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MG MGF Technical - Race day question

Hi All,

I got a track day coming up and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips (from experience) like:

~ Is it worth taking the spare out (or does it change the weight distribution too much)
~ Tyre info (new 16" P7000 fitted)

Matt

P.S I use to read / post to the BBS every day but I stopped reading / posting because of all the "crap" that some people are causing. Why doesn't the BBS webmaster make people register and then have to login to the BBS (login only needed when you try to post)Just like you have to do to log into the achives. The register process can email you a "password" (which means that you have to have a valid email address) "Crap" posters can then have there accounts disabled

I know that people can still get around it, but they would have to go to more enough ( registrying a new email address, new bbs id, waiting for the password email... may just take too much time to do every day)
Matthew Minion

Matt,
the spare wheel form part of the crumple zone/energy absorbtion thingy in a crash, therefore not wise to remove it, especially in a higher risk than normal situation.
Get everything else out tho.
Have Fun.
G
Gareth

Matt,

It is upto you whether or not you keep the spare in, when I used to sprint I used to take it out just to make the car lighter but on track days I don't think I bothered as I did them for fun rather than being on the pace.
Try it see what you think.

As for tyres it will be worth pumping them up a few PSI.

Rememeber a trackday is for fun and not for racing as accidents can easily happen.

Tom
Tom Randell

Hi, I would love to take my car round a track...how and where can I do this?
Steve Marsh

If the spare wheel was such an essential component of the crash structure, why is the spare an optional extra on the Trophy 160?

It isn't. Another bit of MGFolk lore.

As Tom mention I usually remove the not insubstantially weighty wheel when sprinting- it has no obvious deleterious effect on the handling. But to be quite honest for track days, I often leave the wheel in place. Again as Tom says, Track days are a bit of fun and not competitive events. Entirely up to you.

Before the track day, check all fluid levels (oil/water) and tyre condition/ pressure. Famously, we spotted severely damaged tyres on Andy Bate's F before the Wethersfield track day that would have been very dangerous. The scrutineer missed this!!! I usually run higher- than normal pressures for track days: 28-30 psi all round. And that's about it for car preparation.

Track day info often gets posted onto the Motorsport BBS linked below Steve- and MGF days often get advertised on the General board.
Rob Bell

> the spare wheel form part of the crumple zone/energy absorbtion thingy in a crash

I think I'm right in saying that the Trophy doesn't have one - if so, how did it get through type approval if its crumple zone in compromised by removing the wheel?

Neil.
Neil

Hey, synchronicity!
David Bainbridge

Steve Marsh, there are a whole plethora of sites around that organise track days, I've got one booked at Anglesey on the 6th Oct - Matt from London (ex MGF'er, now Manta'er) is going to be there as well. Trying to persude Rob Bell to go, but I guess he's got more important things, like wedding using wedding cars tonbridges to arrange ;)

Via http://www.bookatrack.com and its a hugely expensive price (not) of £99. + £5 if you need a helmet (you do need one to go onto the track).

Other than that, nothing more to it.

Matthew, you'll probably have to take the jack & tools out of the bonnet as these can float around and cause damage should you take a spin cross country. Same applies to boot, so you might want to take something you can put them into or under at the circuit. (i.e a cover of some description to keep prying eyes out would be fine).

Other than that, take care, *do* have tuition if its available, you'll get lots of valuable experience from this. Mainly, don't brake through corners and don't lift off around them either ;) - I did and nearly lost it as Rob Bell will testify ;)

Lastly... Safety Fast :)

Steve.

Steve.
Steve Childs

Check your brake fluid/pads before you go - I recently had a track day at Castle Coombe and wore down the front pads to the metal, had to drive home on the handbrake, whoops !

I would pump the tyres up a bit, give the sidewalls a bit of extra support. I wouldn't bother removing the spare, you might need it to get home...

Apart from that, hire a helmet and have fun. As everybody else has said, remember it's not actually a race, it's your car so you'll not want to wreck it!

If the worst does happen, don't forget that your standard road insurance definitely won't cover you for a track day, so you can either buy special 1 day track insurance, or if something does happen, get somebody else to tow you to a convenient ditch away from the circuit before you phone the AA...
Dan Burges


Tyre pressures :
Hmmm... I usually drop mine a bit.
I aim for coming off the track to have the pressures at 32psi all round. Tyres heat up lots round a track, thus I drop the pressures.
I have 15" wheels though. 16" will have different figures I guess.

(Sprints are different: we get no time to get heat into the tyres on a single run)

Opinions ?

Spare wheel:
Take it out! Makes sod all difference to the crumple zone (I cite the trophy with it's lack of wheel!). Improves your speed as the car is lighter. <g> ;-)
Minumal difference in balance.

Also...
As others have said, don't lift off... especially when gone in too fast too deep. You'll just spin!

Go slow, work up to fast speeds.

Never try for "one last fast lap". You'll crash.

Have a warm down lap. Let the car recover.

If hammering the brakes, when finished stop the car in gear and don't use the handbrake as it can sometimes warp discs.

If the brakes go soft... slow down. Obvious, but so many people don't. <g>

Above all, enjoy!!!

P.
Paul Nothard

>>>> don't forget that your standard road insurance definitely won't cover you for a track day,
Er, that's not necessarily so....a GOOD road policy will cover you for certain types of trackday and driver training days, it depends on the insurance company and also on the track day, who is running it, how it's structured etc. Just ring your company, talk to five people before you find someone that knows the answer ;-)
David

All,

Thanks all for info.. it's been taken on board

In OZ there a loop hole in insurance (that most people don't know) If there is no "timing" it is not a race event and the race track becomes a standard road. Of course you normally have to take the insurance company to court to prove the point (it's funny I was told this piece of info from a lawyer, who flipped his WRX at a Porsche training school... we all know he was pushing it very hard to out show the german metal)

Matt
Matthew Minion

No timing is part of the essentials here too. A well-organised outfit will actively prevent even a friend with a stopwatch standing trackside...
David

They do that because any timing will also negate their liability insurance.

Anyway, first track day....well first track day, i got new tyres, S02s, green stuff pads, braided brake pipes and got the tracking done. So all in all i went well over the top. having said that with bradied pipes and greenstuff i never had any brake fade at all.

Remove everything from the car inside, personally i have never bothered with the spare wheel, check fluid levels as has been mentioned. and take it easy to start with. Make sure you keep an eye on your mirror and if anybody is getting close, just let them past. No need to stay ahead of them, and trust me if you don't let them past even for half a lap you will start pushing yourself past the limit

Also if it starts getting a bit hairy which it can if you are in a slower car and theres lots of big beasty cars screaming past you and playing with each other, remember you can always pull into the pits and wait for a clear bit of track. I've only done this once but i was glad i did. Had about six cars all around me trying to get ahead of each other.

be careful with the brakes, as well as not using the hand brake don'e cruise in after a session with your foot on the brake either. discs will warp.

Where are you going on your first day?

Matt

The Germans go one better - the Nürburgring is OFFICIALLY a 'one way toll road with no speed restrictions'

Again timing is not encouraged but if you have a GPS unit that does it for you!

Ted
Ted Newman

Main reason timing isn't encouraged on the ring is cos it leads to people killing them selves.

and one big down side of their system, is things like tour buses cruising round the ring, just what you want to find round a blind bend, all the tourists can take photos as you disappear underneath the bus
Matt

>Main reason timing isn't encouraged on the ring is cos it leads to people killing them selves.<

Yes - so isnt that why it is frowned on at the other circuits!

>and one big down side of their system, is things like tour buses cruising round the ring, just what you want to find round a blind bend, all the tourists can take photos as you disappear underneath the bus<

Oh dear Matt you are a funny person - it is ONE WAY even for the odd bus (not that I have actually seen one on the ring) and on any circuit you stand the chance of catching up on slower vehicles - isn't that what driver skill is about?

Ted

Ted Newman

In response to both of those comments, the fact remains that the ring is the most challenging circuit there is, where as with somewhere like donnington you have an idea of the circuit after a while, with the ring it takes for ever so a higher risk of accident and less saftey features aswell, lots of blind bends etc. but yes thats why timing isn't aloud here i guess.

As for buses, i know they all go the same way, but on a track day the chances of a blind bend and then finding something in the way is less. OK you get spinners, but they are trying to get out of the way and there are flags to warn you reducing the chance of an accident. a bus travelling at 30 on the other side of a blind bend when a bike or car comes flying round and the bus is in its line has got to scare anybody. and the fact is there is a lot more traffic that is not trying ot go quickly, which you don't get on a track day (unless its an MX5 track day)

and anyway.....well..just ..yeah and .......humph (i'm only bitter cos i couldn't go on the treffen)
Matt

YEP

I guess that is what makes the 'ring so fascinating and it is now 44 years since my first visit and I still love the place!

BTW in those days it was still a 'race track' in the full meaning. The first meeting I ever saw there I watched Stirling Moss get through 3 cars in one race!

Ted
Ted Newman

>>>>unless its an MX5 track day

LOL!
David Bainbridge

Matt,

>Where are you going on your first day?

http://www.wakefieldpark.com.au/site/circuit_info.cfm?action=circuit_info
Matthew Minion

Looks like a very nice track matt, you should have fun, and look slike you'd have to try bloody hard to manage to hit anything which is good.

Are track days as big in australia as they are in the UK now?
Matt


Hi Matthew,

if possible go a few rounds with an instructor in the car as well ! Not only for his advises but to discover how totally different the car reacts with additional 80 + kilos !

Regards , Carl.
Carl

Personally didn't notice that much different with a passenger.
Matt

This thread was discussed between 29/08/2001 and 31/08/2001

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