A few weeks ago I took a short trip with my club over to Europe for a double header -an evening session at The Ring followed by a full open pitlane trackday at Spa. It was quite an eventful few days but an absolute blast from start to finish! We caught the shuttle early doors on a Weds and drove straight to the Ring with a brief lunch stop somewhere in Belgium. The tourist session at The Ring was only from 5.30pm-6.15pm as the track was closed for testing all day. Fortunately the weather was dry and because of the late / short nature of the session, it was very quiet. This played to my advantage as I’ll describe later on! Driving as the sun was setting was immense as you get to experience a totally different side to the Ring. The views are spectacular and it feels very special. Fortunately the Ring-side photographers were still there so I managed to get some awesome photos of the car going around. With a lap taking somewhere between 11-12mins followed by a brief stop in the DEvil's Diner carpark to let both myself and the car cool down, it was s squeeze but I managed a total of 3 laps within the 45min session. As the saying goes, "quit while you're ahead" and I really should have. The first two laps were very comfortable but I pushed to get in a 3rd with one of the other guys in his Ferrari 360. Usually the two to push each other the most, we went out together and I even carried a passenger with me. Ironically joking about the need for a helmet (it's not mandatory on the Ring...we chose not to) and pushing the car and myself harder than I ever have on any of my 25+ previous laps of the Ring, the inevitable happened.... WhatsApp Video 2025-04-19 at 10.12.58.mp4 Going into the corner which I've never had a problem with before, I realised I was carrying too much speed and lifted off slightly. A BIG mistake which caused liftoff oversteer at around 90-95mph. It didn't feel like there was a lot I could do once it started going as the rear end was light as a feather but I did automatically start trying to counter with the steering and intermittent braking. Not sure if any of that was the right thing to do but as you can see, I managed to complete a full 720 spin with the car back on the tarmac, facing the right way and able to simply keep driving. Someone was definitely looking down/over me that day!! Having gone over 2 kerbs and 2 sets of grass, the only damage to the car was my brand new front splitter getting ripped clean off - if you look closely you see it waving goodbye to me as it flies off into the distance 😭 The car had a vibration as I finished the lap but this cleared once I hosed the car down later that evening so most likely just debris caught up in the wheels and brakes. One of the guys shared the below video with me a few days ago which is of an AMG GTR doing the exact same thing in the exact same spot but with quite a different result. It's not lost on me just how lucky I was and certainly a lesson in humility learned. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIXoagYphMo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== The following day the group spent the day touring the back roads around the Ring and the Black Forest. Unsurprisingly I stayed at the back of the group and often got left behind! There was no way I was going to be pushing the car so soon after what happened! We headed to Spa that evening and stayed at Hotel Le Source, with direct bedroom views of the track..all very exciting! The following day we headed to the pits where we had 2 garages reserved for our group and a dedicated instructor. I was feeling very nervous but the sun was out, the track was wide and I promised myself I would take it slow and build up through the day. It ended up being one of the most perfect days of driving I've ever experienced! This was the first F1 track I've driven and the difference in quality is insane! The tarmac was like silk, the marshalling was perfect, track time was maximised, the pit lanes where the F1 cars hangout felt like being on a movie set... Although a bucket list day, I would 100% go back again for a trackday at Spa. It's easily driveable for a day (+1 overnight) away. For anyone considering it, my advice would be to just do it. You won't regret it! I've been back home for a few weeks now and after washing and cleaning the car, I've not taken it out. There are a few jobs I need to get going on with it: source and fit a new front lip ☹️ remove and refit my new PowerTrix side skirts as they were fitted as a bit of a rush job before the trip and not done quite correctly get the engine checked out as there was a little blue smoke at times under load from the left bank..possibly turbo seal on the way out? using a dial test indicator on my hubs to check for runout. The discs are true as are the wheels but I still have the vibration. I want to check the hubs and change the tyres (was waiting til after this trip to get new rubber) and failing that, I think it might be time to start renewing the suspension components Before the trip, I fitted a front lip sourced from Luke at ZCentre and I replaced my factory 99spec side skirts with some new PowerTrix side skirts. I never really liked the 99specs as they looked a little dated and 'fruity'. Hard to explain but I much prefer this new look. As always, I've posted a few recap reels on my IG which you can checkout if interested: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHpBCFbC-XE/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DHrirh_iG9j/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DHzHs3LN1QY/
