There’s nothing better than a day at the track; a chance to really put your foot down, push your driving skills to the limit and enjoy the adrenaline rush. The only problem is as far as hobbies go, this can be an expensive one. Along with the cost of a track day itself (which can cost way in excess of a hundred pounds) there’s the purchase and maintenance of the car, fuel, tyres and more. However, there are ways you can keep costs down, and enjoy the buzz of racing around the track time and time again without breaking the bank.
Get Cheaper Track Days
Paying full price on a track day will set you back a good chunk of money, but there are ways around this. For example, instead of paying for the full day, how about booking half a day? You’ll still get to have hours of fun, but for much less money. Another option is to go with a friend, pay for half the day each and one of you take the morning and the other the afternoon. You could ride as a passenger while your friend is driving, or just go and spectate instead. If you have a pal with the same interests as you, what better way to spend time with them- and it also works out cheaper for you both too. Booking half a day or teaming up with a friend can be really beneficial too, especially as it can get a little tiring when you’ve driven the circuit all day. In some cases, a shorter time frame to drive could be the better option. You could look for promo codes for track days online, these sometimes crop up and give you a percentage off which can really help. Another option is next time someone asks you what you want as a gift, you could suggest a track day! Far better than a material gift, this gives you an incredible experience instead.
Think About Your Car
Track days are basically an opportunity to rag your car around and have as much fun with it as possible. This does mean however that it’s not great for the car, with things like clutch failures, engine issues and overheating all being a risk. For this reason, it’s probably best if you enjoy regular track days to have a car that’s specifically for your hobby- and isn’t the car that you use day to day. Some of the best track day cars include the Mazda MX5 as it has great handling making it nippy around those corners. It’s a rear wheel drive and there are loads of mods available. The Honda Civic Type R are common track day cars and for good reason, they’re cheap to buy and easy to work on for those all-important modifications. Another desirable rear wheel drive car is the BMW E36 M3 as it’s fast and offers lots of eligibility to race in different categories. In some cases, purchasing a car that has already been modified and prepped for track days is your best option, especially if you’re not much of a mechanic yourself as they can be pricey to soup up. You could always broaden your search to overseas, companies like Autoshippers car shipping make it easy to get your vehicle over. While there will be the upfront cost of the vehicle, using a separate car can save you money compared with risking damaging your regular car. You don’t even need it to be taxed, MOTd or insured, as long as it’s taken to the track on a trailer. Using a trailer makes good sense anyway, in case you drive it to the track it breaks down when you’re there.
Use The Right Tyres
Replacing the tyres on your car will be one of the priciest parts of your track day hobby. Speeding around the track, drifting around corners and generally putting your pedal to the metal is extremely harsh on them. If you choose well, they should last you longer. Some of the best track day tyres according to EVO are the Nankang Sportnex NS-2R, Nankang Sportnex NS-2R, Toyo Proxes R888R and Avon ZZR. They come at different price points so there’s something for everyone, but do your research here. Alternatively, you could buy cheap part worn tyres to save on costs. Choosing well will mean replacing less often and therefore will save you money.
