Event Wanna come Autotesting? 18th Jan 2026

[The Moog]

Has anyone had a go at auto testing?

 

I have seen that there is an event at Blackburn Services in Feb .

 

I quite fancy taking starlet along, but would like to know what is involved.

[panhard65]

I haven't had a go myself but my girlfriends lad uses my saxo for it. He has only done a couple but a small light car is best. Basically it involves a load of cones set out round a car park (the last one he did was at the old Aust services by the old severn bridge) It is all tight turns mainly 1st gear work. You get a lot of idiots who think big engines and lots of tyre smoke is the way to do it but the fastest drivers are the ones that don't try too hard. The boy beat a couple of mk2 Escorts due to then just over doing it all the time. Have a go it looks a bit of fun.

[garbaldy]

They are great cheep fun infact the motor club held one today but I don't have the wee colt on the road yet,

They do a club car and last year when I did it in the couch* they had an old fiesta and it was ragged by half a dozen drivers all day with the only problem being it couldn't be driven back due to bald tyres,

 

Find your local motor club and join up it's usually cheep for membership £10 for ours for the year, they also do 12 cars which are a hoot too.

 

 

* That was what they nicknamed the sierra due to its wayward bounciness.

[320touring]

When is it in Feb?

[PiperCub]

Never done it but always wanted to as well. 

 

Agree - small light car would be ideal, power pretty academic unless you're into showing off. Pretty much all the best autotest cars I've ever seen have been Mini's (proper Mini's that is). 

[Guest Hooli]

I'd like to do these too, they look huge fun.

[garethj]

I've done a couple, they're huge fun and probably the cheapest form of motorsport.  I got lost on one of them as the courses can be a bit complicated...

 

Make sure your handbrake is correctly adjusted and otherwise the normal motorsport things apply of being smooth, don't get over excited and be consistent.

[The Moog]

Cheers chaps, sounds ideal for starlet.

When is it in Feb?

18th & 19th feb. Its held at junction 4 M 65 if anyone else fancies it.

 

I am going to to on 18th which is the trial day before the event on 19th

 

£5 membership and £30 entry fee. Anyone over 14 can take part. You can even hire a car there for the day.

[NorthernMonkey]

They were doing it there a few weeks back when I stopped off for a coffee on a shit collection trip to Chorley. Looks quite good fun actually....could be tempted to give it a go in the MX5 but its heather mills so I'm not sure how that'd work in the scheme of things...

[320touring]

Sounds like it may be outside where I could be staying..

[The Moog]

You can come and share the starlet Neil

[320touring]

You can come and share the starlet Neil

Ooooh. OK will have a look at accom then:)

[garbaldy]

Agree - small light car would be ideal, power pretty academic unless you're into showing off.

That's not entirely accurate though,

Small light yes you don't need much power,

But you try spinning over a ton of sierra round a cone with a cvh, showing off when you can't even do a donut ha right.

The starlet will be ace for sure.

[NorthernMonkey]

You can come and share the starlet Neil

Really? I'm up for a bit of that....we'll have a meet up one evening next week if you want and suss out some itinerary then?

[The Moog]

Ooooh. OK will have a look at accom then:)

Really? I'm up for a bit of that....we'll have a meet up one evening next week if you want and suss out some itinerary then?

I think we can have 3 to share the car. Will check with club.

 

Next couple of weeks are hectic but after that would be great

[Guest Hooli]

I've just remembered I've done an autotest once.

 

It was at the 50th birthday for AH Sprites at Brooklands, I won

[The Moog]

Only 4 places left so if you guys do fancy it need to know asap.

[NorthernMonkey]

No problem. Deffo put me down for a spot if there's one available. If not, I'll come along anyway and offer moral support...

[dollywobbler]

I reckon a two-pedal MX-5 may have some advantages - a foot for each pedal so you can get back on the power more quickly!

[NorthernMonkey]

I reckon a two-pedal MX-5 may have some advantages - a foot for each pedal so you can get back on the power more quickly!

You could well be onto something there. Last time I watched them, there was a few MX5s but I'm not sure what gearboxes they were sporting. Like you say though, in theory it should be ideal...

[Faker]

Used to do some years ago in a nova. Absolute hoot! Go for it!

[NorthernMonkey]

The more I think about it, the more I fancy the idea of this!

How about an Autoshite team? We could paint the cars beige and have 'YOUR AUTOTESTING IS OUR CONCERN' down the sides...

[320touring]

I'll hold off having a shot the now, as I'll likely be knackered, but can come along n spekertates

[DSdriver]

I used to do them back in the early seventies - on grass at places like Layhams Farm. The trouble was I used to forget the route and which box to go to next so I'd have to stop and look down at the directions.

Here I am in my Brabham Viva. Pic by my mate Jeff Bloxham who is famous for having done my wedding snaps... oh and being a top motorsport photog.

Vauxhall Viva HB SL90 by Jean-Pierre Declemy, on Flickr

[The Moog]

I'll hold off having a shot the now, as I'll likely be knackered, but can come along n spekertates

No worries. There are a few later on in the year as well.

 

I reckon stations prodya would be ace at the with lower suspension

[3VOM]

I reckon a two-pedal MX-5 may have some advantages - a foot for each pedal so you can get back on the power more quickly!

So long as it copes from going quickly into reverse and back to drive. I recall driving an automatic that would stall if I was too quick changing into reverse.

I'd come along to this to watch; the current MOT'd car isn't really autotest friendly.

[eddyramrod]

I did a couple of these in Cyprus, four in fact using a different car each time!  Blackburn services?  Oh yes!  It'll have to be a later event though, I won't have any money for this one.  And wouldn't it be fun in a Cadillac...

 

Actually yes, it's fun in any vehicle, wherever you finish.  It's just a great laugh.

[mercrocker]

I would have thought autos were a bit notchy for this.   Two pedals, two feet is good but on the odd occasion I have chased the Minor through cones and "garages" I was into reverse before I stopped moving and taking up the drive as soon as I felt the half-shafts could take the sudden reversal of rotation....

[dave21478]

I did a few of them in Minis. Properly good fun.

 

I wouldnt fancy trying it in an auto though - certainly not one I cared about or needed to get me home afterwards.

[dave21478]

This guy is pretty handy.....

 

 

Thats a very complicated course too.