To celebrate 10 years of StuLane.com, Stu organised a client track day at Donington Park with Javelin Trackdays, bringing together customers, friends, and car enthusiasts from all over the country for a full day on circuit.
The idea behind the event was simple really, get everyone together, enjoy some good cars, take customers out for hot laps, and have a proper laugh doing it.
There was a brilliant turnout of cars throughout the day too. Stu brought both the Megane RS and the Golf TCR, while Ryan came along in his Alfa. Andy brought his TVR, Simon and Tom both brought M2s, another Andy brought his Golf, and Aaron also arrived in his M2. Having a good variety of cars available meant there was always something out on track and plenty of opportunities to get passengers out for laps.
There was also a really good turnout from customers and friends attending the day, including Dan, Tony, Lee, Martin, Jack, Ollie, Simon, Jason, Nick, Jamie, Alan, Dave, and plenty of others throughout the event. One of the nicest parts of the whole day was getting people together who normally only speak online or through business and having everyone in one place enjoying the same thing.
The weather definitely made things interesting early on. The morning started off wet, which naturally led to the usual comments in the paddock about everyone taking it easy. At one point, someone apparently said to Andy that Stu would probably be driving cautiously because of the conditions.
A few laps later, Stu came back into the paddock with the brakes alight after pushing on properly in the Golf TCR, which got a few laughs from everyone standing around.
The hot laps were definitely one of the highlights of the day though. It was great getting customers and friends out on track, especially those who had never experienced circuit driving before. Some absolutely loved every second of it and immediately wanted to go again, while others looked completely terrified by the time they got back into the paddock. That contrast honestly made it even funnier.
Aside from one slightly dramatic moment where Andy’s TVR lost a wheel at the final chicane, the day actually went incredibly smoothly overall. Thankfully there were no major issues, and having multiple cars available meant there was always something happening so nobody was left standing around bored between sessions.
The whole event actually started the night before too, with everyone staying at the hotel together ahead of the track day. A few beers, plenty of car conversations, and a relaxed evening beforehand made the whole thing feel more like a proper community event rather than just another track day.
More than anything, the event was a brilliant way to celebrate 10 years of StuLane.com. It brought together customers, friends, and enthusiasts in exactly the sort of environment everyone enjoys most, around fast cars, good people, and a shared passion for motorsport. By the end of the day, everyone agreed on one thing: we definitely need to do it again.