Back in March 2024, Stu and Tom headed off on a European track day trip to Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Originally, Aaron was meant to come along too, but after having to pull out last minute, the trip ended up being just the two of them.
Tom took his M2 over, while Stu’s plans changed slightly at the last minute. The original idea had been to take the 911, but after running into some issues with the car shortly before the trip, Stu spontaneously bought Aaron’s Golf TCR the week before departure just to have something ready to take to Zandvoort.
As impulsive car purchases go, it actually worked out pretty well.
The trip started with the drive over through Belgium and into the Netherlands, which if we’re being honest, isn’t exactly the most exciting part of Europe to drive through. However, they stopped off in Bruges for lunch and once they arrived near Amsterdam things improved quickly.
Because the original plan involved more people attending, they’d booked a huge Airbnb house on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Instead, it ended up being just Stu and Tom rattling around in this massive place by themselves, which was quite funny in hindsight.
That evening, they headed into Amsterdam and ended up eating at a burger restaurant that apparently claimed to be either the best burger place in Europe or possibly the world, depending on who you asked. Stu wasn’t entirely convinced by the title and suspected they probably hadn’t visited every burger restaurant on Earth before making that claim.
While out in Amsterdam though, they randomly bumped into an old local friend, Paul, who used to live in the same town before moving out to the Netherlands. Completely unexpected, but it turned into a really good evening catching up properly.
The following morning was track day time at Zandvoort, and unfortunately the weather had other ideas because it rained pretty much all day.
Tom was understandably a bit cautious about taking the M2 out in the conditions, but Stu got straight out in the Golf TCR. The car had a couple of minor issues during the day, but overall it ran well and handled the conditions brilliantly.
For Stu, it was also his very first time driving Circuit Zandvoort, and the circuit absolutely lived up to expectations.
The place genuinely feels like a roller coaster in parts. The elevation changes, the constant movement of the car, and the famous banked corners make it one of those tracks where you’re always busy behind the wheel, especially in something quick like the Golf TCR. There’s barely a second to relax because the circuit just keeps flowing from one section into the next.
It instantly became one of those tracks you finish driving and immediately want to go back to again.
One of the funniest moments of the whole trip came from an older guy who turned up at the circuit with his wife while seemingly driving around Europe on holiday. He spotted the track day happening, wandered over, casually decided he fancied having a go, paid for the session on the day, and then took his road car out on track.
There was something brilliant about how relaxed the whole thing was. Stu had always assumed European track days would need loads of planning and paperwork, but because it was organised through a UK company, everything felt really straightforward and easy.
The atmosphere throughout the paddock was great too. Loads of friendly people, a good mix of cars, and the sort of relaxed environment that always makes track trips more enjoyable.
Overall, it turned into a brilliant little adventure. Amsterdam, good company, a new race circuit, wet weather driving, and discovering just how incredible Zandvoort really is made it one of the most memorable trips of the year.