***TRACKDAY, Brands Hatch, Monday, 9th Dec***

[Casey]

Now that summer has finally arrived it’s time to think about a cooler trackday in December  :Giggle . Yes, the date has been announced for the legendary December Mazdaontrack Open Pitlane trackday at Brands Hatch on Monday, 9th December. If you’ve not been to Brands in your rotary then this is a must. I’ve been for quite a few years now and, on average, the weather has been bright and cool. OK, don’t remind me about the one event that had to be postponed due to 2 feet of snow  :o

If you’ve never been to Brands, or to a trackday, you’ll be made most welcome by me, and hopefully by some of the die-hards who I hope will sign up to return to this awesome track. The first time you drive down the main straight at over 100mph, then are faced with braking into a blind bend that drops away onto an incredibly steep hill is truly breath taking. It’s a short circuit, so easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Now, the best bit, the current price is £119, but if you PM me for a secret discount code then you can get £15 off to make the price just £104! Be quick though, as this discount will only apply to bookings before the end of July.

Track and event details for anyone new;
CIRCUIT STATS:
Length - 1.2 miles (Indy)
Corners - 5
Noise - 105db (compulsory stationary test)

TIMINGS OF THE DAY:
- Sign On 07:30 - 08:30
- Briefing: 08:30am
- OPL from 09.00
- Lunch 12.30-13.30
- OPL 13.30
- Track Closes 16.00 (Day light permitting)

Book your place via THIS LINK

A video of a complete track session from Dec 2011, courtesy of Hypopthermia, who’s in the passenger seat with me.

And here is a “n/s foglight” perspective;
HINTS:
1. Turn your sound down low, the wind noise isn\'t good!
2. Click on the 360p and select 720p to get the HD version of the video.

Finally, here is a previous track briefing, which I will update and re-issue later in the year…

[Casey]

I\'m in!
1. Casey - PAID
2. Ian.Mothersole

[Casey]

UPDATING (sorry, been busy with work and trackday at Castle Combe:D)

Wow, this is great guys, nearly 20 people expressing an interest in this one so far  

Garages - nearer the date I\'ll sort this out. I\'ll assume most people will be OK sharing 3 cars per garage to keep the costs down (and keeps us closer together!). That\'s enough room to stow gear, plus two cars will fit into one garage anyway. Once the trackday is underway we won\'t all need garage space all the time.

Food on the evening of the trackday - I will ask nearer the time and book somewhere local. I don\'t want to rush straight off and start queuing for the M25 bridge!

REMEMBER THE SPECIAL OFFER PRICE WITH THE SECRET CODE IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL THE END OF THIS MONTH!

I\'m Going
1. Casey - PAID
2. Ian.M - PAID
3. Harrisons5 PAID
4. Harrizone PAID
5. Clive - PAID
6. Dave-B
7. stewartm - PAID
8. mikey2337 (maybe)
9. Zarterone - PAID
10. webbo85 (Simon - Fiesta Diesel) - PAID
11. GSB & Grimreaper - PAID
12. Luigi33 - PAID
13. Conann - PAID
14. Dan507
15. SnarlingDonkey - PAID
16. Wildman10 (with Feathers as talking baggage) - PAID
17. Warnock360 - PAID
18. lennycarloff - PAID
19. hypothermia - PAID
20. Chris231 - PAID

[lennycarloff]

Good to see you had a great time at castle Combe, I couldn\'t get the online shop to work but gave nick a call and all sorted.
See you all in a few weeks
Jim

[Casey]

:Thumbs-up:Thumbs-up Glad to hear Nick has sorted your place out Jim

[Casey]

LAST FEW HOURS TO BOOK THIS TRACKDAY AT THE FANTASTIC, DISCOUNTED PRICE OF £105 (saving £14 off the advertised price). DISCOUNT ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!  

PM or EMAIL ME (Malcolm @   Mazdarotaryclub   .com) for the discount code!

As you can see, we\'ve already got 12 (update, now 14!) people signed up for this, so why not come along and join in the fun?

[Casey]

So, 17 confirmed drivers at this event - should be a really good outing and social event :Thumbs-up

There\'s still places left for more people to book a place at this iconic track; you may have missed the bargain price of £105, but places are still available at £119 (still a good deal) BUT the price will rise to £150 "soon", so don\'t delay if you would like to join the party!

[Casey]

UPDATING

Garages - nearer the date I\'ll sort this out. I\'ll assume most people will be OK sharing 3 cars per garage to keep the costs down (and keeps us closer together!). That\'s enough room to stow gear, plus two cars will fit into one garage anyway. Once the trackday is underway we won\'t all need garage space all the time.

Food on the evening of the trackday - I will ask nearer the time and book somewhere local. I don\'t want to rush straight off and start queuing for the M25 bridge!

I\'m Going
1. Casey - PAID
2. Ian.M - PAID
3. Harrisons5 PAID
4. Harrizone PAID
5. Clive - PAID
6. Dave-B
7. stewartm - PAID
8. mikey2337 (maybe)
9. Zarterone - PAID
10. webbo85 (Simon - Fiesta Diesel) - PAID
11. GSB & GrimReaper - PAID
12. Luigi33 - PAID
13. Conann- PAID
14. Dan507
15. SnarlingDonkey - PAID
16. Wildman10 (with Feathers as talking baggage)  PAID
17. Warnock360 - PAID
18. lennycarloff - PAID
19. hypothermia - PAID
20. Chris231- PAID
21. Duffbyname - PAID
22. Tractorboy- PAID
23. Arnie_O - PAID

[Casey]

I\'ve added a downloadable briefing pack as an attachment (see end of post). Mostly familiar stuff to the regulars, but I\'ve added a cautionary note re the legendary "Naz Corner" :Giggle

Less than 4 weeks to go  

If anyone is still up for this, then there were TWO places left at £149 when I checked this evening, so this event will sell out soon.

FOOD IN THE EVENING AFTER THE EVENT: The event will finish around 4.00pm. If you plan to stay to the very end and then pack everything away it will probably not be a good time to catch the M25 and especially the Dartford Crossing  :2eek . I therefore plan to stay and eat somewhere nearby and leave later in the evening. You are welcome to join me, but please reply to this post and annotate as I have below. As we are close to Christmas I will need to pre-book a table and need numbers!

CONFIRMED LIST (as far as I know it anyway!)
1. Casey EVENING MEAL
2. Ian.M EVENING MEAL
3. Harrisons5
4. Harrizone EVENING MEAL
5. Clive
6. stewartm & KJB EVENING MEAL
7. Stever EVENING MEAL
8. Zarterone Evening Meal
9. webbo85 EVENING MEAL
10. GSB & GrimReaper EVENING MEAL
11. Luigi33
12. SnarlingDonkey
13. Conann
14. Wildman10 (with Feathers as talking baggage)  
15. Warnock360
16. lennycarloff
17. hypothermia
18. Chris231 EVENING MEAL
19. Duffbyname
20. Tractorboy
21. Arnie_O EVENING MEAL
22. Gabor

BUDDYS: I\'ve had several requests for Buddys and will be sorting these out very soon. It\'s still not too late to PM me to request one if you feel you could benefit. Here\'s how the Buddy system works;

Anyone who is new to trackdays, or new to a particular track, can be assured of whatever support they need at most of these events. There are now a number of "veteran" members who have done many trackdays in their RX-8\'s who are willing to offer to “Buddy-Up" with anyone on a one-to-one basis. This can include any or all of;

1. Helping with pre-track car checks, the sign-on process, noise testing and accompanying through the briefing session.
2. Giving a passenger ride to show the basics of driving the track.
3. Sitting in as a passenger on the new person\'s first track session to give some basic pointers (then we\'d advise booking a professional tuition session).
4. Any help/advice for the remainder of the day.


GARAGES: I plan to book EIGHT garages in a “group”, which will give us 1/3 of a garage each to stow our gear, plus one garage for “breathing space or drive through”. This will cost ~£10 each (Cash on the day please, so I can pay NickD). This has worked OK in the past at Brands. The garages will accommodate 2 cars, but there is plenty of room in front and behind each garage to easily take more. During the day, apart from “Red Flag” and the lunchbreak, I’d expect around half of us to be on track anyway. The etiquette is, use your own garage where you can, but if you find it blocked, use one of the others, but be prepared to move your car if someone needs to use their stowed tools on their car.
-   If you want more than 1/3 garage then please PM me (it’ll cost you more though!)
-   If you want to share a garage with particular friends, let PM me with details as I shall get names put on each garage early in the morning.
-   I shall aim to ensure Buddys share a garage with Buddees to make things easier

HOTELS: this is a “daytrip” for me, but if you need accommodation these places have been used by others in the past;

Brands Hatch Thistle

^This one is right at the main entrance to the circuit, so you won\'t even get your engine warm on the drive to the paddock  

Conann usually stays at a local Premier Inn; LINK

Or, local pub/restaurant; "The Rising Sun" (how appropriate is that!) where we may well be eating after the trackday; LINK

We may well be eating here, but the menu prices have risen somewhat, so will be seeking a possible alternative!

[lennycarloff]

I\'ve added a downloadable briefing pack as an attachment (see end of post). Mostly familiar stuff to the regulars, but I\'ve added a cautionary note re the legendary "Naz Corner" :Giggle

Less than 4 weeks to go  

If anyone is still up for this, then there were TWO places left at £149 when I checked this evening, so this event will sell out soon.

FOOD IN THE EVENING AFTER THE EVENT: The event will finish around 4.00pm. If you plan to stay to the very end and then pack everything away it will probably not be a good time to catch the M25 and especially the Dartford Crossing  :2eek . I therefore plan to stay and eat somewhere nearby and leave later in the evening. You are welcome to join me, but please reply to this post and annotate as I have below. As we are close to Christmas I will need to pre-book a table and need numbers!

CONFIRMED LIST (as far as I know it anyway!)
1. Casey EVENING MEAL
2. Ian.M EVENING MEAL
3. Harrisons5
4. Harrizone EVENING MEAL
5. Clive
6. stewartm & KJB EVENING MEAL
7. Stever EVENING MEAL
8. Zarterone Evening Meal
9. webbo85 EVENING MEAL
10. GSB & GrimReaper EVENING MEAL
11. Luigi33
12. SnarlingDonkey
13. Conann
14. Wildman10 (with Feathers as talking baggage)  
15. Warnock360
16. lennycarloff  EVENING MEAL
17. hypothermia
18. Chris231 EVENING MEAL
19. Duffbyname
20. Tractorboy
21. Arnie_O EVENING MEAL
22. Gabor EVENING MEAL

BUDDYS: I\'ve had several requests for Buddys and will be sorting these out very soon. It\'s still not too late to PM me to request one if you feel you could benefit. Here\'s how the Buddy system works;

Anyone who is new to trackdays, or new to a particular track, can be assured of whatever support they need at most of these events. There are now a number of "veteran" members who have done many trackdays in their RX-8\'s who are willing to offer to “Buddy-Up" with anyone on a one-to-one basis. This can include any or all of;

1. Helping with pre-track car checks, the sign-on process, noise testing and accompanying through the briefing session.
2. Giving a passenger ride to show the basics of driving the track.
3. Sitting in as a passenger on the new person\'s first track session to give some basic pointers (then we\'d advise booking a professional tuition session).
4. Any help/advice for the remainder of the day.


GARAGES: I plan to book EIGHT garages in a “group”, which will give us 1/3 of a garage each to stow our gear, plus one garage for “breathing space or drive through”. This will cost ~£10 each (Cash on the day please, so I can pay NickD). This has worked OK in the past at Brands. The garages will accommodate 2 cars, but there is plenty of room in front and behind each garage to easily take more. During the day, apart from “Red Flag” and the lunchbreak, I’d expect around half of us to be on track anyway. The etiquette is, use your own garage where you can, but if you find it blocked, use one of the others, but be prepared to move your car if someone needs to use their stowed tools on their car.
-   If you want more than 1/3 garage then please PM me (it’ll cost you more though!)
-   If you want to share a garage with particular friends, let PM me with details as I shall get names put on each garage early in the morning.
-   I shall aim to ensure Buddys share a garage with Buddees to make things easier

HOTELS: this is a “daytrip” for me, but if you need accommodation these places have been used by others in the past;

Brands Hatch Thistle

^This one is right at the main entrance to the circuit, so you won\'t even get your engine warm on the drive to the paddock  

Conann usually stays at a local Premier Inn; LINK

Or, local pub/restaurant; "The Rising Sun" (how appropriate is that!) where we may well be eating after the trackday; LINK

We may well be eating here, but the menu prices have risen somewhat, so will be seeking a possible alternative!

[Casey]

LAST CALL FOR FOOD ORDERS, I\'ll be booking this first thing tomorrow morning!

Final number of cars booked is now TWENTY-TWO

FOOD IN THE EVENING AFTER THE EVENT: The event will finish around 4.00pm. If you plan to stay to the very end and then pack everything away it will probably not be a good time to catch the M25 and especially the Dartford Crossing  :2eek . I therefore plan to stay and eat somewhere nearby and leave later in the evening. You are welcome to join me, but please reply to this post and annotate as I have below. As we are close to Christmas I will need to pre-book a table and need numbers!

CONFIRMED LIST (as far as I know it anyway!)
1. Casey EVENING MEAL
2. Ian.M EVENING MEAL
3. Harrisons5
4. Harrizone EVENING MEAL
5. Clive EVENING MEAL
6. stewartm & KJB 2x EVENING MEAL
7. Stever EVENING MEAL
8. Zarterone Evening Meal
9. webbo85 EVENING MEAL
10. GSB & GrimReaper 2x EVENING MEAL
11. Luigi33
12. SnarlingDonkey
13. Conann & Kelvin 2x EVENING MEAL
14. Wildman10 & Annie 2x EVENING MEAL
15. Warnock360 EVENING MEAL
16. lennycarloff  EVENING MEAL
17. hypothermia EVENING MEAL
18. Chris231 EVENING MEAL
19. Duffbyname
20. Tractorboy
21. Arnie_O EVENING MEAL
22. Gabor EVENING MEAL

BUDDYS: I\'ve had several requests for Buddys and will be sorting these out very soon. It\'s still not too late to PM me to request one if you feel you could benefit. Here\'s how the Buddy system works;

Anyone who is new to trackdays, or new to a particular track, can be assured of whatever support they need at most of these events. There are now a number of "veteran" members who have done many trackdays in their RX-8\'s who are willing to offer to “Buddy-Up" with anyone on a one-to-one basis. This can include any or all of;

1. Helping with pre-track car checks, the sign-on process, noise testing and accompanying through the briefing session.
2. Giving a passenger ride to show the basics of driving the track.
3. Sitting in as a passenger on the new person\'s first track session to give some basic pointers (then we\'d advise booking a professional tuition session).
4. Any help/advice for the remainder of the day.


GARAGES: I plan to book EIGHT garages in a “group”, which will give us 1/3 of a garage each to stow our gear, plus one garage for “breathing space or drive through”. This will cost ~£10 each (Cash on the day please, so I can pay NickD). This has worked OK in the past at Brands. The garages will accommodate 2 cars, but there is plenty of room in front and behind each garage to easily take more. During the day, apart from “Red Flag” and the lunchbreak, I’d expect around half of us to be on track anyway. The etiquette is, use your own garage where you can, but if you find it blocked, use one of the others, but be prepared to move your car if someone needs to use their stowed tools on their car.
-   If you want more than 1/3 garage then please PM me (it’ll cost you more though!)
-   If you want to share a garage with particular friends, let PM me with details as I shall get names put on each garage early in the morning.
-   I shall aim to ensure Buddys share a garage with Buddees to make things easier

HOTELS: this is a “daytrip” for me, but if you need accommodation these places have been used by others in the past;

Brands Hatch Thistle

^This one is right at the main entrance to the circuit, so you won\'t even get your engine warm on the drive to the paddock  

Conann usually stays at a local Premier Inn; LINK

Or, local pub/restaurant; "The Rising Sun" (how appropriate is that!) where we may well be eating after the trackday; LINK

We may well be eating here, but the menu prices have risen somewhat, so will be seeking a possible alternative![/QUOTE]

[Casey]

Less than two weeks now  

FOOD  :mmmm:mmmm

I need EVERYONE\'S choice of food by PM (or via this thread), by midnight Saturday absolute latest.

TWO menus are available

Festive Menu - choose from the "Festive celeb.." menu
Main Menu - Main menu

It\'s going to be far easier for me if everyone makes their choices from the Festive Menu (£19.99, 3 courses), but if you really don\'t like the choices then choose from the main menu.

I have to deliver the food selections to the restaurant by Monday morning. As there are 21 of us staying to eat, pre-ordering will hopefully mean we get some better and faster service than on out last visit!

If you\'ve PM\'d me over on the RX8OC you don\'t need to respond on here - unless you are extremely hungry :Giggle

[exiled-viking]

booked the thistle sunday at brands just coming for a look see on monday and get some photos, of the race car see you the :Viking

[lennycarloff]

See you there tiny
:guinness

[C J R]

Enjoy yourselves guys.