Organising your own PH-group track day?

Organising your own PH-group track day?

Author
Discussion

bungle

Original Poster:

1,874 posts

247 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
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Not sure if this ever happens, but do a group of folk on here ever get together to book their own track day?

I was looking at Blyton earlier, and you can book a day for c.£1900 for 6 people on track... so £300 each, not cheap, but not many on track, and you could stay on there all day if you wanted.

Or £3300 for 24 people, £130 each, but still only 6 allowed on track at the same time, so less track time overall.

Just wondered if people do this sort of thing, or if it's just too much hard work and people stick to the mainstream organised trackdays instead?

anonymous-user

61 months

Sunday 21st March 2021
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Too much hard work, one person is ultimately liable and has to book in advance to secure that date as very few people are going to give someone £300 upfront without a confirmed date so you’d be paying the full cost up front, then chasing people for the money only to find they now can’t make it, their car is broken, COVID, dog died....

bungle

Original Poster:

1,874 posts

247 months

Monday 22nd March 2021
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pablo said:
Too much hard work, one person is ultimately liable and has to book in advance to secure that date as very few people are going to give someone £300 upfront without a confirmed date so you’d be paying the full cost up front, then chasing people for the money only to find they now can’t make it, their car is broken, COVID, dog died....
That was my fear... so much initial promise in the idea, but I guess ends up being a pain in in the ar5e for the organiser.

Maybe something that can be done in a close group of 6 mates or so you trust for the money, but too much hard work for a bigger group.

Shame - good idea in principle, but yeah probably too difficult in reality frown

Mark83

1,219 posts

208 months

Monday 22nd March 2021
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Insurance too, maybe. My policy covers unlimited track days but they need to be organised by an ATDO accredited company so I wouldn't be covered at such a track day, which would definitely put me off.

4.7

155 posts

177 months

Tuesday 23rd March 2021
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Doesn't help with the 'getting others to cough up' trouble but you can buy an exclusive 'group' within an existing TDO session day (rather than open pit) then run under their PLI and so be ATDO covered.

gtsralph

1,230 posts

151 months

Thursday 25th March 2021
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4.7 said:
Doesn't help with the 'getting others to cough up' trouble but you can buy an exclusive 'group' within an existing TDO session day (rather than open pit) then run under their PLI and so be ATDO covered.
This much more practical - a few years ago the Aston group on here organised a private day at Snetterton. As I recall cost was around £13k and they managed to get 35 or so attendees, most of whom turned up having paid.

Ben Lowden

6,523 posts

184 months

PH Marketing Bloke

Friday 26th March 2021
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We have run PH track days/evenings in the past with TDOs, but not specifically to keep numbers very low like you're asking.

They're not something we look to make money on, just an opportunity for members to get together at the same event so rates are generally on par with whatever the TDO would normally charge.

I'm aiming to bring these back again when it's safe to do so, fingers crossed we'll get something in later this year.

jeremyc

24,555 posts

291 months

Friday 26th March 2021
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Ben Lowden said:
We have run PH track days/evenings in the past with TDOs, but not specifically to keep numbers very low like you're asking.

They're not something we look to make money on, just an opportunity for members to get together at the same event so rates are generally on par with whatever the TDO would normally charge.

I'm aiming to bring these back again when it's safe to do so, fingers crossed we'll get something in later this year.
Back in the Good Ol' Days there were PH exclusive trackdays run at Folembray by BookaTrack: travel over by Eurotunnel on Friday afternoon, hotel overnight, track day Saturday, celebratory meal/beers/reminiscences on Saturday night at the hotel then back to Blighty on Sunday. smile

With everyone staying together at the same hotel after the trackday, and 'knowing' everyone from the forums, driving standards were high. biggrin

Great fun events that I think ran in May of 2001, 2002 and 2003. driving

Wh00sher

1,660 posts

225 months

Friday 26th March 2021
quotequote all
Ben Lowden said:
We have run PH track days/evenings in the past with TDOs, but not specifically to keep numbers very low like you're asking.

They're not something we look to make money on, just an opportunity for members to get together at the same event so rates are generally on par with whatever the TDO would normally charge.

I'm aiming to bring these back again when it's safe to do so, fingers crossed we'll get something in later this year.
I was always surprised a TDO didn`t offer a group discount for PH. At the time you were running them I often arranged trackdays for groups of up to 35 cars from a forum and we always got a 5 or 10% discount off the TDO. We had a discount for over 5 cars.

We didn`t use BookATrack as you did but PH is one of the biggest forums out there and I`d like to think you have enough numbers to get a TDO interested in doing a deal.

Nickjd

208 posts

213 months

Friday 26th March 2021
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I would happy give a discount to people bringing 35 cars, the reality however is the promise of even 10 cars is actually 3.

danp

1,624 posts

269 months

Saturday 27th March 2021
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Ben Lowden said:
We have run PH track days/evenings in the past with TDOs, but not specifically to keep numbers very low like you're asking.

They're not something we look to make money on, just an opportunity for members to get together at the same event so rates are generally on par with whatever the TDO would normally charge.

I'm aiming to bring these back again when it's safe to do so, fingers crossed we'll get something in later this year.
How about a Palmersport day? I did one or two with PH back in the day (maybe 2010) - would love to do one again.

anonymous-user

61 months

Saturday 27th March 2021
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jeremyc said:
Ben Lowden said:
We have run PH track days/evenings in the past with TDOs, but not specifically to keep numbers very low like you're asking.

They're not something we look to make money on, just an opportunity for members to get together at the same event so rates are generally on par with whatever the TDO would normally charge.

I'm aiming to bring these back again when it's safe to do so, fingers crossed we'll get something in later this year.
Back in the Good Ol' Days there were PH exclusive trackdays run at Folembray by BookaTrack: travel over by Eurotunnel on Friday afternoon, hotel overnight, track day Saturday, celebratory meal/beers/reminiscences on Saturday night at the hotel then back to Blighty on Sunday. smile

With everyone staying together at the same hotel after the trackday, and 'knowing' everyone from the forums, driving standards were high. biggrin

Great fun events that I think ran in May of 2001, 2002 and 2003. driving
Gutted I never made it to Flobonray...

MRichards99

310 posts

135 months

Saturday 27th March 2021
quotequote all
Ben Lowden said:
We have run PH track days/evenings in the past with TDOs, but not specifically to keep numbers very low like you're asking.

They're not something we look to make money on, just an opportunity for members to get together at the same event so rates are generally on par with whatever the TDO would normally charge.

I'm aiming to bring these back again when it's safe to do so, fingers crossed we'll get something in later this year.
This is something I'd be interested in (as I'm sure many others would), let us know when you get it planned in PH Towers!

markiii

3,847 posts

201 months

Saturday 27th March 2021
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this is precisely how Bookatrack was born

Ben Lowden

6,523 posts

184 months

PH Marketing Bloke

Tuesday 6th April 2021
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MRichards99 said:
This is something I'd be interested in (as I'm sure many others would), let us know when you get it planned in PH Towers!
Watch this space – hoping to get things going again later this year and kick off with a track evening or two with MSVT smile

bigothunter

12,199 posts

67 months

Thursday 8th April 2021
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bungle said:
Not sure if this ever happens, but do a group of folk on here ever get together to book their own track day?

I was looking at Blyton earlier, and you can book a day for c.£1900 for 6 people on track... so £300 each, not cheap, but not many on track, and you could stay on there all day if you wanted.

Or £3300 for 24 people, £130 each, but still only 6 allowed on track at the same time, so less track time overall.

Just wondered if people do this sort of thing, or if it's just too much hard work and people stick to the mainstream organised trackdays instead?
What are you hoping to achieve that is not satisfied by a regular track day? scratchchin

Truckosaurus

12,047 posts

291 months

Friday 9th April 2021
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bigothunter said:
What are you hoping to achieve that is not satisfied by a regular track day? scratchchin
Indeed. As suggested in the OP the only benefit would be paying a premium to have fewer cars at the event leading to more track time and/or lack of traffic.

(Perhaps also more leeway to drift and other acts of tomfoolery).

bigothunter

12,199 posts

67 months

Friday 9th April 2021
quotequote all
Truckosaurus said:
bigothunter said:
What are you hoping to achieve that is not satisfied by a regular track day? scratchchin
Indeed. As suggested in the OP the only benefit would be paying a premium to have fewer cars at the event leading to more track time and/or lack of traffic.

(Perhaps also more leeway to drift and other acts of tomfoolery).
I enjoy mixing with traffic and get bored circulating round on my own. Also most open pitlane events provide virtually unlimited track time.

But an almost empty track would be very useful if you want to develop or set-up your race car without others getting in the way scratchchin


Edited by bigothunter on Friday 9th April 09:08