FRENCH FROLIC 10 - 21/8 to 28/8

[robin]

I think you'll be OK, provided you become a LOT member and do at least one LOT track day between now and then.

The main problem you have with doing LOT days is that Cadwell and Oulton are the nearest common LOT circuits, but these are always non-novice days (I don't know how much track driving you've done).

It would be best to get in touch with LOT ASAP and see what they say I think. Paul will probably look favourably on you if you're coming via SE and have some other track experience as we make up about half the trip on some years and, as far as I can remember, we've never had a noteworthy SE accident nor any serious driving standard issues (ignoring Scotty's somewhat unfair 10 black flags this year ) - driving standards, on track collisions, injuries, etc., are the track day organizer's biggest worries.

Cheers,
Robin

[Simon82]

Cheers Robin i appriciate the heads up. I'll join up to LOT tonight then and see what trackdays are suitable. I'm relatively new to trackdays but would not class myself as a novice. i've done 5 trackdays at knockhill, 4 sprints at ingleston and a trackday down at oulton park(all in last 2 years). i've done a couple of the sidc days with a few of the guys on here so i'd like to think if there was any complaints about me i would have heard by now! Not the fastest guy out there but i'm usually pretty curtious i think!
Was going to sign up to LOT before but it says on the home page for lotus's and like minded two seaters so figured it would rule me out! Hmmmm, could take the back seats out right enough

[campbell]

Well well.

For the first time ever, these days don't clash with Eilidh's birthday.

They do, however, fall outwith school hols, as Jen points out, which might have a bearing for me. Anyways, I'm going to pencil in the dates and have a think.

As ever, £££ will be the issue, particularly for this week-long invasion of France! Can someone estimate the budget (sure it's been done before, sorry!). What's the effect of car-sharing on track fees - is it per car or per driver (regular LoT days seem to be per car)?

I am hoping my Donnie day last year will count OK for LoT trackday experience, plus all the other stuff I've done which various members will presumably vouch for. We'll see. Too early to be getting too excited, I'm afraid.

Campbell

[ed]

Nice one Si. As per the above, get yourself signed up and do atleast one LOT day. Us vouching for you helps a lot. Paul is normally very accommodating if you sign up through SE.
Campbell: this is the reason Tom and I share.
FF normally costs £800 ish. This is for your hotel room and track fees and lunch at the circuits and tshirts mech support etc. Price is per car so we just select a Twin room. Second drivers free so £400 each. Ferry you could get for about £50 return. Chunnel more. Think we did about 2500 ish miles this year and with Toms long gears thats about 10 tanks IIRC which is another 250 ish each. Then food and beer. Last year was rather well behaved and wasnt as bad as previous years. I would budget atleast £800 - £1k per person for a two person car.

Worth every penny though!

[campbell]

Thanks Ed, great summary.

Might consider a special savings plan into an untouchable account!

[mckeann]

usually 800 for the trip.

plus a service before you go, a service when you return, tyre costs, brake pad costs. Can be another 1k if you run decent tyres and pads

also need to include auroroute tolls aswell as your fuel. Remember, if you do the mountains aswell, you do at least 2k more miles. I reckon i probably spent nearly 1k on tolls and petrol for 4500 miles.

as tom and ed mention you need food and beer money. Thats up to you to an extent, but if your socalising with a group then you tend to get dragged along with the majority vote, shich costs you more.

i reckon its closer to 3k, than the 2k that ed mentioned, but i'm sure if you were careful you could do it for less

[campbell]

Fair points, Neil. I would certainly want to be enjoying the mountains as much as poss.

I doubt I'll get away with spending the equivalent of a family holiday purely on myself, but you never know, some share options might come good next year or something!!

I'll try to do some more accurate budgeting...maybe once I've had the real live experience of the Blitzkrieg escapade...

[mckeann]

it'll probabaly make you realise how much you want to do it, but also how much it really costs.

[campbell]

it'll probabaly make you realise how much you want to do it, but also how much it really costs.

aye

2012 then...maybe!

[georgeg33]

but also how much it really costs.

La la la etc (fingers in ears)

Time off booked
Just got to rearrange/ cancel the family holiday

cheers
George

[Modena Scotland]

I've used a new set of brake pads and 4 tyres by the 4th TD.

[campbell]

I've used a new set of brake pads and 4 tyres by the 4th TD.

Bravo!

I drive like a Granny though. They don't call me Last of the Late Brakers for nothing.

[Modena Scotland]

Campbell, hope you can make the FF10. It's sooooo much fun. Has to be done!

[RobW]

Can we stop talking about costs here - I've been trying to avoid adding this up for years now

Worth every penny though

[Andy G]

Campbell - worth noting Mckeans fuel and toll bills are worst case scenario, as he never turned his car off, and way beyond the roads required to do the trip.

If you start popping the pennies away now, have tyres and brakes that are ok, then outwith the £800 or so required for Paul, its actually not that bad.

also as you pay for the trip so early on , its not like you get hit for everything at once

As Ed says , your costs are then dependant on your desire to party.