Mallala Trackday - Nov 23

[V35-2005]

The follow up to the successful Advanced Driving Course trackday at Mallala (http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Ad...da-t272759.html) will be in ten weeks time. I have organised with the John Bowe Institute of Driving for their High Performance Driving Course to be held on Monday November 23. This will be a joint SAU & SA Supra event and is not the high performance course advertised on their website for Wednesday Nov 25 - we get a whole day to ourselves!

This will be a Level 2 instructor led course which means that you have the opportunity to have a qualified instructor (who is often a professional race car driver) assess your driving ability / technique and teach you new skills (or modify your bad habits). Website here: John Bowe Institute of Driving. This is also your chance to drive your car around a race track as fast as you possibly (safely) can. Pricing for the general public is normally $425 per person but pricing for our group will be $385 per person.

Those SAU members who attended the Advanced Driving course three weeks ago are now eligible for this and future High Performance Driving Courses - you will already have the appropriate enrolment form for the Nov 23 trackday so please complete this and send it in ASAP if you haven't already done so! If you have sent your form in with full payment and received a receipt from Dean at John Bowe, please reply to this thread now and let me or Luke (heslo) know so that we can add you to the list. If you don't have the form, PM me for it.

If you have attended previous High Performance trackdays with John Bowe Driving or done similar courses and are interested in going to this trackday, please reply on this thread or PM me asap for the official enrolment form.

Please note that JBID normally requires participants to have done a minimum of an L1 course such as a Drive to Live / Drive to Survive day or their L2A Advanced Driving Course prior to doing their L2B High Performance courses. If you haven't done an Advanced Driving Course or High Performance Day with John Bowe Driving or equivalent training companies before, then you may not be eligible for this trackday as we won't know you or what your level of experience is. If you have done a Level 1 defensive driving course before, have been out at Mallala several times, or are experienced in "spirited driving" through the Hills and are confident of your ability to participate in this day, then have a chat with Luke (heslo) and me first. Sorry, but this is a safety issue - so no total newbies or test pilots please.

However, with the success of the August event, i am likely to run another Advanced Driving Course earlier next year (maybe late March rather than August to avoid the rain) which will then allow new drivers to step up to the full High Performance days or other track events in 2010.

The numbers for Nov 23 are strictly limited, so please get your forms in NOW as the list will fill quickly. As this event is ten weeks away, you'd better get your act together if you're interested!

- no deposits this time as the list will fill up fast

- $385 full payment is due directly to Dean at John Bowe Driving now

- the track day is on a Monday so you had better organise your holidays/leave/sick day now!

- you will need a helmet

Summary:

------

* 28 places available

* cost = $385 for whole day (0830-1630) of instructor led training

* theory session, track walk through, practice laps, then training

* includes morning tea + catered lunch

* lots of bottled water / softdrinks to rehydrate also provided throughout day

* instructor led (ratio 1:4 instructor:drivers)

* relatively safe unless you're really stupid

* no insurance cover for damaging your car (unless you're with Shannons Insurance)

* there will be an ambulance crew there (just in case)

* you will need to bring your own (approved) helmet

* metal valve caps for tire valves are required

* fire extinguisher fitment is optional

* this is not an open practice day

* sorry, no spectators (due to public liability insurance)

* no passengers other than the instructors (it is not an approved "ride" day)

* a CAMS licence is NOT required.

* this is a private supervised circuit day with strict and specific rules.

* it is not a race session, nor is it a drift day.

* overtaking on corners or under brakes is not allowed.

* definitely no contact with another car's bodywork!

* everyone has the opportunity to go at their own pace

** please note that this is not a race or drift day. it is not a club supersprint event or Time Attack day ** see FAQ post below.

[V35-2005]

Frequently Asked Questions:

---------------------------------

Q: Why is this so expensive? I can go out to Mallala for less than $120 on an open day and go fully sick there

A: Well go ahead and do that then. This is a driver education day. we're paying for the exclusive hire of the track, ambulance crew, instructors, and catering. The JBID days are good from an instruction and safety point of view, but yes, are costly. Our package includes the cost of instructors, ambulance crew and someone to pull you out from the sandtrap with a tow truck. Food and refreshments are also included.

The problem with an open day is that you will be sharing it with lots of other cars, drivers who may not have experience in circuit driving (and therefore clog or obstruct the track), drifters (not a bad thing, but they do obstruct traffic), and those who aren't concerned about losing pieces of bodywork or other cars (therefore dangerous). There will be a maximum of 28 cars on our day. Up to 10 cars may be circulating out there at any one time but on different parts of the track so you will have the opportunity to stretch your legs out (you may have to be patient though)

Q: Are spectators allowed to come along watch for the day?

A: Unfortunately, no. We do not have public liability insurance to cover spectators in the event of accidents or injury. ie - who is liable if someone gets injured or run over in pit lane? or if someone slips over in the public toilets and fractures a wrist? or falls off the grandstand and ends up with spinal injuries?

Q: Can i drift my car on this day?

A: No, this is grip event, not drift.

Q: Can i take other people around the track in my car?

A: Aside from the instructor, no.

Q: "I'm an ace driver already and don't need any instruction from anyone. i just want to tear up the track and smash the lap record. Why should i listen to an instructor telling me how to drive?"

A: If you're thinking that, then this sort of track day isn't for you. You should stay at home and wait for that phone call from the Formula 1 team that so desperately wants to sign you up for next year's championship run.

Q: Will i hit the 180kph speed cut in my car?

A: Quite possibly if you are a hero on the back straight. However, you'll have to back that top speed up with damn good brakes or you'll miss the northern hairpin corner completely. I will be most impressed if you are able to hit 200+kph on the back straight of Mallala and not spear off at the first hairpin.

Q: Doesnt Mallala hire out the track to people already? Why can't we hire out Mallala for a day?

A: That's a great idea and somebody else is doing it for October, but it does take quite a bit of effort to organise and run. Yes, you can hire out Mallala for $3000-$3500 per day and that may include the presence of the ambulance crew. However, there are the issues with public liability insurance to consider if you have spectators around. There are also questions regarding the management and direction of such an event - do you have enough people willing to be track marshalls and traffic coordinators for the day?

Q: Can i rock up on the day and borrow a helmet?

A: No. You will need to bring your own as it is a mandatory requirement. No helmet, no go.

Q: Will i be insured if i crash my car? or crash into someone elses car?

A: No insurance company will cover u for damage incurred on a race track during an open trackday, even with a CAMS licence. period. However, some insurance companies MAY cover you if you are participating in a driver education course (which this is). Please note that you are required to sign a loss and damage waiver by John Bowe Driving to participate on the day.

Q: I have heard that some insurance companies will cover my car for a driver education day - does that apply?

You will have to check with your own insurance company to see if they can cover you for this event. Participation is at your own risk otherwise.

Q: Do i need a CAMS licence for the day?

A: No. this is not a CAMS practice or race event

[Blue32]

Q: Will i hit the 180kph speed cut in my car?

A: Quite possibly if you are a hero on the back straight. However, you'll have to back that top speed up with damn good brakes or you'll miss the southern hairpin corner completely. I will be most impressed if you are able to hit 200+kph on the back straight of Mallala and not spear off at the first hairpin.

Define hero.........and I think you mean the northern hairpin

[V35-2005]

200kph at the kink and then some more before the hairpin would be impressive

north / south left / right - i can never remember!

[heslo]

Cheers for the post Kim, saved me the hassle

I'll definitely be down for this day, should get my form off by weeks end

[scandyflick]

ill probably get my forms off next week.

[writeoff]

Thanks for the information Kim.

Only 27 spots left as one is mine.

[Joshdc]

Great work Kim.

My full payment has been made.

Will even try not to tractor it this time

[V35-2005]

the list so far:

1. writeoff

2. joshdc

3. scandyflick

4. heslo

who else has sent their form in + payment?

[Luke_ENR34]

I'll be sending mine off in the next week when I get paid.

[32godzilla]

Kim, is it necessary to have done the Advanced Driving course? Have a mate (with a nice bayside blue 34 GTT) at work keen but he didn't do the advanced course - has racing experience though in rally. If it's not a problem we'll both fax off our forms on Thursday.

[V35-2005]

Kim, is it necessary to have done the Advanced Driving course? Have a mate (with a nice bayside blue 34 GTT) at work keen but he didn't do the advanced course - has racing experience though in rally. If it's not a problem we'll both fax off our forms on Thursday.

if he's had experience racing in rally events then he probably knows quite a bit about oversteer and understeer

he should be able to grasp the concept of entry-apex-exit during our little track excursion then... so sign him up!

but in all seriousness, the team will be taking the last section from the Advanced Course (the full laps of the circuit) and winding it up several notches for the whole day with this course. the reason why we're asking for people who have been out on the track before / have track experience is so that we can go beyond the basics and safety drills to focus more on how to go fast properly (and safely) so it will be great fun for everyone to stretch their legs out there so to speak.

[DamageInc]

im keen !

just got a few minor problems to sort out first but if i sort them out in time ill be out !

been wanting to do a course for years now

[Krishy]

i will be sending my form and payment off sometime soon.....had a wicked time out there....with a good bunch of lads shall be good to do it again

[ax53b70p25]

im down where do i have to pay.

[V35-2005]

im down where do i have to pay.

PM sent.

[V35-2005]

nine weeks to go, boys and girls - who has put their form in and received a confirmation email?

[JiN_MaN]

Interested but what do they actually teach you, I assume its not track specific stuff but more driving style/habits?

I assume its this: http://www.johnbowedriving.com.au/pages/hp/hp_Course.aspx

So we get timed laps?

Its an expensive day just wanted to ask a few questions first.

[Moodles2]

I just emailed the form back to Dean and direct debited it tonight.

[V35-2005]

Interested but what do they actually teach you, I assume its not track specific stuff but more driving style/habits?

I assume its this: http://www.johnbowedriving.com.au/pages/hp/hp_Course.aspx

So we get timed laps?

Its an expensive day just wanted to ask a few questions first.

actually they do teach you track specific stuff which can easily be translated to street and Hills driving. this is achieved by looking and critiquing your driving style/habits and hopefully getting you to change for the better (if improvement is needed).

you will get laps timed throughout the day to track your improvement, not for podium spots. there is no official Natsoft timing during the day.

the expense covers 6-8 professional instructors (several will be flying in from Melbourne) and the catering for the day (morning tea, sandwiches, hot lunch, cold drinks/ bottled water) - certainly a lot more than a $200 private day can offer imho.