So here we go! After a bit of a delay, (well to be fair the last update was only in June, of last year....), I now have the chance to find out how well I do on a track, on my own, which means booking a trackday. However - not just any old track day, it turns out there are special Novice track days. To qualify, you must have driven 3 or less trackdays, which I think I've managed as this is my first one. It seems naturally to be the next step.
I simply went to the Club MSV website and booked an evening in August, giving me about 2 hours worth of driving, for around £130. This includes some Instructor tuition which is probably recommended in order to get the best from a circuit, certainly if you've never driven it before. Before you crack on however, you firstly "sign on" (something I've become very aware of in an earlier post!), get a group driver breifing, and get some sighter laps where you follow each other in file behind a pace car, just to get used to the circuit. You also require a helmet which you can hire at the circuit or bring your own.
I'm taking my 2 year old 1.6 TDCI Fiesta, which to be fair is good fun on the Cambridgeshire back roads. At the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, I'm expecting it will be just a bit more fun! It's not the fastest car in the world but is widely acknowledged to grip and handle pretty well, and I personally think it's pretty fun to drive. And I think in this case it's worth not jumping into a hot hatch or souped up saloon. Initially I think it's all about learning to take the best racing lines and getting used to using all the road, (in the safe knowledge nothing "should" be coming the other way!). I just need to stay out of the tyre wall at Paddock Hill...