My Ferrari 360 experience at Thurxton racing circuit

[jon_s]

I did mine at Bruntingthorpe, the proving ground. I would like to goto a track next time though. I got my grubby hands on a Lotus Elise, Scooby, Race prepared Porsche and a Ferrari 355.

[raphaelws]

great pics

any F355?

[dingo]

Awesome....i wish they had something like this in WA.
What does a day like that cost in the UK?

[mindgam3]

varies depending on what car and venue you choose.

Anywhere from £80 to £400 is probably an accurate range

[pjrouse]

Originally Posted by Dave1 is that because the enforced a 4k rec change or because you didnt want to go higher than that...... the 360 isnt even in its stride at 4k Are you joking? Of course I wanted to go over 4,000rpm. I did hit about 7,000 (once) over taking a Porsche 911 but most of the time the instructor just told me to change up. What you got to remember is that Thruxton is the fastest circuit in the UK its so fast in fact that it's not open to "drive what you brung track days" like most UK circuit are. There's no way you can jump into a 360 for the first time and go flat out unless you want to crash that is. Also the cars are used a lot and they want to put them under as little stress as possible. @Jon_s - what circuit did you do your course at mate? What cars did you get your hands on?

I did the 355 experience (before they had launched the 360 one) at Thruxton a few yrs ago. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment in the end. The home straight had a strictly enforced 40mph speed limit (due to lots of cars constantly coming in and out of the pits) and this was mind numbingly frustrating whilst at the wheel of the most powerful car I've ever driven! I had the most fun in the Formula Renaults (as I was being strapped in, the guy said to me "you can introduce the clutch when changing gear, but it's not essential" 8) ). I did a few laps in an MGF first of all too. Overall the 355 was probably the least fun as the instructor doesnt allow you to fully experience anywhere near the potential the car has - even passenger hot laps in a 355 being driven at full pelt cost extra!

I can understand why they dont allow you to drive it hard as it costs a bomb to run and they dont want to have them crashed/thrashed, but it certainly didnt come close to the magical day I was expecting, although I will never forget the grin on my face after I turned the key to start up that glorious engine

[m3mys3lf4ndi]

Originally Posted by mindgam3 hmmmm when i went to drive an M3 around rockingham there were no restrictions at all, you could rev it to the redline and drive as fast as you wanted. You were just advised to take it easy on the first lap. Same with the 355 and elise that you can drive there. And they're all not much slower than a 360. First thing the instructor asked as i was rolling out the pits was, what car do you usually drive.... i replied a clio 1.2 n he just smiled. Having said tht i did get better driving marks than someone there who actually owned an M3. Just wish more circuits imposed as little restrictions as rockingham

sound perfect - i must get there

do U guys had any track racin experience (i dont mean that "briefing") before tryin out those cars ?

[mindgam3]

Originally Posted by m3mys3lf4ndi Originally Posted by mindgam3 hmmmm when i went to drive an M3 around rockingham there were no restrictions at all, you could rev it to the redline and drive as fast as you wanted. You were just advised to take it easy on the first lap. Same with the 355 and elise that you can drive there. And they're all not much slower than a 360. First thing the instructor asked as i was rolling out the pits was, what car do you usually drive.... i replied a clio 1.2 n he just smiled. Having said tht i did get better driving marks than someone there who actually owned an M3. Just wish more circuits imposed as little restrictions as rockingham sound perfect - i must get there do U guys had any track racin experience (i dont mean that "briefing") before tryin out those cars ?

absolutely none, unless you count karting

[m3mys3lf4ndi]

Originally Posted by mindgam3 Originally Posted by m3mys3lf4ndi Originally Posted by mindgam3 hmmmm when i went to drive an M3 around rockingham there were no restrictions at all, you could rev it to the redline and drive as fast as you wanted. You were just advised to take it easy on the first lap. Same with the 355 and elise that you can drive there. And they're all not much slower than a 360. First thing the instructor asked as i was rolling out the pits was, what car do you usually drive.... i replied a clio 1.2 n he just smiled. Having said tht i did get better driving marks than someone there who actually owned an M3. Just wish more circuits imposed as little restrictions as rockingham sound perfect - i must get there do U guys had any track racin experience (i dont mean that "briefing") before tryin out those cars ? absolutely none, unless you count karting

depends what kind of karting - and for how long
of course couple of rides in a "honda grass cuter powered kart" cant give U meaning of what is racin all about but couple of years is some championships can teach U a lot about it.

[m3mys3lf4ndi]

Originally Posted by dani_d_mas Originally Posted by m3mys3lf4ndi Originally Posted by mindgam3 hmmmm when i went to drive an M3 around rockingham there were no restrictions at all, you could rev it to the redline and drive as fast as you wanted. You were just advised to take it easy on the first lap. Same with the 355 and elise that you can drive there. And they're all not much slower than a 360. First thing the instructor asked as i was rolling out the pits was, what car do you usually drive.... i replied a clio 1.2 n he just smiled. Having said tht i did get better driving marks than someone there who actually owned an M3. Just wish more circuits imposed as little restrictions as rockingham sound perfect - i must get there do U guys had any track racin experience (i dont mean that "briefing") before tryin out those cars ? I went to a test day with Alfas 156... I drove the 1.6 as I drive the Clio ! It was funny... And I also drove in a stock Clio, the 1.4 if I'm not wrong, in a kind of casting to be a racing driver (everything paid for the whole season). I failed then... so we decided to buy our own racing car, jeje.

nd thats the best option - can U tell me how much U need to spend approx. for whole season in such a Renault ? (and how many races does it include) - of course if U dont mind asking

[m3mys3lf4ndi]

im thinking about staring some racin here in UK - but unfortunetly i'll be able to do some track days only next year- just to pick a best suiting class - and start proper racing within 2 year

cheers - and good luck in next year

(and remember - fun is not a straight line )

[motoyen]

Hey Dave1 I'm thinking about doing their supercars course when I visit the UK next year. I was wondering if you felt the price was worth it? It's a lot of money for me to spend on one day and I would hate to be restricted to 40mph.