Open Track Days....Grassroot's boon...or is it?

Sepang International F-1 Circuit holds open track days on certain weekends (Sunday Track Days or Saturday Nights Special) for motorsport enthusiast to participate in circuit driving experience. Its a fairly reasonable event for enthusiast to test their machine or polish circuit driving skills around one of the most well-known F-1 Circuit in the world.

Lately, I have observed abandoned recklessness on the circuit and listened to many woes from regular track goers of the open track days. Many moons and suns ago, the 2pm to 5pm allotted time for cars on the track would have been sufficient (You can do 3'20 per lap in a reasonably decent car around Sepang, you can't do more than 5 laps before over heating the brakes, tires or engine). Nowadays, there is just too many incidents on the track that would require the runs to be red-flagged and more time spent needlessly in the pits rather than on the track itself.
Why do we go for track days in the first place? WHY..its a place to go about and have abit of fun with our motors without endangering other road users ain't it? The KEYWORDS here Ladies and Gentlemen, is FUN and SAFE. Its certainly not a place for us to boost our egos and go out hassling other track goers ain't it? Motor-enthusiasts have enough inflated egoes as it is!!

Here's what I think of the Open Track Days. Its for peeps to go out have fun driving/riding their machines in a safe venue. Its mostly for those enthusiast who are at the grassroot level who fancy a spirited driving/riding without dishing out astronomical cost for a wee bit of fun.

Here's what Open Track Days are NOT suitable for:

• People who has a death match or grudge to settle
• People who tracks professionally

Here's what you need for Open Track Days:

• A Car/Bike which is mechanically fit and does not leak any fluids
• Safety Gears ie. Helmets, Gloves, Sunnies etc.
  
• Common sense

I'm not going to go into details and go tell you to bring spare tyres, jacks, plenty of water bla bla bla.. That's up to you, It just show how serious you treat your open track days are. But basicly what you need is already mentioned above. I say go out there have fun and be safe and apply some common sense, you'll be tracking around Sepang like a Pro in no time.


There will be people who are much faster than you, you let them pass by blinking your blinkers or signaling with your hands. You are not obliged to let them have their own way because at the end of the day, you too have paid for the privilege of driving on the track and you too have timed laps to beat..so screw those tailgaters and if you drive a Brick (Volvo 240s, 144s) just go ahead jammed those brakes and give 'em a new nose job. Good riddance to these morons!!

You can easily spot these morons out of the pitlane blustering away, crossing the white line separating the track and the pit exit only to brake hard into Turn One...I mean...what is the point?? You have not reach optimum temperatures for your tyres and brakes to work properly and there you go like a bat out of hell!!! Where's the common sense? By Crossing the pitlane exit divider you could easily have caused a bad accident!! For what? For you to have a better corner entry speed at Turn One??? on your out lap??? are you using any common sense at all?? These are the morons you'll see spining out in the subsequent turns or worst.. ramming another track goer in the rear...
Most important thing to have out on a track day is still..Common sense..Be sure to come equipped with one!

(Bila gik Bumi Kenyalang nak beroleh Track toookk....sigh..)

dz@l