Our sons trackday experience

[Geedee]

For our sons 18th, we promised him a trackday at our local race track, Thruxton. His 18th was back a while and with one thing and another, he's only just had his main present.

We got to the race track at 10:30 and the place was heaving, really busy so we thought we'd be in for a long day. Actually, it turned out to be a very slick operation right from the get-go.

First off was the track brief, a talk followed by a 15 muinute video showing the track and explaining apex points and other fast car driving tips.

Then it was into a Mazda for 3 laps driven by an instructor to show the the track and point out the lines and stuff. The first lap was a slow 'heres the braking point for this corner and thats where you aim for' run the pace picked up for the last two laps.

Back into the paddock, out of the Mazda and straight into the driving seat of a Porche Cayman for 4 laps (with the instructor sat in the passenger seat and again, giving tips all the way around). Unfortunately, Aydens instructor miss-counted the laps so he had an extra one.



The instructor marked him high for the track...they give you points on balance into the corners, track postion, smoothness etc etc, but did suggest he may want to be a little bit slower in his next car.

Out of the Porche...grinning like an idiot...and straight into a vulgar orange car. Actually, it aint vulgar and I'm dead jealous !!!. He gets to sit behind the wheel of a Lamborghini LP670 SV Murcielago. The LP670 SV is a tuned Lambo that puts out 670 BHP from it V12 and can top 214MPH.

Thruxton by the way is the UKs's fastest race track

He had four laps driving that monster and when he got out, the grin was considreably bigger !. Then it was back into the paddock and into the seat of a Formula Renault single seater. This is powered by a 130BHP 1700cc engine that can push the car to 140 MPH. And he had five laps in that one as well. Additionaly, his laps in the Porche and the Renault were all filmed from inside the car so he now has two HD CD's of his laps in those cars. Pity they dont yet film from the Lambo.

While he was out on the track, he was mixing it with the single seaters, Aston Martin convertibles, Ferrarri's and Lotus's and Audi's. He had a fantastic time. After the driving, he had a de-brief and was given a card with comments from his instructors. His overall marking on the Lambo drive was 87 % !....bl**dy eighty seven percent and he had the highest score for the day ...and he's not even 19 yet !. G*t !

He's still grinning !.

Pics are of the Mazda, then the Cayman, the Lambo (I want its babies !) and finally the Formula Renault.

[vikingBerserker]

Holy <bleeping> Gees! That had to be a blast!!!

[tail end charlie]

I only raced at Thruxton once and finished eighth....absolutely fantastic circuit, really hard to find a line around the fast bends around the back and bumpy as hell which upset my bike set up for smoother circuits we only had three laps practice. On a M/Cycle braking for the chicane is heart stopping because you are going around a right hand corner from max speed.

If that was his first time on a track he will NEVER forget it it will take years to wipe the grin from his chops.

When I was racing we used to say "when the flag drops the bullsh*t stops" well done to your son for going out and finding out how fast he actually is rather than blathering in a bar, from what you posted he got some respect from people who know whit from sh*t which I am sure will mean more than any ill informed opinion including if I may say his dad.

[lesofprimus]

Absolutely frickin Awesome!!! What a great gift Gary, something he'll remember for the rest of his life....

What kind of speeds did he get up to???

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Hey Gary, you don't want another son do you? Hell of a present and looks like he did a superb job and had a blast to. Oh, and excellent shots to sir.

[Njaco]

Its gonna take years to get that smile off his face. What a frickin' great gift!!! Now I know what I want for my burfdae!!!

[syscom3]

The expression on his face was worth the price of admission.

[Crimea_River]

So that's how you Brits learn to drive! My 16 year old son is being subjected to my wife taking him around the block in our Toyota minivan. Great gift Gary, but now you'll need to buy him a Cayman for Christmas!

[Gnomey]

Majorly jealous, always wanted to do something like that but haven't yet had the chance. Looks like a blast.

[evangilder]

Looks like a great time!

[tail end charlie]

Thruxton was an operational airfield in WW2

Before Thruxton could be used by Ninth Air Force fighters, it was necessary for US engineers to put down Marsden Matting and concrete reinforcements beside the perimeter track to provide additional aircraft standings. While a good proportion of the personnel could be housed in the hutted accommodation on the dispersed camp, this only catered for 1124 persons so others had to live under canvas tenting.

While under USAAF control, it was known as USAAF Station AAF-407 for security reasons, and by which it was referred to instead of location. It's Station-ID was "TX".

[edit] 366th Fighter Group
Thruxton was transferred to the USAAF Ninth Air Force on 3 January 1944. On 1 March the 366th Fighter Group was transferred to the airfield from RAF Membury. Operational squadrons of the group were:

389th Fighter Squadron (A6)
390th Fighter Squadron (B2)
391st Fighter Squadron (A
The 366th was a group of Ninth Air Force's 71st Fighter Wing, IX Tactical Air Command.

The 366th FG flew Republic P-47 Thunderbolts on ground attack missions and the group entered combat on 14 March with a fighter sweep along the French Normandy coast. Subsequent operations were designed to prepare the way for the invasion of the Continent. On D-Day, the group flew fighter sweeps over Normandy, attacking such targets as motor convoys and gun emplacements.

The group lost 27 P-47s on missions flown from Thruxton. In air fighting, the CO, Colonel Dyke Meyer, shot down two enemy aircraft on the 12 April mission but the most successful was 12 June when 10 enemy aircraft fell to the group's guns. The total of credits of enemy aircraft shot down while flying from Thruxton was 23. The group moved to its Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at St. Pierre du Mont, France (ALG A-1) on 17 June constructed right behind the coastline near Omaha Beach only six days after the first landings. The last squadron to move to France was the 398th FS, leaving on the 20th. A rear party of USAAF personnel remained at Thruxton until July.

From the continent, the 366th FG frequently attacked such targets as railroads, highways, bridges, motor transports, gun emplacements, supply depots and troops, providing tactical air support in support of U.S. First Army. The group often escorted bombers that hit airfields, factories, and marshalling yards and sometimes flew area patrols and on occasion dropped leaflets.

The group flew its last mission, attacking harbors at Kiel and Flensburg, on 3 May 1945 from its ALG at Münster/Handorf Airdrome (ALG Y-94), Germany. It remained in Germany after the war and, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe, becoming part of the occupation force.

The 366th Fighter Group was inactivated at Fritzlar, Germany on 20 August 1946.

[tail end charlie]

Geedee

just as a matter of interest did the school give him lap times, was he getting quicker throughout or was the real muscle car the fastest per lap?

[Airframes]

Great stuff Gary, and it's obvious your lad had a fantastic day. You do relaise, it's now going to cost you a fortune, as he'll now be aiming for F 1 ?!!

[Vic Balshaw]

Gee Gary what a fabulous present for your son and as you say he was all smiles from ear to ear and who wouldn't be. As a kid my Dad took me to Castle Combe on race days, but that was a long time ago when most cars still had spokes on the wheels. Some great pictures to

[Wayne Little]

great stuff Gary....

.....so for the 21st....will it be down on the deck and flying Jets over the countryside!