Sports Car Tracks Days

at Guadix

Marbellas.com journeyed to Guadix this month to join over 20 car fans for Trackdays Spain’s latest event. For anyone mad about motors, this was heaven, beautiful cars to admire and over 6 hours free to burn rubber on the track.

Porsche Turbo eats up the laps Unloading one of the Ginetta cars Lotus Elise available for daily hire Radical driven by Mike Knivett Pitlane at Guadix

The trackday concept really took off in the UK eight years ago, with a few car enthusiasts starting to organise days at race tracks and disused airfields for people who enjoyed driving fast, but didn’t want the danger and expense of racing. Trackdays Spain have brought this idea to a track near you.

We asked Mike Knivett, Founder and Owner of the company to tell us how it all came about. “I came here five years ago and was frustrated having to return to England to do trackdays. I loved trackdays in the UK, and really missed my fix when I came over to Spain. When I looked into what was available here, I was really surprised, there was either manic days full of boy racers and a crash a minute, or seriously expensive options. I was looking for something where I could take a sports car without worrying that it would be damaged and have great fun testing my car to the limit. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to set up my own.

We’ve had a great response to the days so far. There are people from all countries with a shared love for fast cars. We’ve had some beautiful cars along – Caterhams, Porsches, Ferraris and the Ginetta team have been bringing along their race cars too so it’s made for a great day. I look forward to seeing what next month’s event brings.”

The days are generally run every two months in Guadix, a 3km circuit just an hour outside Granada. There is a good mix of fast and slow corners with varying cambers and a main straight of 750 meters. Even if you don’t have a fast car or have never done a trackday before you can still have fun! They offer tuition, have helmets and gloves available to use and even hire out their Lotus Elise for you to have a go in.

Andy Turnbull, Instructor and seasoned trackday organiser explains why even experienced drivers can benefit from tuition. “Most people can pick up a bit of speed on the road but it’s a totally different story on the track. I always say that people pretty much need to forget all they think they know about driving and start again. I take my students round the track for a few laps showing them the layout of the track, the difficult corners and talking them through all of the things that I am doing. I will then instruct them through at least five laps to tell them what they are doing wrong and help them to improve their speed. Throughout the day they can then come to me if they are struggling and I can watch their progression and see where they can improve. Tuition can really help them enjoy their day.”

We had a go in their Lotus Elise and one of the Ginettas and had a great time, even when we weren’t driving. If you fancy a spin, their next day is Friday 14th March and everyone’s welcome - it’s even free to turn up and spectate if you’re not 100% sure. For more information www.trackdaysspain.com 667 204 629. and www.ginettacars.com