Don Palmer day
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From: Nottingham
Don Palmer day
Today i did a Don Palmer Car Control day today at Bruntingthorpe
The day is held on a simple circuit on a wide runway made with a handful of cones. Don is a real character and walks through some theory before you head out on track.
You do some sighting laps in your own car or as passenger.
The format is then Don/participant will drive and you'll get coaching on issues and technique, referring back to the theory stuff.
In the morning it was wet, it rained on and off and the S2 was a proper handful, i spun out on lap 3 and probably spun another 6 times including a very big off onto the grass. The other guys included an E46 M3, a Cayman S and a 944 turbo. All spun, even the turbo. You're encouraged to explore the limits of the car and beyond.
In terms of the cars the S really shone but was the snappiest car there resulting in my high number of spins (not just my opinion i hasten to add). Don described it as "a little bitch" and "fatally flawed" but also "brilliant and incredibly quick"
. Certainly in the wet my car was a handful, i had the back end out a lot and couldnt hang onto it as well as Don did. He demonstrated you can drift an S2 in the wet but require more talent than i have currently 
.
The cayman was clinically good, the best handling car there and a very nice 6 cylinder yowl. Impressive. A bit shit inside for £60k though. The tyres were fooked at the end but he had done a recent trackday.
The 944 felt its age, it had less grip than all the other cars and was vague amd slippy.
The E46 was quick and accurate, too over steery really to be genuinely quick but a great car and a performance bargain to boot. Much tighter in the back than my M3.
The teaching was interesting, focussing on technique based on explained theory. None of the stock break, corner, accelerate but more of a combination, the friction circle being a good example.
In the afternoon it dried out and i only spun once, the car is easier to drive in the dry, fact. Grabbing the steering wheel and being brutal wont win. He shows you one technique of letting go when it lets go and the car roughly corrects itself.
Overall a fantastic day.
I'll do it again i reckon.
The day is held on a simple circuit on a wide runway made with a handful of cones. Don is a real character and walks through some theory before you head out on track.
You do some sighting laps in your own car or as passenger.
The format is then Don/participant will drive and you'll get coaching on issues and technique, referring back to the theory stuff.
In the morning it was wet, it rained on and off and the S2 was a proper handful, i spun out on lap 3 and probably spun another 6 times including a very big off onto the grass. The other guys included an E46 M3, a Cayman S and a 944 turbo. All spun, even the turbo. You're encouraged to explore the limits of the car and beyond.
In terms of the cars the S really shone but was the snappiest car there resulting in my high number of spins (not just my opinion i hasten to add). Don described it as "a little bitch" and "fatally flawed" but also "brilliant and incredibly quick"
. Certainly in the wet my car was a handful, i had the back end out a lot and couldnt hang onto it as well as Don did. He demonstrated you can drift an S2 in the wet but require more talent than i have currently .The cayman was clinically good, the best handling car there and a very nice 6 cylinder yowl. Impressive. A bit shit inside for £60k though. The tyres were fooked at the end but he had done a recent trackday.
The 944 felt its age, it had less grip than all the other cars and was vague amd slippy.
The E46 was quick and accurate, too over steery really to be genuinely quick but a great car and a performance bargain to boot. Much tighter in the back than my M3.
The teaching was interesting, focussing on technique based on explained theory. None of the stock break, corner, accelerate but more of a combination, the friction circle being a good example.
In the afternoon it dried out and i only spun once, the car is easier to drive in the dry, fact
. Grabbing the steering wheel and being brutal wont win. He shows you one technique of letting go when it lets go and the car roughly corrects itself.Overall a fantastic day.
I'll do it again i reckon.
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Aug 25, 2012 04:49 PM