If you've never been to a track day before you might want to check out our Top 12 Track Day Do's And Don'ts. Let's get straight to it...
Things You Should Do:
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Do: Get plenty of sleep the night before. Arrive in plenty of time and pace yourself. Track days can be extremely tiring both mentally and physically, especially if you have a long drive to and from the track. Once the adrenaline wears off it would be pretty common to find yourself feeling exhausted
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Do: Get involved & talk to new people! The vast majority of track day goers are very friendly bunch of like-minded petrol-heads just like you. Most will be only too happy to have a chat and help newcomers out. Half the fun of a track day is the craic and banter that goes on in the pits and paddock. Don't be afraid to ask if it's ok to go for a passenger lap in someones car, it's a great way to learn - but similarly don't feel put out if they say no!
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Do: Bring your drivers licence, you won't be allowed on track without it! It's a rule this is strictly enforced. Don't think you'll talk your way out of it if you forget yours - you'll have to go home and get it!
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Do: Bring loads of warm clothes. Mondello Park is one of the most freakishly cold places on the planet!
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Do: a warm up lap and a cool down lap. When you first head out on track your tyres, brakes, engine and gearbox will all be relatively cold. We see a surprising amount of people tearing off down the pitlane on their first session, bouncing off the rev limiter and quite often ending up in the gravel trap at the first corner. Don't be that guy! Take it easy coming out of the the pitlane, take it easy round the first few corners and build your speed up gradually over the course of a lap or two. This will allow everything to warm up nicely and will help you get a feel for what the grip levels are in a more controlled manner. Your car will thank you for it too! Similarly a cool down lap is an extremely good idea. Even after a handful of flying laps your engine, tyres and brakes will be red hot. The best way to cool things down is not to come straight into the pits and switch the engine of but rather do a nice, steady lap or two. The air flowing over your brakes and through the rad will cool things down much more quickly than if the car is stationary.