8 members from the group took part in the group’s annual skid pan event at Thruxton Circuit, which took place on the 3rd and 9th November.
Thruxton provided a rear-wheel drive Toyota GT-86 and a front-wheel drive, Ford Puma for the event. Members were able to drive both cars during the session, which allowed them to experience the different characteristics of front and rear wheel drive cars.
The day began with a briefing and members discussed the details of oversteer and understeer with the instructor. Then the members paired up and headed out on to the skid pan.
The initial laps were made with the electronic safety systems turned on. This allowed everyone to experience how they felt and how they helped to regain control of the car. After this, all of the electronic systems were turned off! This allowed everyone a chance to practice controlling a sliding car, with the instructor providing support via a radio.
Everyone embraced the challenge and made good progress throughout the session. Although, there were a couple of interesting spins as people got more adventurous!
As advanced drivers, we strive to avoid getting into a situation where we lose control of the car in the first place. However, as we all know there is no such thing as a perfect drive and the benefit of the skid pan session is that it allows members to experience losing and regaining control in a safe environment.
If you missed out this time, the group will run another skid pan event in 2025!