyond that its gets expensive, turbo conversion, engine conversion. Your imagination is your limitation.
One of the great modifications to make is fitting a snug bucket seat and harness, this will hold you in your driving position much better which means you'll be able to concentrate on the job of driving better. In a standard seat its easy to spot people holding themselves up via the steering wheel. The only work your arms should be doing is steering input.
Safety is key, step 4.
So now we've got you driving faster and the car is a fire breating monster its seriosuly time to consider your how safe you'll be on track and in the car. The first port of call should be looking at what your wearing when your driving. How good is your helmet, is it a motorbike helmet or a proper fire proof car designed helmet? Do you need to get yourself some nomex base layers, if your pumping more power through the car the bigger the accident could be so looking after yourself is the number 1 priority. A worthy investment is a HANS device, these are now mandatory in pretty much all motorsport series and so should be seriously considered for the track day enthusiast, it could save your life in a heavy frontal impact.
Take a look at the car, is it safe? The obvious improvement is a roll cage, which also has the added benefit of stiffening the chassis up nicely but there is more you can do. Consider fitting a plumbed in fire extinguisher not only could this save you but it could also save your car, kill switches are also an ideal modification, having one switch that shuts everything down is much easier to operate and the pull cable fitted outside the vehicle could allow the marshalls to help you out quicker.
Take a look at the car, is it safe? The obvious improvement is a roll cage, which also has the added benefit of stiffening the chassis up nicely but there is more you can do. Consider fitting a plumbed in fire extinguisher not only could this save you but it could also save your car, kill switches are also an ideal modification, having one switch that shuts everything down is much easier to operate and the pull cable fitted outside the vehicle could allow the marshalls to help you out quicker.
I need a new daily, step 5.
Ok, so now your addicted and you've converted that nice little run around you once had to go to and from work in.... Welcome to Track Addict.