I have been on this forum a while and enjoyed playing LFS for quite some time. Of course i needed to take my own car out to a race track and see how it stacks up to LFS

My comparison is LFS prepared me well but nothing comes close to the real deal - as realistic as LFS is or any other sim for that matter, actually being there is like nothing else and i really really want to go again

I know it isn't an incredibly fast car - probably as fast as an XFG but it's a 1999 ford focus 1.8 16v with eibach lowering springs and a pipercross panel filter. had it dyno'd kinda recently and it is putting out 122bhp @5500rpm and 122ft/lb@4500rpm

Quote from gizmo2k5 :

122bhp @55000rpm and 122ft/lb@4500rpm

Using a jet engine are we?

Good to see someone experiencing the real thing, wouldnt mind trying myself!

It revs really hard will edit lol.

If you want to i couldn't recomend it enough mate even if its in a rented/borrowed car.

It cost me about £100 +£10 for additional driver. we were on track from 3pm to about 6-7pm. obviously taking 5-10 min breaks every 20 mins to let everything cool and check fluids.

Yeah I'd need to get the cooling on the capri sorted first, its bad enough running just off the red down the motorway in this weather!

Oh dear :P Any idea whats causing it to get that hot?

yer track days are awesome fun i havent been in a while but the biggest thing for me was how differnt drving fast on the streets is compaired to pushing ur limits on a track.

so far im up to around 47 laps at my local track and didnt cost me any $$$$


i will warn anyone first time driving a decent powered RWD rember it will go sideways VERYYYYYYYYY EASY i was able to slide at 2500rpm in 3rd gear around u turns :P

ps whats the capri got done to it??

Quote from gizmo2k5 :

If you want to i couldn't recomend it enough mate even if its in a rented/borrowed car.

are you allowed to track a rented car?

cos I will be in the UK about a week later.

Quote from JJ72 :

are you allowed to track a rented car?

cos I will be in the UK about a week later.

All you need is like a driving licence and you just turn up, I don't know of places that make you bring the registration documents etc.

when i say rented i don't mean Hertz rent a car lol! some will have facilities where you can rent a track car for the day - i think it will be a bit expensive (you can rent Ferrari's for a few thousand i think :P)

lol ok that clears it up.

rent car on site is granted to be expensive tho.

Nice one, I love Brands Hatch, feels like you're driving up and down a half-pipe.

Quote from MAD3.0LT :

ps whats the capri got done to it??

Recently converted the capri to fuel injection, should give it 10-20bhp. and SHOULD give better economy at the same time, but something isnt right, high HC count at idle and lumpy running, once thats sorted it should be ok. Also fitted the 4-2-1 manifold. and hopefully fitting a front brake upgrade later in the year (RS turbo/XR4x4 brakes)

Think the head change could also be why it runs hot, probably still air in the system, and the radiator is a bit knackered which doesnt help.

Good stuff, glad you enjoyed it. Those Focii do well on track, we took ours on a day at Castle Combe a while back and managed to keep pace with some pretty quick stuff. We did completely strip it though, from the front two seats backwards there was nothing, not even carpet Brands probably suits the car even better, the power defecit not being quite so much of an issue as it would be at other faster tracks, except perhaps on the way up to Druids!

Quote from robt :

Recently converted the capri to fuel injection, should give it 10-20bhp. and SHOULD give better economy at the same time, but something isnt right, high HC count at idle and lumpy running, once thats sorted it should be ok. Also fitted the 4-2-1 manifold. and hopefully fitting a front brake upgrade later in the year (RS turbo/XR4x4 brakes)

Think the head change could also be why it runs hot, probably still air in the system, and the radiator is a bit knackered which doesnt help.

oh ok my friend has got a over heating issue in his capri but its a little differnt

grouted block 520HP windsor 410CI the grouted block was his problem but it goes HARD :P


i used to have a over heating issue with my track car i installed a electric thermo fan 16inch helps heaps can go hard for over 20 laps without going over half on the temp guage.

just make sure its a DAVIS CRAIG thermo on a 70 deg switch if the car is a road car.

mine is track only so its a manual switch.

allso check ur AR if its running to lean it will over heat it very quickly

Quote from Minimaxman :

Good stuff, glad you enjoyed it. Those Focii do well on track, we took ours on a day at Castle Combe a while back and managed to keep pace with some pretty quick stuff. We did completely strip it though, from the front two seats backwards there was nothing, not even carpet Brands probably suits the car even better, the power defecit not being quite so much of an issue as it would be at other faster tracks, except perhaps on the way up to Druids!

Yeah that's why we decided brands was best, not so much straight line speed but it will corner. While my brother was driving (who has raced a lot before) was able to keep up and often be held up by a BMW 5 series with a 2.5 6 cylinder :P I did manage to overtake a couple of MX-5's and Mini Coopers.

Fastest cars on the day include a Vauxhall Corsa with a 2.0 Calibra engine, Fiesta ST150, Civic Type-R and an original Mini with some kind of bike engine fitted to it. All of which down the start finish straight absolutely tore past me!

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

All you need is like a driving licence and you just turn up, I don't know of places that make you bring the registration documents etc.

Be warned though, a lot of insurance companies will not insure you for track use. For example, I was looking at taking an Evo 7 to a track day, and to get one day track insurance was going to cost me £400. I've looked into it for my MX-5, and it's a whole lot less, of course Worth checking before you go though.

Quote from Minimaxman :

Good stuff, glad you enjoyed it. Those Focii do well on track, we took ours on a day at Castle Combe a while back and managed to keep pace with some pretty quick stuff. We did completely strip it though, from the front two seats backwards there was nothing, not even carpet Brands probably suits the car even better, the power defecit not being quite so much of an issue as it would be at other faster tracks, except perhaps on the way up to Druids!

My dad's 1.6 Focus was great fun round Donington and Silverstone, though being somewhat underpowered down the straights does mean it is very difficult to pass some people who you're clearly lapping faster than who just can't bare to let you through. We managed to get a Caterham and an Audi RS6 to spin at Silverstone when they saw the Focus in the mirror and couldn't take being slower than it.

Quote from dawguk :

Be warned though, a lot of insurance companies will not insure you for track use. For example, I was looking at taking an Evo 7 to a track day, and to get one day track insurance was going to cost me £400. I've looked into it for my MX-5, and it's a whole lot less, of course Worth checking before you go though.

Generally track insurance is a waste of time if you own a car outright and are going to use it reguarly. For one off uses it could be worth it, and for rented/shared cars it is the only sensible approach.

Quote from ajp71 :

Generally track insurance is a waste of time if you own a car outright and are going to use it reguarly. For one off uses it could be worth it, and for rented/shared cars it is the only sensible approach.

I don't follow your logic. If I'm taking my daily runner to a track day and I bin it, I want to make sure that my insurance would cover me. As it stands, my insurance company doesn't cover me for track use. Why would I _not_ get one day track insurance?

Quote from gizmo2k5 :

I have been on this forum a while and enjoyed playing LFS for quite some time. Of course i needed to take my own car out to a race track and see how it stacks up to LFS

My comparison is LFS prepared me well but nothing comes close to the real deal - as realistic as LFS is or any other sim for that matter, actually being there is like nothing else and i really really want to go again

I know it isn't an incredibly fast car - probably as fast as an XFG but it's a 1999 ford focus 1.8 16v with eibach lowering springs and a pipercross panel filter. had it dyno'd kinda recently and it is putting out 122bhp @5500rpm and 122ft/lb@4500rpm

I did a track day at Brands a couple of times. Totally agree with you... nothing like the real thing Try Donnington or Cadwell... they are both great too

Quote from dawguk :

I don't follow your logic. If I'm taking my daily runner to a track day and I bin it, I want to make sure that my insurance would cover me. As it stands, my insurance company doesn't cover me for track use. Why would I _not_ get one day track insurance?

The cost, mainly. Hundreds of pounds per day even on a cheapy car. I think our old F3 car would have cost £1500 per race meeting to insure, with a £1500 excess, and I believe that trackdays have similar or higher rates (on the basis that anyone can go on a trackday, rather than only licenced drivers at a race meeting).

Quote from StableX :

I did a track day at Brands a couple of times. Totally agree with you... nothing like the real thing Try Donnington or Cadwell... they are both great too

duely noted I was thinking Snetterton as its fairly close by (less than 1hr) but it does have 2 massive straights where i will get my a55 handed to me though i am planning to sell that Focus and go for the 2.0 and do some more serious work to it to get some more straightline speed.

I personally didn't bother with insurance which may sound stupid (and it most defintely is) but i reassured myself nothing would happen and nothing did (thankfully).

I did laugh heartily as a 944 locked up into druids and beached the poor thing.

122bhp @5500rpm and 122ft/lb@4500rpm
From a 1,8 cant ford do better that that japan seems to easaly get 150 ot of a 1,3.

But nice day i wish i already had my licence plus a car

Ford probably would do better if they weren't designing a car for the mass market...

Compared to my car those specs are impressive considering Mitsubishi (Japan again) could only get 84 HP of the 4G15 in my car...

Can you guys over there just go to a track, register, and run all you want? That's what it seems like. Anyone? I'm looking around and it seems over here you have to take beginner classes and move through ranks and it would be forever before you would get more than an hour of track time.

I'd love to get a car and actually go to a track day, but it seems like it would be nothing but hundreds of $$$ for sitting in a classroom for several sessions which means very little track time for probably a year or better.

Mid-Ohio I am seeing that it is $750 in their Acuras or $650 in your car, and you get an hour of track time. I am seeing no "track days" where you would actually run on the track for any track anywhere near me. It's all mostly classroom and instruction stuff.

You guys really are making me jealous with all this track day talk.

Think thats pretty much right. just need to have a few safety items (and most likely a quick briefing) then IIRC brands hatch is about £100 for an afternoon of running.