Track Days

Introduction

Track and Airfield days give you the opportunity to drive your car in an environment away from the road (and hence traffic, coppers and speed cameras).

Track Days give you access to actual racing circuits that you see on TV and you get to drive your own car around them. Whilst they are safe places to be driving in an aggressive manner, there are risks involved. Accidents are rare and are almost always down to driver error: being sensible will help make sure you and your car go home in one piece.

Airfield Days provide a lower key, lower cost event based at an airfield where circuits are laid out using cones. These days will be less glamorous but you still have the same access to instructors as at circuits and the same safety rules apply. Airfield Days are recommended for less experienced drivers, because if you do make a mistake, you spin off onto unused tarmac rather than into the kitty litter tray!

Almost all vehicles are welcome on trackdays - just so long as they meet some basic safety and noise requirements. The car needs to have working seatbelts, brakes, tyres, indicators and lights. Whilst some circuits do have special rules, these are usually concerned with banning racing cars and not road-going cars. You sometimes must show your driving licence.

Surviving The Day with your car in one piece

Although modern cars are built to withstand conditions rather harsher than what they can reasonably be expected to experience on the road, track work is rather different. But there are steps you can take to ensure the car stands up to the conditions!

The Brakes: they take a battering, and many companies advise drivers to arrive with reasonably new pads. It’s quite common for regular trackday drivers to upgrade their disks, pads and brake fluid they use to improve track performance. Many tracks - especially airfields - demand some very, very hard braking for tight corners. One tip I have read is that shorter sessions are much kinder to the brakes (since they allow the components to cool off) and to allow yourself a “cooling off lap.” In fairness, a cooling off lap ought to be beneficial for all components. It’s also a good idea not to engage the handbrake when you stop as you may weld it in place!

The Tyres: these need to be in good condition with the right pressures. It’s quite common to increase tyre pressures by a few PSI and I’ve read that this can reduce wear. That said, some drivers report that they get more grip from lowering the pressure (perhaps only on one axle). Whatever you prefer, everybody recommends that tyre pressures are even and that you check them at track temperatures.

The Engine: don’t go to a track day with a knackered engine! It’s important to check it - the oil, filters and belts should be in good order. It’s sensible to bring some oil with you, as it is normal for an engine to use some during a trackday.

Interior contents: if it’s not stuck down, remove it. That means everything: car ‘phones, air fresheners, CDs, old fag packets, pens and similar. This both saves weight, and stops loose objects from damaging the inside of the car, or you. Some of the more dedicated individuals also take the spare wheel out.

Lights: you’re supposed to tape up the lights before going on circuit. Personally, I’d consider taping them up at home, and removing it at home too, so people would know that I was taking the Ka on to the track!

Fire extinguishers: many people fit these (securely!) “just in case,” but they’re not compulsory equipment for most tracks.

Fuel: you will need plenty! If you run out on the track, you’ll be pushed to the side until the end of the day. Some sites reveal that you may well drive 200 miles or so on the track, but bear in mind that your car will not be very economical over much of that distance. For the Ka, I’ll arrive with a full (or nearly full) tank.

Miscellaneous

I was surprised to learn that people don’t really care what car you bring. In some ways, bringing a more mundane car makes you stand out rather more than the plethora of performance-orientated cars. But, really, people don’t notice if you are going around in a Ford Ka or a Subaru Impreza, they notice how you go around. There’s an argument for turning up in something other than a GTi, Type-R, WRX or Evo! I was originally surprised at how many people bring their Ferrari F360 to a track day, but upon reflection, if you can afford to run a Ferrari, you can probably afford new tyres and brakes.

The other lessons I’ve learnt is that it’s not a “power thing.” As it turns out, power is one of the last things that needs to be addressed to achieve quick lap times. Most time is gained in the braking and cornering aspects rather than in acceleration and top speed - but of course, this will depend on the track! Any track with a long strait will show up a low powered car (such as the Ka) whereas on a tight, twisty circuit, there will be less of a disadvantage.

Insurance

Getting insurance is not a requirement for a track day: it depends on whether you are prepared to pay the premium, or take the risk that you won’t crash! Some household names offer track day cover for “non-competition” - but most do not. You can purchase one-off policies that will insure varying amounts of cover - a commonly used firm being Competition Car Insurance. Generally speaking, insurance policies are own party only - if you run into somebody else, your own vehicle is covered, but not any damage to theirs.

Other Stuff To Bring

Helmets are an essential item, but you can hire them.

It’s reputed to be hard work, so you’ll want some water.

A tyre pressure gauge and air pump for checking and adjusting the tyre pressures.

You may need some oil.

And you may want a torque wrench, which at first, I thought was a chatty young lady wearing a miniskirt.

ABS & Track Days

Some drivers deliberately disable their car’s ABS for track day purposes – more information here!