There may be 32 million drivers on the UK's roads, but fewer than 10,000 regularly do trackdays - even though millions buy 'performance cars'

The Trackdays.com Show - the first-ever trackday-focussed event of its kind - gets the green flag on Sunday, April 30, 2006, at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northants, and its aim is to help bring trackday wannabes into the pastime.

Trackdaying - in which non-competition drivers take their standard or modified road cars onto the UK and Europe's top race circuits for high speed days out - is fast growing.

So what is a trackday? In a nutshell a track day is an opportunity for fully UK licensed drivers to take their own car onto the country's race circuits, and must not be confused with 'racing schools' which often provide only limited opportunities and limited laps for drivers.

Drivers each have their own reasons for going trackdaying. For some it's a one-off experience to simply see what they or their car can do. Others may be frustrated racing drivers who have never had the money or the wheels to compete.

But for most it's the opportunity to develop and hone their high-speed driving skills in a relatively safe race-circuit environment.

"Trackdaying is not racing. There are rules and regulations that must be adhered to, but this actually enhances the experience. Racing may be great to watch, but it's actually absolute chaos most of the time, and even the back markers have tremendous awareness and control skills," said Ian Raybould of trackdays.com.

"Whichever circuit you choose for your trackday, you'll notice that it is manned and equipped as it would be for a motor racing event. Marshals, first aid and race control staff are all in attendance."

So what's crucial to the safe enjoyment of a trackday?

"The driver must have a full licence. There is no need for a race licence, because while you'll be driving fast - and getting faster - you'll not be racing. You must wear a crash helmet - either your own or one provided by the event organiser - and it must be of a recognised standard. You must also wear long sleeves and long legged trousers.

"Most trackdayers take their own car to the circuit. The beauty of trackdays is that virtually any car can deliver piles of fun on a circuit. Providing the driving has a full UK licence, the car does not have to be road legal, but it does have to be safe.

"We see literally anything and everything from classics to diesel family hatchbacks, supercars to saloons.

"The vast majority of cars are 'performance cars', they can be out-and-out top-end sports cars, hot hatches or sports saloons. A typical day will see a small group of Porsches and Ferraris, a core group of smaller, fast sports cars such as Lotus or Caterham, standard or mildly modified 'hot hatches', a sprinkling of older cars and a handful of absolutely standard road cars.

"If a driver gets hooked on trackdays, then we tend to see them making modifications in key areas: higher performance brakes, slightly stiffer suspension and trackday orientated tyres.

"More horsepower does not necessarily make you go faster, but weight loss will make the car easier to drive. Some simply remove the spare wheel, others completely strip out the car except for essentials, then add race seats.

"I've seen people who, over a period of three years, have progressed from their absolutely standard family saloon to buying or building a purpose-built trackday car.  That's often the best way to do it:progressively, because if your first experience is in a stripped out ex-race car, then you're not going to enjoy it."

So what happens on a trackday?

"First, join a trackday club: learn as much as you can from the club's website, maybe go along to an event as a spectator - it's free - and speak to participants.

"Make sure you and your car are up to scratch, then book your day online or by phone. Be certain you know where the circuit is, because you'll nee to arrive early. The typical day starts at 8.30am and goes on until 5.0pm - light and weather permitting - with an hour for lunch.

"You'll need both parts of your full driving licence to sign in. There will be indemnities to sign and you'll be given a wristband - which you will later have to show to officials every time you go on the circuit - and then you'll be directed to a briefing room.

"At most circuits this is either a big pit garage or the circuit restaurant.You'll then be briefed on the day, the layout of the circuit, rules, regulations and etiquette - for instance, how the marshals will communicate with drivers is a series of coloured flags, exactly as in a race - and then given another wristband to confirm you have had the safety briefing.

"A key point made over and over again is that this is not a race. Overtaking is only with the permission of the driver in front and on a straight section of circuit, and usually that you must only overtake on the left. If another car appears behind you - even if it's smaller or less powerful - then it's circulating faster than you, so when safe you indicate right, lift off gently and let it go by.

"The biggest complaint on trackdays is when drivers of big, fast cars don't lift off to let smaller cars past. But bear this in mind, something like a Caterham will have a low top speed, but they accelerate faster and in some cases have half the braking distance and twice the apex speed of, say, even a BMW M5.

"A well-driven but unimpressive-looking car will gain sometimes 100 metres on every corner - that's half a mile a lap on a typical circuit, the length of which might be less than two miles.

"Those are the key points to bear in mind when you join the circuit for the first time: that first time is usually a 'sighting lap', during which all cars and drivers are required to follow a pace car at relatively low speed to familiarise themselves with the circuit.

"This usually lasts 20 minutes before the circuit is opened for the day - sometimes 'open pitlane', which means you can come and go onto the circuit as you please but with a limit to the numbers of cars allowed on track at one time - or 'sessioned', which means each hour is broken into three 20 minute-long 'novice', 'intermediate' or ' advanced' sessions.

"Whether it's open pitlane or sessioned, we'd never recommend a car or driver stays on a circuit for more than 20 minutes, and the last lap of each of your sessions should be a 'warm-down' lap: tremendous heat and energy is generated, and the car needs to gently cool off, particularly the brakes.

"But if you are an absolute novice, then, for your enjoyment and safety, it is always best to book some instruction - instructors, who are usually full-time racing drivers - are on hand at every trackday, and the difference they make to your confidence, smoothness, accuracy and development of pace cannot be underestimated.

"Invest time, patience and preparation in your first trackday, and you'll be absolutely hooked."

Full details and tickets are available from trackdays.com. Club and trade enquiries should be made to sales@trackdays.com.