Racedriver for one day
a great headline and i think many simracers want to get a racing car experience soon or later. unfortunately prices are rising and its hard to find companies offering free track racing for affordable numbers. being in touch with a racing team since a while, created the idea to invite friends/simracers to a entry level motorsports event. whats happening behind the scenes - how to change a tyres - doing a pitstop - flags, racing line, overtaking and being overtaken by a GT3 - and last but not least, racing a FIA certified racecar. A couple of points you learn if you are behind the wheel and get the chance to help behind the scenes.
on 29.9 i invited 20 friends/simracers to a full trackday at the wunderful pannonia ring in hungary. i got the entire racing team infrastructure - 5 Dacia Logan - 3 KTM XBOW - trailers -tyres - pit tools for my own usage.
Many Thanks to my friends and family - Without their support i would not been able to arrange this day. My son and Brian helped to get the racing cars to hungary and back to austria - sounds easy, but it takes min 6 hours to load the cars - drive them hungary - unload and get back. Bear in mind that i got 2 trailers - and we had 8 cars. some some time needed
After some preparation work, intensive car testing and some rest (we had a nice hotel at the track) we started our Daica trackday. I think i shared already some details about the lovley FIA certified Dacia. We had a wonderful late summer day with 25 degrees. I rented 4 pits to have enough place.
After some intensive instructions i shared the prepared stintplan with my friends. Some had 2 Dacia stints, some 3 stints and others decided to run 1 Dacia and 1 KTM Stint. Something i saw very often - big smiling faces.
On track it was very intensive - always traffic - either together with GT3 cars - or in combination with sportscars. It was about - get your Dacia under control - check your mirror, maybe you will be overtaken - and for sure have a look at your laptimer - i also organised some tools to see the predictive lap time and the delta to your personal best
If you think the Dacia is a slow car - you are maybe right - 90bhp are not leading edge - but 800kg, slick tyres and a professional racing suspension delivers the big smile. during the day we had one new lap record after the other. the surrounding racing drivers predicted a personal best of 2:39 for us - but they did not expect that we had some very good simracers with us - so the best laptime was at 2:31 with surprisingly high corner speeds at the same level of other race cars with much better engines.
i really appreciated the entire team spirit - we ran one stint after the other hence we had some hectic times - change drivers, check fuel, check timing, check tire pressure and fix some gravel exists. Every person had a helping hand - maybe its the different style of event - either i buy a seat at a trackday - or i am part of a racing team - imo a different experience.
some GT3 owners offered taxi seats - so my friends got the opportunity to get some fast laps in a brand new 992.1 GT3 - i saw people smiling across the entire day - but after those taxi sessions i saw some different energy - maybe for some guys, who spent there last years behind the 992 sim cockpit, a dream became thru. I did not plan this, but it looks like that the idea of this "lets show motorsports to a broader audience" helped to get such cool benefits.
The guys who decided to run the KTM XBOW got the a special coaching. my friend and owner of this racing team lead them across the ring. meaning you have a pace car showing you the braking points, racing line and helps you to get as fast as possible towards your personal best. I think i shared this experience already in my report - as i already offered those coaching's to some friends.
That hard stop roller bearing solution is very interesting. My only question about softening the springs is whether you have turned off your motion system or are just using it for road grade, without texture or bumps etc..
www.racedepartment.com
its a different experience for both, the coach and the coachee. just look at the smile of this guy
Overall it was one of my biggest events with friends (some i organized already) - i spent a lot of time and i gained so much. Friends became motorsports enthusiasts - i saw again that a good simracer can be a fast racedriver - I learned what is needed to organize a trackday and now i see offered trackday prices from a different angle
I would like to close by thanking everyone helping me to get this event done - especially to my friend allowing me to use his cars/ecosystem.
small remark - i made this event on voluntary basis - for my friends and to follow my entire sim vs real mission/vission
and a Dacia can overtake much faster cars