Mondello - Race School

jozi

Going to Mondello tomorrow to do the clubman course and i cant wait It's a 21st b-day present i never got round to doing, 21 came and went 2 years ago.

Anyone got any last minute hints/tips for when im there?

Jozi

SouperComputer

Dont stuff it! LOL.

Erm, they'll tell you all you need to know. The jist of it being be smooth and progressive on the controls, bulding your speed up gradually.

Kersh

I shoudve been on tomorrow and friday, but i have to do my real job... boo, ya could have asked for me.
If its on the national track, then really listen to your instructor. The guy doiing the briefing is Rog, Ask him for Ken.... (Ken knows you are going down, pm me your real name!)
It is a tricky track, blind corners etc, esp turn 3, which has a quick kink right before a very tight uphill bit.
All corners are taken in 3rd gear. Use the entire width of the track on turn in.

Henry Ford III

I don't rate it at all especially in terms of value for money. Sorry.

The track is ok but the formula V cars are ancient and rubbish. They charge an absolute fortune for bringing your own car on a track day. It's cheaper (and better) to get a ferry to Holyhead and have a full day on the Anglesey circuit (c. STG£125). You can make a good w/e of it there too.

Kersh

Formula V... when were you last there.....????????
As for track days, thats nothing to do with the race school im afraid.
Ya wont learn anything at all on a track day either im afraid, except how to go sideways, and avoid idiots in Glanzas that go quick in a straight line, and cant take corners.

jozi

I dont exactly have my own car to drive on a track, unless you sugest using my mothers mazda demio :eek:

Should i take it as being real life GranTourismo :P or more like big Go-Karts :P

Either way (good or bad to some people) im pretty sure ill be enjoying it loads.

zilog_jones

The track's on Toca Race Driver 3 if you want some practise before

Kersh

The only way to sample a single seater without a race licence is at the Mondello Race school. Track days are no help when it comes to sampling a 'real' race car.
2 types come to do it, type 1 got it as a present, generally they have an interest in cars, and enjoy the day,
or type 2 who wants to go racing, but isnt sure whether its saloons or single seaters.
I ran a guy who was the latter last year for a full season, after he came down to the school and went well.

Funxy

I must get off my ass and go do this course too. Mondello is a really great circuit. Ive bene lucky enough to be there a few times and even luckier to have been able to use my own car on track when theres very few other people there. Seeing as you cant do that much and im pretty addictedm then the race school seems a good plan to have some fun!

Kersh

Geta arace licence and come racing.

iregk

To be honest I got it as a present twice and thought it was quite good. This after having some race experience myself. I wouldn't buy it for myself and I do think its over priced but I'm sure insurance can't be cheap for this sort of thing.

That said advice is listen to your instructer and pay attention when he is telling you about the track i.e. braking points, turning points etc... Use the entire width of the track and dont be afraid of it. The key to track driving is smoothness and technique. Too many kids with hot hatchs think they are the best undiscovered F1 drivers out there and go horsing the car around and make a fool of themselves. Its all about smoothness not agression.

iregk

Kersh wrote:

Geta arace licence and come racing.

I'd love to go racing, have the license but not the finances to do it properly.

Mc-BigE

how much is it to do the clubman course, and how long are you out on the track, what car(s) do you drive?

iregk

Mc-BigE wrote:

how much is it to do the clubman course, and how long are you out on the track, what car(s) do you drive?

http://www.mondello.ie/m.php?page=pdc

Kersh

Too true Iregk, I see many many young lads who think they know it all.... throwing the cars around etc. They just never get it... :rolleyes:

Mc-BigE

kersh,

I feel a Boards.ie group day outing to Mondello coming on:)

i wonder would it be possible to get a group discount?

Kersh

Im not sure about group discounts, i only drive the cars.
As an aside - A pair of boardsers are doing quite well in my 2 race cars this year, well ahead of where I expected them to be after 2 and 3 races respectively.

SouperComputer

I feel a Boards.ie group day outing to Mondello coming on

Would be quite pricy though. Also I dont think they'd appricate any wheel to wheel action.

A karting event is feasable though. No decent places in Dublin . Group 8 in Meath is meant to be good, but Ive never been there its indoors too. Real karters do it outdoors Kiltorcan in Kilkenny is great fairly central and the track and karts would be as good as you'll get in the ROI according to some reliable sources.

If theres enough interested id be willing to organise an event.

Kersh

Am I allowed go....:D

SouperComputer

Kersh wrote:

Am I allowed go....:D

Of course, I plan to if it happens

Mc-BigE

karting is great fun, but i've done it before, never been to mondello and would be worth a trip up from cork, if it was watergrasshill kart track maybe:D but that wouldn't suit must people.

SouperComputer

Mc-BigE wrote:

karting is great fun, but i've done it before, never been to mondello and would be worth a trip up from cork, if it was watergrasshill kart track maybe:D but that wouldn't suit must people.

Kartworld would be fine, but the karts wouldnt be a equal as kiltorcan AFAIK and as you say, there is a logistics issue for people too.

iregk

Lets just all borrow a single seater and do a track day in mondello and lets go wheel to wheel all the way!!!

SouperComputer

iregk wrote:

Lets just all borrow a single seater and do a track day in mondello and lets go wheel to wheel all the way!!!

Kersh has them coming out his ears, im sure he wouldnt mind :d

Kersh

So long as i get a nice deposit... I dont mind.

Henry Ford III

Kersh wrote:

Formula V... when were you last there.....????????
As for track days, thats nothing to do with the race school im afraid.
Ya wont learn anything at all on a track day either im afraid, except how to go sideways, and avoid idiots in Glanzas that go quick in a straight line, and cant take corners.

Last week

It was a while ago admittedly. 3rd and 4th gear only. The cars just weren't quick and for what you got it was very expensive indeed.

I've done about 6 or 7 track days in a MkII Escort RS2000. Great fun and I learned plenty, including going very sideways.

Kersh

Remember, sideways isnt quick on a circuit, it might be fun, but the timesheets say otherwise. Dont forget, not everyone is lucky enough to have a spare car to rag on a track.
They use Sheane rovers now, very quick. Vees went out of service 7 years ago.

Dades

I was disappointed with the "race day" in Modello. We got taught in Fiestas and then sent out in the single seaters.

The problem was that nobody was allowed overtake anywhere except on the straight. So you're stuck behind somebody all the way around, who then floors it everytime they hit the straight so that you can't get by.

Meh! Just my experience.

t5pwr

I did the Mondello thing about 7 years ago on a really really wet day. Cars going off all over the place. Anyway I didn't find it too exciting as you just went round and round the track, no overtaking allowed except for on the straight. One of my friends went on a dry day and he found it the same...

I can understand that you are not allowed to race and overtake on bends as they are all amateurs and there would be a lot of crashes and you are moving at a bit of speed.

I found driving around in the hot hatches more exciting then the single seaters...

What hot hatches have they there now? When I was there I was in a 205 GTi.

Kersh

Its all different now, saloons out on their own, followed by single seaters.
As for the overtaking, sure guys in f1 cant always get it right so theres no hope a total amateur who probably cares nothing for driving is going to be able to do it. Hence the overtaking on the straight bit.

iregk

The Atheist wrote:

I was disappointed with the "race day" in Modello. We got taught in Fiestas and then sent out in the single seaters.

The problem was that nobody was allowed overtake anywhere except on the straight. So you're stuck behind somebody all the way around, who then floors it everytime they hit the straight so that you can't get by.

Meh! Just my experience.

Well kersh can clear this up but last time i checked it was Rover sponsored so Rover saloons based on the 25 and single seaters.

The problem with over taking is that everyone there is amateur and chances are its their first time in a single seater and many of them even their first time in a saloon car with no guards to check for speed! So if you have all these people totally free in single seaters they will loose the run of themselves and after a lap or two with growing confidence they will forget that they are not Michael Schumacher and attempt a bit of drafting ready for a pop out and around manouever on the corners exit. This would lead to carnage as a lot of people who dont know what they are doing attempting the most dangerous thing in motor racing! Over taking!