Club MSV's First Timers Guide to Track Days

Track Days are the perfect way for anyone with a car to fulfil an aspiration to drive on a race circuit and where Club MSV venues are concerned you will be on the very best circuits in the UK.

We have all seen TV coverage of motor sport, from F1 to Touring Cars or the Top Gear driving experiences and wondered what it would be like to be that “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car”. Track days, whether for Novice or Expert drivers are the very best way to find out!

What is a Track Day?

An opportunity to drive a road based car on a real race circuit in a controlled and cost effective way with the chance to explore the performance of the car and the nature of the circuit with no speed cameras to worry about and all the traffic going in the same direction!

A Track Day is a structured event with a typical timetable that will involve some early morning administration including registering in with your driving licence and booking confirmation.

Should you need crash helmets or feel that you would benefit from advice or tuition from one of our experienced circuit instructors now would be the time to book the equipment or a session.

Your car will need to be noise tested to ensure that the circuits can work in harmony with their neighbours; these limits are set at levels that cover the majority of cars even with some degree of modification.

At every stage there will be MSV personnel on hand to answer questions and help you through the various aspects of the day.

A Mandatory Driver’s Briefing will be held where details such as the timetable for the day, administration and car preparation, track layout and other relevant safety considerations will be explained before you venture out on track.

Covering all aspects of the running of the day the briefing will also specifically cover safety criteria such as access on and off the circuit as well as flag and light signals, which are the only way for the marshals and administration staff to communicate with drivers when they are on track.

Flag and light signals are internationally recognised throughout motorsport and if they are relevant to Formula 1 they certainly apply to Track Days so let us take a look at those now.

A Green Flag or Green Light means that the circuit is clear and maybe used to indicate the flag signalling posts

A Yellow Flag or a Yellow Light means danger ahead and you must take extra care, slow down and strictly no overtaking

A Red Flag or Red Light means that a session needs to be suspended so that an ongoing or more serious incident may be attended to without other vehicles on track. Under red flag conditions you must slow down and make your way back to the pit lane or as directed without overtaking other vehicles

A Yellow and Red Striped Flag means that the circuit conditions have changed and the surface may have lost some grip so take extra care.

A Blue Flag or Blue Light means that a faster car is following you and wants to pass, follow the rules of overtaking for the day and allow the other car to pass.

A Blag Flag implies a penalty in motorsport, on a track day it maybe that you have failed to notice a flag signal or breached the overtaking etiquette for the day in which case you return to the pits and the problem will be explained. This flag can also apply to a mechanical problem to your car so don’t ignore it!

The Chequered Flag, most famous Flag of all, is shown at the end of a Sighting Lap period or end of a session.

Following the Briefing there will be Sighting Lap sessions where you will follow one of our Club MSV Instructors in a Peugeot RCZ or other Course Car so that you are familiar with the circuit conditions and layout for the day. These sessions are conducted at a calm pace giving every opportunity to absorb the detail of the track and its environment. Watch out for the cones that have been placed to help you develop the ultimate “racing line” on the track.

Once the Sighting Laps are completed the circuit becomes ‘live’ for a Sessioned or Open Pit Lane Event.

Many Track Days are organised in sessions to match the expertise of the drivers, this is an excellent way for Novices to become familiar with the whole excitement of motorsport. Expert drivers will also be able to choose the most comfortable level for themselves as well.

Drivers will be asked to select their chosen level when booking for a day but it is often possible to change groups if you find that the other drivers on track are either more or less advanced that you have expected
An Open Pit Lane means that you are free to come and go into the pit lane throughout the day however it is important to discipline the time to preserve your concentration levels and to bear in mind wear and tear on the car
Throughout the day our experienced staff will be on hand for advice, from On Track Instruction or general help with getting going for the day, we can provide helmet hire and at most of our circuits we even have a petrol station to save you having to go and search for fuel.

Catering is well provided as all our circuits feature excellent food and great on site cafe facilities to ensure that it is not only the car that has the right fuel.

Club MSV offers a variety of events based on the Track Day principle and as the expertise of a driver develops they may choose to consider the options that we have developed over years of motorsport experience.

Race Licence Testing, Advanced Track Driving Courses with Intensive One-to-One Tuition and even Advanced ARDS tests are all possible on a Club MSV Track Day with all the ingredients to springboard to a new racing career.