A big thank you to Nick D. from Mazda on track for bringing Welcome to Track back on MOT's list of services.
I arrived at Cadwell Park this morning with my only experience of driving on a race track being parade laps at Croft last year and Silverstone this year. I had spoken to Nick at silverstone and signed up for Welcome to Track a few days after the parade laps.
Imagine my surprise when I found out I would be driving Paul Roddisons No. 25 Race winning car from Snetterton, with Paul giving me instruction. The deal is simple, you get 1 hours track time with this split into sessions on track and feedback to help you improve in-between. The first session was a real eye opener, Pauls Max 5 Mk3 had bags of power and handled my lack of ability with ease, we pulled back into the paddock and some very helpful advice from Paul on turn in, hitting the apexes and then back for session 2 on Track. Speeds improved and I started to get confidence in the cars abilities. When Cadwell was described as a technical track at the morning breifing they were not wrong, the armco is very close in places and the hairpin at the end of the hall curves is a real challenge for a novice along with the Gooseneck and Mountain, a quick left uphill into a right turn which has a blind crest, the car goes light and you are heading back to the hall curves.
Pauls tuition and calm manner helped coax me into even faster laps and in the hour had me cornering 50 percent faster at the end of the straight into coppice than I had at the start. I hit the rev-limiter a couple of times and wandered off track once but Paul stayed calm. At the end of my time we swapped seats and Paul took me out to show me just how much grip his car has, a couple of extremely fast laps and my time was done. The grin was spread from ear to ear and I was hooked, I now feel confident enough to take my own car on trackdays.
To anyone who wants to try out a track day without risking your own car this is the best way you can do it. Everyone I spoke to after my time on track was really friendly and I look forward to seeing them again when I take my own MX-5 out on track.
Thanks again to Nick and Paul for a great day.
Peter aka walkingboss.