horney™
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,289
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May 16, 2009 18:47:20 GMT
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Hi Folks,
Long time no post. Don't get a smuch net time as I used to but I do get on here occasionally and read threw a few choice threads.
Anyway I post this because I sold my T25 camper last weekend and bought a track ready MKII GTU 8v (see Readers Rides for more info on the car). I'm dead excited about getting out on track soon and should be doing a couple of days at Castle combe in about a months. Just wondered how many others on here track their retro and how you find it. I want to hear your tales of fun, fright and joy behind the wheel.
Nick
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May 16, 2009 18:54:11 GMT
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Something I'm interested to know too, some of my 602cc chums and I have spoken about doing a track day but are worried we'd get in the way of people with serious cars.
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"Chasin' the gash, with a four-out-the-dash"
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horney™
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,289
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May 16, 2009 19:04:39 GMT
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My first day is going to be with a load of Porsche 928's at Combe as well as a mate in 2.0 8v Golf2 Syncro track car. It's a sessioned day with a max of 12 cars per session so should be plenty of space to have fun and to let the faster cars by.
Nick
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May 16, 2009 19:21:00 GMT
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I used to do trackdays in a mini - great fun....for a while. There was another guy in a mini who went often, so I had someone to compete against, but the rest of the field were in much more powerfull cars. Yeah a mini is good on the corners, but up the knockhill start-finish hill, its laughably slow. I got fed up of being a rolling-roadblock. Nobody was nasty about it, but it was a bit soul-crushing watching everyone else streaming past on the straights. I gave it up for a while, then got back into it with a 205 gti with an MI16 engine - back to being competitive, but then the prices of early import scoobies and evos went through the floor and I was back to being the rolling roadblock. Gave it up altogether in the end. I would have happily kept it up but at events for older cars if such a thing existed, but the knockhill general trackdays are open to anything, and the club days were rare.
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1986 Panda 4x4. 1990 Metro Sport. 1999 Ford Escort estate.
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May 16, 2009 19:39:14 GMT
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Sad to see you've sold the wedge, but a track prepped golf is a worthy replacement Did Oulton in the 205 in february and it was by far the best day I've ever had. Learned more about driving fast that day than the rest of my driving put together What days are you at combe? Might pop along for a look!
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1997 TVR Chimaera 2009 Westfield Megabusa
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CIH
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,466
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May 16, 2009 19:51:38 GMT
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I's like to put my S12 round Oulton but it's not to hot at the moment ie; knackered bushes, curse word tyres etc.
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spacekadett
Part of things
F*cking take that Hans Brrix!!
Posts: 830
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May 16, 2009 22:25:17 GMT
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I've done three Marham trackdays in the old Kadett, plus at the last two Spring Nats we've had use of Curborough sprint track. Would've been rude not to take advantage of that wouldn't it? ;D I'm not bothered about not being the fastest as there's usually a good mix of stuff there to dice with, a certain cosmetically challenged 2002 bimmer for a start
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Mechanic's rule #1... If the car works, anything left on the floor after you finished wasn't needed in the first place
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horney™
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,289
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May 16, 2009 22:34:04 GMT
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Interesting stuff huys, keep it coming. I keep watching in car footage on you tube of people tracking MKII's and the next 6 weels can't go fast enough!
Adam 26th of June is the 1st one.
Nick
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May 17, 2009 10:53:10 GMT
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more mobile chicane than roadblock but thats me.... I trackday the 2002 at marham and curborough like SK, and I am not the fastest out there by a long chalk. thing is you will get someone who will get annoyed with you over it, but thats just because they're an anal retentive. listen to the breifing you attend and know the rules of the track, the people that don't at marham usually act like planks and you really have to watch out or you steer into a saxo. or they act like real tools and stick it on its roof. don't get out of peoples way through twisties, I did once and will never do it again. I span out and was very unpredictable so no-one was going to get past me. just becuase its a lotus carlton breathing down your neck, use all of the space you need and hold your line- the faster cars use the straights for overtaking. besides, on a trackday you won't be allowed to overtake through the bends. you all pay the same for the track so get the same ammount of space and lines. don't get too worried about over powered J barges, they hoon the straights but often they can't round the corners due to the power is too great and they spin off. great fun having a skyline with 600bhp follow you into a set of curves only for him to be a few car lengths back when you exit ;D best advice is listen hard to the breifing, look around you as some people think they can choose either side of you to pass and drive for yourself. and its not a race, its a trackday, so stick to a pace that suits you. also take the first lap or two a bit slow and get some sighting in, take notice of any markings/cones/features like manhole covers to use as turn/braking points for later when you do give it the beans. take a pair of rims to drive home on, even if they aren't the best or matching. its likely you might do a pair of tyres if the track is grippy, and the last thing you want is some points from a local bobby for lack of tread. I do a set of fronts on the 2002 at marham due the lack of camber and super grippy tarmac. check your levels periodically during the day (ask the clio 16v driver who seized the engine due to lack of oil) and remeber to torque your wheels up after a session if you swap over for the day. you don't need brilliant tyres to have fun on track, slicks and ditchfinders on a nova make for a very entertaining ride ;D I use t-1rs as they are cheap and good. above all, enjoy yourself also, check out my old thread I did when I popped my trackday cherry- retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=16380oh, ;D although a change to a 5 series is planned next year. power, LSD and cheap wheels ;D
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May 17, 2009 15:53:40 GMT
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With a normal retro I guess you're going to be a little bit in the way of people with money/quick stuff, but would somebody like me be generally dangerous with my whopping 29bhp? I realise whatever I do a track day in, there will be somebody faster, but I'm worried about causing an accident with my 80mph top speed...
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"Chasin' the gash, with a four-out-the-dash"
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dugong
Posted a lot
One Of Us Will Live To Rue The Day We Met Each Other (Wire : 2008)
Posts: 3,292
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May 17, 2009 16:07:28 GMT
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With a normal retro I guess you're going to be a little bit in the way of people with money/quick stuff, but would somebody like me be generally dangerous with my whopping 29bhp? I realise whatever I do a track day in, there will be somebody faster, but I'm worried about causing an accident with my 80mph top speed... I can turn up in my Amazon if you don't want to be the slow one at the back
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PhoenixCapri
West Midlands
Posts: 2,685
Club RR Member Number: 91
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May 17, 2009 17:26:35 GMT
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Thats what the Escort is for these days, and its fantastic fun. ;D When I started using it well I didn't stand a chance except in the corners, now I can hold my own against anything except westys and J nutter stuff. It's all about knowing how to get the most out of your car, with 160bhp I can beat M3's driven by people who have all the money and not a lot of skill or idea (or don't want to crash!), and that's enough for me - never going to be the fastest but I'll have a hell of a grin on my face, especially when the M3 driver asks what's under the bonnet and I tell him its a Mondeo engine that cost £100 Plus there's always a few people like me around, often in Pug 205's or the like (once had a great 20mins playing about with an XK120 on crossplys ), quick in the corners but not on the straights. You learn to find these people and have fun going at their speeds. Just keep out of the way of the really fast stuff, and if something 'fast' is holding you up in the corners but basting away on the straights, either back off and give yourself some room, have a quiet word bout him using his mirrors, or if you get very pee'd off late brake him into a slow bit and hope the marshalls don't spot you Though to be honest at most places the marshalls are very good and will blue flag people that are clearly in the way. And the best bit of using a retro is all the good vibes you get from people for using it, comment from of the day for me last time was an old boy marshall telling his mate that if he could choose any car to be driving it'd be mine, that and the competition the guys in a lotus were having betting when I'd spin - which I didn't (got flipping close, lock stop and all that! ) So go for it and post when and where you go and someone might come along
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GavinJ
Club Retro Rides Member
MGB 3.9 v8 Sebring
Posts: 927
Club RR Member Number: 209
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May 17, 2009 18:13:53 GMT
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I've used retro's for trackdays and its a really good experience, go for it! just make sure you do all your usual checks (just like you do before a long trip) before you hit the track and as long as your cars mechanically sound you should have no problems. Like phoenixescort said its not all about speed, i have passed some cars that on paper should be flying around the track but its all down to the driver.....and i think its good to go round in something a little bit slower as its enables to concentrate on gaining speed in other areas i.e. corners!! there are so many cars i come accross that rely on top end speed on the straights and then crawl through the bends. Some pic's, My old Mk2 Golf GTI 8v at donington, also went round the 'ring in it aswell! My MGB at donington,
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horney™
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,289
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May 17, 2009 18:58:13 GMT
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Great stuff guys. Seems everyone is enjoying it no matter what they tool round the circuit in. For info my car is this one: retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=60568I'm sorting out some standard GTI steels for getting to and from the circuit as the cut slicks will get mullered. Also going to assemble a box of spares containing stuff like brake pads, cap, arm, leads and plugs etc incase anything needs changing out. Nick
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J.P
Posted a lot
I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Posts: 1,175
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May 17, 2009 19:53:49 GMT
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tri
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,572
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May 17, 2009 20:01:42 GMT
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How much is entry on average for a trackday (say a full day at a decent track)?
I'm very hopefully picking up an AW11 MR2 T-bar in the very near future, and would be awesome to make it a barrel of laughs track day car/fun road car.
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I forgot how to retro...
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May 17, 2009 20:41:25 GMT
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Horney, do you buy MKII GTIs to wind me up? Whenever I look for one I can only find utter wibblepoo!
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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horney™
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,289
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May 17, 2009 22:04:51 GMT
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Sorry mate, they just seem to turn up whenever I fancy one! TBH honest I can't believe I got this one for £500. My Mate who came to look at it with me, who also runs a track MKII, reckoned it should have gone for £1K if it had been taxed and advertised on the right forums.
Nick
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Colonelk
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,742
Club RR Member Number: 83
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May 17, 2009 22:25:25 GMT
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I remember doing donington in my 2.0 carlton. Thats 115bhp in a carlton heh. Admittedly stripped. There was another lad their in a diesel 307 as well having a great time. No-one gets annoyed as long as you let faster cars through.
Said trackday we had problems with an E-type v12..... he's go slowly slowly slowly through the corners (and of course you can overtake on corners), would then move over on the straight as if to let everyone else past, and would then floor the fecker! So noone could get past! He got black flagged in the end!
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chevin
Part of things
Posts: 10
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May 26, 2009 11:18:14 GMT
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I do trackdays in; a Porsche 924 (see the second half of bodieanddoyles vid on the previous page), a Senator 24v, an Omega Evo500, and a Jag XJR. Don't worry about being slow - the quicker cars appreciate something to overtake, and you'll catch (many of) them in the bends!
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