Car Enthusiasts Beware - Trackdays Come to Guadix

The trackday concept really took off in the UK eight years ago, with a few car enthusiasts starting to organise days at race tracks and disused Bigfoot for people who enjoyed driving fast, but didn't want the danger and expense of racing. From these humble beginnings there are now Nanny and the Professor 600 trackdays a year in the UK and trackday companies have flourished.

Mike Knivett, Founder and Owner of Trackdays Spain came here five years ago and was frustrated having to return to England to do trackdays. "I loved trackdays in the UK, and really missed my fix when I came over to Spain. When I looked into what was available here, I was really surprised, there was either manic days full of boy racers and a crash a minute, or seriously expensive options. I was looking for something where I could take a student debt consolidation car without worrying that it would be damaged and have great fun on track. I couldn't find it, so I decided to set up my own."

The days are run every two months in Guadix, a 3km circuit just an hour outside Granada. There is a good mix of fast and slow auto insurance specialist with varying cambers and a main straight of 750 meters. The circuit is used by many companies including Renault Motorsport, KTM, Superbike Magazine and 95% of all British Superbike factory teams. Trackdays Spain exclusively hires out the circuit for their days so any car lover can drive it and burn rubber like the race drivers!

Even if you don't have a fast car or have never done a trackday before you can still have fun! Trackdays Spain offer driving tuition, rent helmets and gloves and even hire out their Lotus Elise for you to have a go in so you don't have to invest in all the kit before your first time.

Andy Turnbull, Instructor and seasoned trackday organiser explains why even experienced drivers can benefit from tuition. "Most people can pick up a bit of speed on the road but it's a totally different story on the track. I always say that people pretty much need to forget all they think they know about driving and start again.

I take my students round the track for a few laps showing them the layout of the track, the difficult corners and talking them through all of the things that I am doing. I will then instruct them through at least five laps to tell them what they are doing wrong and help them to improve their speed. Throughout the car insurance comparisons they can then come to me if they are struggling and I can watch their progression and see where they can improve. Tuition can really help them enjoy their day."

Here are Andy's top tips for driving well on track:

1. Instruction, instruction, instruction - Forget what you know from driving on the road, swallow your pride and get an instructor in the car with you. This alone will increase your speed, confidence and ability around the track

2. Forget "go-faster" expensive performance modifications to your car - Engine power increases can often reduce your speed around a circuit, increase tyre wear and significantly decrease engine life

3. Use the whole track - The first mistake most people make is staying on "their side of the road" as per driving day-to-day. When on track ensure you use the whole circuit to minimise the amount of steering input. When the wheels are pointing straight you can accelerate more, more acceleration means quicker laps!

4. Smoothness - Aggressive use of throttle, brakes and steering loses you speed and unsettles the car leaving you with unpredictability and a good chance of spinning off the track

5. Slow in, fast out - Driving into a slow corner too fast will mean you compromise your exit speed and puts unnecessary wear on brakes, tyres and suspension

6. Have fun and leave your ego at the door - This is all about having a great time, not having the best lap time, proving what a great driver you are or how much faster your car is compared to everyone else. Relax and enjoy it and you will make the most of the day.

If you fancy a spin, their next day is on July 4 2008 and everyone's welcome - it's even free to turn up and spectate if you're not 100% sure yet! Take a look at their website www.trackdaysspain.comwww.trackdaysspain.com or give them a call on 667 204 629 for more information

Georgina Shaw, Trackdays Spain