'Best' place to take your ARDS?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by ScoopJumps

Still enjoy it though as do my nephews except I have to leave the room as they insist on ramming everyone.

That's why its TOCA. The first corner at Snett hasn't been altered for decades (if at all )

[terence]

Absolutly correct Gordon,apart from Russell,I dont think any corners have been changed in character.Riches is one application of lock and ,if in a 4 speed car,keep it in fourth.
Turning too early is common at Silverstones Copse,it's always obvious who has done just that!

[MikeHart]

I'm a bit stuck at the first hurdle at the moment. Try as I might, I can't find anyone apart from my local (to home) overpriced (£117.50 ) doctors surgery that will give me a medical. I'm in Brum for the next few weeks so have tried the surgery I'm registered with there but they won't do it either! You'd have thought that the MSAs 'exhaustive' list of doctors would at least have one in the countries second city (or at least the county of!) but no! So....anyone know anywhere in Brum that would do me a better price than that ludicrous quote because I really want to get it out of the way.

[BobM]

Originally Posted by MikeHart

I'm a bit stuck at the first hurdle at the moment. Try as I might, I can't find anyone apart from my local (to home) overpriced (£117.50 ) doctors surgery that will give me a medical. I'm in Brum for the next few weeks so have tried the surgery I'm registered with there but they won't do it either! You'd have thought that the MSAs 'exhaustive' list of doctors would at least have one in the countries second city (or at least the county of!) but no! So....anyone know anywhere in Brum that would do me a better price than that ludicrous quote because I really want to get it out of the way.

I'd try writing in to your GP with a copy of the form, or emailing it if you can find an email address - I suspect they think there's more to the medical than there actually is! It's actually less honorous than a taxi drivers' medical, the only actual examination required is testing vision/visual fields and blood pressure (assuming you're talking about the National B licence medical). I agree that £117.50 is overpriced, and I'm a GP myself! I still had to see my own GP for a medical but I'd emailed the form and the medical itself only took 5 minutes or so.

On the original poster's subject, I did my ARDS recently at Thruxton and they were very good. Good tuition both on and off the circuit and no pressure whatsoever to push it on the track.

[terence]

I should hope there was no pressure to push it,you only have to prove you are competent not that you could break the lap record.

[BobM]

Originally Posted by terence bower

I should hope there was no pressure to push it,you only have to prove you are competent not that you could break the lap record.

Sure, that's what I thought till I read a few threads in Pistonheads forum about peoples' experiences at Silverstone Failing 16 out of a group of 24? Nice little earner at £350 a pop ...

[terence]

That only reflects the safety that Silverstone looks for.Dont forget that there are many Hamilton wannabe's that just have no clue or apptitude,belive me,you are better off on a circuit without them!.
Plus the fact that those who have failed,would have benifited from thier experience's whilst there.

[Mr.Jingles]

Originally Posted by BobM

Sure, that's what I thought till I read a few threads in Pistonheads forum about peoples' experiences at Silverstone Failing 16 out of a group of 24? Nice little earner at £350 a pop ...

I did my ARDS at silverstone and they failed 4 out of my group IIRC. I know that one of those was just too slow and cautious (not ready for race speed) and the guy I had the unfortunate pleasure of sharing a car with didn't listen to intruction at all and kept plowing the lawn in every session.

But there was another guy I watched going around (whilst waiting for them to extract my car plus Captain Lawmower from the green stuff he'd dug the car into) and I couldn't see anything wrong with his driving, but he was failed anyway. When I asked the intructor why he said "It wasn't because of something he did, it was because of something he wasn't doing". A little more digging and I found out he just wasn't checking his mirrors and had baulked someone elses ARDS - just a tad - by moving across his line.

I think we had 16 that day (off the top of my head) so thats about 25%. I know that the grass plowing guy wanted to race Radicals, so as selfish as it may be, I'd rather they fail too many than too few!

[terence]

I thought Radical Drivers only used grass anyway.

[EdLeake]

I took my ARDS at Brands Hatch, awesome circuit, nice bunch of people.

If you don't get 100% in the written, you need shooting!

The practical I found easy, even though I'd never driven the circuit or the car before.

Thumbs up from me for Brands.

[EdLeake]

Originally Posted by terence bower

That only reflects the safety that Silverstone looks for.Dont forget that there are many Hamilton wannabe's that just have no clue or apptitude,belive me,you are better off on a circuit without them!.
Plus the fact that those who have failed,would have benifited from thier experience's whilst there.

Couldn't agree more!

I don't want my car smashing up, I think the ARDS if anything should be toughter!

[MikeHart]

Just thought I'd let you guys know that I ended up doing my course at Thruxton. Very good school there, very friendly teachers and just the right amount of driving for the money. Did the practical test in a Mazda 3 MPS which at first I was a little annoyed about, but it actually turned out to be a bit of a surprise. Very, very good for a FWD hot hatch with 260bhp.

Passed without any problems and got 100% on the theory which was fairly amusing Only two others there with me, one BARC Renault hopeful and a guy building an MGB race car, so complete opposite ends of the spectrum really!

Maybe I shall see some of you out on track soon :P Providing they accept the hilarious photo that's on the back of my license that still has the text surrounding the picture visible

[Chris Y]

Originally Posted by MikeHart

Providing they accept the hilarious photo that's on the back of my license that still has the text surrounding the picture visible

What does the text say? "Wanted"? "Do not accept cheques from this man"?

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by MikeHart

Only two others there with me, one BARC Renault hopeful and a guy building an MGB race car, so complete opposite ends of the spectrum really!

Maybe one day the BARC guy will graduate up to an MGB.

Great stuff and good luck with the racing.

Thanks for letting us know about Thruxton's school too.

[morninggents]

Sorry this is a bit late for the thread opener (congratulations on passing) but I've just noticed it lurking in part of the forum I rarely visit. In the late nineties my son and stepson both took, and passed, their ARDA courses. One did it at Mallory and one at Donington Park and I went with both of them for a day out. I remember at the time thinking that the Mallory course was far better than the Donington one and they seemed to get more track time, including a few laps in a single seater. I think also for a novice the shorter lap time (or more laps) helps with circuit familiarity making the whole thing easier.

[Peat]

I took my ARDS test at Thruxton in May. As MikeHart said, the Mazda was a big surprise of a car. Thruxton is a good place to take the test i feel, if you can deal with the ballsy corners like church and dodge fools in ferrari's on 'Red Letter Days'.

On another note of sim racing. I use 'Rfactor' as a tool to hone race-craft. A freind of mine who is an ex-F1 tester and ALMS Winner has a modified copy of Rfactor used by Honda also as a training tool. They will never truly be 'sims' but are at a fantastic level now.