After a few aerodrome days I did my first proper circuit yesterday at Donington and had an absolute blast .
It was only after booking with a few friends that I discovered that Trakzone (Doningtons trackday company), was often referred to as 'Chavzone' :? . As it turned out it was no worse than any other public trackday I've been on and getting to drive donny on a summer sunday for £120 was a bargain IMO.
The day was run as 3 x 20 minute sessions per hour (total of 7 sessions); novices, experienced and corporate. I and most of the buddies I'd booked with were in the novices and we had no issues with any of the other cars on track. Even though some of them turned into mobile chicanes as we learned the track and got faster 8) .
The sessions seem to work really well. From what I saw there were no more than 20 cars on the track at a time (often less). In the afternoon myself and two 997s got out at the front of the field and were never caught 8) and only got held up when we lapped some of the back markers. At the end we were easily getting an out lap, 8 fast laps and a full cooling down lap in each session.
As a track, Donny is brilliant even for a beginner like me. Apart from Goddards there didn't appear to be any parts of the track that you could hit something solid if you lost it. Getting to drive a track with elevation changes aswell as bends was a real eye opener about what my 964 can do. Craner curves is a real adrenaline rush when you keep on the gas, Coppice can be a heartstopper if you brake too late for what is essentially a blind right angle in the first part of the double apex bend and Redgate is so difficult to get right because it seems to tighten just when you think you're coming out of it. It was here that I had my only little oversteer moment of the day but managed to get her back in shape with a little throttle and opposite lock :wink:
I would thoroughly recommend Donnington as the next step to a proper race circuit after doing airfield days.
Footnote - the corporate session was booked by the Audi TT owners club. There were about 100 cars in the car park (I think it was a combined meet and trackday) but only about 10 ventured on the track . I guess it's possible to block book one session for as few as 20 cars.
It was only after booking with a few friends that I discovered that Trakzone (Doningtons trackday company), was often referred to as 'Chavzone' :? . As it turned out it was no worse than any other public trackday I've been on and getting to drive donny on a summer sunday for £120 was a bargain IMO.
The day was run as 3 x 20 minute sessions per hour (total of 7 sessions); novices, experienced and corporate. I and most of the buddies I'd booked with were in the novices and we had no issues with any of the other cars on track. Even though some of them turned into mobile chicanes as we learned the track and got faster 8) .
The sessions seem to work really well. From what I saw there were no more than 20 cars on the track at a time (often less). In the afternoon myself and two 997s got out at the front of the field and were never caught 8) and only got held up when we lapped some of the back markers. At the end we were easily getting an out lap, 8 fast laps and a full cooling down lap in each session.
As a track, Donny is brilliant even for a beginner like me. Apart from Goddards there didn't appear to be any parts of the track that you could hit something solid if you lost it. Getting to drive a track with elevation changes aswell as bends was a real eye opener about what my 964 can do. Craner curves is a real adrenaline rush when you keep on the gas, Coppice can be a heartstopper if you brake too late for what is essentially a blind right angle in the first part of the double apex bend and Redgate is so difficult to get right because it seems to tighten just when you think you're coming out of it. It was here that I had my only little oversteer moment of the day but managed to get her back in shape with a little throttle and opposite lock :wink:
I would thoroughly recommend Donnington as the next step to a proper race circuit after doing airfield days.
Footnote - the corporate session was booked by the Audi TT owners club. There were about 100 cars in the car park (I think it was a combined meet and trackday) but only about 10 ventured on the track . I guess it's possible to block book one session for as few as 20 cars.