DiecastXchange Forum banner
41 - 60 of 213 Posts
Not sure this is the right place, but I'll give it a try.

Over the years I've done quite a few 'motorsport/supercar experiences', mostly bought for me as gifts.

Many moons ago I did the 'Intro to motorsport' one (If you choose it can be the first step towards getting a racing licence) at Brands Hatch and I've done a Formula Renault day at Thruxton.

More recently, I've driven quite a few supercars on 'supercar driving experiences' at Goodwood and smaller tracks in the UK - My favourite of those was the Dodge Viper one at a disused airfield near St Albans (Drift Limits, if you're interested), where they really encouraged me to press on in the car.

However, to the point of this post, last Christmas, my wife bought me a Rally Experience at Brands Hatch and I finally got to do it yesterday.

You drive two short (c. 1KM) stages, which are effectively circuits (although one has a very narrow track between end and start, unsuited to speed) in a Toyota GT86.

I arrived early (noting that Brands seems little changed since I was last there in the late 1990s! Not that that is a bad thing) and was told there were only two of us doing the event that afternoon and that, if it was OK with me, we'd start a little early - It was fine as I had an hour plus drive home.

I climbed aboard 'my' GT86 and headed over the bridge over behind Druids (if you know Brands) and down a slope into the woods. I was paired with an instructor, who had two pedals in his footwell (I'm guessing brake and clutch, but it was never stated), who pointed out the line and action to take around the first loop, taken slowly, and then we were back at the start and I accelerated away.

The lack of grip was unbelievable - Even accelerating in a straight line, you are constantly correcting slides (or lifting off, the choice is yours) and it was incredibly intense and exciting compared with any of the track driving I'd done. The stages are really short, but to be honest, I would have struggled to do a couple of miles I suspect.

The great thing about there only being a couple of us on the event (the instructor mentioned that last Saturday they had 6 cars in use), was that, most laps, we simply continued on (especially on Stage 1, the one we tackled second), so it felt like a longer stage, although the repetition allowed us to experiment with braking points and lines in a way that a longer single stage wouldn't have.

Initially I was leaving my braking too late, but as I adjusted that, the lines were smoother and faster - I never touched the handbrake because, as the instructor said, I had no trouble getting the car to rotate enough on the steering, but that was an option, although looking at videos online it seems that it slows most novices down!

It was great fun, I did half spin a few times, when I either braked too late or tried to accelerate too early and hard on the loose, but not too bad - When the instructor gave me a lap with him driving at the end, I was pleased to see that his line was more or less how I'd driven it and, while he was a bit faster, it wasn't the night and day difference I've experienced on supercar events where they rein in your exuberance.

At the end of my second stage laps, I got out to swap with the instructor and the smell of hot rubber was quite rewarding


Our laps weren't timed, but I was quite pleased that every 2-3 laps I had to wait at the start as we'd closed down the other car and needed to let him build a gap up again. The instructor was complimentary, but I suspect they are about everyone, so it's hard to know how well I really did, but I could certainly tell the good laps and sections from the bad and, as he said, braking and then getting on the power early and looking ahead to the next braking point was key to getting a good lap, especially when there was a surface change involved.

Anyway, the real point of this is to say that if you have the slightest interest in driving cars fast (although to be honest, I doubt I ever exceeded 35MPH on the tight stages) and are in the UK, then this is something that I'm sure nearly everyone would enjoy.

Compared to even fairly fast track driving, it was incredibly intense and exciting and I could feel the adrenalin coursing through me for the next couple of hours.

A couple of laps of one of the stages by a professional to give you an idea -

Highly recommended.

M
 
Discussion starter · #45 ·
Nice report!
Motorsport here in Ireland is mostly about rallying, although the top tier is sealed 'tarmac' events.
Mind you the condition of some of the roads used suggests loose surface experience is advised.
If model collecting can be expensive, it's in the penny arcade compared to motorsport.
Beware the bug!
 
That fantastic. I’m so jealous! There really aren’t many options for me here in the States. Mostly just autocross and track days. The closest track to me is probably 1 1/2 hours away but I don’t have a car that’s really suited for track use.
 
The "cheap" way into that sort of thing is spending ÂŁ2k on something like an MX5, and then doing trackdays. I promised myself when I got my GT86 that it wouldn't be modified or go on track; modifying it has become incredibly expensive but you can get yourself a trackday and insurance for the price of an AUTOart... Plenty of people at trackdays rock up in Clios or Fiesta STs, which can also be bought quite cheaply, but I couldn't go back to FWD now. I'm doing Thruxton (first time there) and Silverstone GP this autumn


That rally experience sounds like good fun, it's one of the few types of car I haven't driven on an experience. The most disappointing was the Formula Palmer Audi single seater at Brands Hatch Indy; they set a speed limiter of something like 80-90mph, and it was easy to run into the limiter as soon as you got onto the pit straight. The best was probably the Rusty Wallace Experience at Rockingham, getting to drive a NASCAR (I think they were Nationwide-spec cars, at the time - one below the top tier) on an oval, complete with a spotter! Fantastic cars that corner faster than you'd think possible, given their reputation outside the US of being a bit agricultural. They ran a proper staggered setup and you had to steer right on the straights. Excuse the dodgy photo:



I'd quite like to have a go at the Phil Price experience in Wales for some rallying, though I think my next one (maybe next year) will be to treat myself to a Palmersport day at Bedford - those look incredible, everything from a F3000 car through an M2 and a Land Rover Defender and it seems they let you push them quite hard; since Bedford isn't used for racing there are no barriers so nothing to hit if you go off.
 
I've always resisted the trackday thing, I can see it being a bottomless cash pit! Sounds like I was right!


The odd experience is enough fun for me, there are too many demands on my time and money without adding another


I've heard really good things about the Palmersport days - I tried to encourage a former boss to take some clients (and me, of course) there, but it never quite came off!

I went to Daytona a couple of years ago for the 24 Hours and they do NASCAR experiences, but I don't think they were on for the short time I was there after the race - I suspect they may be very expensive, too.

The F.Renault I drove at Thruxton was limited - You couldn't really go fast enough to feel any contribution from the wings, which was disappointing, but the buffeting around the back of the track certainly gave my neck a workout!


M
 
Discussion starter · #53 ·
Le Mans 1982, the arrival of the Porsche 956.
If you don't have one, you're in the second division.
Porsche documentary (German commentary).

English language documentary (BBC) about the race and sponsorship matters.
 
I was reminiscing about 2003 and 2004 Bathurst V8 Supercars in another thread, thought it would be better to put these here. The price of the 1:18 Autoart of this car (pole and winning car from 2003) has gone bananas ($2000+ at the moment), made me look it up again to remember what an epic qualifying lap it was (and how it was backed up the next day to win - a masterclass in car setup from Kelly Racing and two gun drivers). 2 tenths of a second would normally be a decent gap in V8 Supercars.......

First video is a bit better quality version - love the engine note of these early 2000's cars, they don't quite sound as good as that now for some reason:


Second video is lower quality but has a post-qualifying interview with Greg Murphy at the end that is worth listening to - typical Murph style, telling it like it is!


He did a record 2.06 on that day, they do 2.03's now but the cars are not the same, the old cars were more closely related to the road car (relatively speaking at least) and had a H-pattern 6 speed gearbox, not the sequentials they have now. The latest cars also have a control chassis/roll cage/transaxle gearbox instead of the gearbox being bolted up to the engine like the road car. 2003 was also the first year in which all manufacturers had to use common front suspension, common wheelbase measurements and common suspension pickup points to make the racing closer - making this lap even more remarkable.
 
Yes 1994 was when John Bowe looked to have it in the bag until a very young Craig Lowndes ('The Kid') stuck an awesome overtaking move around the outside and off the racing line in the marbles, surprising everyone including John himself. He retook the lead a couple of laps later when Craig had a minor altercation with a backmarker and went on to win, but that race was the start of the Craig Lowndes story - 3x V8 Supercar champion, 7x Bathurst winner etc...
 
Jean Alesi lap of Monaco Ferrari 312B3.
If you miss the sound of real F1 engines, turn the sound up.
https://www.youtube....h?v=g6Klgbp9HXY
That's an incredible video, thanks for sharing Slarti! The super widefield camera (looks around 180 degrees) really emphasizes the speed of these machines, even a 50 year old F1 car looks scary fast to drive. MUCH better perspective than the sterile and stale camera angles we've had in F1 broadcasts for ages.
 
41 - 60 of 213 Posts
Top