Track Day Advice

[TridentTested]

The best thing is the surface and the fact there'll be no one coming the other way.

That's actually one of my clearest memories from one of my days: how scared and vulnerable I felt when I went on the public road heading home; two tonne vehicles coming AGAINST me. Yikes.

 

[hoyin]

Remove all lose items inside the car.

You don't want something flying up and hitting you!

But have good fun and be courteous to others.

 

[Bobby Dandruff]

Remove all lose items inside the car.

You don't want something flying up and hitting you!

But have good fun and be courteous to others.

So, I have been getting excited by the all the advice coming in - thanks to everyone btw.

I have looked into track day insurance and only so far managed to get two quotes: £200 from Moris and £300 from someone else!!!

Is that normal?!! That is more than the track day itself!

 

[Andyk]

That's why some don't bother ..... but you have to decide if it's worth it....If you have an off it will be.....but as I said I have only seen one accident at Llandow and we have had around 6 tracks days there.........I have never had the insurance but I bet if I had pranged the car I would have wished I had.

 

[mjheathcote]

So, I have been getting excited by the all the advice coming in - thanks to everyone btw.

I have looked into track day insurance and only so far managed to get two quotes: £200 from Moris and £300 from someone else!!!

Is that normal?!! That is more than the track day itself!

Unfortunately, yes.
I usually do at least one track day a year and I make sure I have track day cover as part of my road policy.
My insurance cover allows 5 track days a year, and of course the excess is higher at £1,500.

My first ever track day 12 years ago was a disaster.
I basically got too carried away, in the wet, in my Elise, and lost it.
Result was me going backwards into a tyre wall.
The Elise chassis was fine but the replacement fiberglass clams, door and sill amounted to £7.5K, of which I had to pay the excess of £1.5K.
I was very glad I had track day insurance cover!

 

[bigbob]

Prepare to be underwhelmed. The GranTurismo is a great road car but it is 500+ kg too heavy to feel right on the track. Much better to hire a Caterham for the day.

 

[Contigo]

True to a certain extent but you can still have some fun.

 

[Bobby Dandruff]

Prepare to be underwhelmed. The GranTurismo is a great road car but it is 500+ kg too heavy to feel right on the track. Much better to hire a Caterham for the day.

Well the 2 days spent driving Granturismos on a track with Maserati instruction in Italy were bloody brilliant so I think that we are going to have to disagree on that one!

 

[mjheathcote]

Prepare to be underwhelmed. The GranTurismo is a great road car but it is 500+ kg too heavy to feel right on the track. Much better to hire a Caterham for the day.

When I did a driver training day in the 4200, the instructor did a few fast laps as me being a passenger, wow, I can't drive!
The instructor ran a GranTourismo as his daily, and for a comparison he warmed it up and did the same again.
In comparison, the GT did feel, as a passenger, not as nimble as my 4200. You could really tell the difference between the two.
It didn't help it being the auto and mine the Cambiocorsa either to be honest.
Saying all that, that was in the hands of a professional racing driver, totally different with a mere mortal at the wheel!

 

[bigbob]

Well the 2 days spent driving Granturismos on a track with Maserati instruction in Italy were bloody brilliant so I think that we are going to have to disagree on that one!

Sounds like it but try a lightweight car on a track - Cayman or lighter - and tell me what you think.

 

[Ian3200]

So, I have been getting excited by the all the advice coming in - thanks to everyone btw.

I have looked into track day insurance and only so far managed to get two quotes: £200 from Moris and £300 from someone else!!!

Is that normal?!! That is more than the track day itself!

My 3200 has cost no more than £120 for the day, £90 for a half day... Performance Insurance I think... I just googled and phoned around...

 

[allandwf]

It's always good to try your "road" car on a track, it gives an idea of what to expect, and what it can do. It all depends on what you want out of the track day, a better understanding of your car, or an all out track experience, they are different ends of the spectrum, and as you say light years apart.

 

[Bobby Dandruff]

Yep.

Equally, try a flying lap with the lead instructor in the Granturismo that only has 2 seats (I can't remember the model name now - is it the Stradale?) with all the driver aids switched off.......

 

[alfatwo]

What not to do on a trackday



Dave

 

[hodroyd]

Track days are great fun, but as said, start off reasonable and build up. You will need to find your lines in to corners and out, braking zones and places you can floor it. Tyres and brakes will need to be allowed to cool down, when you get really moving your brakes can get seriously hot and start to fade if you do not take care and notice the issue..!!

 

[Ian3200]

Brakes, mine are all standard Maserati, and I expected them to fade, but even after heavy use for 6 or 7 laps they still didn't show any signs of fading, it was one of the things I found out about my car that i wouldn't have been able to find out without taking it on the track. That was one great thing about using my own car, was going somewhere nearer to it's limits than I'd ever like to on the road and discover things about it, pleasant things, good things