Any good racing tracks near North London?

[nico2014]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if you have any preferences or any specific recommendations about racing tracks near where I live (North London), as I am so anxious in doing a race track with my E63 SO that I could explore what the car really can do...

I would love to hear your views and shared experience...

Cheers.

Nick

 

[Felstmiester]

Got to be brands hatch. Sure you can get a day on the Indy circuit easy enough. How hard you drive will depend on how much it will cost on top of the track time. Heavy car so pads and brake fluid should be fresh. Oh and you'll get told off for drifting!

I done a track day there in my previous road car ( M5 ) witch had the tarox 12 pot bbk and I killed them. Warped the discs beyond repair lol. But I was driving it hard for the 5 laps before I got pulled in for drifting. Track day = £150 fuel = £100 + brakes = £700+ for new discs. Not a cheap day.

 

[bolide]

Brands Hatch Indy circuit is a bit Mickey Mouse, IMHO, but if you get a chance to drive the full Grand Prix circuit it is amazing. The back section has a hint of Le Mans about it with the long armco barriers rising & falling with the track. Dingle Dell is an awesome spectacle from the outside and pretty interesting when at the wheel

The GP section has two great right-handers that require bravery to take at any speed - they are long, shallow curves and you can't see the exits. They are both marvellous

The best thing about the GP circuit is that you can get the car settled & up to speed and learn how it reacts at speed

Goodwood is another very quick circuit. From a diagram of the track it looks pretty featureless but, when you're on it at speed, it is anything but. Not much runoff, but a great high-speed track with only two big braking spots. The first corner, Madgwick, looks so easy but you could spend years learning how to drive it correctly. It's a double-apex right-hander and you can't see the track edge all the time

Snetterton is one of my favourites - it's "local" to North London in the widest sense of the word, even though it feels like it's in a different time zone. Great circuit, good restaurant (as circuit restaurants go) and they are a friendly bunch. Great circuit with some excellent corners to learn. Once you can drive Coram with the car sliding all the way you know either you've cracked it, or you're about to have a big accident

Nick Froome

 

[moonloops]

The M1 ?

 

[paulshep69]

The M1 ?

The M25, at least you can compare laps then.

 

[gazz]

For a novice, Bedford Autodrome is worth a look. Pretty flat and featureless, but some technical corners, and more importantly, plenty of run off, and not much to hit. They can be strict on noise limits, but if you have factory exhaust you should be fine.

 

[nico2014]

The M1 ?

M1 with stealth speed cameras, really not worth the hassle and I would rather experience my car in circuit where I can drive without worrying about getting caught...

 

[nico2014]

For a novice, Bedford Autodrome is worth a look. Pretty flat and featureless, but some technical corners, and more importantly, plenty of run off, and not much to hit. They can be strict on noise limits, but if you have factory exhaust you should be fine.

Thank you, that is very helpful

 

[nico2014]

Brands Hatch Indy circuit is a bit Mickey Mouse, IMHO, but if you get a chance to drive the full Grand Prix circuit it is amazing. The back section has a hint of Le Mans about it with the long armco barriers rising & falling with the track. Dingle Dell is an awesome spectacle from the outside and pretty interesting when at the wheel

The GP section has two great right-handers that require bravery to take at any speed - they are long, shallow curves and you can't see the exits. They are both marvellous

The best thing about the GP circuit is that you can get the car settled & up to speed and learn how it reacts at speed

Goodwood is another very quick circuit. From a diagram of the track it looks pretty featureless but, when you're on it at speed, it is anything but. Not much runoff, but a great high-speed track with only two big braking spots. The first corner, Madgwick, looks so easy but you could spend years learning how to drive it correctly. It's a double-apex right-hander and you can't see the track edge all the time

Snetterton is one of my favourites - it's "local" to North London in the widest sense of the word, even though it feels like it's in a different time zone. Great circuit, good restaurant (as circuit restaurants go) and they are a friendly bunch. Great circuit with some excellent corners to learn. Once you can drive Coram with the car sliding all the way you know either you've cracked it, or you're about to have a big accident

Nick Froome

Thank you, good advice here

 

[JB1984]

For a novice, Bedford Autodrome is worth a look. Pretty flat and featureless, but some technical corners, and more importantly, plenty of run off, and not much to hit. They can be strict on noise limits, but if you have factory exhaust you should be fine.

I'd second this - ideal place for a first track foray - yes its featureless and flat, but the upside of that is minimal things to whack into!
Its a bit of a mission from london, but I've quite enjoyed the drive there each time - there are some good roads on the route once you get off the motorways

 

[F1BHP]

From north London one of the easiest tracks to get to is Silverstone, less than 1h on a good run. Do the GP circuit, it is very wide with a lot of run off. Not to mention the great experience of being on a F1 track.

Brands GP is also great but you are more likely to get into trouble there and can be a nightmare to get to from north london.

 

[Jovie]

Bedford, Silverstone, Snetterton.
For big power Silverstone is best and at Snett you have two vmax straights.
Brands hatch indy is only worth it for a taster session, less than a mile long.
Silverstone is only an hour away and is a fantastic track.

 

[nico2014]

Bedford, Silverstone, Snetterton.
For big power Silverstone is best and at Snett you have two vmax straights.
Brands hatch indy is only worth it for a taster session, less than a mile long.
Silverstone is only an hour away and is a fantastic track.

Thank you Jovie, I will be looking at booking a track day at Silverstone!