39 replies to this topic

[Jetpilot]

 

Wow, you got a response, he ignored my numerous emails and phone calls about his "open" pitlane at Goodwood that was timed sessions with a maximum of 30 cars that was actually 38, two 15 sessions by lunch, the rest queuing, two sessions by 4, the rest queuing, Dave was nowhere to be found.

 

Sounds awful.

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwood isnt cheap either, fortunately its fairly local so had no overnight stay, but still what do you do when you get up at 5, drive 2 hours and be told its timed sessions, in hindsight i would have raised issue immediately but thought i should try to make the best of it but soon realised there is a reason why i dont bother with timed sessions.

 

Forgetting all that, Dave's complete lack of response to emails and answer phone messages was the worst part. I had booked with Trackdays.co.uk, they also didnt want to know as they were instructed it was open pit by Dave (they also "attempted" to speak with him), i even took it up with my credit card company with a less than satisfactory conclusion (see below).

 

So lesson learnt, i will never do an opentrack day again and will never use trackdays.co.uk, i always try to find out who the organiser is and book directly as if you do have issues you will have a better recourse booking direct rather than with an agent.

[Foxy]

Wheres the see below bit?

[Foxy]

@Nev(er) commenting on a track thread

I thought the same but didnt say anything because he ll just throw his toys out of the pram!

Edited by Foxy, 24 December 2017 - 11:52 AM.

[Jetpilot]

Wheres the see below bit?

 

Book with the organiser not trackdays.co.uk as they are just an agent and you have no recourse with them.

[Foxy]

Wheres the see below bit?

  Book with the organiser not trackdays.co.uk as they are just an agent and you have no recourse with them.

So no Section 75 cover? Have you thought about Small Claims?

[Jetpilot]

The credit card company initially refused the claim, but the info they had was misleading, i corrected them and they looked into it again, but because Goodwood never runs open pit and i took part in the day they only gave a partial refund to the tune of £35.

[Foxy]

Well, I guess you could have demanded a refund on the day. Hindsight hey!

[Jetpilot]

Yep for sure, but after driving there i thought i would make the best of a bad situation, rather than get in a rage with Dave and drive home.

 

Probably a combo of things at Goodwood, if they get too many black flag cars they drop the session from 7 to 5 cars (something like that), any car with a black flag gets a yellow sticker and cant go out in a session with another car with a yellow sticker and if it looks like they wont make their hourly average db they are required to meet, they shut the track for a session or two to allow the db metres to level out.

 

Lots of lessons learnt that day:

 

Dave is a twat.

Dont book with trackdays.co.uk

Only book Goodwood on a noisey day as less chance of the track shutting down

 

Shame as its an absolutely cracking circuit and proper fast

 

 

 

 

[darronwall]

That was my one and only experience. Totally unprofessional. There are a few good operators such as javelin /LOT /MSV it's a pointless risk to take just because its cheap.

Open track unprofessional?, and you recommend javelin?!?!??

[jonnyboy]

Never had any issues with Javelin in over 10 years

[james_ly]

Never had any issues with Javelin in over 10 years

 

Javelin always been alright for me, Circuit Days the ones I don't like...  

[Sutol]

My only experience with Javelin is at Donington Park. Friday track day with an unassociated race weekend starting the next day. 75% of the people at the track day were competing over the weekend so they were treating it as a test day with their rules ie overtaking anywhere they liked. Felt that Javelin had lost control of the day and I wish they could have done better.

[Jetpilot]

My only experience with Javelin is at Donington Park. Friday track day with an unassociated race weekend starting the next day. 75% of the people at the track day were competing over the weekend so they were treating it as a test day with their rules ie overtaking anywhere they liked. Felt that Javelin had lost control of the day and I wish they could have done better.

 

I have also had this at Combe before on one of their own track days, it clearly states in their press track days are for road going cars with mot and NOT test days for race cars, it was a 50/50 split that day, i managed to get my money back , but always look now to see if a race weekend follows a track day as i think its just unavoidable as its cheap track time for the teams to test and set up, there was a dude there with a 458, full on support truck and mechanics.

[Foxy]

there was a dude there with a 458, full on support truck and mechanics.

Hope you showed him the way?

[Nev]

My only experience with Javelin is at Donington Park. Friday track day with an unassociated race weekend starting the next day. 75% of the people at the track day were competing over the weekend so they were treating it as a test day with their rules ie overtaking anywhere they liked. Felt that Javelin had lost control of the day and I wish they could have done better.

 

When I drove round Donnington in my Esprit 300 many moons ago, there were no sound tests, (almost) no rules and it was a free for all as far as I could see. No courtesy or (almost) no overtaking rules made for exciting confrontation, particularly on the corners!

 

Nowadays I expect it's a different world, and likely to get worse.

 

Edited by Nev, 02 January 2018 - 11:19 PM.

[SteveA]

My only experience with Javelin is at Donington Park. Friday track day with an unassociated race weekend starting the next day. 75% of the people at the track day were competing over the weekend so they were treating it as a test day with their rules ie overtaking anywhere they liked. Felt that Javelin had lost control of the day and I wish they could have done better.

 

That happened when I went to Donny last year. Mostly Radicals and GT Cup cars. I really enjoyed it and it properly pushed me on. I was amongst the slowest cars there but that meant I never got held up and as long as you stick the the racing line the guys will find a way past, just have to watch those mirrors like a hawk

[quimbles]

 

My only experience with Javelin is at Donington Park. Friday track day with an unassociated race weekend starting the next day. 75% of the people at the track day were competing over the weekend so they were treating it as a test day with their rules ie overtaking anywhere they liked. Felt that Javelin had lost control of the day and I wish they could have done better.

 

That happened when I went to Donny last year. Mostly Radicals and GT Cup cars. I really enjoyed it and it properly pushed me on. I was amongst the slowest cars there but that meant I never got held up and as long as you stick the the racing line the guys will find a way past, just have to watch those mirrors like a hawk

 

 

 

similar to me.  donington with javelin end of last year.  it was cold wet and mainly race cars ( im slow but i dont normally feel that slow!).. loads of red flags, loads of cars and i pushed too hard destroyed my pads and had to go home early... doh!

[james_ly]

There's a theme here! Donington last year, bookatrack, lots of red flags, a Ginetta's bumper fell off in the middle of the track. Was fun apart from all that.

[Captain Vimes]

When we raced at Donington last year the test day was on Thursday not the Friday - they seem to be the only circuit in the country that does this. No idea why! To make the test day Id have to take Thursday and Friday off work and then sit around all day Friday or .... just book the track day on Friday. I ended up just booking the Friday evening. The track day rules were adhered to by all - pass on the left and by consent. I prefer test days though and would chose that rather than a track day prior to a race! Despite the fact theyre twice the price for timed sessions (and with more cars than a track day - they make a killing on test days. Grrrr). On the plus side, theres no briefing, everyone knows what theyre doing and usually grouped with the Caterham racers so I can follow lines and practice overtaking points properly. Oh and Id avoid open track but have never had a problem with Javelin..

[CHILL Gone DUTCH]

THe truth is most track days it's the people booking which is the SSue tather Han the organiser But the lack of action from open track which is what separates them from others And when you get a cheaper track day you tend to have more people that can cause more issues But you can't have it all ways