Pushing a car to its limit on the public highway is not only highly illegal but also very dangerous. With highly congested roads littered with speed, sorry, 'safety' cameras, the only place to drive at 100% commitment in safety is at the track.
So it's no surprise that organized 'track days' have been a staple of UK car culture for some time now.
It has been a long time since I attended a track day, probably near on 10 years ago in my old rat of a 944 Turbo. With Track Culture holding a day at Bedford Autodrome I popped in for a look.
The day was being held in conjunction with Mazda On Track so there was plenty of MX5s there.
Everything from stock late model examples …
… to stripped out racers.
The day was run as an 'open pitlane' so there was no waiting for your 15 minute slot on track, It was just a case of drive to the track entrance and out you go for as long as you wanted.
Its the accessibility that makes track days so popular, they really are open to anyone with any car and with any level of driving experience. There was even qualified instructors on hand to show you round the track if need be..Something that was not available back in the day I used to attend, and something I would have defiantly made use of.
Four letters that world wide are an acronym of speed and precision : B, M, W and M …
So it was no surprise to see a a few examples of the breed on the track. A couple of Z4 Ms …
A gorgeous M3 CSL. (Spotlight coming on this car soon)
Track Culture organizer and Nurburgring veteran Al Clarke was good enough to take me out for a few laps in his own E46 M3. Now this is not a stripped out track car, in fact the only modifications made are the addition of some KW v3 coilovers and some AP 6 pot front brakes. The car still has a full leather interior and weighs in at a fairly lardy 1600KG…
… All I can say is just WOW! Lighting quick direction changes and incredible speed it was hard to believe that the car is a full road going car. 140mph with jazz on the Harmon Kardon sound system was a a little surreal. The few laps really brought home to me what the M in M3 really means.
No track day would be complete without the odd piece of track specialist machinery.
The insanely fast supercharged Ariel Atom. 300BHP, 500kg and of course road legal.
There are loads of Lotus 7 type kits on the market. This one caught my eye as its essentially a Mazda MX5. Roadrunner Racing build the chassis and body …
… then all the major components come straight from the MX5. A very cost effective way of building a track bias car.
Not what you would call roomy, but it doesn't get much more 'seat-of-the-pants' than this.
It's not very often you get to see a Lotus 340R.
One of my all time favorite cars, the 911 GT3.
As all rounders go it doesn't get much better.
Even though a set of brake pads may last 10,000 miles on the road, the track is an altogether different matter.
Making sure you have plenty of life left in a set before going out is a good idea.
My first visit to a track day in along time looks like it may turn out to be a expensive one, as soon as i got home I was looking through the classified ads for an M3. With track days so accessible and value for money it would be rude not to have a tool for the job.
-Ross I'Anson.
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
I really wish there were more tracks available near me. I'd love to give my FC a good lashing around a track. Nice write-up.
awesome coverage ross. can't wait for that CSL spotlight. and that 340R looks insane. wallpaper?
Love the ///M Coupe!
lotus 7's are teh win!
Good write up!
Get on the track culture website, relatively new but it has a great forum with lots of people with similar interests!
A track day with no S2k's? Weird. Those Lotus 7's are the way to really drive though.
Those Caterham looking kit cars can actually be purchased at Flyinmiata.com
They are really easy to build and all you have to do is get a donor car. Any pre NC miata works if I remember correctly.
Out of curiosity, what equipment do you need (type of helmet, restraints, etc) over there and how much does it cost?
Ross, M3's are great, but I sold my race-spec 944 and bought an MX-5. Never regretted it for a moment. Light (so you don't go through wheel bearings as often as a heavier 944 or M3), cheap, well-balanced, cheap, reliable, and LOTS of choices for aftermarket go-fast goodies. Did I mention they're cheap? They're the best affordable way to do track days or circuit racing.
Nice to see more grassroot type grip events !
Sweet post
Welcome to what e46 M3 owners have always known. For track days the stock brakes are more then enough. I would also recommend the oem 18's for track work and not the 19inch option. Coil overs are nice for the track but not needed. This car has what we call the "square setup" he uses 4 rear rims on the car so 18x9 on all corners the stock front rims are slightly smaller at 6.5 I think. The square setup dials out the stock understeer nicely.
More trackday coverage please, this was an awesome read
I have the same superdry hoody as the guy on the left in the 2nd from top picture, not that anyone cares
i m waiting for M3 CSL review
After going out with Al aswell, i know exactly what you mean. The brakes and turn in speed are insane! Good write up too. Did you happen to get any photos of my 182?
Great pics - I had a fantastic day (I'm on the left in the 3rd pic)
That was way too many Miatas for comfort. I never liked that "sports car".
Fantásticas Fotos, siempre estoy atento a las novedades en twitter y facebook
those CSL's were built for track days unlike their chubby siblings.. - good quality coverage, thanks
Great day out cheers for photo Ross,
seem's HondaTypeRiVTEC is a bit worry he might get over taken by mx5 arrrrrrr how sweet.
Well done TC & MOT Team.
Awesome day that was!
@Fooman - The stock brakes on an E46 M3 are DEFINITELY are not up to scratch on a trackday when you're using them properly.
Hi, did you get any pics of the blue mx5 with White stripe ? Great day