I do my very first Track Day at Croft - EEEK!
Track Days have always been appealing to me. I imagine it’s an event that is heavenly to those who get all jolly over a well-executed corner and how fast they dare go before they have to use the slowdown pedal, but who’s pockets aren’t deep enough to fully go into racing. On a not so busy Wednesday evening, I found myself pottering around the house, all bored and lethargic. My calendar, free from my wife’s constant invites to something we “have” to do. My car, eagerly awaiting for me to take it out, like a dog waiting to go for a walk, wagging its tail, ears stood up waiting for that unmistakably sound of its jingling lead. I thought go for walk around the Yorkshire Dales for some exciting twisty new B ‘roads, but then I thought I’d check out the my local track at Croft to see what track days were planned. A few clicks later, and I had booked myself and my car on a track day with track day organiser Javelin. About 10 seconds later I began to panic. EEEEK! I had never done a track day before! It wasn’t what was in front that worried me. I believe I’m well supplied of driving talent to deal with that. I was more worried about what may or may not be lurking behind me, eager to get by. I had never really had to think about what’s behind me, whilst in ‘spirited driving mode’ but on Saturday, I would have to be very careful about my surroundings.
I was more than prepared....ahem
On the very early morning of the track day, the weather looked promising. The Sun was out, the sky were like the ones in Andy’s room on Toy Story. Other than being horrendously tired from a baby who didn’t want to sleep, I was up and raring to go. I hopped into my car, filled it up with some go+ juice, and made my way to Croft.
Others actually came prepared...
On my arrival I was greeted by other participants, who had either drove or towed their track day toy to croft. They all seemed very nice and very well organised. Even those, who, like me brought their daily car were more prepared than me. They had their track wheels fitted. They had oil to top up with. They had jacks and tool kits for any hiccups that might occur throughout the day. All I had was my helmet, a can of Redbull and a Mars Bar. So in the eyes of the regulars, I was unprepared. I had no track wheels, no tools and no jack. I didn’t even have a tow eye (I really need to get one of those) I literally looked like I turned up to spectate.
After signing in, all drivers and passengers were called into a safety briefing (standard now) where we were told the do’s, don’ts, flags, only overtake on straights and on the left…or was it right? Bah, anyway, after that all drivers were assigned to groups which depended on what experience they put themselves down as. Experienced, Intermediate/Novice and Novice. Being fresh to this, I put myself down as a Novice but because so many had put themselves down as a Novice and I was one of the last to sign up, I had been put down as an Intermediate/Novice.
Ready for walkies....?
Needless to say, I was even more nervous to learn this. The group I was put into was called, and my fate was now in the hands of my talent and my wonderful M3. We would be escorted by a safety car for three laps, so we could familiarise ourselves with the track and then we were on our own. Never have I been so focused and wary of my surroundings, but it wasn’t long before I was settled and bonded with the car and got a good feel of the track, its corners and of course my car. The feeling I got was sensational! All that worrying about my surroundings was for nothing. I had plenty of space on the track and even in the wet I was more than confident, though I had some tuition before the pour down, which I may have told a different story, given my previous driving style.
How did the car get on? Well, as you’d expect from an E46 M3 with around 340bhp, brilliantly! It is truly a joy to drive day to day but to race around a track - it’s just epic. At the risk of sounding like I know what I’m talking about (and a bit of a big headed show off) the combination of great power and superb handling of the M3 made it even greater. Lap after lap, I felt myself going faster, braking later for the corner, getting back on the power as soon as I could. Despite running normal road tyres (Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2), they never let off and kept me firmly on the track both wet and dry. Even when I got excited and went beyond either what the car was capable of or me (probably me) it was all very manageable. What’s more, I was only over taken once, whilst under tuition of Javelin instructor Neil, who said whilst I had good pace, but my lines were messy and I was far too aggressive with the steering, upsetting the balance. He reckoned I would have certainly spun if I had drove the way I did before in the wet. Someone said they timed me doing 2:04 in the wet. Not sure if that’s good or not, but I could care less. I had such a good time.
May not of looked like this...Thanks Neil
Ah, it would of happened soon anyway
As for any problems, I had completely boiled the brake fluid to a point where the stopper pedal was no longer doing its job. I snapped a rear coil spring (prone to snapping I’m told) and it looks like my diff seals are in need of replacing after spotting weeping oil coming from the input shaft and one of the drive shafts. L
Oh, and I’d significantly reduced the life of my tyres.
The cost for the track day was £159 for me and my car to attend. I paid an additional £20 for some tuition, well worth it if your new to track days and if you’re lines were as terrible as mine. I bought myself a helmet for the occasion, which was £80, but you can hire one for £10. So, £259 just for the track day, the amount of tread lost from my tyres and wear to my brakes was more than impressive, and I pretty much would of used a full tank had I done every session. So there’s £80. I can’t count the measure the amount of tread used to calculate a cost, but a full set of Good Year Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyres on my car are around £650, if you shop around! Some uprated ATE brake fluid for £20.
Could a hot hatch be just a fun as this?
Was it worth it? Absolutely. I got to know my car better than ever and I can’t wait to do another. There is, however, a but - I just can’t decide if I can justify the cost of the tyres and brakes for my car when you could probably get a small hot hatch for same amount and have just as much fun. OK, I’ll admit, if I could afford the tyres and brakes, I’d do it, but unfortunately I didn’t try hard enough at school and my wallet simply couldn’t support tracking my M3. This, I fear, was a one off for my M3… At least with a designated track day you are not potentially destroying your daily motor, and you can modify it to better suit the track, such as stripping out the interior, installing a roll cage, etc. And if you decide you prefer the grass more than the tarmac you are not going to be completely devastated about damaging your car. I like the thought of having a very light hot hatch that I could drive to the track, run and drive back. You could even get a mate involved if you have one. Something cheap to buy and cheap to maintain or very reliable. What would you buy?
Great Day, but much preparation needed.
Would I recommend it? Yes! It is one hell of a day, regardless of your skills and the car you are running. You are in a controlled environment where it’s safe to literally go wild. There are medical facilities, should the worse happen. If you fudge up and need to bail out of a corner or miss your braking point you have run off points and space to spin. You just can’t do that on a country road where there are other road users. I would however recommend being a bit more prepared than me and get some track wheels and be prepared to replace bits after. For nervous first timers, go for the tuition if available and avoid open pit lanes as there are less cars on the track and being in organised groups less frantic.
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I wanna go!
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