ARDS Test
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 10-Feb-2004, 12:10pm
You should do a ring around to get a comparison - mine cost me &163;150 in 1999. That was at Thruxton.
But if you can save &163;100 then it's worth making a trip to get it done...
Let us all know what the prices are like now (when you've found out)
NiG
But if you can save &163;100 then it's worth making a trip to get it done...
Let us all know what the prices are like now (when you've found out)
NiG
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Andy Vowell, 10-Feb-2004, 12:17pm
Mine was about &163;185 at Castle Combe in 1998. 5 laps with instuctor and full car (ie 3 testees) 5 laps me driving with instructor coaching and 5 laps track test (instructor still coaching). Plus some classroom tuition and written test.
Number of laps may have varied I can't really remember.
Cheers
AndyV-
ARDS Test
Posted By : David Styles, 10-Feb-2004, 12:22pm
Just spoke to Rockingham
&163;311 - Including your Medical.
They will have a doctor on site for your medical.
Everything supplied, written test/driving test.
Apparently you just take your "Go Racing pack"
01536 500 500
Places on...
16th Feb
15th March
I'll post any more I get.-
ARDS Test
Posted By : David Styles, 10-Feb-2004, 12:26pm
Thruxton
&163;199
but you need to have your medical done before hand.
Next Date: 11th March
(or this Friday!)
Supply everything, just turn up... but didn't sound like it included much tuition. She said it was
"Just the test - driving and written"
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ARDS Test
Posted By : David Styles, 10-Feb-2004, 12:36pm
that was funny...
I just spoke to Silverstone and they said that another chap had just phoned up with a Spitfire too!
Silverstone said..
start at &163;195 for basic test.
but wouldn't be drawn further, just kept saying...
"Its all in the pack"-
ARDS Test
Posted By : David Styles, 10-Feb-2004, 12:38pm
Goodwood (Mithril) - Have to phone tomorrow.-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 10-Feb-2004, 01:00pm
Anglesey (I know, long way from most people) actually has a decent website
Prices are http://www.angleseycircuit.com/apdc-pricesataglanc...
Seems to be &163;199 for the test and another &194;&163;250 if you want a full day's tuition to go with it.-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 10-Feb-2004, 04:36pm
Oulton - &163;199 test only but you have to ring Brands Hatch to book it!-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 12-Feb-2004, 01:02pm
So, after all that, it seems that a test only costs &163;199 pretty much wherever you go or you can pay more at several places for a day with varying amounts of tuition involved.
So is it worth paying extra for a tuition element? Is it going to make me more likely to pass the test or is it just a money-spinner for the race school?
(BTW: Silverstone still haven't sent me their brochure, obviously not desperate for the business.)
Mik-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Richard King, 12-Feb-2004, 02:14pm
>So is it worth paying extra for a tuition element?
I think it's always worth getting tuition in anything if you can afford (or blag) it.
I did my ARDS at Brands with a days tuition there too, not only did it make the test a breeze it came in very handy when I first tested and raced there. Infact, it's the only circuit that I know with any certainty that I'm getting more or less right (gears, braking points etc. etc.) and consistently, too. The instructors know every millimeter of the circuit and can give you some damned fine advice on all aspects of your driving style.-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 12-Feb-2004, 05:07pm
OK, that all sounds right. Off to read the blue book then...
Hmm, maybe I ought to get a more recent copy than my 2002 one!
Any specific things I should be paying attention to knowing in great detail? Flag signals are the obvious starting point...
Mik-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Richard King, 13-Feb-2004, 09:26am
Yeah, that's about it. Most of the 'written' part of the exam comes down to common sense, apparently there's everything you need to know to pass in that video you get with the pack.
I think when I did mine only one person failed and they'd never driven a car on a track before. I was a bit dissapointed because I only got to do one lap after my warmup lap before the guy told me I'd passed and I could pull into the pits. I wanted to go round again
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 20-Feb-2004, 04:19pm
Stuff finally arrived from Sillystone last week. After throwing away all the brochures and the video that were trying to sell me a 5 day course (&163;2000-odd!) The remaining sheet of paper told me the following prices.
ARDS test only (no tuition) &163;195
1Hr Tuition + ARDS &163;275
(Dates available 1 March, 16 March, 2 April)
Full day tuition and ARDS &163;350
(Dates available 22 March, 23 April, 28 May)
I think that makes a complete set of prices we've managed to compile on here now.
Mik-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 01-Mar-2004, 06:39pm
Well I passed
...UK racing circuits
beware!
I made a complete <insert favourite adjective here> of the application form
but fortunately it can be sorted out
(just don't ask, OK? 
)
My instructor for the day was a gent by the name of Colin Elstrop by the way ...seems to know a thing or two about racing
Mik-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Nigel Gibbins, 01-Mar-2004, 06:58pm
You did it at Croft then, didn't you....
Did you tell Colin that you were racing with us? He has a GT6 that sometimes turns out with us at Croft. And Helen Elstrop races a spitfire..... Pretty good too - both of them.
Colin holds the honour of the first 'TSSC' car to have an outright win once we had amalgamated with the TR Register.
NiG-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 02-Mar-2004, 09:53am
No, Silverstone actually. Colin is working there on occasion too. We did talk about racing GT6s and spitfires.
If the Elstrop cars are green and yellow, they also have the "honour" of being the first cars I got decent pictures of at a race meeting after I started taking pictures at Croft a couple of years ago.
I also told him how much more expensive Croft seemed to be compared to Sillystone and he said he'd let them know
Mik
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Chris Wilson, 01-Mar-2004, 07:06pm
Congrats Mik!!
Out of interest, what car did you have to do the "practical" bit? Was it a full day session or just the theoryand practical session?
Regards
Chris
1975 1500
(Praying for some warm weekend weather so I can start in earnest on the big bits!! )
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 02-Mar-2004, 09:56am
Practical is to see if you can drive round the circuit at a reasonable speed and put together some consistent laps (i.e. you're not going to do anything unexpected in front of someone else when you start racing).
It's been said before but anyone who hasn't done this before should take a tuition + test session rather than the basic test only. I did the one hour + test which by the time you've done the classroom bit doesn't actually leave an enormous amount of track time. A full day would have been better but there were no convenient dates available for me.
Mik
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ARDS Test
Posted By : James Carruthers, 01-Mar-2004, 07:10pm
Congrats Mik!
*wonders how you can mess up an application form*
James
69 Signal Red Spit
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 02-Mar-2004, 10:07am
The secret of the application form is to use the original one from your application pack, even if it is out of date. My pack isn't this years and I went looking for an updated form and used one which is on the MSA's website called "2004 Licence Application Form". I should have realised apparantly that a form with a title like that was not the one to use to apply for a licence in 2004
Even though it says on
it "This form is to be used to apply for or renew an MSA licence".
The forms are in fact the same apart from the date and that the original one has a printed number to identify your original application pack and the replacement one doesn't have anywhere for the driving school to sign it.
Anyway, I'm told the mess can be sorted out easily.
Mik
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Kev Hadfield, 01-Mar-2004, 07:56pm
Well done Mik <
)
Look forward to seeing you out on the track.
Regards
Kev-
ARDS Test
Posted By : Richard King, 01-Mar-2004, 09:14pm
Yeah, nice one Mik.-
ARDS Test
Posted By : David Styles, 02-Mar-2004, 09:38am
Congrats...
So it wasn't too daunting then...
I've put my Ards at the bottom of my list....
I've got some racewear now.
Trackday next.
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 02-Mar-2004, 09:57am
Not daunting particularly, but a lot to take in in a short time.
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 10-Feb-2004, 12:51pm
the "other chap" would be me
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ARDS Test
Posted By : Michael Davis, 10-Feb-2004, 12:28pm
So far
Mallory - No dates until April so I didn't get as far as price
Oulton - Need to ring later to speak to someone
Croft - &163;350 as per my other posting
Silverstone - Need to send me information pack in the post
Donington - No race school there any more so no tests available
Mik
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