Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

Since I purchased the Type R I have told that they drive/handle differently to a Newage & was warned that they can kick butt so I decided to book on to a Driverskill course over at Elvington which took place today.

There were a number of different classes going on but there were only 2 of us who brought our own cars so we were taken round the long perimeter course by an instructor to get a feel for it & then he did an attack lap. Surprising what you can wring out of a 60 bhp Fiesta!

My attitude & purpose was to really go for it & drive the car in anger & to improve my driving skills at high speed & see what the car was really capable of.

There were 3 sessions each of approx 13 mins each which was just about right time to let the car cool off.

On the first run I was too aggressive due to too much adrenaline, being overly tense, not using the correct steering wheel technique in terms of keep one's hands in the right position, couldn't take in the advice from the instructor due to driving way too quick.

Second run I decided to steadily increase & built up the speed whilst being able to listen to the instructor & put into practice the advice he was giving. I was feeling more relaxed making less mistakes & therefore driving quicker.

Third run totally relaxed, again more improvement by better use of braking technique, turning in & getting to know when & where to apply power.

Car ran faultlessly & really impressed me in terms of its performance, braking & handling. Played around with DCCD on open & locked position but didn't notice much difference on a dry concrete surface which is what I expected.

Would thoroughly recommend this kind of course for anyone who wants to discover any of the above in a safe environment.

I now have some pics of the car after finishing the course so will grab some help on how to upload them.

Fonzey

iTrader: (5)

I'd be interested with this when I'm back int' country. How much was it?

I've done a few trackdays now, keep telling myself to be disciplined and build up properly but it's difficult when you're constantly managing traffic and adrenaline

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

There was an offer on the website at £99 so I took advantage of that, I thought it a fair price for the 3 sessions. If I'd have paid more I would have expected more sessions.

We have a small track in Wigan called the '3 Sisters' & they have started to open it up for the general public to arrive & drive 10 laps for £20 so this will be my next foray to put what I learned into practice.

Jayjay100

Good fun the track days and have someone that can get u used to your car is even better. Glad u had fun & in a safe way . Nice to get to no your car & what it can do .
P.s so was u impressed with the car or do u want more BHP now . Lol .

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

It's a standard STI Type R & I was well pleased with the performance, power & handling. I've decided to leave it completely standard tbh, the instructor commented how quick it was although at one point he didn't realise it's still in kmh & not mph so he thought I was doing 130 mph at one point!

I forgot to mention that the course was £99 which I thought was just about right for the time they gave you.

Jayjay100

Lmfao about the clocks not being in mph . Now that's funny . I can see it now him thinking f**king hell man slow down a bit . Lol. What is the BHP on your car if you don't mind me asking .

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

It's around the 280 mark standard I think here's a link from the Type R forum:

http://www.type-ra.com/impreza-my98-...version-specs/

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

But surely an instructor of his experience should have realised the car felt more like 80mph (its actual speed), compared to the perceived 130 'mph'...!

I.e. the penny should have dropped.

Or am I being far too harsh, here?

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

I think it would have been more of a glance because he was constantly talking me throughout driving the car & instructing me on where I was going wrong or getting something correct.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Sure, sure. Indeed; fair point.

Jayjay100

Good point tho .

Jayjay100

I drive around 100k 62mph all time . I like to take my time . But when doing 100mph I would no I am doing that . But track is different .& he there to watch you not your speed . Did u get to go on a skide pad.

Tony Harrington

iTrader: (8)

There was a skid pad area but I didn't use it, it was being used with their own rear & front wheel drive cars.

Jayjay100

Sham u can have good fun on them even with 4wd