Trackday Insurance

[jonb-]

That's my only reservation about Anglesey actually, with 42 cars there they'll need at least 20 on track to please everyone and over a mile 20 cars will be busy.

Not sure how fun it'd be in an NA as you'd spend all your time letting people blast past you on the straights only to be held up by the less experienced tubby drivers.

[Blokey]

My 2p : Just drive within your limits at a trackday, and don't worry. I've tracked my modified Roadster (worth well over 10k!) and just drove it sensibly.

'...sensibly.' =D>

...I would post the photos but can't find them

B.

[Blokey]

On a tight circuit like Anglesey I found a Mk1 (NA) to be a bag of fun. Granted the corners are the fun bit but even when it's busy you won't be bothered by others while you're going through the corners, it's part of the rules.

I've occasionally found myself getting held up by other cars through the corners and occasionally no matter how good the marshalling is - they'll just boot it on the straights leaving me to be held up on the next corner as they brake earlier and harder than I.

If that happens then I run a slow lap and let some space open up in front before giving it some beans again. I find quite often cars tend to gather in clumps and there's almost always enough space between the clumps to build a gap long enough to nail it through a corner/set of corners without worrying about catching them up before the next straight.

B.

[Lauren]

That's my only reservation about Anglesey actually, with 42 cars there they'll need at least 20 on track to please everyone and over a mile 20 cars will be busy.

Not sure how fun it'd be in an NA as you'd spend all your time letting people blast past you on the straights only to be held up by the less experienced tubby drivers.

Trackdays are more to do with the skill of the driver than how fast the car is. If you are slow then you will be letting people past a lot, if you are quick you won't so often. On a circuit like angersea it doesn't have long straights, so tubbys will not have much of an advantage.

To give an example i've lapped 400bhp scoobys in my old SC. Car limit will be 15.

[Lauren]

But what happens if you do hit my car on a track day, who would pay to fix it? Would I have to sue you?

Very, very unlikely. In the 150+ plus trackdays i've worked on i have seen car to car contact twice an in both cases its been minor panel damage. We operate an overtaking with consent rule and we do not allow people to race each other.

But, in your scenario, no there is no way i'd pay towards your car repairs. So yes you would have to sue me.

[Digital]

But, in your scenario, no there is no way i'd pay towards your car repairs. So yes you would have to sue me.

Wouldn't the disclaimer you sign prior to going on track explicitly outlaw that from happening though? I would have thought that part of the terms and conditions were that you accept all liability for what happens to your car on track, regardless of fault? Sort of like the "motorsport is dangerous" warning you get on tickets when you go to watch an event.

[Lauren]

But, in your scenario, no there is no way i'd pay towards your car repairs. So yes you would have to sue me.

Wouldn't the disclaimer you sign prior to going on track explicitly outlaw that from happening though? I would have thought that part of the terms and conditions were that you accept all liability for what happens to your car on track, regardless of fault? Sort of like the "motorsport is dangerous" warning you get on tickets when you go to watch an event.

Well exactly, i guess there is that. I think its safe to say though that the bottom line is that car to car contact is so unlikely that really it isn't worth worrying about.

The only kind of contact i've seen more of is car to armco and thats obviously down to the driver.

[BenF]

My 2p : Just drive within your limits at a trackday, and don't worry. I've tracked my modified Roadster (worth well over 10k!) and just drove it sensibly.

'...sensibly.' =D>

...I would post the photos but can't find them

B.

Those pics with you in the passenger seat and me finding the end locks of the steering rack ... ?

[BenF]

That's my only reservation about Anglesey actually, with 42 cars there they'll need at least 20 on track to please everyone and over a mile 20 cars will be busy.

Not sure how fun it'd be in an NA as you'd spend all your time letting people blast past you on the straights only to be held up by the less experienced tubby drivers.

Jon,

Really the most you can ask of a standard-ish road car is 20 minutes on track, and 40 minutes to rest/cool off. The Last Elvington Trackday was open pitlane and worked well - I didn't see any long queues for the track at all.

Bookatrack will police how many cars are allowed out on track at any one time - ISTR its about 13-15 cars at Anglesey.

Have a look at the footage from the Last Anglesey trackday if you're wondering how 'busy' it will be - basically, it isn't

Given a total of 42 cars, with an 'average' lap being done in around 60 seconds, that's a car every 4-5 seconds or so - that's a huge gap. Its roughly the time it takes you to drive the complete start/finish straight at full chat.

If you're still worried, just come along and spectate on the day - I'm sure you'll be able to bag a few passenger rides. If there are spaces in the afternoon, and you feel comfortable with what you've seen, you could take yours out ..

[jonb-]

Ben, thanks for your comments. I've since re-thought out my concerns and realised they were unfounded. Laraun has also mentioned its only 15 on track.

Doesn't change the fact Wales isn't really down the road and i've still plenty of good tracks to do aroudn here this summer. Hopefully next year will be somewhere more central, though i'd like to do Anglesey one day.

[BenF]

Ben, thanks for your comments. I've since re-thought out my concerns and realised they were unfounded. Laraun has also mentioned its only 15 on track.

Doesn't change the fact Wales isn't really down the road and i've still plenty of good tracks to do aroudn here this summer. Hopefully next year will be somewhere more central, though i'd like to do Anglesey one day.

Anglesey is about a 6-8 hour drive for me from Ipswich - but it is very worth it, the circuit is excellent

If you fancy doing something elsewhere, or just coming along to spectate at a day there's usually a few folks here plotting informal meets at Trackdays. I'm fairly sure there's a plot to go to a BaT Elvington day on the 5th Feb by a few people - I may be there as a passenger ..

[jonb-]

I'm going to do a bedford day, and possibly a day at bruntingthorpe this spring. I quite fancy doing Brands again too as that's a fantastic track! Just need to be careful of pebbledashing your paint

[BenF]

Just need to be careful of pebbledashing your paint

That's more of a problem at airfields with concrete surfaces. Basically make sure you're not following the car in front too closely and you're OK.

It is worse with cars with dark colours though - my Roadster has white primer under the Blue paint - so chips show up quite clearly.

[jonb-]

I was refering to sticking it into a gravel trap

[MartG]

I was refering to sticking it into a gravel trap

Now who would do that

"Clip 4 : Runing out of talent at Regate"

[jonb-]

"Clip 4 : Runing out of talent at Regate"

LOL

[BenF]

LoL! My excuse is that I was catching the Mk2 in front too rapidly and had to take avoiding action .. ...

It didn't actually seem to pick up many stonechips from that 'off' - but it was difficult to tell with all the other 'character' that the car has.

[BenF]

On a tight circuit like Anglesey I found a Mk1 (NA) to be a bag of fun.

You sure it was a Mk1? I've seen some pics of you driving around there on 2 wheels

[Blokey]

....don't know what you mean Guv.

I think that was largely down to the stiffer suspension and turning in to that corner fairly harshly plus there was some curb I caught on the inside.

I can't really compare my old NA to the SC I have now because the suspension on the SC is different to the NA (SC is on after market suspenders) and it has a little more torque and a LSD.

I still think the Mk1 NA would be just as much fun as the SC if it had similar suspension.

I'm sure you'll agree that taking in to account the purchase, running and repair costs of a Mk1 they're virtually impossible to beat on the fun to cost ratio. Especially when you can dump them on someones drive and get them to help fix it and provide coffee and biscuits and curry and....

B.

[MartG]

I'm sure you'll agree that taking in to account the purchase, running and repair costs of a Mk1 they're virtually impossible to beat on the fun to cost ratio.

Can't argue with that - especially as I found out last year when speaking to another SC owner that I'd paid well under the going price for mine