Typical Track Day
Do you want to test you and your car to the limit in a safe environment? Do you want to have some fun without the risk of losing your licence? If yes then a track day is for you!
A typical track day and itinerary is as follows:
Typical Itinerary
You should arrive at the circuit at approx. 8:00am (morning session and full day), 12.00pm (afternoon session) or 4pm (evening session).
Once there you will be directed to registration, here you will sign all relevant paperwork and display your driving license.
You will be given a sticker to display on your vehicle; this will indicate your group (morning, afternoon or full day).
After you have registered you must attend a drivers' briefing; this normally lasts about 15 minutes. Here you will be briefed on how the day is going to run, track etiquette, circuit training and any other information relevant to the day.
During the course of the day instruction will be made available from qualified ARDS licensed instructors. Extra instruction can be booked at registration.
Once the event signing on and briefing are complete, circuit novices and track day virgins are assembled in the pit lane for a familiarisation session.
What is open pit lane? (all Circuit Days events in 2010 will be run in open pit lane format)
Basically, the circuit opens at approx. 9.00am and closes at 5pm, with a break for lunch of approx. 1 hour. There are no sessions, meaning you can come and go as you please, although it is advised and left to the discretion of the driver to take appropriate breaks during the course of the day.
The main advantages of open pit lane format track days are:
- Unlimited track time
- Flexibility to go out on circuit as and when you please
- Maximum value for money, especially for dual drivers
- No feeling of having to ‘maximise’ a session and therefore possibly take unnecessary risks
What do we mean by sessions?
On a typical session track day all attendees will be split up into one of three groups; novice (first timers), intermediate and advance depending on track experience. You should nominate your ability group when booking your track day.
The circuit opens with the first session at 9:00am with the advanced group for 20 minutes, followed by the intermediate group for 20 minutes and then the novice group for 20 minutes. This rotation will repeat up until 1:00pm when the circuit closes for lunch. A 1-hour break is taken; circuit snack bars and restaurants are open for food and refreshments.
The circuit re-opens for the first afternoon session at 2:00pm with the advanced group, the intermediate group at 2:20pm and then finally the novice group at 2:40pm. Again this rotation will repeat up until 5:00pm when the circuit closes for the day.
The main advantages of sessioned track days are:
- You will be grouped with drivers of similar ability
- On occasion you may be grouped with cars of similar performance
- Novices and intermediates usually find sessioned days less intimidating
