Track day

Peddle Up!

Odd post for a cycling forum I know, but you're such a knowledgeable lot.

I'm looking to organise a track day (cars) for half a dozen friends in the autumn. Any suggestions on the cheapest way to do this? Looking at some of the hire charges for only a half-hour's drive, it would be cheaper to buy some cars! :shock:

arran77

This has got VTech's name all over it, he's into his cars so I'm sure he could offer some advice

veronese68

Me and a couple of friends bought a Lancia Delta GTie and used it for track days a good few years back. The car cost about £100, we gave it a service, fitted decent shocks and some good brake pads. It certainly wasn't the most powerful car around, but it was one of the quickest. It handled better than most other cars and because we didn't care if we broke it we drove it on the limit the whole time. One track day at Castle Combe there were half a dozen TVRs there and we were passing them like they were going backwards. It was a little bit damp so they were struggling to get any power down and we were taking corners barely touching the brakes. That was a right laugh.
So buy a cheap car that handles, rag it mercilessly, then sell it as having one careful lady owner. Maybe not how Vtec would do it, but loads of fun.

Stevo_666

Peddle Up! wrote:

Odd post for a cycling forum I know, but you're such a knowledgeable lot.

I'm looking to organise a track day (cars) for half a dozen friends in the autumn. Any suggestions on the cheapest way to do this? Looking at some of the hire charges for only a half-hour's drive, it would be cheaper to buy some cars! :shock:

I used to do track days before I discovered bikes. They were ace but horrifically expensive on a cost per day basis when you chucked in all the running costs, esp. if it was a dedicated track car.

Car hire for track days is daylight robbery. But one of the great things about track days is you can bring your own car and drive it like you stole it, as long as you don't mind taking the risk I once saw a young lad turn up in a Pug 406 diesel estate and his only track prep was taking off the plastic wheel trims You can get track day damage cover for about £70 from memory.

Otherwise, club together, buy some old hot hatches for peanuts (205 GTI, that sort of thing) and take it in turns. One between 3 should be OK. If you can trailer them you don't even need them to be road legal so you can whack on some cheap slicks and have a real ball.

Also there are airfield days that are often cheaper and have more run off when you c0ck it up. I once lost an argument with the armco, not recommended.

Where are you looking at going track-wise?

(PS: agree with V68, you will beat TVRs on track because they are fast in a straight line but crap at handling. I enjoyed harrassing them in a 205 GTI :twisted: )

tlw1

hate to say this but agree with Stevo

buy a nail and enjoy the fact its a nail - ie, try to get the door handles to scrape on the floor.

Failing that, I've used Book-a-track before and highly recommend them

VTech

What exactly are you planning on doing ?
Do you want to hire a car and drive it on a track ?
What is the outcome your after ? Is it fun or fun and learning ?

The reason I ask is that the answer can be so different.

You can't beat the answer given by Veronese68 if you are looking to do a RWYB (run what you brung) event.

If you want fun thats the way forward and take it to any of the circuits and blast it round for half a day, you can hire a pit for a few ££ and thats also worthwhile, take some flasks and your well away.

If you want to learn at the same time, go to a decent experience day.

Let me know and ill advise.

Peddle Up!

VTech wrote:

What exactly are you planning on doing ?
Do you want to hire a car and drive it on a track ?
What is the outcome your after ? Is it fun or fun and learning ?

Mainly fun. I'd be happy to but a "beater" and throw it around, but a couple of the guys are not track experienced plus there are always question marks on the mechanical/structural integrity od cheap buys. So hiring is probably the way to go.

Thanks for the feedback.

VTech

If you want track day fun then we get our allocation of the new Lamborghini Huracan next tuesday and will be having them track ready within the next 6 weeks and could take a few of you out for the day.
We use Silverstone as its car safe. Most tracks have a high element of flint which destroys the cars paintwork.

We should have been ready with these cars way sooner in the year but delivery was delayed due to issues.
We just delivered the new Porsche 918 last week in London which is going to be tracked but only by the owner



This baby runs 950hp !

mr_goo

VTech wrote:

If you want track day fun then we get our allocation of the new Lamborghini Huracan next tuesday and will be having them track ready within the next 6 weeks and could take a few of you out for the day.
We use Silverstone as its car safe. Most tracks have a high element of flint which destroys the cars paintwork.

We should have been ready with these cars way sooner in the year but delivery was delayed due to issues.
We just delivered the new Porsche 918 last week in London which is going to be tracked but only by the owner



This baby runs 950hp !

By the looks of the plate, Vtech. That'll be another of your clients from Qatar or Dubai that will be tearing around Knightsbridge this summer, then returning home in the Autumn to the fold of his wealthy family. Like the good son that he is.

VTech

Mr Goo wrote:

VTech wrote:

If you want track day fun then we get our allocation of the new Lamborghini Huracan next tuesday and will be having them track ready within the next 6 weeks and could take a few of you out for the day.
We use Silverstone as its car safe. Most tracks have a high element of flint which destroys the cars paintwork.

We should have been ready with these cars way sooner in the year but delivery was delayed due to issues.
We just delivered the new Porsche 918 last week in London which is going to be tracked but only by the owner



This baby runs 950hp !

By the looks of the plate, Vtech. That'll be another of your clients from Qatar or Dubai that will be tearing around Knightsbridge this summer, then returning home in the Autumn to the fold of his wealthy family. Like the good son that he is.

Yes, 100%.
This is a Qatar owned car. His and hers 918's
I was in Knightsbridge at the weekend and although it's not my scene, it is where the work is.

Colinthecop

Although going by the plate, not one of the richest Qataris... (relatively speaking)

Following on from what Stevo said, didn't Top Gear do that too and reckon it was top fun for very little financial outlay....

Stevo_666

Colinthecop wrote:

Following on from what Stevo said, didn't Top Gear do that too and reckon it was top fun for very little financial outlay....

This? Not mega-cheap but seriously good fun, brings back a few memories 8)

I was thinking more like the first couple on here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/peugeot/205

andy9964

Mazda MX5 / Eunos Roadster (import version)

115-145 bhp (1990-2004)
Near perfect 50/50 weight distribution
Suspension can be tuned for more aggressive handling (toe, caster, camber)
Rear wheel drive

You might not want to get rid, once the teack day fun is over

Stevo_666

Andy9964 wrote:

Mazda MX5 / Eunos Roadster (import version)

115-145 bhp (1990-2004)
Near perfect 50/50 weight distribution
Suspension can be tuned for more aggressive handling (toe, caster, camber)
Rear wheel drive

You might not want to get rid, once the teack day fun is over

Good call - forget the hairdresser image, they are good drivers cars.

veronese68

Stevo 666 wrote:

Andy9964 wrote:

Mazda MX5 / Eunos Roadster (import version)

115-145 bhp (1990-2004)
Near perfect 50/50 weight distribution
Suspension can be tuned for more aggressive handling (toe, caster, camber)
Rear wheel drive

You might not want to get rid, once the teack day fun is over

Good call - forget the hairdresser image, they are good drivers cars.

Very much so, I once lapped a Ferrari 355 in a breathed upon one.

pinno

@ V68 - how did you get a Lancia for 100 smackers?!

@Stevo. always fancied a 205 GTi, speshly a 1.9 but apparently, the 1.6 handles much better. Why are they so undervalued? Went to look at one last summer but it was rotten with bits of the engine missing and the tw@t trying to sell it wanted £500 for it !! The wheels were off a 1.9 but it was definitely a 1.6. funny, it's still sitting there rotting away under a tree and turning greener by the minute.

Why do people who own half decent classics let them rot away rather then sell then whilst they can be restored for a sum of money? Seen it too often.

lucan2

Vtech, you have a PM

veronese68

pinarello001 wrote:

@ V68 - how did you get a Lancia for 100 smackers?!

It was easy, it was probably the mid 90s though. The car was a bit rusty, but the holes made it lighter. Some barstewards torched it in the end, but it had a good life until then.

Stevo_666

pinarello001 wrote:

@Stevo. always fancied a 205 GTi, speshly a 1.9 but apparently, the 1.6 handles much better. Why are they so undervalued? Went to look at one last summer but it was rotten with bits of the engine missing and the tw@t trying to sell it wanted £500 for it !! The wheels were off a 1.9 but it was definitely a 1.6. funny, it's still sitting there rotting away under a tree and turning greener by the minute.

I had a 1.6 and a 1.9 GTI (at the same time for a while) and there was not a lot of difference in the handling, both great fun. The 1.9 was a bit firmer as it had a better anti-roll bar and lower profile tyres IIRC but was maybe a bit more tail happy off the throttle. Go for the 1.9, better engine.

Do you mean undervalued or overvalued? Trouble is that the last ones made are 20 years old now and there are some real old crap heaps out there, so the well looked after ones are rare and command a premium. They probably cost more than now when I bought my 4 y.o. 1.9, though at the time it was slightly easier getting insurance on a hotel in Baghdad.

If you are interested I know a forum where there are some knowledgeable owners and reasonably cared for 205's.

Colinthecop

I had the 1.6, I loved that car until I drove a mates 1.9... After that I had 1.9 envy - and not because of the seats.

The difference when you put your foot down was amazing. :shock:

VTech

Years age we had a friend who had a 205, it ended up with this:



Mi16 conversion.

veronese68

Vtech, does your friend have tiny little hands?
I drove lots of Renault 5 Turbos in my yoof, but only a couple of 205s. I worked at Radbourne Racing and we did a lot of tuned cars. I must admit I preferred the handling and gear shift on the 5. Once you got used to a bit of lag they were an absolute scream. I once had a 1.9 pull up next to me at a set of lights when I was in a tuned Turbo 2. I let him pull away before me then I passed him like he was going backwards, my front wheels trying to get airborne and flames out of my exhaust on gear changes. I loved those cars, but a clutch would only do about 3,000 miles.

Stevo_666

VTech wrote:

Years age we had a friend who had a 205, it ended up with this:



Mi16 conversion.

Actually these were quite common as the 16v engines from scrapped/written off 306GTIs provided a ready supply of decently priced engines that could be transplanted into the 205. This guy took it a step further with the Mi32 (twin engined 205):
http://projects.205gtidrivers.com/205mi32
I went down the Japanese turbo nutter rally replica route instead - these can be bought cheap as chips now if you want something that can see off most of the field on a trackday.

Pross

VTech and Colin posting in the same thread without fighting :shock: There's hope for peace in the Middle East yet!!

VTech

Veronese68 wrote:

Vtech, does your friend have tiny little hands?
I drove lots of Renault 5 Turbos in my yoof, but only a couple of 205s. I worked at Radbourne Racing and we did a lot of tuned cars. I must admit I preferred the handling and gear shift on the 5. Once you got used to a bit of lag they were an absolute scream. I once had a 1.9 pull up next to me at a set of lights when I was in a tuned Turbo 2. I let him pull away before me then I passed him like he was going backwards, my front wheels trying to get airborne and flames out of my exhaust on gear changes. I loved those cars, but a clutch would only do about 3,000 miles.

I loved the 5.
The gordini and turbo raiders are going for good money these days. I didn't own one myself although had access to one and loved it. I was a cosworth guy but those were terrible cars, as reliable as a chocolate fireguard. Funny thing is, I now programme for cosworth oem

pinno

Stevo 666 wrote:

pinarello001 wrote:

@Stevo. always...by the minute.

I had a 1.6...better engine.

Do you mean undervalued or overvalued? Trouble is that the last ones made are 20 years old now and there are some real old crap heaps out there, so the well looked after ones are rare and command a premium. They probably cost more than now when I bought my 4 y.o. 1.9, though at the time it was slightly easier getting insurance on a hotel in Baghdad.

If you are interested I know a forum where there are some knowledgeable owners and reasonably cared for 205's.

You can't judge a book by it's cover.

Unfortunately, I have to restore the fourth bridge before any dreams of 205's and besides which, a bloke I know has a Mirafiori for sale and needs £8k of work. Only 68,000 on the clock. I'll say no more on that one. If it fell through, I do fancy a 205. I grew out of mini's years ago.

Renault 5's... I remember a friend of mine asked me to do an exchange starter motor on his Metallic Blue Turbo. Lovely car with black leather interior. He said he had been quoted silly money and I said £45. Ha! Took off carb, removed exhaust manifold, remove engine mount...discover live cable is hanging down. Re-connect cable using bolt off exchange unit, fit cable. Try ignition - vrooom. Bolt everything back together very quickly, drop carb mount bolt down inlet manifold whilst re-assembling, turn car upside down and shake...
All the boy racers in Dieppe (when I went for an exchange engineering trip) drove them. I guess they developed the 'gen' and a knack.
Don't get me started on Renault 11 clutch cables...

option_click

Stevo 666 wrote:

VTech wrote:

Years age we had a friend who had a 205, it ended up with this:



Mi16 conversion.

Actually these were quite common as the 16v engines from scrapped/written off 306GTIs provided a ready supply of decently priced engines that could be transplanted into the 205. This guy took it a step further with the Mi32 (twin engined 205):
http://projects.205gtidrivers.com/205mi32
I went down the Japanese turbo nutter rally replica route instead - these can be bought cheap as chips now if you want something that can see off most of the field on a trackday.

As did I. I had a standard 1.9, then an Mi16.
After that I got a Pulsar GTiR - loads of fun, but spent loads on consumables after tracking it.

VTech

I once found a pipe bomb in a pulsar !