[CIRCUIT] Francorchamps / Marc Duez / Samedi 24 oct 2009

[Polaris]

J'aimerais rappeler que a Franco, il y a quelques superbes lignes droite et que les reprises de la FRS sont vraiment folle, je pense que ce circuit lui convient bien mieux que Folembray par exemple.
Je crois sincèrement qu'elle peut descendre juste sous les 3 minutes. Ou bien c'est que tout le monde se trainait ce jour la... même les porsches

[Polaris]

Hi,

Sorry for my late report. (hollyday)

Exactly 4 years after my first trackday I did return to the track where it al started.

Looking back at the old thread from 29-10-2005 I wonder why I was now the only RX8:
Thanks to Thierry and Baphi I was not alloon.

http://www.rx8france.com/forum/ftopic2452.php

1. Mag : RX-8
2. CRD_UK : 350Z :
3. Froggy : 350Z :
4. Regis_xxx : 350Z :
5. RenesisMSA : RX-8
6. Eddy (frère de RenesisMSA) : Alfa GT :
7. Caecil : RX-8
8. Sylv : 350Z
9. Sebastien : RX-8
10. Tertou : RX-8
11. Outjer : RX-8
12. Stéphane : Boxter
13. Jeanne : TT
14. Serge : 320d
15. Daripper : M3 :
16. Franck : RX-8
17. Franck : RX-8 :
18. M350Z : 350Z :
19. Damon : 350Z :
20. zeno : RX-8 :
21. Roadrunner : RX-8

So 10 RX 8 !!
Where has everybody gone??

Here the pics from Duez:
http://www.marc-duez.be/091024testday/#

Outjer

Indeed, we were only 3 .
Outjer you are the best of us with your more than 6000 Km on track

[Tsar]

J'aimerais rappeler que a Franco, il y a quelques superbes lignes droite et que les reprises de la FRS sont vraiment folle, je pense que ce circuit lui convient bien mieux que Folembray par exemple.
Je crois sincèrement qu'elle peut descendre juste sous les 3 minutes. Ou bien c'est que tout le monde se trainait ce jour la... même les porsches

j'espère que tu ne compare pas SPA à Folembray , Folembray c'est juste pour le fun de se dégourdir les jantes point barre, il y a rien à voir comparé à SPA .

en parlant de Folembray, si tu veux je ressort le dossier "bac à sable".... ,
sûr qu'avec une FRS on doit être plus à l'aise pour claquer un temps, un peu comme la RX8 finalement .

[Polaris]

Je compare pas directement en effet.
Mais il y a pas de secret, a Spa les WATT parlent...

[Outjer]

So 10 RX 8 !!
Where has everybody gone??
Outjer

The Rx8 is an accessible sportscar, and of the guys who bought it new at first guess some of them took more faster cars now, and the other side of the owners don't all have the money to come regularly to a good track.

Hope to join you guys again at SPA one day, it was my favorite track in video games and now it is just my favorite track for life since i tasted it with you .

@ Thierry: Thanks for the complement!
@ Tsar:Hope to see you next time.

As Tsar wrote, trackdriving is not cheap.
I counted al the cost of the last 4 years and 6000 km on the track together:

2005 Spa: 300 km.
2006 Spa (3x) and Papenburg: 1200 km.
2007 Spa (2x), Zolder (2x), GP Ring, Zandvoort : 1450 km.
2008 Spa (3x), Zandvoort, GP Ring: 1300 km.
2009 Spa (2x), Zandvoort, GP Ring, NS Ring(2x), Zolder: 1950 km.

Upgrade cost on the RX 8 for trackdriving: 4200 euro:

Big front brake: 2000 euro.
Shocks (Koni) : 416 euro.
Wheels for (semi)-slicks: 400 euro.
Sportkat: 575 euro.
Thicker swaybars: 350 euro.
Race seat: 500 euro.

The total trackday-cost without upgrade on the RX 8 up till now: 8800 euro:

Trackhire: 3200 euro.
Petrol (on the track): 2500 euro.
Petrol (to the track and back home): 900 euro.
Front brakepads (3x) and discs: 900 euro.
Rear brakepads (5x): 400 euro.
Tyres (semi)slicks (15x) (most 2e hand): 900 euro

So about 1,5 euro per km
That is about 200 euro per hour.

You know, I think that is indeed a lot a money.
I wished I didn't make this summary....
Hapely my wife doesn't read this forum.

And up till now my only damage was a slightly damaged wheel.
On the engine nothing has broken. (In total now near 120.000 km)

Outjer

[R-Ickx-7]

On a track day at Spa the price for renting a Fun Cup all included is +/-400 EUR/hour and believe me, this is without comparison with a road car, even modified.
A Fun Cup is a real race car with a chassis that is just unbelievable - Imagine lapping at Spa in 3'10'' with 130 ps...
The big advantage is that you don't compromize the confort of your road car as well as not running the risk of breaking your daily drive.

But the big difference comes from racing because lapping around a track is fun at the begining but can become boring after a while...
For that the Fun Cup is the cheapest formula (+/-800 EUR/hour), I know it sounds damned expensive but if you try it you quickly understand what it means

That is how I started it (thanks Mag!) I took a one hour run in the last race at Spa in 2007 and since then I have bought a Fun Cup with some good friends and participated to all races in 2008 and 2009.

For those who are interested I will be organizing a few track days next year at Spa and elsewhere...

[Outjer]

On several Duez days I have seen the funcup doing extra practise laps.
Sure it is a race car.
And if you count al the cost it is not expensive.
Low weight is everything on the track.

But I stick to the RX 8 another year.
Probebly only doing the Evo day at Spa.
I will concentrate more on the Nordschleife.
3 trackdays next year.
Thats surely not boring!

Outjer

[R-Ickx-7]

I will concentrate more on the Nordschleife.
3 trackdays next year.
Thats surely not boring!Outjer

Nordschleife is probably the only track where you won't be bored since it is so long and has so similar curves and sections. Professional drivers like Dirk Schoysmann say it takes a minimum of 50 laps (>2000 km) to become familiar with the track
But it is a very dangerous track if you plan to drive there as you do on other tracks like Spa. There, you cannot be at the limit of your car as you do on Spa because there is very little room for mistakes! If you drive there safely it is great fun but not the level of fun you get on a track like Spa with a Fun Cup at the limit in Pouhon for instance
To me the fun at the Nordschleife is linked to the fact I know what comes behind a blind curve or crest, not the lap time and that is where the difference lies...

But at the end every track, every car, every driver is different and what really counts is the level of fun everyone of us finds in it.