• Dan's 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 car
    Can 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

    Are there any tips for circuit driving to help me get started
    Ok so we have a car worthy of using, and we get the idea of whats coming.All circuits/tracks are different and require different strategy's due to surface conditions and how the bends follow on from each other. The following pictures and descriptions will give you a head start in understanding the basics and something to build on once out there and gaining experience.

    Decelerating when entering into a curve and picking up the speed after the apex of the curve is the technique. In the case of entering bends without reducing speed, the car is forced to slow down before finishing corners to lose speed and stability. In the worst cases, the car might spin or run off the course. It also gets the car moving too late to pick up speed. As a result, ?Slow-in and Fast-out? is the fastest way to take corners.

    out in out is, as illustrated, a way of turning curves from the outside line of a course into the inside line to which the car will come closest to the apexes (clipping points) and finishing the corner back to the outside line, thus making the longest possible turning radius. By utilizing the full width of the course, the car will make an easier turn than the actual curve. This will allow the car to run through the turns faster. *Set the clipping point after the Apex*. In some cases, it may be advantageous to set the clipping point a little after the apex because it allows easier later half cornering and enables the car to accelerate out better.

    Although the ?Slow-in, ?Fast-out and the ?Out-in-Out? rules are basic for cornering, if the curve is gentle enough, there is little or no need to reduce speed. Naturally, it is advantageous to use the inside line throughout the curve, when possible.

    Consider complex curves as one integrated compound curve. In the case of complex curves with different radii, you can manage to get through by considering them as one curve

    The last curve is the most important in continuous curves. In successive bends of a road, steer your car so that it will make the easiest turn at the last curve. Then you will be able to accelerate as soon as you reach the straight.
    Both ?Slow-in and Fast-out? and ?Out-in-Out? techniques are established from attaching more importance to velocity in the latter half of cornering than the first half. This has to do with the acceleration of a car. A car increasing speed in the latter half of a turn can take the lead in the successive straight track, provided the cars should have the same pickup and maximum speed capability. This principle is true anywhere except in a very wide road where you are not required to reduce the speed at all.
    When performance gets better the driving line should be altered. When your car?s top speed becomes faster, by using a higher performance motor, etc., more deceleration will be required when entering corners. Not only the speed, but the handling characteristics, tire grip etc. will influence the driving line a car should take.
    What do the flags mean and what do the colours stand for
    The flags are one of the most important parts of a good safe trackday. The marshals use them so they can communicate with you on the circuit to either warn you of an upcoming danger, or that there may be something wrong with your car and the need to pull into the pits etc. The following pictures will explain what colours are used and what they stand for

    Standing yellow is to warn of a possible crash or mechanical failure coming up within a few bends, you should ease off the throttle and be prepared. No overtaking to be done until after the incident,

    waving yellow is to warn you of an immediate danger looming due to a failure or crash, you should back off maybe 30% of throttle and prepare for evasive action. No passing should be done

    Fast waving yellow (frantic) should be taken as a problem is DIRECTLY ahead, you should back way off the throttle and again be prepared for evasive action, warn others on the track behind you by putting hazards on, full attention to the track ahead must be upmost along with your speed reduction

    The yellow and red flag can be used to warn you of objects littered on the circuit or a fluid/oil spill which can make conditions hazardous. Lose some speed and be prepared to manouvre quickly incase there is a bumper, wheel, oil or whatever else can be associated with a car, sat in the way. Could even be an animal

    Red flag waving means reduce your speed completely, before you slow down warn drivers behind you by putting your hazards on, and cautiously make your way back to the pits at the end of that lap as the circuit is being shut down. The easier you respond to this the quicker the marshals can remove what ever the cause is and get you back out as soon as possible.

    The black flag is used to tell you that yourself or your car are in trouble. The person using it will stand towards you and point at you as you pass them. Acknowledge you have spotted this, ease off and make your way to the pits where you will get spoken to It could be just a problem with the car, or it could be you were driving like a numpty and are due a good telling off/removal from the rest of the day. PLEASE remember to warn others that you are slowing down and get OFF the racing line

    A blue flag could be used to warn you to move over and let a faster vehicle past, you may be unaware that your holding someone/a few up so politley pull over and wave them past when in a safe passing place. Dont worry about letting them past, if they caught you they will soon pull away leaving you with a clear track once again

    The chequered flag is used to signify the end of a session, use the lap following as the cool down lap and remove yourselves from the circuit.
    What are sessioned and open pitlane trackdays
    Sessioned days are where people are seperated into 3 (sometimes 4) group depending on experience. If it is one of your first events or you are nervous about the track then novice is ideal. Intermediate is the next group for people who have done a few trackdays, gained some experience and are alot more confident around faster drivers. You may be still slow, but to fast for novice. The final group is for what some call pro, this is for people who have alot of track experience and can use their cars to a full potential without being to slow to cause problems. Race drivers occasionally use this session to learn circuits or shake down vehicles and try out new changes, without any concern of having any pressure or a clock timing them.

    Open pitlane days are just that, the pit lane is open all day long. The amount of cars on the track at any time will determine how soon you can enter the track but generally you can freely come and go as you please. This gives you the chance to make fine alterations and set the car up perfectly to how you want it if adjustable components are fitted, by testing it out for a few laps then coming back in etc etc
    Should i modify my car to improve it for trackdays
    After doing many trackdays and beginning to have an understanding of how the car responds and works on the circuit, you may feel that as you improve and become one with your car things may start holding you back. Better brakes, softer tyres and an uprated suspension kit would be the next natural progression as these alone would give you a whole new learning curve, with the ability to corner faster, meaning improvements in speed entering and exiting corners which would improve your general speed all over.

    REMEMBER tuning modifications to your car are not essential. After all, there are no races to be won. It's just about having fun and improving your own ability.
    Everything in this guide is of a personal opinion and is aimed at helping you get started on your journey into trackdays. Although brief it has covered alot of the important aspects to make the days safer and more enjoyable for yourself and others around you.


    This article was originally published in forum thread: *INFO* Dans Trackday Guide started by Lee View original post