Silverstone 5 Day Intensive Driving Course

General Meets + Track Day Reports
1

Well here is a short report, and I mean short, cos it would be impossible to tell you all everything that happened…

First thing was a pretty long lecture on vehicle dynamics, with the beginning of the subject of weight transfer - you would not believe how the weight moves around in response to brake, accelerator, steering wheel, and degree and rate of movement of each of those controls, bearing in mind that the controls produce interacting effects…

Then an equally interesting discussion on heel and toe technique, with the blunt assertion that if we did not bother to do this we might as well go home, cos we would never be competitive…

(If the brake bias is set correctly all wheels will be at their grip limit under full braking, so if you add engine braking to the rears with a mismatched gearchange the rears lock up and you are in trouble…)

We then went off on track to do heel and toe for several hours… and I got the hang of it !!!

Then we discussed racing lines, and the need to get the fastest exit speed from the corners leading onto the straights, and compromising corners that lead to those corners, and approaches to hairpins, etc etc.

Then we went on track to put it into practice, with an instructor at every corner, taking notes…

Every track session was followed by an individual debrief from every instructor on every corner - and they don’t take prisoners, I can tell you

Sometimes we were in single seaters, and we had a steadily rising rev limit to keep things happening at a speed we could learn from…

Other times we were in elises with instructors beside us, giving constant feedback…

WE also did regular car control sessions on slalom courses, getting expert at sliding at varying speeds until it all happened instinctively…

Cars for the slaloms included single seaters, caterhams and an audi A4 on a hydraulic cradle (enough to make you lose your lunch!!)

The control sessions worked so well that by the time we were using full revs I often lost the rear during hard cornering, but just caught it without being bothered in the slightest - something I could not have done before!!! (and of course kicking myself for losing exit speed whilst going sideways!!)

I passed my ARDS OK, but four people didn’t !!!

Separate twin race report to follow

2

Sounds like you had a top time. Good to hear that they are teaching some proper theory. It’s much easier to get a grip on racing technique when you have an idea of what the car is doing underneath you.

Looking forward to seeing you out racing soon.

3

Cheers mike! Sounds great.

A few questions: Was this was at Silverstone? How many days? An idea on cost (presumably not inc accom, etc)? WHAT ABOUT THE RACE?!

Ian

4

Cheers mike! A few questions: Was this was at Silverstone? How many days? An idea on cost …

Here a couple of links that google yielded,…hmmmm wonder if I will get a bonus this year,…and if I do whether I should really spend it on the house hohum I can dream.

Racing Schools Web Page

Some links from the Silverstone Website

TopGear report on some luck g** who won a 5day course

5

Ian,
Check the thread title for your answer

I think mike mentioned the cost in one of his other postings, if not then he told me on the phone - can’t remember now, getting old

6

Phil
I just laughed so loud me troos fell down… when i saw IDG’s question… barmy…


Mike
This course sounds pure dead brilliant… I want one…

I have a huge problem heel n toeing in the exige because my legs are so long… any tips from the course to get me over this?

7

I have a huge problem heel n toeing in the exige because my legs are so long… any tips from the course to get me over this?

Assuming personal major surgery is out of the question (on the grounds of cost, cos you’d have to go “private”),use your left leg/foot, or buy a LHD car & move the steering wheel to the RH side.


[image]http://www.carlschneider.com/portfolio/images/Contortionist.jpg[/image]

Hope this helps.

Good stuff, that Irn Bru

8

Cheers mike! Sounds great.

A few questions: Was this was at Silverstone? How many days? An idea on cost (presumably not inc accom, etc)? WHAT ABOUT THE RACE?!

Ian

Actually the five day course runds over…

four days, and then if you have passed your ARDS you get a race on the fifth day, but if not, you get to watch everyone else…

Cost - around �2000 / �3000 depending on whether you do formula ford or formula first, but there are deals around I have heard

9

Mike
I have a huge problem heel n toeing in the exige because my legs are so long… any tips from the course to get me over this?

Heel and toe is actually a misnomer, and if you can reach the brake pedal you can heel and toe…

Essentially you use the left side of your right foot to push the brake pedal down to maximum braking, at which point it should be on the same horizontal level as the accelerator, and then you roll your foot sideways so the edge just catches the accelerator to blip the engine.

THis bit is done as the gear lever passes through neutral…

Long legs ain’t an excuse my friend, but maybe your pedals need adjusting ??

10

WHAT ABOUT THE RACE?!

Actually I had two races, paying an extra �300 for the second one.

RACE ONE

Qualifying for the first race was in the wet, with rain streaming off my visor, and braking was a bit of a problem, to say the least… as was cornering, accelerating, and principally seeing where the f*ck you are going!!!

I managed to qualify 4th out of seven, so not too bad… and about 8 seconds off dry track pace, so that’s an indication that there is still plenty of speed out there.

The race was later, on a drying circuit, so there was a fair amount of grip, but you still needed to be careful…

(to finish first, first you have to finish)

I got a good start and gained a place or two on the first corner, and then someone buried his nosecone in someone else’s rear end, and we had yellows…

Some kind s*d taught me that if you don’t get caught, it’s OK to overtake on the yellows - lesson learned !!

I eventually finished back where I started, 4th out of 7, and had a great time…

RACE TWO

Qualifying was in the dry, and I put together a string of laps in the mid 44 seconds, including 4 that were within a few tenths of each other, and qualified 2nd, out of four in my class. The top man appeared just for that race - his name was Franz Chung and he had done the course a few years earlier, and done “the odd race or two” in the meantime… He was pretty tasty, posting times we had never seen before!!

Come the start and I used my experience doing sprints, and got the drop on him into the first corner…

Oh sh*t, I’m winning… but he’s faster than me and breathing down my neck !!!

This is where you wish you didn’t have mirrors, cos you tend to drive in the mirrors rather than concentrating on your race rhythm…

I managed to hold him off for three laps, and then outbraked myself into the hairpin, running a couple of feet wide on the apex, and that was enough to give him a better exit and he got me towards the end of the straight…

I finished in second though, with a big on my face…

Guys you must do this course if you can !!

11

Actually the five day course runds over…four days…

See, not such a stupid question!

Well, okay it was!

It would never have happened if Mike had included that little detail in the text of his report, rather than just the title. So I blame him.

Well done Mike! So do you think it has prepared you for your impending beast?

Ian

12

Heel and toe is actually a misnomer, and if you can reach the brake pedal you can heel and toe…

Essentially you use the left side of your right foot to push the brake pedal down to maximum braking, at which point it should be on the same horizontal level as the accelerator, and then you roll your foot sideways so the edge just catches the accelerator to blip the engine.

THis bit is done as the gear lever passes through neutral…

Long legs ain’t an excuse my friend, but maybe your pedals need adjusting ??

True that pedals can be adjusted and it would be much better.
We might actually be able to do it.
But without having yourself long legs, you just couldn’t be positively sure to make a statement like that, eh?

Having said that, I think that Rox and I could have a possibility, as I’ve been playing a bit with the adjustments. It seems that stock the throttle pedal is just too high, but moving it down involved changing a washer under a screw.
And working under the dash is always more difficult when you’re tall, strong and handsome like we

OTOH, I have already H&T’d in other cars, so being able to do it here would be a welcome addition.

13

Well done Mike! So do you think it has prepared you for your impending beast?

Ian

Well, I certainly understand vehicle dynamics a lot better, and I can see where I was losing time, and putting the car in an unbalanced and therefore less grippy state…

I guess I will be a better, faster and safer driver, and with the beast about to roar (purr?) that can’t be a bad thing

But of course I am not perfect, and will still make mistakes !!

14

It seems that stock the throttle pedal is just too high, but moving it down involved changing a washer under a screw.
And working under the dash is always more difficult when you’re tall, strong and handsome like we

I know I’m a shortarse, but my throttle pedal is level with the brake pedal, [color:“red”] when I am full on the brake pedal [/color] and there is plenty of adjustment…

Uldis / Mike The correct procedure to adjust the throttle pedal is in the workshop manual section JH 8, page 15, and if you don’t change the gaps in the order specified, you could end up with incorrectly spaced pedals, and just the difficulties you identify…

15

… shortarse,…

16

Assuming personal major surgery is out of the question (on the grounds of cost, cos you’d have to go “private”),use your left leg/foot, or buy a LHD car & move the steering wheel to the RH side.

Hope this helps.

Good stuff, that Irn Bru

LOL… hey Pesky, how do i also do the clutch then??..

maybe i need to sit in the rear of a 4-seater… anyone know if the S2 exige has got rear seats ??

17

Essentially you use the left side of your right foot to push the brake pedal down to maximum braking, at which point it should be on the same horizontal level as the accelerator, and then you roll your foot sideways so the edge just catches the accelerator to blip the engine.

Cheers Mike

Its probably practice but don’t you find that when you do this you are inclined to lift off the braking a little as you blip the throttle making it a bit ‘rocky’ rather than smooth transition?.. tell me everyone does this until they have practiced it plenty…

Also the problem I have (about the long legs) is that my knees foul on the steering wheel when i’m trying it.

18

Uldis / Mike The correct procedure to adjust the throttle pedal is in the workshop manual section JH 8, page 15, and if you don’t change the gaps in the order specified, you could end up with incorrectly spaced pedals, and just the difficulties you identify…

Cheers Mike… i’ll have a wee look at that…

I think your reports make me want to do this course…

19

don’t you find that when you do this you are inclined to lift off the braking a little as you blip the throttle making it a bit ‘rocky’ rather than smooth transition?.. tell me everyone does this until they have practiced it plenty…

Yes, this is the first problem you need to overcome, and the only real way is to practice… but it does get easier, and surprisingly quickly once you have the basic movement…

One way to practice is to sit with the engine running and the car in neutral, handbrake on, and then brake as hard as you can, and blip away to your hearts content…

We were all doing that whilst we warmed up our engines, and that way you get used to the positions…

One word of warning, though… don’t look down while doing it !!!

20

Mike, we understand the method. In fact, I used to H&T before, just on normal road driving.
But the car does not lend to long legged people. As Rox says

Also the problem I have (about the long legs) is that my knees foul on the steering wheel when i’m trying it.

the problem is with the slight rocking of the foot while you do that.
On us tall people, the knee wedges against the wheel, and THAT is the real problem.
Nevertheless, I will adjust the throttle further down to see if it’s any better.


Note: unless you have a brake bias adjuster, H&T’ing is not completely necessary.
Because you still have, especially in an Elise/Exige, braking force available at the rear.
My method, using the braking system as it is, is precisely to match the engine speed to the road but using the clutch.
This would not be possible if the rear brake bias was set properly.

Now, if you tell me you’re driving a car with a properly adjusted brake bias valve, then the best way to brake is hard and not using my system. You should then H&T always.
See? I’m adaptable (I think you’ve seen me braking hard and under control. )