Evolve.ae Summer Track Specials at DA

[yorky500]

Gents,

For those of you interested in doing some sweating and swearing during the summer months, Evolve have with DA, come up with Summer Specials for Track Days.

Details are here:
http://www.evolve.ae/forum/index.php?/topic/11598-...

First Track event is on 8 June 2012 (Friday). Details are here:
http://www.evolve.ae/forum/index.php?/topic/11604-...

Basically, the normal cost for a Track event on the Club Circuit is AED600. The Specials are:
Up to 9 cars - AED600
10 - 14 cars - AED420
+15 cars - AED300

So, spread the word. I am sure Shirt will be interested in this as well as other westie/caterhams etc.

[IanUAE]

I might be doing a track day next Friday afternoon (18th).......on 2 wheels. More later as details confirmed.

[dxbtiger]

IanUAE said:

I might be doing a track day next Friday afternoon (18th).......on 2 wheels. More later as details confirmed.

Ian, next week.

[DannyT]

Hi all... Being new to Dubai I haven't been to DA yet, let alone a trackday there. If you've done a trackday at Bedford Autodrome, how does this compare in terms of risk to my car/sanity as well as fun?

Oh - and for boring reasons, if I do come you can bask in the ludicrousness of seeing a 2012 Audi A6 being used as a track tool. I'm sure it will be perfect

[yorky500]

DannyT said:

Hi all... Being new to Dubai I haven't been to DA yet, let alone a trackday there. If you've done a trackday at Bedford Autodrome, how does this compare in terms of risk to my car/sanity as well as fun?

Oh - and for boring reasons, if I do come you can bask in the ludicrousness of seeing a 2012 Audi A6 being used as a track tool. I'm sure it will be perfect

Dubai Autodrome has a number of Track configurations (like any race track). The Club Circuit is the shortest (2.56km) using the main straight. There will be two groups - Novice & Advanced. As its your first time, you will have to go in the Novice group.

As for Risks: like any race track, its how hard you want to drive your car, HOWEVER, as you will be in the Novice group, there will no overtaking unless you are on the main straight, and main straight only. DA are always watching you and if you start doing daft stuff, they will haul your ass in and either give you a stern warning or kick you out!

These are the various layouts http://www.dubaiautodrome.com/track-configuration/

You should join though, its good fun.

[Kieran]

Danny, I have only been a passenger around DA and others here with much more experience can comment however being familiar with Bedford I can say the major difference even to me as a passenger is available run off area. As you know Bedford is one of the best places to explore a car with a reduced risk of hitting anything hard, it has such open run off areas you would have to be very unlucky to find a wall. By contrast during my laps around DA it felt like there was much, much less run off, mostly concrete rather than grass. However Bedford is quite exceptional, compared to many other UK circuits I would reckon DA is probably no more risky.

I look forward to driving it myself, with someone experienced to show me around first ideally.

[dxbtiger]

Danny, I've done one track night at the autodrome, you'll be fine.

I did the novice night as first track day in Dubai, the only time I was worried was when a guy in a Z06 cooked his brakes on the corner before the main straight.

The no overtaking except on the main straight is the saviour, some french dude in a 997 S was really pissed off that he couldn't do anything in the corners.

My second session of 3 one of the instructors sat with me and showed me some lines. Also shouted at me cos I braked so early and sat so far away from the steering wheel. After I explained to her that I had to drive the motor to work SHE relented a little

On the flip side, in the 'advanced' section that went out before our first session a guy wrote off a gt3, stacked it hard. Nothing like the ambulance and medical car screaming out as you are sat waiting to go with a helmet on to make the pulse quicken.

[Harris_I]

dxbtiger said:

My second session of 3 one of the instructors sat with me and showed me some lines. Also shouted at me cos I braked so early and sat so far away from the steering wheel. After I explained to her that I had to drive the motor to work SHE relented a little

Worth noting that used late and hard you may be equally or even less likely to cook the brakes than earlier and gentler braking. The longer you stay on the brakes, the less chance they have to cool off before the next corner. (Assuming of course you're using an appropriate brake fluid which I think is a must in Dubai).

[shirt]

i'll be there, touch wood. best circuit for my car.

danny - i've never done uk trackdays, but have done 5 or 6 since buying my clubby at xmas. imo the sessions are very well run, dicking about is not tolerated and the marshalling & safety set up is first rate. sure, some run off areas are slim, but just adjust your driving pace to suit.

just don't go out in a sandstorm, i near shat it when a pair of gt3 ferraris appeared out of the 'fog' and dived past each side of me coming into the braking zone of turn 1!

[Hitch78]

How novice do you have to be to be a novice. And do the cars not just die in the heat?

I've never done a track day but would love a go. Not sure I'd fit in the MX5 with a helmet though...

[IanUAE]

Hitch78 said:

How novice do you have to be to be a novice. And do the cars not just die in the heat?

I've never done a track day but would love a go. Not sure I'd fit in the MX5 with a helmet though...

The best thing to do is to only do a few laps at a time other wise you will cook the brakes, suspension etc. Every novice as do their 1st track day at some point

If you can get upto the autodrome on a Wednesday night you walk / run / cycle round the clubmans circuit. Quite often they still have the turn in, apex and ecorner exit cones laid out from the driving school so you can learn the turn in and apexing positions before hand.

Which reminds me I need to pump up the pushbike tyres for this Wednesday evening.

[yorky500]

Hitch78 said:

How novice do you have to be to be a novice. And do the cars not just die in the heat?

I've never done a track day but would love a go. Not sure I'd fit in the MX5 with a helmet though...

Novice is exactly that - first timers or with one track day. You can basically drive in off the street with your car and do a track day.

Track events on Club circuit go like this

Drivers briefing at 18:00 (all drivers)
18:10 - Advance Drivers go out for a 20 min session (Novice drivers stay for a bit of extra briefing)
18:30 - Advance drivers in, Novice drivers on the track for 20 mins
18:50 - Novice drivers in, Advance Drivers out for 20 mins
19:10 - Advance Drivers in, Novice drivers out for 20 mins
19:30 - Novice drivers in, Advance drivers out for final 20 mins
19:50 - Advance drivers in, Novice drivers out for final 20 mins

Those are near enough the timings. basically, each group gets x3 20 min sessions (60mins/1hr of track time). In each session you go as fast as you want. It really is up to you.

As said before, for Novice drivers, overtaking is only allowed on the main straight. Any idiots on the track will be called in and either sternly spoken to and/or evicted!

Safety at DA is of primary concern. They want to you to leave driving in your car, not your car on the back of as flatbed lorry.

[K50 DEL]

yorky500 said:

As said before, for Novice drivers, overtaking is only allowed on the main straight.

I can see the sense in this, but I stopped doing trackdays at Castle Combe when they bought this rule in as I was driving a relatively low powered car (Fiesta XR2) and was held up on just about every corner by faster machinery that could monster me on the straights but had no clue how to carry speed through bends.

Used to be the corners were where I made my time.... is this not an issue at DA?

[yorky500]

K50 DEL said:

yorky500 said:

As said before, for Novice drivers, overtaking is only allowed on the main straight.

I can see the sense in this, but I stopped doing trackdays at Castle Combe when they bought this rule in as I was driving a relatively low powered car (Fiesta XR2) and was held up on just about every corner by faster machinery that could monster me on the straights but had no clue how to carry speed through bends.

Used to be the corners were where I made my time.... is this not an issue at DA?

In all honesty, it can be. However, the best thing to do is back off, let the car in front get well ahead and then boot it for the whole track length (s).

also, if you will be doing a few of these, then you will probs only have to do the one before you will be allowed into the Advance/Intermediate Group.

[K50 DEL]

To be honest, I'd be doing it in the Corvette, so will have a little more power than an XR2 down the straights as well!!

Are instructors on hand? it's been about 15 years since I was last on a track in anger

[yorky500]

K50 DEL said:

To be honest, I'd be doing it in the Corvette, so will have a little more power than an XR2 down the straights as well!!

Are instructors on hand? it's been about 15 years since I was last on a track in anger

Instructors can be hired for AED300 per 20min session (I think it is for the whole session). Don't think the cost has gone up. I can find out if you like?

[K50 DEL]

yorky500 said:

K50 DEL said:

To be honest, I'd be doing it in the Corvette, so will have a little more power than an XR2 down the straights as well!!

Are instructors on hand? it's been about 15 years since I was last on a track in anger

Instructors can be hired for AED300 per 20min session (I think it is for the whole session). Don't think the cost has gone up. I can find out if you like?

Please.... I might not even be in the country on that date, so don't want to commit to anything, but a price would be handy.

[yorky500]

Confirmed with DA - Instructors are AED300 for a 20min session

[Hitch78]

What kit do you need and is there any essential prep for the car?

[IanUAE]

Hitch78 said:

What kit do you need and is there any essential prep for the car?

Thin soled shoes for feel
Helmet (open face is fine, I think you rent them from the autdrome)
Tyre pressures, set a couple of psi lower than normal as the tyre will heat up
Full tank of fuel as you cannot buy any at the circuit
Check your brake pads and fluid level as the brakes will be used hard at the end of the start / finish straight.

You can always grab laps as a passenger in other peoples cars. I went out in a Radical SR8 last time as a passenger.