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Track Driving |
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by Tony Pashley and Matt Deakin
What then, is this addictive side of Seven ownership all about? The very purpose of the Lotus 7 was to be road car during the week and clubman's racer at the weekend. Although motor racing is supposedly more accessible to more people than ever before, the time and money required, the perceived risk to personal safety and the brutally competitive attitude prevalent today keep most of us from getting involved. Driving quickly on a race track in something vaguely resembling a racing car, without those kinds of pressures, is what our track days are all about. They are strictly non-competitive. The idea is to have several sessions driving around the track at your own pace, learning about the circuit, your car and your driving, and most importantly being safe and enjoying yourself. They are also good social events with a great camaraderie. What to expectUnder the guardianship of 7 Challenge Limited, our club track days are very well organised and managed with a firm but discreet hand. You should not be put off by thoughts of all sorts of unruly behaviour on the track; this just isn't tolerated. Despite what you may hear from some quarters, these are still "our events" and are good value. 7 Challenge Limited lay on more facilities than we could ever have managed ourselves; there is proper marshalling and often an array of experienced and well known race drivers on hand to offer tuition, advice and encouragement or a few laps as a passenger. A thorough briefing is given so you'll know how the day will proceed. Where possible, there is a slow familiarisation or convoy run or chauffeured laps at the start of the day to show you the circuit. Participants are divided into three groups broadly on the basis of experience: Red, Blue and Green, as you will have seen on the application forms in Low Flying. Each group has the track to itself for its sessions. As a beginner, you'll be in a group (Green) where the speeds are generally lower, overtaking is restricted to one side and not in corners, or braking areas, and any sort of aggressive driving is a no-no. You'll be out on the circuit for about twenty minutes at a time, which is quite enough, believe me. In all, you would probably get between two and two-an-a half hours on the circuit (which is rather more than a Grand Prix!). Sessions are started, in orderly fashion, from the pitlane (no racing starts!) and a simplified flag system is used for safety. In the event of an incident, such as a spinner stopping in a dodgy spot, or oil on the road or some other hazard, the session may stopped (with red flags) while it's sorted out. The marshals are pretty sharp and won't leave you exposed to unnecessary danger. A typical Lotus Seven Club track dayWith all the excitement, the concentration and the fresh air, it can be quite a tiring day; so get a good night's sleep before and you'll enjoy it all the more. Time flies on these days so get there in good time as there is plenty to do. For a 7 Challenge Limited-run day, you will receive an instruction pack before the event. Let's assume the drivers' briefing is scheduled for 9am or a little before; things generally run pretty slickly after that so you should allow enough time to do the following before the briefing:
Don't be afraid to introduce yourself or ask questions. When you sign on,
you get a timetable, if you haven't received one beforehand, and a variety of labels to
stick on your car, Your carYou certainly do not need to have the very latest specification car with all the bells and whistles and a heavily uprated engine. Some of the people having the most fun have fairly basic cars, and you can have a huge amount of enjoyment before you reach the limit of your equipment. You will see a few very highly developed Sevens with fancy suspension mods, very powerful engines and ludicrously soft tyres. Don't be put off, their drivers are having no more fun than you are. It should be pointed out that while the average Seven will probably run rings around the average road car, the gap between that and a quick, well set up and well driven Seven can be as big again. Don't get disheartened by the sight and pace of the latter: their drivers have been at it quite a while and they may have spent a fortune. The day is as much yours as it is theirs. Naturally, you should give your car a thorough check-over before you take it onto a racetrack. This is your responsibility. Make sure that all systems are working properly and that everything that's meant to be tight is. The build manual gives some guidelines on checking your car over before you race it and this is all good advice. Things that I would do include:
ReliabilityYou will be driving carefully and well within yourself, so you shouldn't be bending your car. If you make sure it's well maintained there's no reason to think it will let you down either. If you do have some mechanical problem, you'll find plenty of people only too happy to help you. You should have a few tools at least, just so you don't look completely ill-prepared! Incidentally, the vast majority of people drive their cars to the circuit; comparatively few have the luxury of trailers and tow cars. Last year, some of the preparation outfits who contest the Caterham race series attended with demonstrators, race drivers and back-up crews who have proved to be very friendly and helpful. SafetyThis is the most important issue of all, but don't be put off by it: it's mostly common sense. Apart from making sure your car works as it should do, you'll need a crash helmet: one that fits you properly. If you borrow one, make sure it doesn't flop about on your head. If you choose to purchase one, don't buy one you haven't tried on. An uncomfortable or badly fitting crash helmet is both a misery and a menace. The dealer should know the procedure for choosing the best fit; if not, go elsewhere. If you're planning to do RAC-sanctioned competitions, including our own Club sprints, your helmet must have an RAC Approval label. In the last five or six years I have only known of one car-to-car accident and that was at modest speed and resulted in only a broken rear wing. The small number of heavy accidents in recent years, resulting in substantial car damage have mainly involved experienced drivers who have been pressing on pretty hard. From this year, you must fit at least the "FIA" type roll-over bar
(about £180) which is a taller and stronger than the standard one (but still fits under
the hood on a de-Dion car), and you must have a fire extinguisher on board (hand-held type
will do, you may then be able to help someone else). I've never heard of anyone
having a fire at one of our events, but that's no reason for us to be complacent.
You are also advised to fit a harness-type seat belt. Behaviour on the trackThe important thing is to drive within your capabilities. No one is going to pressure you to go faster than you want; so long as you use your mirrors and show consideration to other drivers, you'll win far more respect by taking it steady and enjoying your day out than desperately trying to match the pace of the more experienced drivers and getting yourself in a panic. On the whole you'll find that everyone's happy to see you dipping your toe in the water and going home with a grin on your face, your car in one piece. Just take it easy, find out where the track goes and get the feel of your car in new surroundings. Check your mirrors before you go out, use them often and let quicker cars go by. There's no shame or loss of honour in backing off the throttle for a second to let someone by safely. Remember: we're not racing. If you come up to overtake someone else, don't take it for granted they've seen you: be cautious and don't leave yourself with an impossible task at the following corner. If in doubt, don't risk it; and don't get so engrossed that you forget to watch your mirrors. I would say the foregoing should be remembered by everybody, not just first-timers. On Seven Club days, the track will be marked with suggested braking and turning-in points and apexes and so on. These are a very good guide to finding your way round: some may not seem logical to you at first; for example, some of the turn-in points will seem very late on first acquaintance, but the guys who set them out know what they're doing. Elsewhere in this article you will find some comments on other circuit driving days (other than our Club days, that is). These will generally not be Sevens-only days and may not be "grouped" by experience or performance. They may or may not be as scrupulously well-administered but be careful and keep awake and you should be OK. Remember that other types of car will have different performance characteristics they'll be quick and slow in different places to you. Most other cars will be bigger and heavier and take much longer to brake than you. They can be much more of a handful in the corners and their drivers may not be used to watching for very small cars zooming up behind them. Give them room, they've got a whole different set of problems to deal with. Drivers of bigger, more expensive cars tend to have a greater feeling of security and in my experience don't use their mirrors very much; but Seven drivers aren't always Saints either! That all said, driving amongst other types of car is good fun and usually shows what a damn good car a Seven is. Just remember how small and relatively vulnerable you are, and that a seemingly unpromising car in capable hands might be a lot quicker than you. Spectating and passengeringYou don't have to be entered as a driver to come along to a track day. If you want to come along to watch you'll be welcome and normally you'll be able to sign-on as a "passenger" for the day if you wish, and you should find plenty of people willing to take you out for a ride. You will, of course, need a crash helmet for that as well. 7 Challenge Limited can often loan you one on the day for £5, plus a modest returnable deposit. If you're unsure about the whole deal then this can be a very good way of seeing what goes on. These are good social occasions too, so an exploratory fact-finding mission combined with a look at the circuit from the passenger seat can be a good, inexpensive day out. But be warned: it's tremendous fun and once you've seen it you'll likely be itching to have a go yourself! More homework?If you think you want to chat to someone or ask some more questions before you go along, to drive or otherwise, you can phone us (numbers included elsewhere) or any of "the team" could put you in touch with someone else. Please don't bombard 7 Challenge Limited with endless questions; they're not in the business of racecar preparation or 24-hour driver-counselling. There are plenty of club members to look after you. What next?Hopefully that's given you a bit of an insight and some encouragement to come along and have a look. The idea of it may be intimidating but the reality isn't. Approach it sensibly, take it steady and enjoy yourself! We look forward to seeing you. ContactsTony Pashley 0181 771 3704 Your local area organiser (numbers in Low Flying) probably knows who the regular track-day types are in your neck of the woods. Matt and Tony are not connected with 7 Challenge Limited or the organisation of any track days; they're just frequent track users and happy to help you if they can. Other members have expressed a willingness to help out too and look after newcomers. My first time.I can well remember the time when I first went along to have a look at a club circuit day at Goodwood, not knowing a great deal about my car or how to drive it and rather wary of what I would find. After a quarter of a century of attending race meetings as a spectator (and sometimes as hanger-on with a Formula Ford team), I knew what circuits were all about but I was still expecting an intimidating atmosphere for a novice with one summer's Sevening under his belt. But how wrong I was: I think this was the moment I realised what a great club ours is. By no means was everyone a gung-ho, would-be racer with an all-singing, high-spec car; there was a relaxed, nice-to-meet-you sort of atmosphere and those who appeared to be old hands seemed eager to let newcomers share in their enjoyment. Having found someone to take me out as a passenger I soon realised that this was something I had to try for myself. This particular day was wet; wet like a Japanese Grand Prix. Several drivers had gone home early (or not turned up) which left some spaces, so I managed to negotiate a session of lappery in the afternoon. Some of the more experienced members told me what not to do and out I went. The terrible weather was quite useful because it made me very cautious, but after five laps I was hooked. That winter I did an HPC introductory course (which included a few track sessions as well as skidpan and roadcraft) and ever since I've done as many track days as time and funds allow. Tony Authors' credentials (or lack of!)Tony has taken part in about forty track days at a dozen-or more venues over the last five years and made a cautious start at sprinting last season. Has had a few lurid spins and a touch of gravel-rash in his time but hit nothing more robust than a cone. He has, so far, always taken the car home in one piece. Matt is rather more experienced, having done countless track days at more than twenty circuits in Britain and around Europe. Matt gives a fine display of how well you can go, and how much fun you can have, in a fundamentally standard but well set-up 1700 Supersprint. Other optionsThe comments here largely concern our own track events. There are many
opportunities to drive on circuits outside of the club's activities. We've both
attended some of 7 Challenge Limited's other events and those run by Wheeltorque and all
have been excellent. I think it's still possible to do a one-off 7 Challenge Limited
event: this works out costlier but you are almost guaranteed a great day out. These
are obviously mixed-car days, and sometimes feature very serious machinery, but can cater
well for beginners too. The Wheeltorque events have the added Things to take with you: Things to take with you:
Other things you may hear mentionedThere are various bits of racing-derived kit that you may hear talked-about or recommended. You might want to think about these in the longer term if you become smitten by circuit driving, but are not essential for a kick-off. Here are a few of the things that you'll see or hear of:
Get out there and enjoy yourself. Spend your money on opportunities to drive the thing, not on finding reasons to keep it off the road. |
Although the huge under-subscription of our
Silverstone track day in 1995 seemed to be a serious body-blow to the future of our
circuit activities, it has been interesting, and encouraging to have heard, of late, lots
of questions about circuit driving and just what goes on at the
much-talked-of-but-seldom-explained Track Day. 
including a number, a coloured sticker indicating the group you're assigned
to (as a beginner, you'll be in Green) and a sticker for the rear to remind drivers behind
which side they are allowed to overtake on (the left). After the briefing, which you
must attend, there may be time for familiarisation laps or sometimes chauffeured drives by
an instructor or an experienced racer. Your timetable will tell you the times of your
sessions. You join the track from the pitlane so there's no problem joining the session
late, but since you paid for them you may as well be ready in good time. It's a good idea
to warm the car up before you go out and it takes a few minutes to get comfy in the car
and get your crash helmet on and fastened. Each session will be ended with a
chequered flag: very theatrical, I know, but it's the only time most of us will see one
waved at us! You can come in before then if you want to. Some people share a car for
the day: if you do, and are in the same group, I suggest it's more practical, and more
satisfying to do whole sessions each and not change drivers halfway through.
Everything stops for lunch.
This is a recommendation I
would strongly urge you to heed, otherwise you'll not be in control of the car: you'll be
using all your limbs and the steering wheel to brace yourself in the cockpit.
4-point harnesses are about £90; 6-point, a little more. See what others are using
and check them out for fit and comfort. If you get one, spend some time adjusting
properly so that it's comfy. On the track, you need it really tight to do any good:
I know Monsieur Alesi likes his belts slack, but I reckon he's been on the Beef
anyway. (Maybe that's why he's always bumping into things.) You, and any
passenger, must have arms and legs covered-up whilst on the circuit: no shorts or
T-shirts! If you want to do this sort of thing regularly, there are other bits and
pieces you might think about, but find out whether you like it first. There's some
thoughts on this elsewhere in this article. 
element of foreign travel and a sort of holiday atmosphere too. Other clubs and
organisations run track days with varying degrees of efficiency and back-up. Some
are fine, but use your discretion and stick to those that come with personal
recommendations. For those in the South, Goodwood is an interesting prospect for
novices. Because it doesn't currently have a full racing licence, only five cars are
allowed at a time, so you can sometimes be out five laps (12 miles) without seeing another
car. The circuit is exceptionally fast, quicker even than Thruxton, and about 15%
faster than the Silverstone GP circuit. Despite this apparent unsuitability for
Sevens it is tremendous fun; apart from the long straights there are the fast, challenging
corners sadly missing from modern tracks and on mixed-car days, Sevens acquit
themselves well there. There are other club's events all through the year at
Goodwood and they often welcome "outsiders" to swell their numbers. Some events
are better organised and better value than others. Just use your discretion about
who your dealing with and assess the general driving standards before you let rip.
Goodwood normally have a list of what's on during the year. Or ask around. The
Surrey Area has an enthusiastic track-driving contingent, largely brought up on driving
days at Goodwood.