Road Racers

You don't have to be Lewis Hamilton to know that The Law takes a punishingly dim view of, er... demonstrably enthusiastic driving in public.

Officially, all such shenanigans are off-limits. But some drivers, including fast ones, are slow learners. At very least they put their wallet, if not their licence and even possession of their car at risk.

The merits of responsible driving are beyond dispute, of course. Besides diminishing the chances and consequences of putting yourself and/or others in harm's way, so-called "safe" driving is easier on the car, its consumption and the environment. No arguments there.

No fun either, contrarians may mutter through gritted teeth.

After all, the way things are (with entrapping tangles of arcane speed limits; with speed cameras breeding faster and spreading wider than cane toads and a glut of other real or perceived disincentives) there could be grounds for finally, reluctantly conceding that it's all getting too hard.

For those who feel the joys of enthused driving have been smothered, it may seem the time is ripe to buy a cardigan and a Camry or some such. Turn the engine on and your interest off.

Don't you believe it.

Instead, take the attitude that the tank's half full. Y'see, there are ways to mix compliantly lawful daily motoring with driving thrills as edgy as you want 'em. The whole idea is to prevent the two things overlapping in public.

So throughout the working week you drive cool on the street, with no hint of feral behaviour. Come the seventh day, though, you leave Mr Lawful in the closet and let rip at a trackday or a sprint event. A what? At where?

It's precisely because anything smacking of spirited (and, face it, sometimes inappropriate) pedalling is so oppressively unwelcome in public, that more and more keen drivers are heading to racetracks. Not to race, mind, but to have a real drive on a roadway where the law's long arm doesn't reach, and the only cameras are for happy snaps and shutterbugs.

Because trackdays and sprint events are adrenalin-pumping tonics that offset the humdrum of moribund daily driving, they're a booming growth industry. Although each aims to feed the need for speed and improve driving skills, the respective formats are quite dissimilar.

Trackdays typically divide participants into several performance-related groups, and the day is split into 15 or 20-minute segments of track time for each group in turn. Individual lap times may have little or no priority. And while every group has its fastest driver/s, there are no winners as such. Because they're not racing, understand.

Sprint events, or Supersprints as championship series are known, also run in groups of, say, a dozen or more cars (released in pairs), but each bout covers a specific number of accurately timed flying laps, usually three or four.

Ordinarily, the groups get at least four goes each through the day, or not unusually twice that many. At day's end all drivers best single lap times are listed in order from quickest on down to the, er, least quickest.

The swelling demand for both sorts of events is keeping popular venues booked out for months ahead. Variously promoted by car clubs, circuit managers or driver-training schools, some events are limited to fewer than 20 drivers, others accept up to 100, plus some reserves, and even then are turning latecomers away.

While the focus generally centres on registered street cars, most events also accommodate seriously altered 'production' models along with specials and dedicated racing machines.

Even though there generally isn't an admittance charge, the non-racing nature of trackdays and sprints means they're not crowd-pulling spectator sports. However, enthusiasts and anoraks are drawn because the pit and paddock areas are open, and the competing cars, crews and drivers are reasonably accessible to visitors and voyeurs.

Participation doesn't demand a costly race-wear wardrobe. That's an option of course, but the budget-conscious get by with just an approved helmet (possibly hired from the event organiser), closed shoes and no-frills long sleeved neck-to-ankle coverage.

While the atmosphere at these events is relatively casual, it's not forgotten that fast fun involves serious speeds and elements of risk. So it's not open slather; there are some simple formalities to fulfil before grabbing your tiger by the tail. For example, besides a valid street driver's licence, you need a basic competition licence -- the (low) cost and requirements of which vary depending on the event, the track and under the auspices of which governing motorsport body the event is conducted.

Entry fees are typically about $100 to $300 depending on the event.

At the track, the car is inspected (scrutineered) to verify that the safety aspects are up to scratch and to determine in which defined class the car belongs. For sprints, the car must carry a specific timing device (bought, borrowed or hired).

During practice sessions, first-time drivers' skills and lap times are assessed as pointers to being grouped with others of similar performance.

Before being let loose on the track, all drivers without exception must attend a briefing that outlines the day's format, explains on-track conventions such as no overtaking through corners, and adds other info appropriate to a successful and safe speed.

Depending on circumstances (and finances), you may prefer to use an unregistered car -- one that's driven only on Sundays as they say. But one of the beauties of trackdays and sprint events is that you can drive your street-registered model to the track, have a good go, then drive home to revert to the weekday commutes.

Very occasionally someone may clout a wall or guardrail, but for the vast majority of competitors, worn tyres are the only visible evidence of the day's activities. Hence a spare set of wheels shod with 'track' tyres make as much sense for cars that are driven to-and-from as for those trailered.

In theory, any car that passes scrutineering can have a go. In reality, drivers attitude and/or ego dictate that not many non-sporting cars front up for trackdays or sprints. Seldom more than once, anyway...

That's not to say the choices are limited to the latest, greatest, fastest current models. The options range back to the '80s, '70s and '60s to account for sightings as diverse as the occasional hot Alfasud, Suzuki GTi, Hillman Imp, Cortina, Anglia, 100kW Corolla, Torana, Civic, Beetle and classic Mini to name just some. Assorted Holden/Commodore/Falcon V8s supply action aplenty for the musclecar-minded. They don't have it all their own way if HSV and/or FPV models (or Falcon XR6 Turbos) are in the neighbourhood.

The Nissan 180SX and 200SX continues displaying their talents, as does the Integra Type R, while different ages of Evo and WRX/STi models are always up for the ongoing turbo-awd duel, albeit just in the shadow of the mighty Skyline GT-Rs. The latest versions are still hard at it, always at the pointy end of the pack. Indeed, the current GT-R, Evo and WRX/STi are the sprinters most often jousting for fastest tin-top honours.

For sheer driving involvement, if not quite the last fraction in lap times, the AWD speed machines are kept honest by opportunistic hot hatches. The likes of Golf GTI, RenaultSport Clio and Megane, Focus XR5, Mazda 3 MPS and MINI Cooper S are in their elements in both the daily and seriously sporty environs, and give their track rivals no peace.

Sportscars are naturals on the track, or ought to be. Whether standard or 'improved', benchmark sportsters such as the Lotus Elise and Exige acquit themselves with distinction in any company. In contrast, plusher grand-touring examples such as Porsche Boxster, BMW Z cars and Mercedes SLK rarely venture out in open events, though may be regulars at events staged by their respective marque clubs.

Clubman cars habitually are among the swiftest runners of all. Beside featuring enticing bang-for-your-buck factors, clubbies offer the fullest embodiment of the road-and-track philosophy. They're not the most undemanding of street cars obviously, but their responsive chassis dynamics and ability to punch way above their weight bring lap times that are in a league of their own.

Mazda MX-5 models from 1990 to present rival clubman cars for numerical popularity in sprint driving. Frankly, while standard MX-5s are happy to lap raceways very capably and entertainingly, they're not blisteringly quick.

But help is at hand. Or at wallet... Like all steerers of all popular makes and models with ambitions to be trackstars, time-conscious MX-5 drivers are courted by a wealth of handle-better, brake-harder, steer-sharper and go-faster modifications. Those are admirable and addictive aims to be sure, but every step along the 'modified' path is a reminder that more speed costs (much) more money.

The good news is that judiciously applied aftermarket improvements shave lap times without infringing road legality and seriously eroding driveability.

By now a whetted appetite may prompt the question of how to get into the sprint/track-day scene. Car clubs and racetracks orientated towards such events are prime sources of information about who does what with whom. Internet searches can be telling too; Googling track days, lap dash events and car sprint events reveals useful pointers.

Another resource to stimulate your interest is natsoft.com.au/results/ There you'll find informative insights to the sprint-event venues, the organising clubs, the variety of cars competing and the lap times they achieve.

All without a speeding ticket in sight.

Carsales Network's Trackday & Supersprint picks

Top 5 cheapies

Mazda MX-5 Series I
The reborn roadster isn't fast but tuning parts are easy to come by

Nissan 180SX/Silvia
Quickly shows there's more than one way to skin a race track. Get my drift...

Honda Civic EG, 5th generation
Serious mods make this surprise-packet hatch blisteringly quick

Falcodore
Blue or red, hot six or V8, the local lumps are hard to beat for cheap thrills

Mazda RX-7
Tweaked live-axle series rotary coupe still great way to go very fast, very loudly

 
Top 5 new cars

Ford Focus RS
Almost sold out before it's on sale, the hottest Ford hatch ever is stunning on track

Mitsubishi Evolution
Let loose on the track, race/rally-bred AWD boogies with the big boys

Subaru WRX STi Spec R
Duels with main rival Evo while snapping at heels of the faster few

Lotus Elise/Exige
On track, the fastest way of saying (and displaying) chassis dynamics to fly for

Renaultsport Clio RS200 Trophee
Front-drive extraordinaire, a track-happy sensational drive

 
Money no object

Porsche GT2 RS
Like to live on the edge of terror... Call your local Porsche dealer now

Nissan GT-R
Power, performance and bar-lifting techno in remarkably user-friendly package

Audi R8/R8-10
Germany's belated answer to the Honda NSX, only even better

Mercedes AMG SLS
Here's where ear-ringing bark and white-pointer bite are directly connected

Radical SR8
If there's a quicker way of lapping a race track, it must be a computer game