Wet trackdays!
Discussion
How do others find trackdays in the wet.
Had my first wet day at Blyton Park on Sunday and it was awesome, such a different challenge compared to a dry day. It was mainly heavy showers on and off all day so the track would be drying out then get soaked again.
Ran a set of Pilot Sport 3's for the first time which handled the puddles quite nicely!
My favourite shot of the day
Had my first wet day at Blyton Park on Sunday and it was awesome, such a different challenge compared to a dry day. It was mainly heavy showers on and off all day so the track would be drying out then get soaked again.
Ran a set of Pilot Sport 3's for the first time which handled the puddles quite nicely!
My favourite shot of the day
Personally I don't really enjoy them, the best bits of trackdays for me are the sensations of braking and cornering hard which you just can't do in the wet. Also driving quickly in the wet requires subtlety and finesse - which isn't me 
I'm sure lots of people love 'em, glad you enjoyed your TD, be a boring world if we were all the same.
I'm sure lots of people love 'em, glad you enjoyed your TD, be a boring world if we were all the same.
They aren't my idea of fun in my Indy as I get wet, the tyres aren't suited to the wet and I struggle to get heat into the tyres/brakes as its difficult to drive fast enough. As rain is an ever present menace in the UK I'm tempted to pick up a cheap Clio or similar for wet track days so I don't have to get wet.
Best track day I've ever done was at Silverstone a few years ago, where it was very wet in the morning but stopped raining late morning, the sun came out, and by just after lunch it was dry as a bone.
I was in the Sagaris, and was able to play with the limits of adhesion in the wet in the morning, under tuition and also on my own, and find a feel for how the car felt on, and over, the limit and how to correct and hold it. Then in the afternoon in the dry I was able to use all that new knowledge to drive the car faster round a track than I have ever done before. I had another tuition session later on in the afternoon and my instructor said it was incredible how much I had improved since the morning session.
I was in the Sagaris, and was able to play with the limits of adhesion in the wet in the morning, under tuition and also on my own, and find a feel for how the car felt on, and over, the limit and how to correct and hold it. Then in the afternoon in the dry I was able to use all that new knowledge to drive the car faster round a track than I have ever done before. I had another tuition session later on in the afternoon and my instructor said it was incredible how much I had improved since the morning session.
I've done a cold and damp Cadwell in my old EP3 Civic and had no issues. Decent Avon tyres and FWD making a big difference. Had plenty of clear laps whilst others waited for it to dry out more.
This year I've repleaced the EP3 with an RX8; in the dry at Blyton I was much faster in the RX8 than I used to be in the EP3. The car had a tonne of grip and felt excellent. A month ago I went to a very wet Croft and the difference was night and day. I'd been warned that the RX8 was a different beast in the wet, I wasn't prepared for just how much different it was. Twitchy and nervous in the faster corners and squirming under braking.
This year I've repleaced the EP3 with an RX8; in the dry at Blyton I was much faster in the RX8 than I used to be in the EP3. The car had a tonne of grip and felt excellent. A month ago I went to a very wet Croft and the difference was night and day. I'd been warned that the RX8 was a different beast in the wet, I wasn't prepared for just how much different it was. Twitchy and nervous in the faster corners and squirming under braking.
I did a wet track day at Thruxton in a Mk1 Suzuki Swift Sport, and it was absolutely hilarious foot-to-the floor stuff. The Swift was massively over-tyred and over-braked compared to its power, and the wet brought them more line. But it was crazy how much speed I could carry, and how late I could brake, even in heavy rain. It turned the little Swift into quite the giant killer and people started to get out of the way when they saw me coming up behind them. 
Fonzey said:
Not a fan, though I don't mind a drying track.
I've found that a drying track is by far the most difficult as you have to learn where teh grip is and isn't. In the wet I'm sliding (and expecting to) everywhere, suddenly becomes much more difficult to judge when it starts drying for me.A drying track is hardest, i'd either full wet or dry.
And no, dont like wet days.. but they are inevitable in this country. looking like rockingham this weekend is going to be raining all day.
While there is a lot of challenge in fingertip car control driving a rwd car quickly round a track, you're constantly on edge and hypersensitive to any movement at the back end - in the dry its fine, you can mash the throttle and hold lairy slides all day long, but in the wet if you lose the rear its very hard to gather up again. Combine that with limited run off (often wet grass) and a car you need to get home in makes for many brown flag moments.
just dont get a sense of achievement, its rather fear then relief that the car is back in one piece. on an airfield with nothing to hit, then sliding isnt a problem, but any of cadwell, oulton, donington, rockingham i'd all much rather do when they're dry.
And no, dont like wet days.. but they are inevitable in this country. looking like rockingham this weekend is going to be raining all day.
While there is a lot of challenge in fingertip car control driving a rwd car quickly round a track, you're constantly on edge and hypersensitive to any movement at the back end - in the dry its fine, you can mash the throttle and hold lairy slides all day long, but in the wet if you lose the rear its very hard to gather up again. Combine that with limited run off (often wet grass) and a car you need to get home in makes for many brown flag moments.
just dont get a sense of achievement, its rather fear then relief that the car is back in one piece. on an airfield with nothing to hit, then sliding isnt a problem, but any of cadwell, oulton, donington, rockingham i'd all much rather do when they're dry.
upsidedownmark said:
Interesting - my experience (boxster and an mx5) is the opposite - in the dry the limits are higher, and it goes away more suddenly. In the wet, you could take the p*ss all day long. Possibly down to individual cars, both have quite a lot of tyre compared to the power level.
Absolutely. I found the Sagaris to be a hoot in the wet, slithering round the bends at speeds that had an Audi RS6 doing passenger rides getting frustrated with me (but I was totally unable to go any faster as I was absolutely on, and over, the limit of adhesion) until I had cleared a complex of bends and was able to let him past. It all happens so slowly and controllably in the wet, but in the dry it rather scares me. Each to their own and all.
brillomaster said:
A drying track is hardest, i'd either full wet or dry.
just dont get a sense of achievement, its rather fear then relief that the car is back in one piece. on an airfield with nothing to hit, then sliding isnt a problem, but any of cadwell, oulton, donington, rockingham i'd all much rather do when they're dry.
I agree, and I'd add Castle Combe to your list, another track that has very little run off and a very strange way of drying leaving patches of grip/no grip on and off the racing line.just dont get a sense of achievement, its rather fear then relief that the car is back in one piece. on an airfield with nothing to hit, then sliding isnt a problem, but any of cadwell, oulton, donington, rockingham i'd all much rather do when they're dry.
upsidedownmark said:
Interesting - my experience (boxster and an mx5) is the opposite - in the dry the limits are higher, and it goes away more suddenly. In the wet, you could take the p*ss all day long. Possibly down to individual cars, both have quite a lot of tyre compared to the power level.
I find judging the braking points much much harder in the wet. I gained a whole new respect for racing drivers when I was pushing on a wet track.aka_kerrly said:
I agree, and I'd add Castle Combe to your list, another track that has very little run off and a very strange way of drying leaving patches of grip/no grip on and off the racing line.
I love Castle Combe in the wet, it focuses the mind and only rewards smooth skilful driving. Just don't look at the tyre walls 
Not a huge fan of them tbh driving a open topped kit car being rwd and turbod makes for extremely sideways and extremely wet. But have now done something like 25ish events in 3/4 years with 6 being sprint rounds and only 4 of them have been wet.
Twice at rockingham but just damp not heavy rain then twice during the sprint series Anglesey and snetterton but both started dry so got dry runs in and called it a day when it started raining.
Depends hugely on car and driver.
Twice at rockingham but just damp not heavy rain then twice during the sprint series Anglesey and snetterton but both started dry so got dry runs in and called it a day when it started raining.
Depends hugely on car and driver.
well can update this post slightly... did rockingham yesterday, heavy rain when we arrived, rained throughout the day.
frustrating at first trying to run with TCS on, killed power on the exit of every corner. so, took some brave pills and turned it off. which meant car was moving round a lot more. every corner exit would be power oversteer, every corner entry was possible trail braking oversteer. most corner apexes were mild understeer.
but a lot of fun, really had to concentrate so much more to keep it on track, a lot more challenging trying to minimise wheelspin and oversteer angle, trying to perfect the technique of steering through a corner just through using the throttle.
but, inevitably, had a bit too much fun, got a bit too sideways out of chapmans curve, slipped then gripped and put it into a tyre barrier just before pifpaf. Thankfully only cosmetic damage - smashed indicator, dented wing and dented door. this is why my track car is only worth £650.
frustrating at first trying to run with TCS on, killed power on the exit of every corner. so, took some brave pills and turned it off. which meant car was moving round a lot more. every corner exit would be power oversteer, every corner entry was possible trail braking oversteer. most corner apexes were mild understeer.
but a lot of fun, really had to concentrate so much more to keep it on track, a lot more challenging trying to minimise wheelspin and oversteer angle, trying to perfect the technique of steering through a corner just through using the throttle.
but, inevitably, had a bit too much fun, got a bit too sideways out of chapmans curve, slipped then gripped and put it into a tyre barrier just before pifpaf. Thankfully only cosmetic damage - smashed indicator, dented wing and dented door. this is why my track car is only worth £650.
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