Have any of you ever paid for one of these experiences at Oulton or any other track?
I'm going in a few weeks.
The day consists of 20mins driving in a Renault Clio race car with an instructor to find your lines around the track and then 20mins in a Renault F3 single seater, just lapping.
I've been doing some Karting and getting good lap times at the local indoor track but the thought of getting in an F3 car is making my hands shake as I write this. :-)
Is it any good?
Cost me £145 but hope it is a day to remember.

You will love it!

You will also be very slow. Karting isn't exactly a bad starting point, but suspension, front brakes, downforce, more power etc etc make it almost completely different.

The revs will be limited, and you'll be watched like a hawk - one mistake and you'll be in, so you won't be able to push the limits. The limits will be so much higher than you can possibly expect that you won't be pushing them anyway really.

Be smooth - that's the key.

You will really really enjoy it. Take someone to take photos, and someone with a camcorder to film you whizz passed. Post them here, and write a full report afterwards.

If you want LFS training, I'd suggest the FO8. The FOX is too easy to be of any use. Don't bother with rFactor, except if you can find a version of Oulton Park - the cars won't teach you a thing (rFactor is too unrealistic for that), but you'll get a vague idea of driving lines and braking points.

£145 is cheap. I pay £200 for 30 minutes driving (admittedly with timing, other cars, marshalling, and all the other stuff a race meeting needs).

A friend of mine did a day like that. Judging by his experience I'd say so long as you don't occupy your mind with the seeming inadequacy of the chassis in terms of crash protection, you'll be fine.

This is a thread on the T7R forum a few months ago. Morcs is now in the team. I think he enjoyed himself.

http://www.triple7racing.net/c ... mf/Itemid,70/topic,1050.0

Nobody has made a decent enough rendition of Oulton Park, as its my Local track too. The best model i saw was on Toca Race driver 2, i assume its teh same on 3 too, but i never bought that, so i wouldn't know.

Show them what your made of, screw it, you may get a deal to run in a series as the 'noob' or something who knows. First time for everything

I found the Oulton Park track on Rfactor and have tried it with the F3 but I think I'll try a bit with the FO8 on LFS.
I just hope it doesn't rain.
I'll let you know how it was. (If i have a good time)
Thanks Tristan and Kev.

im tellin you mate, the TOCA version is the shizz, been round Oulton many times, and only that comes close. the GPL Version couldn't of been more worse.. Old Hall was a BANKED CORNER? no, of course it wasn't.

Hi Blueflame,

Your like that little devil in the back of my head that I try to keep under control. :-)
Do you think the Rfactor Fosters track is close? It's like a roller coaster on Rfactor.

Sorry,
been answered. Didn't see your post.
Cheers.

1 Do the Formula Renaults have paddle shift?

Blueflame.

2.Is the Oulton Park circuit undulating and does the direction of the track change as you drive over the crest of the road. Such as Dear Leap and Cascades? ..Yikes.

Sounds like it should be great fun.

I'd love to get together with some of the LFSers from here and do a karting weekend or something. F3 might be a little expensive for a weekend, but it'd be a laugh.

I think Formula Renault are currently sequential lever gearboxes. Older ones are more likely to be conventional doglegged h-gate.

Do you have an idea how old your car will be?

No idea. Think I'll give them a ring.
Cheers anyway.

It's Paddle shift.

Really! Blimey!

Well that's what the girl in the booking office said.
I've never even seen an F3 car so i know nothing.
I'll let you know.

I will tell you what the track is like.
From the Start Finish Straight of course.
Generally Turn 1 (Old Hall) is a late apexed corner, flat so to speak, but a bit of a banking dropping down into the inside kerbing.
Down some easy flat out corners into Cascades which seems to last forever, altough again, some positive camber on the road, to keep the car more stable.
Now we have already gone past Fosters which is a Simple 90 degree corner, thats only used in the (short) version of the track, but further on after Cascades is Island Bend, and on the outside of Island Bend is another Hairpin, which is what the BTCC use. But if you carry on down the straight, you come up to the Shell Oil Hairpin, which is heavily banked (positively) and it really pulls you around (well it did in the car i was in : Audi S2 Hillclimb car).
Then up to the first chicane, left then right then left.
Then down the hill into an inverted chicane to the one you just went through, which is called Knickerbrooke. Right Left Right, and the exit goes up the hill, under the Yokohama bridge i think it is, and up to Druids..
Now this some people regard as the toughest corner on the circuit it can be taken EXTREMELY fast, if you have the car where you want it, but FWD cars just plough straight on. Its a right hander with almost 2 apex's then down under the entrance bridge into Lodge, which drops downhill underbraking a little bit, then careful on the exit as deer leep can make the car lose alot of traction, and what nor games nor TV show you, is that Deer Leep is EXTREMELY steep, almost like something you would see at Bathhurst.
Then back to the Line to do it all again, but hopefully faster.

Thanks B,

Read your description and watched a vid of guy wrecking his car on youtube on the Fosters circuit so I have a small idea of it now.
I'm gonna do this as a starter and then in a couple of months i may try an easier track like the 3 Sisters in Wigan which I know, as I tried a Kart day there last year. Brilliant fun.

Many Thanks

been 3sisters before, they wouldn't let me on the carts tho, i was like 9 at the time

Sweat deal. I payed £300 for 20 laps in formula vauxhal(opel). (at a 2km configuration of Mantorp Park in sweden). Took a day with all the theory and driver changes etc.

Good luck, and don't push too hard(*), concentrate on driving perfect in the beginning (downshifts are alot easier in a sim).

*becuase its embarressing to wait for someone to drive over with a starter battery.

My next step is 36 laps in a radical for £900, my piggybank ia shaking when I lok at it

How long to go Tony?

This Sunday B,

I'll let you know what it was like.
I forgot about it the last couple of days.

My girlfriend made me take out life insurance so she can pay the mortgage off.

Bye for now.

Quote from TonyP23 :

My girlfriend made me take out life insurance so she can pay the mortgage off.

Bye for now.

Hahaha classic

who did you book it with? I want a go

I booked mine here
http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/