[Estoril Sport]

As a birthday treat I booked myself for an IAM Driving Skills day at Silverstone Stowe circuit. The added benefit is that you get instructor guidance whilst driving on the track, informing you how you can improve your (track) driving. The instructors are usually grade 1 police drivers.

I arrived ½ an hour early so I drove round to the new ‘The Silverstone Wing‘ Grandstand and had a look round the place and had a coffee whilst looking at the F3 cars practising.



We had a safety lesson, and then were assigned to our instructor for the day, two drivers per instructor. This allowed us to have 10 minutes on the track and 10 minutes resting, and allowed your tyres and brakes to cool down between sessions. No racing or track timing is permitted, however overtaking (at least for me) was encouraged!

The instructor originally thought an Alpina was a glammed-up BMW, and he was totally amazed by the B3 BiTurbo performance and road handling. The B3 never lost composure in the corners, and he was astounded that it felt that the car was ‘on rails’ in the corners. I was consistently catching up cars and overtaking then on the straights including a Subaru Impreza, a few Porsche Carrera 911s and an Aston Martin. There was also a Ferrari California convertible there; however this was out on the track whilst I was in the pits.

The on-track event was from 12:00 till 16:30. I used over 2/3 of a tank of fuel just on the race track! I had to stop as the car alerted me that I had just 15 miles of fuel left (I am sure it informed me at 50 miles previously?) So I drove to the old Paddock area for some more! (And was told to make sure that I don’t put in 120 octane fuel, as this will totally wreck the engine!) At the end of the day my car alloys looked like they were gun metal in colour not silver, from all the brake dust, and the brake disks had a slight blue tint!

The other driver who shared the same instructor had a Nissan 360Z. The instructor said that it under steered terribly to the point of clipping a cone at high speed and overheated its brakes.

There was a Lotus Elise which span in front of me and later span off and retired. Whereas the B3 was totally composed going through the corners. In fact my sides started to ache later in the day from the tight corners!

I was totally amazed myself how well the car handled. At the event there were some Alfa demo cars and the instructor recommended me to have a go in one just to see how good the Alpina was in comparison. An added benefit was that my insurers covered the car for the event as it was arranged by the IAM and had an instructor with me whist on the track.

At the end of the event I thanked the instructor for his guidance. Unusual to have a police officer encouraging me to drive faster! He complimented the Alpina on multiple occasions on its road holding, performance and sheer luxury. He even said that it was the best car he had had the opportunity to be driven in. He even compared the Alpina as better than an Aston Martin in performance and road holding.

There was a particularly fast chicane which the instructor was encouraging me to keep going faster through; however my self-preservation kept kicking in. The instructor knew that the car could go faster but the driver was the limiting factor!

He was also impressed with the braking performance, allowing me to brake much later and harder before the bend and accelerate through the bend. The Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 did not let me down once; however at the end of the event the rubber was very hot and sticky and was picking up lots of bits of tyre debris.

The DSC never kicked in whilst driving although there was an occasional ever so slight rear tyre squeal on a few corners in heavy braking.
The Skills day event was a great success, and an opportunity to experience the capabilities of the Alpina in a safe environment. I think I managed 120 mph on the straight and was able to overtake the other drivers with relative ease (I might add full encouragement from my instructor!)

Great value for money (except I think I will by buying some rear tyres sooner than I originally thought!) I may buy upgrade to the Michelin Pilot Super Sport as these don’t seem much more and appear to be better than the Michelin PS2’s).

I would not consider a standard track day event but this type of instructed event is great as you are taught how to improve your driving skills and there is a restriction on the number of cars on the track at any one time.

[kaishang]

Really good quality pics, I'm guessing that was the professional track photographer?

Thanks for the write up, nice looking car

[Danny.B.]

Looks like a good day out! thats the kind of thing i wouldnt mind doing!

[Estoril Sport]

Originally Posted by kaishang

Really good quality pics, I'm guessing that was the professional track photographer?

Thanks for the write up, nice looking car

Yes the IAM had arranged a professional photographer for the day, really pleased with the shots especially the top one!

[mistryn]

Very interesting read and sounds like a great day, love the photo's

How would I go about booking something like this?

[Estoril Sport]

Originally Posted by mistryn

Very interesting read and sounds like a great day, love the photo's

How would I go about booking something like this?

Here is the link book for a future event http://www.iam.org.uk/motorist/iam-skills-days

I have alredy booked to attend the next event!

[mistryn]

Thanks for link, did you book through the phone as I cant seem to see a online booking facility?

[Estoril Sport]

Originally Posted by mistryn

Thanks for link, did you book through the phone as I cant seem to see a online booking facility?

Yes I booked on line, you need to click on the' Book here' the (red rectangle).

[mistryn]

ahh found it thanks

[Ant Man]

I did the same course last year and it was absolutely brilliant. Having an instructor alongside really helps improve one's driving technique.

I would add that these events are not about trying to go as fast as possible but about driving at 8/10 ths so that you have the mental capacity to understand what you and the car are doing in order to improve the technique.

[SubtleAggressiv]

I would love to do this and what a great write up aswell.

[fastloop]

Looks like a nice day out, but track driving and no helmets? Why? I thought IAM was very safety concious and they don't adhere to basic track day rules?
Was speed limited or not enough room on the back straight to get any serious speed?

[Ant Man]

Originally Posted by 335rocks

Looks like a nice day out, but track driving and no helmets? Why? I thought IAM was very safety concious and they don't adhere to basic track day rules?
Was speed limited or not enough room on the back straight to get any serious speed?

It's not a track day but a skills day. Being in control of the vehicle at all times in paramount. Any fool that oversteps the mark is quickly sent pack to the pits.

[Estoril Sport]

Originally Posted by 335rocks

Looks like a nice day out, but track driving and no helmets? Why? I thought IAM was very safety concious and they don't adhere to basic track day rules?
Was speed limited or not enough room on the back straight to get any serious speed?

There were not limits on speed only the track provided the limit, you overtake on the left. What do you call serious speed? I reached 120 before having to brake very hard (ABS came on). As Ant Man says it’s not all about pure speed but how you drive the car. The instructor, assess you and the car ability to perform in a controlled manner, and encourages you to push it harder depending on these factors. Its a track based driving Skills event, and not a free for all trackday.

[fastloop]

Originally Posted by Estoril Sport

There were not limits on speed only the track provided the limit, you overtake on the left. What do you call serious speed? I reached 120 before having to brake very hard (ABS came on). As Ant Man says it’s not all about pure speed but how you drive the car. The instructor, assess you and the car ability to perform in a controlled manner, and encourages you to push it harder depending on these factors. Its a track based driving Skills event, and not a free for all trackday.

Sounds not that different to paying for an instructor on a track day. They'll teach you how you approach corners, where to brake and how to take the right lines. They'll even encourage you to got faster if they are happy with your abilities.

If you think a normal track day is a free for all then you're mistaken. Track's days have very strict rules about where you can overtake, how to behave, only pass on the left and any infractions you'll get a black flag and will be called in for a chat. If you don't listen you may find yourself going home early. At speeds reaching 120mph, you most definitely should be wearing a helmet. It's not a matter of if you are driving in a controlled manner. Reality is that shit happens, e.g. mechanical failures, oil on track, you make a mistake and at those speeds a meeting with an armco, roll the car etc will be a very unplesant experience. Heck even at Santa Pod you'll be told to wear a helmet if you trap >110 and that's just going in a straight line.

There are plenty of videos on youtube from track days, where you think how did he crash there? It only takes one mistake and there is nothing the IAM instructor can do to recover it for you. So I'm still surprised that they didn't require you to wear helmets?

[AdrianSi]

For the money you've paid that is great value for 6 sessions of intructed track driving. How long was each session?

However have you done a regular trackday before? Certainly not a free for all that's is for sure. As mentioned the overtaking and track etiquette replicates what you will have experienced at Silverstone on IAM day. MSV who own Oulton Park, Cadwell park (personal favourite) and snetterton quite often run 'Novice days' for those will none - very little previous track experience. I would fully recommend that you get yourself involved on a day like that.

As with anything that you learn in life, the best way to exercise this is through practice. You'll be surpised on track alone just how much you remember of what you've been taught. Also confidence levels on track (especially novice days) is generally quite low as you will have experienced that daunting feeling as you pull out of the pit lane onto the open track. You also won't have an instructor encouraging overtakes etc. Pros and cons with that. Sometimes you need to make a few small mistakes to learn from it and also again practice what you've learnt.

Tend to find that the horror trackday crash vids are from Castle Coombe on a long bend (don't know what its called as I've not been on track there) as rwd boys tend to like hanging the back out...great but that's better left for 'drift days'. Cadwell gets a good few horror videos too as it is often refered to as Mini nurburg due to sections of the track having very limited runoff, still a favourite of mine tho.

To sum up though, get out on track and practice what you've learnt as its a great feeling when you get into it as you will have experienced as you just can't practice that out on the open road. Maybe get something a little cheaper for track use? E30 or something if you want to keep it BMW... You dont need a lot of power to drive fast on track

[Ant Man]

Originally Posted by 335rocks

Sounds not that different to paying for an instructor on a track day. They'll teach you how you approach corners, where to brake and how to take the right lines. They'll even encourage you to got faster if they are happy with your abilities.

If you think a normal track day is a free for all then you're mistaken. Track's days have very strict rules about where you can overtake, how to behave, only pass on the left and any infractions you'll get a black flag and will be called in for a chat. If you don't listen you may find yourself going home early. At speeds reaching 120mph, you most definitely should be wearing a helmet. It's not a matter of if you are driving in a controlled manner. Reality is that shit happens, e.g. mechanical failures, oil on track, you make a mistake and at those speeds a meeting with an armco, roll the car etc will be a very unplesant experience. Heck even at Santa Pod you'll be told to wear a helmet if you trap >110 and that's just going in a straight line.

There are plenty of videos on youtube from track days, where you think how did he crash there? It only takes one mistake and there is nothing the IAM instructor can do to recover it for you. So I'm still surprised that they didn't require you to wear helmets?

Mate, I see you're point but also it's about taking responsibilty for yourself. If you feel like you need a helmet, I believe nobody will stop you unless it's poor fitting / restricts your vision.

Driving on the road is far more dangerous with regards to trees, other drivers, head-on colissions, lamposts etc, etc and most choose not to wear a helmet.

Also putting on a helmet can create a change in mindset for some people who suddenly think they're racing drivers and behave accordingly.

The approach of these skills days is not to put oneself in those dangerous positions in the first place and by not wearing a helmet helps with that.

[BIGTIME]

I can't believe people are moaning because you had no helmet on. Good pics mate and thanks for posting. I hope you had knee and elbow pads on though .

[Cozy]

Sounds like a great day!

I have an MSV Novice Day booked, along with a few other members from here and thoroughly looking forward to it. I'm a RWD noob so this was perfect and it only cost us all £50 .

[davyk31]

Looks a great day out, bit of extra cost in the extra tyre, brake pad and disk wear though.

[AdrianSi]

Originally Posted by JamJay

Sounds like a great day!

I have an MSV Novice Day booked, along with a few other members from here and thoroughly looking forward to it. I'm a RWD noob so this was perfect and it only cost us all £50 .

Where you going for this? Ive been off the track for a couple of years so want 'getting back into it' session plus a shakedown session in my latest track motor:-
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=677609
If you wouldn't mind a FWD joining the fun that is

[DarkAnt335i]

Originally Posted by JamJay

Sounds like a great day!

I have an MSV Novice Day booked, along with a few other members from here and thoroughly looking forward to it. I'm a RWD noob so this was perfect and it only cost us all £50 .

Me too still waiting on a reserve place for the MSV day :-(

The IAM event sounds great as well, will be looking into this later this year, after the 'ring trip.

AdrianS if JamJay is talking about the one i think he is, its a MSV BMW only event.