Its a 3 hour drive to Snett for me, and I don’t sleep in a van! Plus I have only just bought a van so was splitting rental last year. Cadwell was about £115 last year, and I get 3 or 4 days from a rear as I run the harder compounds for longevity. Yes I’m not your pace but happily middle of advanced group. Donny is more but the extra cost is tit for tat on travel for me. I’m not bothered about Brands or Silverstone so don’t often have to pay over £150 a day. Maybe slightly more than £320 but nowhere near £600 a day for me. It’s an expensive hobby and you have to pay to play, an extra £20 a day won’t stop me doing them.
Just loaded up my geek spreadsheet... - 16 days, Cadwell, Donny, Snett, Oulton & Anglesey - total spent including days, fuel, van hire and diesel, tyres, pads, a few hotels, a bit thrown in for food £5400. - £337.50 average cost If you’re spending £600 then I think you’re packing too much caviar and bollinger for dinner.
2 days van rental with excess protection was 182 quid, 60 quid diesel and 40 for digs. 282 before I started paying for track, tyres, fuel, pads, scran on day. No caviar here fella. Agree that doing a few will bring average costs down over the year as you can spread consumables over days more accurately, but you still need to fork out for them on day 1.
Well your first problem is paying excess protection on the van, that adds £100 straight away! I hired a van for each of my days last year, and it was £100 max through enterprise. Luckily split between me and a mate so if you want to be picky up my average to £380 for comparison. You can’t blame MSV for the additional costs you have as that’s not their problem. You could not stay over and ride your bike there and back if you wanted. (I know I’m being silly to suggest that but just making the point). I’m not saying you’re lying, just giving my costs and experience that it can be done for way less. If you want to do trackdays you have to accept the costs sadly, cheaper less fun hobbies are available.
40 quid for 2 days excess cover, also enterprise. Not risking hundreds of quid bills for something to happen at digs or paddock. I'm not complaining about the rises, I had already decided I was out for the next few yrs due to costs. '17, '18 and most of '19 I was racing and tracking in Scandinavia with over 25 days on track each year, and with own van and no digs requirement. Its easy to have lower averages over a season, we all know that. Considering the general cost of living differential between there and here, UK trackday costs here are disproportionately high, regardless of the consumables. Nothing more, nothing less.
So it’s not your first rodeo, which means I’m more confused. Most of your costs aren’t linked to the TDO charge? Excluding van hire costs you have here what’s drastically more expensive here over Scandinavia? I ask out of interest not to start an argument.
Trackday was 220 for Donny in August booking through my dealer. Usual day rates after exchange conversion over there were £50 quid for half days/evenings. £110-140 a day for full days, and discounted if you had double or triple day event.
how on Earth are you getting 3/4 days out of a rear?! Wtf? I can get two days max out of a rear on a 600 and they’re totally fucked by then. I nearly went over the handle bars from a Highside on my 600 stretching a v02 rear to two days, let alone a 1000 and that’s on vo2’s not slipperelli’s. A Pirelli forget it. A day tops. I’d never run a front for 4 days let alone a rear.
Less weight and slower roll on? I get 3 or 4 from a rear on the 750 and I'm sub 60's round Mallory so not slow.
I don’t think I’ve ever known a fast group rider get 3/4 days out of a rear on a 1000 before. Eitherway, I’m glad you’re getting your money’s worth out of your fun mate
Because I manage tyres better than a GP rider.....?! I’m doing 1.42’s at Cadwell and Donny pace wise, and I’ll push 4 days if I’ve missed a few sessions on earlier days. But I change them because I feel I should, who knows if there’s another day in them. That’s running v02 mediums, or a kr108 5. Gone to a kr108 4 to start this season so will see how I get on. edit, my mate has a RSV4 RF and we change tyres at the same time, and he’s consistently a second or 2 quicker than me.
Out of interest are you leaning on the tc ? (Nothing wrong with that). But a 2 day old vo2 spins like mad on my 600 let alone a 200bhp beast. on a 1000 you’re not pushing the front as hard generally granted. But I’d still be concerned about tucking the front. Your entry in to the corner will likely still be as quick as a 600, it’s just the apex speed that’s different. fairplay mate. Braver man than me. I guess you’re on electronics which I’ve never had the luxury of (on anything I’ve ridden sort of quickly anyway). I’d 10000% end up in the medi centre on a 4 day old rear I run two/three day scrubs on my gsxr when instructing and they feel horrendous to me. Tc going mental. Front feels like it’s nervous and vague. I wouldn’t want to push on them (I’m a confidence/feedback rider, I can’t push unless the bike/tyres are talking to me). It reminds me of riding on track on road tyres.. not confidence inspiring. I did a 1:44 on my gsxr at Donington totally stock. On road tyres, abs. Stock brakes the lot. It was sketchy as fuck. Guintoli was doing 38’s I think on the same set up. Madness.
Im not quick on the power out of corners which is where I lose most of my time and I try to be smooth, but the tc does kick in on quicker corners and I’ll lean on it. The V4 tc is incredibly good and smooth, but I assume you’ve tracked one? I’m also happy sacrificing some tenths for a bit of tyre efficiency and spreading the cost a bit as I’m arsing about not racing.
Thats great for shaving your costs. I usually get 3 rears to a front and most of the time, if the sessions weren't red flagged, I would be putting a new rear on for the last 2 sessions of the day. No tearing up and early dumping, just gone. Depending on the track, I might get one more session flipping the rear.
Not ridden a v4 on track mate but I’ve heard great things. fairplay I don’t like stretching tyres. I’ve tried it as said and had some seriously epic ‘oh shit’ moments haha
I’m the same on a 1000 mate tbh. Learning to trust and lean on tc after only riding on feel and the control of my right hand is difficult. I was starting to get the feel of it last year but have only ridden the 1000 a handful of times and it was nearly always on shagged tyres. I’ll be rusty as hell now. The last time I rode half quick was September 2019
Its supply and demand. If you want to do track days and don't want to go to Europe then you will pay. Imagine how many uk tracks would be still here if MSV hadnt started up. It's not a charity.
Ive not been on track without tc, although my bmw was pretty archaic compared to the v4. I’m happy with tyres at that amount of use, once they drop a bit after day 1 they don’t seem to offer any less grip before I change them. Speaking to a lot of tyre people they’ve all said they have more life in them than most people think, but hard to trust or prove until it goes wrong!
