Interesting view on trackaction & Donnington trackday

[Martin]

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?t=102096

[J o n]

A quote from some CS muppet:

In my honest impression the conditions and pittyful organisation of a recent Track-Action event I attended did nothing but put me off this company for good.

The driver briefing was a pittyful do's and don'ts of track days - with no formal pace-car led laps or advice on driving there and with so many CS members there it was hardly surprising to see a Clio on its roof within a few moments, and later a 106 GTi sideways into the pitlane wall - which apparently had an instructor on board for!

Compare this to say, a Renault Sport track day - pace car led laps, proper driver briefings including the layout and discussion about the circuit is definately the way forward. Renault Sport can do nothing wrong with the excellent track days I've seen at Brands Hatch and Oulton Park.

Its about time the ATDO start to clamp down on companies like this, who in my personal opinion, do nothing but tarnish the track day scene as "Drive your car as fast as possible with the blatent dis-regard for other road users you normally give on a Saturday morning trying to get into your local shopping centre".

Very disappointing and good riddens.


I'll start at the top and give my reasons why I think this is harsh and unfair:

The brief was fine, being a trackday noob I was nervous taking my car on track but the briefing helped put me at ease, Simon never complicated anything by telling you unnecessary that would only confuse you... I suppose women can be different and would rather have chapter and verse of do's, don't and any other crap you can tell them though ;)
Simon even said he'd seen most of the people there before and knew them as experienced track goers, but from WC, NOT Clio bloody Sport (yes, that's right, this was a WC organised event, so it's forgivable imo for Simon to assume people knew what they were doing for the most part!).
Scott crashing my former car (bless it's sole... lol) was nothing more than Scott going for it too much, but the track being wet and greasy there was nothing he could have done... we were however warned about the aviation fuel on a wet track beforehand... don't really know what else can be said, the rest is up to the individual and common sense... and we all know Scott's off his tits anyway! lol

As this was my first trackday I have nothing to compare it against, but for the money it costs I dont want to be held up by being told every corner on the track in gory detail, let me out there and i'll see for myself and as for pace cars, **** THAT! That would also spoil my fun, "at my own pace" was what I was hearing all day. Fine by me, as my pace was okay and controlled and I never bothered going out with Simon or Louise and didn't come off the track once. Simon told me I would be fine going round with 2 live anyway and said he's as good as any instructor they had seen, again, I was happy with this and felt relaxed on track. The only thing I wasn't comfortable with was that certain idiots would not move their slow ass piece of shit cars out the way for laps at a time, Simon picked up on this and myself and 2 live/Yozza never had this problem again, he said he'd sort it and did... most enjoyable day I have ever had, deffo the most fun you can have with your trousers on, so why dont people get off their case instead of nit picking and putting the knife in? Maybe they have made some major balls up, but it's not adversely affected us and as I've only ever had good dealings with them I cant see a reason to jump on the bandwagon slagging him and his wife off.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Chris n' Nic is correct in his CS post. A proper briefing was given at my first trackday at Ty Croes, and there were sighting laps and plenty of instructors to hand.

I thought it was very well organised.

[Martin]

getting interesting...I have to say all the trackdays I have been on with TA have been spot on Oulton, Ty CRoes and Donnington although I agree that a sighting lap behind a pace car may have been appropriate at Donny especially as it was sooo slippy.

[richy]

to be fair all the trackdays ive done with track action have been fine, always had a breifing before hand, told all points etc cant fault them myself

[edde]

I can fault them but there nothing seriously worng ok the briefing was short and there didn't look like any insructers out there if so they might have stopped me overtaking somone on the bends on the wrong side (wasn't my fault). However most of us if not all of us had atteneded track days with Simon before.
There a few mistakes in the CS posters remarks though
1) the 106 didn't go in a few minutes after the Clio and if I remember the insructer said is was due to the drivers lift of that he crashed which was against what he was told.
2) What more advice can you want beyond being given free instruction? All other companys I've been with charge for this about £40 for 1/2 or so this is free with track action I don't think you can get any better instruction.
3) No warm up lap Ok but it was wet and some people weren't out to set the recors to quick but what could Simon have done people didn't crash on there first laps so they had an idea which way the track went. Other track days I've been on don't include track laps although I do think there a good idea for people who start doing track days or unfamial with the circuit. Personally I'd prefere more open pit lane so it didn't bother me.
4) Renault sport charge more than track action I think and no tea and biscuits and no instruction.
5) ATCO should shut companies like this down humm noone died the only injoury was when the Clio rolled and the owner (I don't think) remembered to go in straight as he had been told at the breifing so what more needed to be done?
The only track day organisers I've even been unhappy with were the FCS lot but that wasn't so much the FCS organisers it was the fcs people themselves who had badly arranged the circuit although the track people they didn't think enough about the track organisation.

[2 live]

only done 2 trackdays with track action, both been spot on tbh

only little gripe i had was at oulton, was a bit nervous of going round in the wet and wanted to take an instructor with me, but after being sat waiting for 1/2 hour i jus wanted to get on track, so went out on me own, well took northy lol. took si the instructor out not long after id done me own sighting laps, dont think i was far off the mark for lines on me own tbh, altho i was going into some too tight and relying on the slight understeer of the power/wet track conditions to take me up to the apex, think i managed to scare him a time or 2 as well lol



donnington was bang on the money for me, like evryone else has already stated, the onmly accidents were driver error, and in scotts case he was unlucky to dig in the gravel, but he had been warned. and in stus case he was just unlucky the pit wall was there, if it had been pretty much anywhere else on track it wudda bin another slide over the crass

[Bayliss]

Chris n' Nic is correct in his CS post. A proper briefing was given at my first trackday at Ty Croes, and there were sighting laps and plenty of instructors to hand.

I thought it was very well organised.

i'll agree with that, it was my first track day at Ty Croes and i found that having the pace car take u round to show u main braking points and where to be positioned on the track which i found very helpful, if this cliosporter is not happy with the service from TA why go slagging it off round CS???? I mean it serves no purpose telling everyone that u whern't happy with TA's organisation when there are another 30+ WC members and i'm assuming CS members which where happy with the organisation from track action. Just because this certain person did not take the oppotunity to ask any questions when asked by simon/louise when they where unsure about actions which should be taken on track, they have no-one to blame but thierselves!!

This in my opinion is a childish reaction to say "don't use TA bcos they didn't give me the relavent info i needed for on track" when there was blatently an oppotunity to raise any quieries after briefing. This only spoils it for thoose guys who like TA organisation and thier abililty to organise track days for us all. I hope that simon/louise do not take any offence to any posts putting down thier company when so many are happy with the service they provide!!!!

[j3ned]

Your taking this to serious - chill