Southerners test/track your car for £79... 1/12/08

[Jon_Bmw]

...Come see if you can thrash my 205 gti.

I am doing colerne near bath with this company next Monday, come and have a go, you can do half days for about £45 I expect.

http://www.motorsport-events.co.uk/

5.5 hrs OPEN pit, large runoff, so when it all goes wrong trying to keep up it'll only be a damaged ego


Tomson, Jonb, Simon13, Eko, Ozwaldo, Barry, randomdave, Jhonno any 'differs.' Sign up!

Above list is people I know who like to abuse their cars in the South, I am sure there are many more.

[mt1104]

sounds really good price for a track day, but I assume you need overalls and helmet

[Brian28]

Just long sleeves, lids can usually be hired on the day for a few quid. Don't have to be MSA approved or anything so if you have a mate/neighbour into bikes just borrow one for the day.

Wish I'd got me finger out a bit Jon, if anything else comes up early new year please post it up, cheers. Will be in a 318 if the 325 drivers want to try some do they/don't they understeer comparisons

[march109]

Working and like my car too much.

[mt1104]

I may go to the next southern one, as my car is in the process of being built.

[Jon_Bmw]

Exactly as Brian said. We have a cheapy open face as it can get a bit hot in the car with a full face. Vision is potentially slightly better too(depending on full face design).

It was a bit late notice, but I got all excited when I saw 4 replys!

There should be some events in February, I suggest abingdon for a 318-more bends! We prefer taking ours there as it can feel slightly asthmatic(spel?) down the straights.

March, do a sicky, become a shit employee for the day It doesn't damage the cars, maybe you'll lose 1-2mm of tread, but its a small price to pay!

[flyingfarrier]

what county is Abingdon in? its not the Abingdon near cambridge is it??

[Jon_Bmw]

Sadly not, its Oxford based. Just off the a34.

[ScottEgg]

Jon,
I have an interview Mon so not available but would have definately been there. Can you let me know when the next event is and if it is similarly priced I will try to attend. I've done numerous days at CCombe but never Colerne. For that money its a joke!

[Jon_Bmw]

Certainly. As above really, events kick back off in February and are similarly priced(due to the cold weather mainly) so keep checking the link at the start of the new year.

It works out at about £15 per hour of track time! Can you have more fun than that for the price, perhaps an STD'd hooker

[ScottEgg]

Jon, will certainly be there in the new year regardless of the state of the car.
Cheers
Scott

[tomson]

bugger, only just seen this and I could have done with another laugh at Jon's French scrap!

[Jhonno]

Just seen this, wouldn't have made it anyway as i have mid week off already..

Don't break it now Jon

[Jon_Bmw]

Guys, you'll laugh and not believe me BUT.

03 plate Honda NSX, au revior.

Tommo you cheeky fuck! I know its hard to take that it has 0.3 bhp more.


Day was pretty good really, bitterly cold whenever you wern't in the car. I was doing the usual, sharing with my dad and brother, and for today my mate who at 22 just bought his first car(205 mi16 ) and has never been near a trackday before.

Straight onto slicks @ the front before the briefing leaving the r888's on the back. My prefered setup although it gets some strange looks, there is method behind the madness. I have done the track once before, so I started the day with my brother in the passenger seat(more weight which greatly affects a small engined light car )

So i'm warming the tyres up going round nice and slow as its 2 degrees C outside, let the NSX past and after 20 seconds or so, get on it 30 seconds later, all over the back of it like a rash, but it wouldn't let me past, people who have spent £50k plus on a car really must hate things like the 205. The marshalls at this point wouldn't give me a helping hand as they had effectively seen me give way to him 2 minutes earlier Anyhow, pulling out of corners he disapeared to a degree, but under braking and going round bends he was poor and the 205 reigned it in all the time.

I had to be mildly careful not to run up the back of him in the braking areas as he was only on road tyres. I am sure if he had given his car to one of the instructors it would have been blisteringly quick, but he didn't

Other notable points, a prodrive 250bhp scooby isn't quick enough in the corners either, passed him after tailing for a few laps. It pulled so, so well when exiting tight corners though, whereas I am having to balance the throttle to try(in vien) to stop the inside wheel spinning up. My brother commented how a z3m roadster was getting in his way A LOT, although the driver looked a bit suspect On my fastest run with a passenger again i overtook about 6 cars with nothing getting past me, which was good.

It is a great track toy really, the thing inspires so much confidence, over confidence even as it handles very well and the driver doesn't have to think twice as to whether throwing it through a mid left hander at 90mph is a good idea or not. Thats what makes it embarrass a lot of other 'better' cars i think. I would certainly be thinking twice if I was trying to chuck 300bhp of lively rear end through a corner as the RWD boyos have to. I miss RWD a lot, but at the same time I know I am not talented enough to get a similar spec RWD car round as quick, I think I would need an additional 75bhp at least to get close to the times I could theoretically post in the mi16.

Issues:

...It is french after all....

Starter motor stopped working for about 3 hours, then came back to life.

At the end of the day a rear caliper clip that holds the brake pad in place snapped and the brake pad popped out! It was caught half in, half out by the wheel ruining the wheel weights

A pair of slicks have now come to the end of their useful life. Me or my brother unvieled some canvass after a little lockup

With 4 different drivers with extremely various skill levels I think other cars wouldn't let me past as easily as they assumed it was my dad or my friend still on a sunday afternoon drive that they had seen in the day





Trying to instruct someone who has never been on track before is interesting experience as well! He got so much better after the first time though, really pleased with his progress, considering my lack of skill(teaching and car control )



£1500 mi16: 1 £50000+ NSX: 0 ...Well sort of.

[bss325i]

Only just seen this but...

The sport will never see a track... maybe the pod to silence a few critics but thats it.

The S50 isn't finish and is a boat anchor anyway.

I need demlots car!

[Jon_Bmw]

Its more about the driver, i'm far from perfect but i'm a nutter to a degree! You know its not going to go that well when you try and match a fast caterham through some twisty bits, but it just grips and grips. The only issue I had all day was trying to get just the tinyest bit more out of the braking ability of the slicks. They are not progressive, MASSIVE grip, then more grip, and more, then suddenly, that little bit further and they instantly lock and its down to how quickly you can get off the brakes.

Your s50 will be fine, get some grippy tyres on the front and some less grippy on the back and enjoy a big smile all day long.


Demlots car is perfect for track abuse I want.

[tomson]

Ah but your forgetting there were no iS's on track today Jon? You would have had your ass handed to you then

[Karan]

Its more about the driver, i'm far from perfect but i'm a nutter to a degree! You know its not going to go that well when you try and match a fast caterham through some twisty bits, but it just grips and grips. The only issue I had all day was trying to get just the tinyest bit more out of the braking ability of the slicks. They are not progressive, MASSIVE grip, then more grip, and more, then suddenly, that little bit further and they instantly lock and its down to how quickly you can get off the brakes.

Your s50 will be fine, get some grippy tyres on the front and some less grippy on the back and enjoy a big smile all day long.


Demlots car is perfect for track abuse I want.

we all need demlots car

[Theo]

Demlots car is awesome, does need an anchor though!

I'm up for an airfield day once the slag is sorted, can have a drive of eachothers cars if you want Jon?

[Jon_Bmw]

Theo you'd be proud of all the bodgery! For sure. Abingdon is Oxford way which is slightly closer to you and one of the 'better' airfield days. Restarts around feb, would definatly be up for swapping. Can it be permenant?

Should try and get some more zone scummers to commit, its a good crack, even ended up fixing some astra GTE scrap for someone today


Imagine the calamaties.

[Jhonno]

At least it wasn't French..

I am well up for this.. Just bad timing this one with the already having time off work this week, oh and an exhaust loud enough to wake the dead and their ancestors

[Theo]

I'd be interested to see which car falls apart quickest, yours or mine. That said the only thing that failed on my car all year was a wire on the alternator and a rocker arm. My 'handywork' didn't actually give any issues! I really need to get my arse in gear with the track slag, things have rather ground to a halt recently.

More zoners should come along, it must be really hard to crash on an airfield.

[Jon_Bmw]

I've yet to see a crash! Although my inexperienced passenger managed to lock the brakes at a chicane and go straight over some grass. Even as a passenger you know when someone has gone just 5mph too fast.

I reckon we punt for february, nice and cold, and the iS's with induction kits will be able to outdrag the 325i's

Get it done Theo, and Dan, sort that facking rude boi exhaust, your noise makes mine look very upper class.

[tomson]

I reckon we punt for february, nice and cold, and the iS's with induction kits will be able to outdrag the 325i's

Id be up for that Jon, with a week or two's notice

[Jhonno]

Haha! I know I know..

It will be done!!

[Jhonno]

I reckon we punt for february, nice and cold, and the iS's with induction kits will be able to outdrag the 325i's

Id be up for that Jon, with a week or two's notice

Yup!!

[Jon_Bmw]

I'll try and remember to sort out a link with at least a months notice, then i'll bug some people on the phone when they don't put their name down.

The calender for the new year is out around mid January, so we'll go from there.

Abingdon, Oxford ftw, nice and central.


Bed time now, got to be in bristol for 8 tomorrow. I should be able to leave at 7.50 in the iS....

[Jon_Bmw]

Few pictures on here:

http://www.photodirectuk.com/MSE08/35%2 ... /index.htm

From the NSX:

http://www.photodirectuk.com/MSE08/35%2 ... /index.htm

Few from the scoobies perspective:

http://www.photodirectuk.com/MSE08/35%2 ... /index.htm


No particularly good ones. I really should sort myself out a bullet cam for our camcorder.