Ariel.Club Forum

Hi all,
I have my first track day coming up (Anglesey) and I am a complete novice to car track days.
I am wondering if there anywhere I can find a basic set up to start off with. AA3.5
I'm talking suspension and brake bias, as I have the tyre pressures from the manual.
I have Blistein adjustable suspension..

Thanks in advance
Phil

I do not know Bilstein dampers, so someone else will help.

Just stiffen the car up on the dampers slightly. You do not want the car to handle wildly different to what your used to.

I hope some of this helps, even though you never asked for it.

If your fast, cars just get in the way as you pass them and try for a good lap.

If your slow, you spend most of your time being passed ( do not worry just keep a predictable line ). It's down to the passing car to make a clean pass and not steal your line (turn in) into a bend.

Enjoy the day. Do not try and put fast laps up straight away and bin the car early, some people do. I saw one BMW M3 driver 1st bend on 1st lap, straight in the wall at Donington. Some driver's will not take to the track for the first 30minutes, to make sure any idiot's have gone.


If you are anything like me, you will come away with a lap 3-4 seconds slower than what you are capable of.


You are not allowed to time laps so I video the lap and then use the video to get the laptimes.

Good luck and have fun.

Thank you!

One word of advice: don't get freaked out by people passing you. They probably shall. Many see the Atom as a target, almost a badge of honour to pass. In your initial days of learning the car, you'll inevitably find one of two drivers like this & you'll climb out the car afterwards wanting to shout "I'M NEW TO ALL THIS, HONEST".

That said, you'll be running around with a newbie plate anyway, so you might be ok. All I'm saying is, don't give a fig about what anyone else is doing. With time & - most importantly, tuition - you'll be rinsing pretty much every non-downforce car on track. The tuition thing is incredibly important; you'll learn sooooo much faster if you've got someone instructing you. Just a few sessions or so & you'll be flying.

Get the tyres plenty warm first. And cool the engine down on track for a good half a lap or so when you're intending to come in.

That's it for now :-)

Cheers,
Hedge

Thanks Hedge

All great advice from Hedge.

I'd just add that the best thing you can do on a track day is to leave your ego in the pits. There's always someone faster than you and track days aren't races so there's nothing to prove.

The best track days are when you start slow and spend time learning the track, which lines to take and how late you can brake. Your sessions should get gradually quicker and smoother throughout the day.

It's mentally and physically tiring too so there's no harm in sitting out a session (or part of one) or even missing out the last one of the day if you're knackered.

Relax and enjoy it. Good luck!

If applicable, remember to leave enough tread to drive home !

Thanks again!
Ive done plenty track days on bikes and so appreciate the need to build up progressively.
Just cant wait!

Phil, if it's your first track day I'd highly recommend hiring an instructor is more important than how you set your car up, but there again I've only done a handful of trackdays myself.
I know I'm going to get completely shot down here by the more experienced but if it's your first I personally doubt you'll be getting anywhere near the limits at where the adjustments will really have an affect. But as has been said previously, start slow and just learn the lines and braking points

travelbug63 wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 5:39 pm Phil, if it's your first track day I'd highly recommend hiring an instructor is more important than how you set your car up, but there again I've only done a handful of trackdays myself.
I know I'm going to get completely shot down here by the more experienced but if it's your first I personally doubt you'll be getting anywhere near the limits at where the adjustments will really have an affect. But as has been said previously, start slow and just learn the lines and braking points

Thanks mate. I just want to have a bit of fun. I'm no Senna!

I'm not sure Senna needed an instructor. I just found having an instructor, perhaps share them with someone else on the day was really good value for money and allowed my driving to improve rapidly.

Enjoy your day

As above, get tuition, even if just 30 minutes in the morning and then 30 minutes in the afternoon, you'll be surprised how many bad habits you have that an expert can spot, also things like where to brake, how to move for faster cars and looking into corners will really help with confidence.

Take it easy, warm everything up, then build up to faster speeds, 20-30 minutes per session on track then back in for a break, was always more than enough for me, finally do not put your handbrake on when the brakes are hot, just leave it in gear. No one enjoys warped disks !!

anx10us wrote: ↑Thu May 06, 2021 5:28 pm finally do not put your handbrake on when the brakes are hot, just leave it in gear. No one enjoys warped disks !!

Never thought of that, cheers!

Had a great day at Anglesey!
Ended in slight tears though when my clutch blew up, but not to worry, no one died!
Thanks for all your advice, I took it all on board.

[mention]PhilTimo[/mention] how did you manage that? Whats the damage to get a new clutch fitted?