Discussion
Hi All
Purchased a 'roadgoing spec' series 2 160 a few months back and have given it a few road runs around my neighbourhood, but would like to get involved in trackdays. Since a)have never been on such a thing before and b) being foreign don't really know what's the best way of going about it and c) wouldn't want to embarrass/damage myself so would prefer to do it with experienced drivers, I'd like to know - Do you guys arrange 'Atom' trackdays? If so, whereabouts in the UK? I'm here in Hertfordshire so would guess there must be meets somewhere in the SE.
Richard
Purchased a 'roadgoing spec' series 2 160 a few months back and have given it a few road runs around my neighbourhood, but would like to get involved in trackdays. Since a)have never been on such a thing before and b) being foreign don't really know what's the best way of going about it and c) wouldn't want to embarrass/damage myself so would prefer to do it with experienced drivers, I'd like to know - Do you guys arrange 'Atom' trackdays? If so, whereabouts in the UK? I'm here in Hertfordshire so would guess there must be meets somewhere in the SE.
Richard
Hi Richard!
What good taste you have in vehicles! I'm based in Camden Town, so trackdays in this neck of the woods suit me perfectly too.
My best advice for getting the hang of trackdays - and not too far away for you - is to try Bedford Autodrome.
RMA do days there (next one's on Dec 11th), and Bedford organise their own, too. It's a great track - loads of run off in case of mistakes, and perfect to learn on.
I'll join you there next year when the weather's better!
What good taste you have in vehicles! I'm based in Camden Town, so trackdays in this neck of the woods suit me perfectly too.
My best advice for getting the hang of trackdays - and not too far away for you - is to try Bedford Autodrome.
RMA do days there (next one's on Dec 11th), and Bedford organise their own, too. It's a great track - loads of run off in case of mistakes, and perfect to learn on.
I'll join you there next year when the weather's better!
Well done; aren't they chuffing great?
I'm near Kingston upon Thames, so also trackdays in the same area.
Best to start with airfield track days, since there are no barriers (they are fab even when experienced, since you can push much much harder in safety). The Palmerdrome at Bedford is one; Bruntingthorpe is another. Check out www.uktrackdays.co.uk for the best listing I know of. There is also a magazine called Circuit Driver, but that's probably a bit hard-core at this stage, which has a good listing.
I wouldn't venture out until spring on a first-time basis, since wet and cold never help with confidence (although make little real difference except to lap time and fewer people crash in the wet), especially in an Atom. The 160 is a great car to start with, since its got plenty of poke and not too much grip with a lovely balance.
Secondly, its really really worthwhile to invest in some instruction. I'm happy to help if I am there, but I would go to someone like Robb Gravett www.ultimatecarcontrol.com who can teach you about vehicle dynamics (which very few instructors understand properly, never mind about teach). Its expensive compared with a normal track day, but you learn so much and it stays with you. Bank on around £500 a day for two-on-one instruction. If its a lot less than that, its probably not worth having.
MC
I'm near Kingston upon Thames, so also trackdays in the same area.
Best to start with airfield track days, since there are no barriers (they are fab even when experienced, since you can push much much harder in safety). The Palmerdrome at Bedford is one; Bruntingthorpe is another. Check out www.uktrackdays.co.uk for the best listing I know of. There is also a magazine called Circuit Driver, but that's probably a bit hard-core at this stage, which has a good listing.
I wouldn't venture out until spring on a first-time basis, since wet and cold never help with confidence (although make little real difference except to lap time and fewer people crash in the wet), especially in an Atom. The 160 is a great car to start with, since its got plenty of poke and not too much grip with a lovely balance.
Secondly, its really really worthwhile to invest in some instruction. I'm happy to help if I am there, but I would go to someone like Robb Gravett www.ultimatecarcontrol.com who can teach you about vehicle dynamics (which very few instructors understand properly, never mind about teach). Its expensive compared with a normal track day, but you learn so much and it stays with you. Bank on around £500 a day for two-on-one instruction. If its a lot less than that, its probably not worth having.
MC
Gassing Station | Ariel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff