The purpose of this post is to guage initial enthusiasm for a track day session for UK Polos at Silverstone on Sept 4th when Trax 2005 will be held.
I'd like to put something back into the club and am prepared to do all the organising and admin work provided
- The response is positive
- The numbers justify it
- We are not too late to get in for this year (this maybe the biggest hurdle)
Trax<insert year here> Has been running for 15 years now and is always very well organised. It is the ultimate car club track event and the second largest show held at Silverstone after the Grand Prix attracting 16,500 visitors.
- Covers an area equivalent to 50 football pitches on the infield section of the circuit.
- 104 of the biggest and best traders in the modified and performance car marketplace came to TRAX 2004.
- 140 different car clubs had stands at TRAX 2004, featuring everything from the Alfa 156 Club to the Zetec S Owners’ Club.
- The club with the largest number of cars at TRAX 2004 was the Peugeot GTi Autosport Club with 250 of its members’ cars, the Vauxhall Sports Car Club with 210 cars and the Subaru Impreza Drivers’ Club with 200 cars.
- Over 1000 cars managed to record a 0-60 mph time on the TRAX 2004 Sprint Test. Fastest time of the day went to a RS200 in 2.92 seconds.
- By far the biggest display was the cars of Japanese origin, with 33 clubs and 925 cars, closely followed by Fords (35 clubs and 770 cars), French cars (only 10 clubs but a massive 700 cars) and the Vauxhalls with 11 clubs and over 650 cars.
This year there’ll be even more!
Now a bit of background and information.
All drivers attend a briefing before their session where the rules for the day are spelled out very clearly - it's informative as well as humorous but vital to explain how everything works. You can purchase track day insurance cover in advance for peace of mind but that is down to you
The track sessions are 20min sessions and are started with a lap behind a pace car - this helps to warm you own car up and stop you ending up in the kitty litter on the first corner. Followed by normally a maximum of 7-8 laps of the circuit under your own steam and at your own pace.
If there are more than 15 cars you get split up into two groups for the pace lap so that the group doesn't get too bunched up.
Important note.
What I will point out right from the start is the laps aren't timed and it is not a race. This doesn't mean you are forced to drive round at snails pace this is an oportunity to drive you car as fast as you feel comfortable and in control.
Excessive wheelspin tyre smoke or lurid tail slides, stuffing it up the inside on the approach to a corner under braking or any other similar signs indicate to the marshalls placed all round the circuit that you are not in control and you will be called in for a cooling off period possibly ending your session.
However even if you are driving very quickly and at the very edge of the cars limit - if you hit the apexes of the corners and your driving is in control you won't get a certificate but you will be left alone to enjoy the session.
No passengers
No Video equipment
No Timing gear
Crash helmet and covered arms mandatory
Bottom line if this is your first time on a track it will be an enjoyable experience however quickly you drive and you will be in the company of similar cars rather than in an open session when you can get some seriously fast cars howling up behind you unprepared for your lack of overal speed
So whats it gonna cost
Well based on 30 people deciding to opt for the track session and 40 cars in total turning up for the day out The entrance fee is should be discounted to £10 per person (instead of £15) and the track session should work out at £30 per car.
I guess it's up to you guys
Oh and one more thing they have a gagle of profesional photographers around the track so you can get pics like this (my track day toy) of your car on the track....
- The ones above are just a selection of proofs I recieved (scanned and hosted so you could see them) These proofs are 1/4 of the size of a 6 inch by 4 inch but even in these the quality is superb and original images will cope with being enlarged to 24 x 24 inches - if you fancy a poster sized print of your own car at silverstone - like the one above my desk
from a previous year
Incidently there were 25 cars out in our club only session but there was plenty of open track for everyone
Feedback requires a simple
- yes - definately interested
or
- possibly what about?
I'll try to answer any questions you may have.
and something that everyone should have a go at. Like bstardchild says, you are free to drive at your own pace and within your own limits, rather than feeling like you are being pushed too hard by other drivers for instance. Plus you get all the width of the track to play with, and there's no oncoming traffic (duh). Its all good 
and how much it'll cost. After all, I'm 23 with a GTi, which in the eyes of most insurers is a bit of a risk I suppose, despite my 5 yrs NCB! Any insurance for the VW event was covered by themselves after I had signed the relevant forms btw 