Note: For the videos below, you need the latest version of QuickTime.

Ok, so if you buy an RX-8 in the UK, you get a free trackday type thing. I went on mine today, and it's awesome. You do 5 things:

- Road driving. Sounds boring, but was amazing - you go out for a couple of hours with an advanced driving instructor. Mine was also a traffic cop! You get taught all sorts of cool stuff, like how to balance the car properly though corners, how to negotiate roundabouts, etc, smoothly and quickly. Amazing stuff.

- Track driving. A different instructor then takes you round a high-speed race track, teaching you racing lines, etc.

- ABS. Simple exercises showing you how ABS works, emergency stopping from 80+ mph, etc.

- Adverse handling. Imagine the twistiest, bumpiest road you can imagine. Then imagine tearing around it as fast as you possibly can. Absolutely the most fun I've ever had in a car:



First video is of me driving, taken from the back seat. You can hear my instructor telling me what to do, etc. Sorry that it's shaky - the course was very, very bumpy.



Video here. (15.9Mb - Right click + download)

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Second video is an in-car lap of my instructor driving, taken from the passenger seat:



Video here. (17.2Mb - Right click + download)

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Third is a shot from the outside of me driving around on it. Doesn't seem that fast watching this!



Video here. (11.4Mb - Right click + download)

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- Finally, skid pan! Whoo! First with DSC on, then off. Span it out several times.



Video here. (12.5Mb - Right click + download)

An awesome day indeed.

Coming soon: My Stripey 8 round the Nürburgring! I've ordered a proper camera mount too, so the shots'll be lovely and smooth.

Edit: Added 3rd Adverse Handling video.

 

Im digging that stipe man.

Nice videos, that is one bumpy *** track. The raised insides on the corners would **** me off a lot.

 

Man I wish I got a free track day. That was a nice run.

 

tell me about it i'm feeling like i got robbed...lol.

 

WTH!!! I feel cheeted too. All I got besides the car was a free car wash

 

Stupid! I did not even get a car wash, key chain, nothing. what a rip!
Nice vids and pics! Looks like alot of fun.

 

I wish I could spend an hour or two just on the skidpad alone.

 

Bet you he paid considerably more for it in the UK.

 

Haha, probably. We pay more for everything. Take fuel for example:

We pay 92p per litre here at the moment (if you can find it that cheap - it's getting harder). 3.8 litres = 1 US gallon = £3.50 per US gallon. By today's exchange rates, that's almost $6.30.

Then again, our money is fairly strong compared to the dollar, which means the £27k I spent on my fully loaded RX-8 is almost $49k. A few years ago when the pound wasn't as strong (or the dollar as weak, you decide), that same £27k was worth about $38k.

However, you can't really compare - we live in completely different economies. Our vehicle taxes are different, for a start, and although stuff costs more money, we get paid more to offset it*. Good job = good car, just like it does in the US.

* I think.

 

Nobody in the states has spent that amount of money on an RX8. Maybe I misunderstanding your message?

 

nice stripes!

 

Hi there

I got the Prodrive trackday as well but because I live in Northern Ireland I had to fly [cost $70] and they provided a 230 bhp titanium gray with pirelli PZeros - nice and slidey!! :D :D So I got to thrash their car for the entire day - I can confirm that this was one of the best days I have ever had in a car and it taught me sooo much about the limits of the car. The cost if you want to do it again is £350 = approx $700. Well worth the money but one hell of a price . At last we get a better deal from Mazda than our cousins across the pond - Result!!

Ian

Forgot - the UK Ownersclub () were arranging a similar club day for £150 = $300 see here obviously you would be all very welcome

Also the stripes were part of a dealer display - mine offered me the stripes for £30 but I didn't think they looked good on my Vel. Red. - much better on darker colours.

 

Can't wait for the club day - on the original day you get a morning session with an instructor taking you round country roads, fast overtaking, fast driving techniques - was ok, but the real fun is all the track stuff.

The club day is going to be spent ALL day at the track events, the adverse handling was my favourite, - skid pan good fun too, especially when you get the feel for the fish tailing and can make it down the length of the pan spending most of your time looking out the side windows - does knacker you out - full lock one way, then the other - GREAT!

Nice pics and videos.

The one thing I didn't like is the rough surface on the long straight on the high speed circuit, going to like it even less now as I will hear all the stones shredding my side skirts!!!

I think the idea of the high speed circuit is that it has a variety of surfaces to try and upset the car - basically Prodrive use it to test their tweaks to rally cars, and i think they were involved in the setup of the DSC / TC for the 8.