Ferrari 308 - On Track 2000
As a member of the Ferrari Owners Club
some track days were beckoning...
Silverstone
 First off was Silverstone - home of the British Grand Prix,
in fact I visited just a few weeks after the sounds of the F1 cars were heard across this
former airfield track.
Silverstone is a fast circuit, with long straights, and several difficult technical
corners. Since it was my first track outing in the Ferrari, I decided to take it
easy at first, not easy enough though it turned out, as poor quality brake fluid caused my
brakes to fade badly towards the end of the first session, forcing an early retirement.
| Fortunately the garage where the car was serviced was present, and they
rectified the mistake, by replacing the fluid. Thanks. So back on track again for
the next session, seen on the right being followed by a F355 Spider. An instructor
accompanied me for a few laps to show me the correct lines, I can still hear his Hit
That Apex shouts ringing in my ears. |
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By the end of the session my lines were much better, and I was at least
close to all of those pesky apexes. In the photo on the left here you can see a
selection of the Ferraris on display, there were quite a few, it was a treat just to watch
and listen. Most numerous Ferrari of the day, the F355, most popular colour, er,
Red! |
| Other Ferraris present were F40, 360 Modena, 550 Maranello, 456, 288GTO,
348, 328, Testarossa, 308, Boxer, 308GT4, Dino. Kathy joined me as a passenger for the
afternoon, and we ran the last session with the roof off.
Here you can see my 308 posing in the pit used by the Williams F1 team just two weeks
earlier. |
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Bedford Autodrome
 Next up was a local event, the Bedford Autodrome is also based on
a disused airfield. Ex- Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer runs the circuit,
which is flat, with long fast straights and several tricky late apex corners. |
| No problems with the car at this outing, for insurance I'd replaced the brake fluid
the weekend before, there was one moment when I thought 'Oh No' as I heard a nasty
grinding noise, I was relieved to find it was only the complaining exhaust of the 308 in
front of me which I had caught up with! |
In this photograph, heading into a tight left hand corner, you can see the hazard lights
are flashing, this indicates to other track users that I have an instructor on board.
The instructor drives for a few laps to demonstrate the correct lines, though when
this photo was taken I was back behind the wheel. |
Donington Park
 It could have been a better start (and end!), it dawned on a cold, damp day
in the middle of a fuel crisis, not to worry, though the Ferrari was already topped up,
and as long as I kept enough petrol in the tank to get back home all should be fine.
Donington Park has much fine History, it was the first British circuit to witness the
German Silver Arrows of the 1930s, and also saw Ayrton Senna's memorable win (it
rained then too) at the last Grand Prix held here in 1993.
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The turnout was relatively low due to the conditions and fuel problems,
but there were still several cars present. Shown on the left is a Ferrari F40
powering down past the pits, note the spray, and this was before the rain started! I hit
the circuit (with an instructor first), taking it easy, as the conditions were very
slippery. The weather deteriorated, and by late morning it was raining quite hard. |
| As the last morning session drew to a close the red lights came on round
the circuit (session stopped), and as we approached Goddards we found ourselves confronted
by a severely bent 360 Modena, who had obviously spun under braking, and hit the tyre
barriers. Confronted with a long wait in the cold before the afternoon, or giving up, I
decided on the latter. Still I'd like to see Donington in the dry... |
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Cars | Ferrari 308 - On Track - 2000 - 2001 - 2002
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