Mondello Track Days?

Mr Benevolent

Just wondering about the track days at Mondello. I'm only a provisional driver (in a Meriva), but once I get the full licence I'd love to go and throw a car around, get a feel for it in a safe environment (I don't trust twisting country lanes - there's always danger lurking ahead).

Has anybody done it? Do you need to be driving a high-powered car?

bitemybanger

No you dont need a high powered car but its not a good idea going out in a mariva to be honest, apart from being a danger to everyone else on the track for being painfully slow your car wouldnt be up for it, brakes wont last more than a few laps, handling will be ... interesting to say the least.
Why not pay to learn how to drive a car on a track in a car they will supply, They will teach you race lines, where to break, how to overtake properly, flags and so on rather than just bombing around like a haedless chicken, if thats what you want, enter a banger race.

Mr Benevolent

Hmmm, maybe the race school would be a better idea alright. Thanks for the advice.

Bobo78

By the way where is the Mondello track located in what county?

Rowley Birkin QC

Co. Kildare

http://www.mondello.ie/contact/?id=26

This website is very handy for finding stuff like that.

Idleater

Bobo78 wrote: »

By the way where is the Mondello track located in what county?

www.mondello.ie

edit:

seeing as I was slow on the link I might as well add in a comment or two.

Done a few trackdays on the bike there, and they are mighty fun. You can take any car out on track, I know of a guy who has a cinquecento/seicento for it. Nothing like a beaten up seicento ripping around the outside of a porsche into turn 1 to let them know that it is more the driver than the car...

Bobo78

Nice i didn't even knew that there was a racing track like that in Ireland:D
For example if i want to go there and test my car little bit how much would i have to pay for my self only and how long can i stay there?

And is it possible the try the maximum speed of a car on that track?:D:D

Bobo78

One more question on the Mondello page it says that i have to have a clean driving licence to be able to use the track:eek:
I have 2 penalty points on my licence so does that mean that i m not allowed to use the track???:eek::(

Seth Brundle

How many penalty points are written on your licence
Its clean as in no endorsements (e.g. drink driving charges)

s14driftking

Bobo78 wrote: »

Nice i didn't even knew that there was a racing track like that in Ireland:D
For example if i want to go there and test my car little bit how much would i have to pay for my self only and how long can i stay there?

And is it possible the try the maximum speed of a car on that track?:D:D

wont be possible to test the max speed in the car as its not a fast enough track or long enough;)

ive done a few track days there before and theyre good crack out again now on the 7th of september cant wait:D

Bobo78

kbannon wrote: »

How many penalty points are written on your licence
Its clean as in no endorsements (e.g. drink driving charges)

Yeah i v no endorsements at all only 2 penalty points:o
So there s only 2 points written on my licence.

Bobo78

s14driftking wrote: »

wont be possible to test the max speed in the car as its not a fast enough track or long enough;)

ive done a few track days there before and theyre good crack out again now on the 7th of september cant wait:D

Too bad i was hoping i would finally get to try out the top speed of the car.:(
But what would be the fastest you could drive on that track, maybe 100 miles, more or less?

Seth Brundle

Bobo78 wrote: »

Yeah i v no endorsements at all only 2 penalty points:o
So there s only 2 points written on my licence.

Take out your licence now
(I'll give you a moment to go off and get it...)
Right, where on the licence is the number of points written?

Seth Brundle

Bobo78 wrote: »

Too bad i was hoping i would finally get to try out the top speed of the car.:(
But what would be the fastest you could drive on that track, maybe 100 miles, more or less?

Top speed is nothing. A track day is about handling and achieving a good average speed - including through the corners!

Bobo78

kbannon wrote: »

Take out your licence now
(I'll give you a moment to go off and get it...)
Right, where on the licence is the number of points written?

I guess we misunderstood each ohter, there is no points written on my licence, but there is 2 penalty points in the computer in the Licencing authority (i m not sure how are they called now) so when you take my drivers number from the licence and you type it in the computer it will tell that i have 2 penalty points.
The points are not physically written on the licence at all.

Bobo78

kbannon wrote: »

Top speed is nothing. A track day is about handling and achieving a good average speed - including through the corners!

I guess not, but the reason i was hoping to go to track day was to try the top speed of the car cause i dont want to drive at those speeds on the public road and get caught or even worse for something to happen.

Bandara

Can anyone who has done one of these track days advise on what its like please.

I've just bought a car that I'd love to test to its limits but I'm just a normal driver, I've never done any advanced courses.

I've read the mondello website and it sounds very intimdating and competitive?

Any experiences would be appreciated. Is it a day of guy and girls enjoying themselves and their cars together or is it a grunting petrolhead "I'm faster than you" day?

thanks

s14driftking

Bobo78 wrote: »

Too bad i was hoping i would finally get to try out the top speed of the car.:(
But what would be the fastest you could drive on that track, maybe 100 miles, more or less?

defo wont get the top speed a your car man most u could expect to see from a car is about 100mph on the main straight last time i was out i was getting about 90 im going out tis time wit more power and hoping for a 100 but it will all depend on track conditions on the day

s14driftking

Hammertime wrote: »

Can anyone who has done one of these track days advise on what its like please.

I've just bought a car that I'd love to test to its limits but I'm just a normal driver, I've never done any advanced courses.

I've read the mondello website and it sounds very intimdating and competitive?

Any experiences would be appreciated. Is it a day of guy and girls enjoying themselves and their cars together or is it a grunting petrolhead "I'm faster than you" day?

thanks

its a day for enjoying yourself and finding the cababiltes of your car and yourself in handlig etc in a safe area of course if u bring mates u could try racing as well;)but any dangerous manouvers could mean u getting black flagged and banned from the track
if its a first time id suggest u do a half day course also if your doing it make sure and have new tyres new brakes and to check oil and waters reguarly while out on track if its open pit lane;)

Seth Brundle

The important thing to note is that both you and the car will have maximum limits. Don't exceed either of these.
Track days are great fun but if you start messing you are bound to lose it and that can become costly.
I have done several track days and had a great time (never once going off) but at the back of my mind was the knowledge that i wanted to drive home!

Henry Ford III

I've done a few track days and they are great fun, and of benefit to your road driving in terms of car control particularly.

Mondello is expensive. For a novice an airfield is perhaps a better option. Many such venues available in the UK. To bring a car over and back on the ferry and spend a w/e over there and do an airfield track day is comparable in costs to a day in Co. Kildare.

Evil_Clown

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Mondello is expensive.

How much is a day on the track roughly ?

Henry Ford III

€300 for limited circuit time. By comparison you can get an "open pit lane" - which means unlimited circuit time - airfield track day at various venues across the water for a little over STG£100.

Andrewf20

Ive done the track days twice. Great fun but a little nerve racking at the start, but once people are behaving, there should be little to cause major concern. Just keep an eye on the vital fluids, tyres,your mirrors, have plently of life in the pads before starting, leave the handbrake off when parked up between sessions, and build up you speed gradually and you should be fine.

However, I got caught out once when I spun completely unexpectingly. I may have drifted wide slightly, hit some marbles and ended up doing a 180 across the grass at turn 5 http://www.bmwcarclubireland.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=129&pos=9

I always found braking for the 1st corner a little scary if pushing it. So much speed to scrub off with a gravel trap in front of you.

Idleater

One thing also to note about achieving "top speed" is that it is recommended (on the bikes anyway) to tape across your speedometer so that you don't look at it.

Nothing worse than someone trying to get to 100mph and running out of road because they missed their braking point.