For my birthday earlier this year, my girlfriend, sister and parents bought me a track day at Castle Combe. What with work going under and such I didn’t take up the day until last Friday.
I must admit to being a touch nervous on Friday morning. I am a wonderful driver (*ahem*) and I like driving, I like my car too, but its my car, its not a 400bph Evo VI that spits flames when you change gear – its a factory standard Ford Focus, which the chap in scrutineering later described as “formula biscuit tin”… So yes, after a minor navigational error my sister and I arrived at Castle Combe circuit and I signed on, picked up a helmet and attended a safety briefing (don’t crash, pass on the right, have fun) and then went for a ride with an instructor round the circuit in a Impreza. I know they drive the circuit most days, I know they know the car, but when the car is drifting all four wheels round a corner at 80mph I’d be happier if he used two hands and looked at the road! Still, now I know what it is supposed to be done like..
I lined up in my lane, ready to head out and noted that I might not die, there was a Zafira here too. Out on the track it took me couple of laps to realise that it wasn’t a stock Zafira and that a Lotus 7 is a very quick car. Also, when you are not going that fast, braking hard at the braking cone is not necessary, ‘cos otherwise you stop. After three dry sessions it started to rain. This, it transpired, is a good thing. The people with more horses than the US cavalry now had real trouble getting them down onto the tarmac through their mostly slick track day special tyres… my road tyres didn’t much mind. I didn’t get lapped for the whole 15min session! Woohoo!
So at the end of the day I must admit that its a huge laugh. I will never, deliberately, get my car all out of shape and flicking about by pressing/releasing the accelerator on the public road, but on a track its fun 🙂 My car survived and indeed worked well! My brakes still have pad and my rear tyres are worn, but not that much. I can see why people have “track cars” and if I had the time and money I’d quite fancy it, but for now I’ll go back to watching the touring cars and believing I could do it better (which I so can’t!).
Pics and Video from the day here.
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