R500 CYA Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 For all of you who pitched up at Hethal yesterday on the wheeltorque Sevens day, I wonder if you had the same thoughts as me: KERR-CHING! Interesting track which had some excellent surface changes, bumps, corner combinations, but the chicanes were quite ridiculously tight (suppose I could have slowed down a bit more) and there were cones and tyres everywhere. Last count before I bottled out at 4.30; one blown engine, four missing rear wings (courtesy of said chicane), one trip through the kitty litter (sorry I mean Brighton beach - did you see the size of those stones) and two visits to the tyre wall. I never seen a track day with so much carnage. Still the weather was lovely and Martin Donnely was amazing considering he didn't use his left foot. Hope you all got home safely! Nick SLR without the rear wing sad.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikehoile Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 My first Wheeltorque event and very proffesional it was. I was one of the cars in the tyre wall right at the end and yes expensive. mind you as my son was driving at the time so I hate him at the moment. The experiance with Martin was unbelievable, I was sure that he hadn't seen the chicanes such was his approach and speed to & through them, his 4 wheel drifts round both of the hairpins was out of this world. No doubt that the Elise is very well sorted and totally different to the 7 particularly when driven by someone of Martins caliber. Now if I can get the car right before Le-Mans, anyone got a spare bonnet etc. Mike H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain chaos Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Old chestnut of mine. I don't know how wheeltorque consistantly get away with such OTT pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Ince Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 A sevens only day should where possible be arranged by the club to give better value. This requires more people to volunteer to help arrange trackdays. Perhaps Captain Chaos and I should help organise a day at Spa next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happylarry Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 At £159 ( I think that was the price ) plus £50 for an extra driver, I wouldn't have caled it expensive. Add to that a very reasonably priced hotel, then I call it fair value. I agree that if the club arranged more Trackdays they would be cheaper, but realistically, who's got the time, as well as the aggro of having to book tracks, not knowing if it'll sell out - there'll be only a finite number of trackdays that the club will be able to 'sell out'anyway. As it happens, Paul, the L7C Trackday organiser was at Hethel with his Zetec - he found it fair value. I think you'll find that Mike Hoile's comments about cost refer to Caterham damage, rather than paid outs to Gerard and his colleagues! The only reason I know, is that my son drove Mike home, as he was suffering from his visit to the tyre wall and I followed his car back, driven by Mike's son to ensure it made it home. In my view, Wheeltorque offer some ofthe best organised Trackdays; those that go to their events obviously feel so as well. However, speaking as one who lost an offside rear wing, due to brain fade on my son's behalf at the top hairpin - and yes I experienced the kitty litter - more like a ploughed field, I'm amazed at the amount of damage overall on the day. I've been doing Trackdays for over 4 years with my son and, until yesterday, had not so much as scratched the car. V Strange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Bucket Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Well, it was a great day, a far more interesting track than it first appeared. Wheeltorque looked after us very well. I think Baby B was number three to hit the chicane !!! Which was very tight. Mike was there from the Northamptonshire meet to prove that Baby B does exist (and it would easily has won the scruffiest Caterham award !) As regards damage on other track days, well I've seen a Caterham coverted into a three-wheeler at Cadwell and a nasty shunt into the pitwall at a very wet Silverstone. Thankfully everyone was ok. Here's to Oulton Park. Cheers Peter PS Mike glad to here that you got home ok. PPS Martin Donnelly was just fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain chaos Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 I would be happy to assist in organising a club trip to Spa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderman Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 I hardly think you can blame either the organisers or the track for people going off. If that chicane was so tight how come the Elise, the Passat Estate, the Ford Focus and Audi A4 all took it flat out all day and none had a problem? You have to remember that Hethel is a test track and not a circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikehoile Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 My comments refered to the repair costs of my 7-not the event which I consider appropriate and would definately book again with Wheeltorque. Everything was proffesionaly organised and the 'staff' were more than helpfull. The track(not a race cicuit)was difficult to describe because it is a test track with varying surfaces for testing suspension and for this reason not like Cadwell or other smooth race circuits. Nevertheless after a session with one of the testers I found the track much more interesting and very fast. Like many I did think the 1st chicane was very tight and I did speak to an organiser about this as cones do not fit well between our rear wings/wheels without removing them. However after the session with the test driver who took a slight angled approach, the chicane opened up about 1/4". Apart from my problem I thought a very good day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R500 CYA Posted June 3, 2002 Author Share Posted June 3, 2002 Gentlemen, a few of you misinterpreted my comments, by expensive I was not talking about the entrance fee but the subsequent phone calls that will be made to Caterham on Wednesday for new parts!! I thought wheeltorque organised a fine event, very professional with loads of track time. I was simply surprised to see the amount of damage I did! I agree that the test drivers did indeed manange to drive through the chicane without lifting and it was very impressive. But we're not test drivers and so a little bit more space would have been nice. That said, I was going through the chicane without lifting, almost flat in 4th, so I can only blame myself for the missing rear wing. It's not the first time and probably won't be the last..............! I also had the pleasure of overtaking Martin Donnelly, though I think if he'd had over 200 hp I wouldn't have seen him for dust! Glad everyone got home ok. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jongilthorpe Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 It was my first introduction to a track day and I had a brilliant time! I thought the event was superbly organized. It was expensive for me though - no car damage but I lost/mislaid my camera. It was a silver Pentax Optio 330 digital camera (in a black leather case with wrist strap) and I last had it either in the pit area or in the refreshment tent just after lunch. If anyone either saw it or found it could you please let me know. Aside from the cost of replacement it has many photos of the day which I would very much like to have. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrypike Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 wasn't able to attend but have previously attended the lotus driving school and assume you are talking about the coned chicanes just before and at the end of the main runway straight. these are also present for the driving school to limit speed on two areas where an "incident" could otherwise be worse than the odd wing. glad to see that others have found that it doesn't seem to alter the pros progression so much, i had the pleasure of being taken round by both alastair mcqueen and hyla breese. see you at spa. jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumster Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 I, too, had a great day at Hethel and fortunately suffered no damge worse than a disappearing rear view mirror which flew over my shoulder down the long straight before the hairpin. I have aeros and a central SPA convex mirror and can only assume that at 100mph the air pressure simply sucked the mirror out of the housing (if you see what I mean). Anybody else experienced this or am I just unlucky? I thought the event was well organised and appreciated the open pit lane policy. Originally I thought the cost was quite high compared to the club's day at Cadwell, but at the end of the day we all spend a lot of money on our cars and to be able to drive the 7 on the limit (albeit our personal limit as opposed to the car's limit) in safe surroundings I reckon it's a cheap price to pay for a whole lot of fun. The whole event was well organised, both on track and off track and as it was a 7s only day there was plenty of club camaraderie. The lap rides with Martin Donnelly were something else. I watched the speedo as he went throught the 1st chicane and he took it at 100mph as though it didn't exist. I think he slowed to 90 for the 2nd chicane though!!! An amazing ride with someone who only uses his right foot. Chris Alston 1800 Supersprintid=green> - Loud and Proud teeth.gif ...well it only sounds fast officer blush.gif Brooklands aeroscreens for that real open top motoring feeling eek.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Piper Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 Why does Martin Donnelly only use his right foot? Is it a legacy of his bad crash or does he have an automatic car??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumster Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 MD only uses his right foot due to his crash. ISTR that he only used his left foot to get the car moving from a standing position after that it was simply a case of changing gear when the revs were right. Chris Alston 1800 Supersprintid=green> - Loud and Proud teeth.gif ...well it only sounds fast officer blush.gif Brooklands aeroscreens for that real open top motoring feeling eek.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Robinson Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 I'd agree with all comments regarding the high quality organisation, and the need to make the cones a little easier to negotiate. Was also impressed by the driving ability of MD... except when he overtook my girlfriend on the outside of the hairpin and put his car right onto our exit line of the corner. But for my frantic waving and the correct observation from Sally we would have drifted into him. He may have superb car control, but as we had a novice sticker on the back of our car I felt he should have given us more room.. Other than that a great day, and thankfully no damage! Robbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jongilthorpe Posted June 13, 2002 Share Posted June 13, 2002 Well thanks to the fantastic honesty of the locals and a great chain of communication via Lotus Cars I managed to locate my camera. A local man found it on the afternoon of June 1st as he was cycling along the road to Wymondham. He saw that there were pictures of Sevens on there and got in touch with Lotus via his brother who works at Hethel. I must have left the camera on the back of the car when I drove off to get petrol! A big Thank You to all those involved in helping me recover it, including Wheeltorque who put the word around when I lost it. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted June 13, 2002 Share Posted June 13, 2002 what a fantastic story jon, i am so glad you got it back. reminds me of a friend of mine who left his new digital camera on the tube (of all places!)just half an hour after he had picked it up. it was returned to him through the underground lost property a few weeks later. it had been found be a young ozzie chap who had gone on the p!ss with it, took loads of photos of him and his mates having fun, before writing a little note to my friend, returning it all to the box it had been found in, and handing it in. makes me glad to know that there are still honest people around. j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 13, 2002 Share Posted June 13, 2002 I found a mobile phone in the street the other day and phoned the number that had been dialling it repeatedly. The nice chap said he was just around the corner and would come back for it - thanks for ringing. I hung around and a van-load of rozzers turned up, one of whom had dropped the phone whilst apprehending a suspected miscreant. I am glad I was honest with that one. Peterid=teal> 253 BHP K-seriesteeth.gif, no gearboxbum.gifid=red> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FH Posted June 13, 2002 Share Posted June 13, 2002 Peter ... teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DohNut Posted June 13, 2002 Share Posted June 13, 2002 Peter, was their van chipped? smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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