Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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After getting an MSV RaceMaster experience for my 30th off the wife back in October, I had waited until last month to book it as I wanted to improve my chances of good weather......went to Oulton yesterday and sods law it pissed it down all day. 
Got there and had briefing with one of the senior instructors, and went through racing lines, trail braking, flags, lights etc etc. He then scared the shit out of us telling us about when he crashed a single seater during a race at Oulton after he had brake failure at the end of the straight and broke his back in 3 places 
It was then over to the pits and we were allocated an instructor and they firstly took us out in the BMW M3 for a lap to show us lines and the circuit. Then it was back to pits and we swapped over. We went out and did 5 laps in the M3.
Now i'm going to get raped on here, but the M3 didn't exactly blow me away. On the rare occasion when i was able to accelerate hard it didn't feel that quick either. But the conditions were shite and i'd definatley have to drive one in dry to get a proper opinion. Loved the paddle shifters tho.
Then it was back to the pits and we went out in the Formula Audi single seaters. These were obviously alot more raw. Race clutch, 4 speed H pattern gearbox, brake pedal with no feel at all! Pretty sure the brakes didn't get anyway near warm in the conditions.
Loved it. I just would have loved to have driven one in the dry as you just couldn't get anyway near its potential in the wet. Only crap thing was they were rev limited so even in the wet, I was hitting limiter in 4th down the straight
Got fucking soaked. And when I caught other cars it was twice as bad with spray.
Weather was that bad one guy bottled out and didn't go out in the Single Seater and two guys went off. One just onto the grass on the infield (you see him pull back on infront of me on the last lap), and one guy binned it backwards at Druids into the barriers!
Got a bit pissed off with some people because we were clearly told to pull over to the right to let faster cars past, and to look for blue flags to warn us that a faster car was approaching, but I spent the first 2-3 laps stuck behind gimps not moving, and as we were only allowed to overtake on left it was not possible to make a risky move.
BMW vid below (gets a bit boring)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdHpXKidYNs
Single Seater vid below
Starts at lap 4, as earlier than that was loads of slow traffic and yellow flags!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD9eqW-oC1g
[Edited on 13-06-2011 by Ben J]
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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i find that quite a bit at oulton, people not letting you through
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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decent track though, probably one of the better ones in uk you could have chosen
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Jambo
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
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Being N/A Ben you need to rev it to get it to feel "fast" plus compared to those two seater things it will be slow.
I remember thinking that my Z3 wasnt quick, untill i saw i hadnt used the last 3000rpm on the speedo 
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
i find that quite a bit at oulton, people not letting you through
Yeah. It was a cunt. I'm not claiming to be Jenson Button or anything and it was my first time on track, but some people were going pretty slow, which was fine because the conditions were shit, but how they didn't see blue flags and blue flashing lights I don't know! Infact at the very start of the SS vid you can see me waving my hand at the car in front which I had been stuck behind for half a lap!
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
decent track though, probably one of the better ones in uk you could have chosen
I love it especially as its my local.
The instructor was saying its the most technical in UK? As its got a bit of everything.
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Jambo
Being N/A Ben you need to rev it to get it to feel "fast" plus compared to those two seater things it will be slow.
I remember thinking that my Z3 wasnt quick, untill i saw i hadnt used the last 3000rpm on the speedo
Yeah...can't remember the last time I drove a N/A car lol.
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Jambo
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
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Weather for your day though That looks proper wet in the vid!
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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was the m3 restricted at all?
i done one of these experience days in both a ferrari f430 scuderia and aston martin v8 vantage and the aston did not feel that fast.
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
was the m3 restricted at all?
i done one of these experience days in both a ferrari f430 scuderia and aston martin v8 vantage and the aston did not feel that fast.
M3 wasn't restricted....apart from by the weather!!!
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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i done the ferrari one in the wet (wetter than yesterdays F1) and that was quite fun, was a young bloke with me who let me enjoy myself.
aston one had an older intsructor with me who was boring.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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whats that corner called that you kept turning sharp into?
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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Fosters?
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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not sure, but i like that corner, looks quite fun.
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
i done the ferrari one in the wet (wetter than yesterdays F1) and that was quite fun, was a young bloke with me who let me enjoy myself.
aston one had an older intsructor with me who was boring.
My instructor was younger than me!! Thing is, if they'd let us hoon in the wet in the M3, then we'd done same in single seater it would have got messy. Two guys went off as it was, one if a fairly big way lol.
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Daniel_Corsa
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Registered: 21st Apr 04
Location: Wigton, Cumbria
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Just watched your M3 video, they held you back ALOT! When I done it the other week although damp not wet I was doing 1min25sec laps think Jake Humphries did a 1min19sec and was quite a few faster than him during the day.
Oulton Park is a great track, if I ever do a track day I think thats the track I'd choose.
Great day shame you never to unleash the full power due to conditions.
April '06' Corsasport Feature Car  | Aug '08' Total Vauxhall Feature Car | Spring '09' Fast Car Feature Car
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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Forgot to put in original post, at the end we got a hot lap in the M3 with an instructor driving. I got an old guy, he hoofed it out of Fosters, and drifted it through Knickerbrook but then lost the back end and we went across the rumble strip and grass sideways. Was pretty cool.
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Daniel_Corsa
Just watched your M3 video, they held you back ALOT! When I done it the other week although damp not wet I was doing 1min25sec laps think Jake Humphries did a 1min19sec and was quite a few faster than him during the day.
Oulton Park is a great track, if I ever do a track day I think thats the track I'd choose.
Great day shame you never to unleash the full power due to conditions.
I'm gutted it wasn't dry. Typical. Some people were going silly slow though. I pretty much went as fast as I was allowed in the M3 and as fast as I dared in the SS. Especially as at times it was hard to see.
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