Radical SR4 day at Oulton - Anyone going?

[hansfree]

Hi all,

It being my birthday and all next week i thought id do something nice & relaxing for myself, so off i went bought myself two half hour stints in the radical sr4 with some instruction and 1/2 a days track time in my 200sx touring @ Oulton next thursday (19th Aug) via the FastClub promotion which went out via this site week before last.

I was just wondering if any other PH'ers are going to this day and what I can expect as am going to be a novice to Oulton, the Radical, and to taking my own car on track even tho have done a couple of corporate jobs up at silverstone driving audi's, vipers, ferraris & caterhams.

i chose Oulton cos i remember cycle racing round there as a teenager and thinking what a great track it was, even if we did ride it backwards so we had to go up the hill thru cascades which really hurts when pedalling at about 26mph!! (me thinks it may present a quite different challenge in the radical & going in the right direction!)

My initial ebullience & excitement are starting to give way to quietly cr*pping oneself about driving that beast of a radical after reading Tim Arnolds track notes post in this forum to the last oulton novice.

I have made myself a little study guide to the track from his notes & some track maps to aid the 12yr old memories thanks Tim but i must admit to being a little worried about the thought of others who are au fait with their radicals and whom will probably fly round at three times my pace!

Anyone got any nice relxing words to stop my pituitary gland wearing itself out with excess adrenaline production before next thurs 8am??

[adrianr]

Not going, but I'd be interested to hear how you get on. I did a Radical taster day at Bruntingthorpe recently but it's not the greatest venue and they put a rev limit on us which limited things a bit.

We had some good demo runs, so if FastClub let you drive the things properly then I'd be interested in another go.

Do you have to take your own car to use the SR4, or can you do it standalone?

AdrianR
p.s. Oulton - bl**dy great track, lots of ups and downs, love the blind double apex at Druids (?) and banked Shell hairpin if you use the International



>> Edited by adrianr on Tuesday 10th August 16:16

[todd1]

Hi Hansfree,

I`m going to Oulton with a mate and wife`s in tow, but not to drive with fastclub as there were no spaces left(otherwise we would be). There will be a lot of Radicals pounding round, due to the race that weekend.We are looking at buying one for track days next year, one of those must do in your lifetime things! Hoping to gain as much info as possible so we make the right buy etc etc. Having not driven one....yet, I would be keen to meet up with you for your opinions As we should be there most of the day.
Regards Todd

[instructor]

hansfree said:

My initial ebullience & excitement are starting to give way to quietly cr*pping oneself about driving that beast of a radical after reading Tim Arnolds track notes post in this forum to the last oulton novice. I have made myself a little study guide to the track from his notes & some track maps to aid the 12yr old memories thanks Tim but i must admit to being a little worried about the thought of others who are au fait with their radicals and whom will probably fly round at three times my pace! Anyone got any nice relxing words to stop my pituitary gland wearing itself out with excess adrenaline production before next thurs 8am??

I hope my track notes are of some help then! Didn't mean to scare you though! I live 10 minutes from Oulton, so I might pop along if I'm not booked in anywhere else, give me a call if you want some instruction in your own car! (My number is 07800 715450)

Don't worry about your pace, or other people's, just enjoy it - and don't panic between now and next Thursday, Oulton is a very demanding track, but if you take your time and build up your speed gradually, you'll be fine.

Tim

[whitechimp500]

I'll be there - look out for a white Chimaera .

Incidently, i was there today with Track Action (blue Pug 309Mi16) - driving the Foulstons circuit in the wet -excellent afternoon (track not usable till after lunch)- with Knickerbrook not used as it was under water !
Track dried out by 3.30 ish followed by scorching sun.
and lots of quick cars.

ps , if the weather's like it was today i'll be the bloke floatin' round the track in an old Peugeot: .

[hansfree]

adrianr said:

Not going, but I'd be interested to hear how you get on. I did a Radical taster day at Bruntingthorpe recently but it's not the greatest venue and they put a rev limit on us which limited things a bit. We had some good demo runs, so if FastClub let you drive the things properly then I'd be interested in another go. Do you have to take your own car to use the SR4, or can you do it standalone? AdrianR p.s. Oulton - bl**dy great track, lots of ups and downs, love the blind double apex at Druids (?) and banked Shell hairpin if you use the International >> Edited by adrianr on Tuesday 10th August 16:16

I hope they do let us drive them properly, once they are satisfied we are competent enough of course! Thats the whole point of paying for the experience isnt it, to drive em properly? I certainly wouldnt have bought two 1/2 hr sessions if Nigel at fastclub had told me there would be rev limits applied, in his patter he recounted people having to be virtually lifted out of the car following their sessions due to the exhaustion of being pounded by g's through corners which was what got me reaching for the credit card quite quickly!

No i didnt have to buy track time for my own car to get the radical time, i just figured it would be more sensible to use my own car for a bit first to get to know the circuit before getting behind the wheel of something which does 0-60 in a shade less time than it takes your brain to figure out that feeling of restriction in your chest isnt a brick suddenly hitting you!

Todd & WhiteChimp - Will look out for you fellow PH'ers at sign in on the day & my car will be the metallic blue Nissan 200sx Touring looking tentative on the early laps......especially if its wet!! :-)

PS have just confirmed with Nigel @ fastclub- No rev limits! :-)


>> Edited by hansfree on Wednesday 11th August 14:41

[Steve vRS]

I'm there in my Skoda

Steve

[dannylt]

0-60 isn't the fun thing in the radical - it's far more interesting on a motorbike. It's the braking and cornering! As in, how late you can leave it and how far you can trail brake.

[adrianr]

How did it go?

AdrianR

[hansfree]

adrianr said:

How did it go? AdrianR

Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant, i could wax lyrical for hours! I had a fantastic day not marred in the slightest by the weather which was a big stroke of luck considering what i drove through the night before to get to cheshire.

Drove my own car for the first hour or so to learn the track a bit then hopped into the radical for the first half hour sess with Nick Padmore, who was a great instructor as far as i was concerned with no nannying just encouragement to build confidence in the car & your own driving so you can enjoy the experience.

As I had two 1/2 hr sessions we spent the first half hour learning things such as gear selection & the corners as the entry speeds, braking distances, cornering speed and roadholding are so different to any road car(or Caterham)ive ever driven. There as an intercom system set up for conversation which worked quite well and once nick was confident i was able to get things right he was encouraging me to push on harder.

Nick then took me for a few full speed laps to show how it should be done before lunch & after my first 1/2 hr was up (fan-bloody-tastic ride, a great demo of how to drive the car, controlled oversteer through the fast corners & g-force pressures made breathing harder though the shell hairpin - very nice! i couldnt stop grinning all the time)

In the second session we had it was a few more rapid laps to remind of gear selection and the smoothness required to drive it fast from Nick and then over to me with pretty much a free hand for most of the 1/2 hr. He let me ramp the speed up further and further with only the odd reminder through the intercom to maintain smoothness and avoid rushing things.

By the end it was foot to the floor as much as possible to get those compressions and corners really giving you a buzz.

I would say ive never driven a more exciting car and given the confidence the instructor and car inspired the longer i spent with it i'll be taking the first opportunity i can to get back to Oulton with fast club and spend some more money with them!!

If you like your adrenaline shots you'll love this and the ONLY downside is you will not want to get out of the car to let someone else drive. Theres no rev limits, no speed limits and no super nannying instructor to hold you back as they all just want you to be able to experience the car as it should be experienced - going very fast!

Im hooked & think i either need to meet a very nice radical owner who's looking for someone to share driving duties with them at Radical race meets [contact me via email if you have a space you need filling!!! ;-)] or get a job with fastclub so i can get more access to it!!