Trackday - Mallory Park - 22nd June 2023

[mk1fan]

Hello All,

Phazed and I are booked on to this day - https://circuit-days.co.uk/mallory-park-view-event... - on Thursday the 22nd June. I've booked a garage too. I assume they are similar size as those at Brands, Snetts etc .. I've not done Mallory before but Mat Smith said I'd like it

Nice central location so all those who moan about these things only being in the South now have no excuses

[GAjon]

If your on a standard wet sump, make sure you keep your oil level up and watch your oil pressure gauge or lights on that first long right hander!

[mk1fan]

Mat Smith told me that the RV8 fills up the left bank with oil if left unchecked

Luckily, I have the reliable S6.

[QBee]

It’s a strange circuit. Just an oval with a loop out and back to the hairpin. Pits in the middle of the oval, so access only if the track is halted. Only 1.1 miles. So you would think it would be boring?

Far from it. Gerard’s, the 180 degree almost never ending first bend - you will spend all day trying to get it right. I felt I was struggling, went out as a passenger in an RX8, was amazed, and still couldn’t get it right. The two straights make for good overtaking, and the hairpin is tricky too, rather like the one at Snetterton, but tighter.

View from the gravel trap…..after losing the back end at about 100 mph in the right left before heading to the hairpin.




That’s the only time I have tripped the safety cut out

[mk1fan]

I hope to have the rear number plate mount / exhaust diffuser fixed in time

Perhaps even the steering wheel swapped back to the Personnal one.

Service revealled my CATs starting to breakdown so a message to Clive F for a set of his sport CATs on the cards.

Been looking at trackday vids on Yeowtuba and the garages appear fine. Circuit looks a challenge even if it looks simple.

[porterpainter]

Alas I’m in Helsinki on that day otherwise I would have come along as it’s closer to me and looks like very good value.

Have a good one guys, see you at Donny!

[Classic Chim]

Oh this looks interesting.
I’ll try to pop along to spectate and drool over the cars.
I spend my life around amazing cars but miss seeing Tvr on track a lot.
A regular or a yearly event in a central location like this might just take off.
Whats the noise limit at Mallory?

[QBee]

Looks like it's 103 dBa

[Classic Chim]

QBee said:

Looks like it's 103 dBa

That’s not bad at all.

I’d seen banger racing many times then speedway racing courtesy of the Boocock family
Then when I was 10 years old joined the huge crowd at Mallory to watch Barry Sheene beat everybody to huge adulation from the people. I was hooked for life.
Mallory is a very special place and takes huge bravery, barriers are always close.
Lovely lake too.
Have they tarmaced the paddock yet?
It’s a bit stuck in time as a venue and always suffered from a lack of investment considering the high quality racing thats taken place there over the years. It’s a charming old place though.
Gerrards is a long learning curve

That’s nothing Anthony, I can beat that one, wet day in a Jag XJ8 long wheelbase Limo for a better word, fully sideways into the first right hander as I trail braked and lost the back end, I was really on it as well, completely locked up with that inside barrier rushing past my eyes, dabbed the brakes and swung back into a full 360 and onto the grass to the right of your picture just before the Hill, ended up facing the right direction and carried on, a bit slower after that I can tell you. stay safe lads. Come to think about it it was a full 420 OMG I’ve just looked again, so tracing your tyre marks back up the hill my car was completely sideways and square on to those lines towards the top of the hill, tried to ride the slide with throttle but it rotated round to that point before I dabbed the brakes which gave some front end grip that rotated me round back the other way round into a full 360 as I slid down the hill and another 180 or more before the car was pointing in the right direction, I’d like to say I controlled it
Peter’s Touring Car might be a blast round there
Oh and a car I’m sure you hold dear, I was driving a Mini Cooper with twin carbs at the weekend, utterly fantastic flat out fun. It was the fastest car on track and mullered everyone through the corners. It just goes like stink and tyre squealing everywhere.
What a fantastic Machine the original mini was.
If you want to feel really on it get a track Mini. So small the road seems wide, so bumpy your shifting about in straight lines.
Corners you just set the car up, throw it in and hit the throttle hard, rear end bounces and rotates but it’s still gripping, front end is so directional you can adjust your line easily with either a blip of the throttle or a turn of the wheel. You and the road are one, you feel the tyres great.
Best fun ever because it feels so fast! But your only making 70-80 up the straights but 20 mph faster through the bends, it’s hilarious.
Such a thrilling ride if a bit slow on the straights.

If I had money and a passion for tracks I’d have one over most cars,, cheap fun. They sound brilliant too.

Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 29th May 15:12

Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 29th May 15:31

[QBee]

Last time I was there I had a "just one more lap" moment mid-afternoon.
Entering Gerards at about 100 mph I didn't miss my braking point at all.....I simply forgot to brake.
Never drive on track when you're tired.

Despite your earlier comments about the closeness of the barriers, there is quite a long run off to the outsde at Gerrards, and there needed to be. I hit the brakes and immediately locked everything up and seemed to be accelerating towards the barrier. Released the brakes and yanked the sterring to the right, did a 360 on the grass and stopped 5 yards short of the barriers. Gingerly back to the pits, quick change of undercrackers and then a minor panic attack, when I realised that it was more luck than judgement that the car hadn't dug in and rolled when I yanked the steering over.



The track is the inner oval, the hairpin is top right, the outer track is for marshalls and spectators I think, pits are in the middle and Gerrards is at the bottom of the picture.
The car track is smooth shapes, all the wiggly bits are for bikes I think.

[QBee]

My first car was a Mini, Alun, 1967 mark 1, 848 cc, but I learnt to drive in my dad's rally prepared 1330 cc Broadspeed Cooper S, on a skid pan.

I cannot remember the top speed of my Mini (vague memories of just over 90 mph downhill, fully laden, on a motoway in the Black Forest), but Dad's Cooper S would just top 100 mph flat out. But as a rally car it was ace, and they won the East Midlands Rally Championship in it in about 1968.

Then the Ford Escorts appeared on the scene, and the Mini's days were over. My parents retired from rallying and took up bird watching (I kid you not).

[Classic Chim]

On the Jaguar club day we used the hairpin but missed out the tight bike chicane on the next straight. Designed to slow entry speeds over the hill towards the pits, I remember riders and cars flying into the pits as it’s very dangerous and fast coming down the hill onto the start straight but very thrilling.
And thanks for those marvellous details about both your parents motoring careers.
Fantastic cars to understand the dynamics involved.
Yeah I get the feeling you can get them north of 100 mph which combined with its lightness and nimble handling though manual rack which is so brilliant it’s a real handful.

ETA Ok you win this one, I don’t like getting out of shape through Gerrards at any time. I learnt to understand counter steer better on bikes one night when taking a crash course to get my licence round Gerrards following an instructor, faster and faster until only counter steer got me round, I was the only one who did it and we ended up proper motoring on at around 90-92 mph which felt really fast yet really planted using counter steer and throttle to help turn it. It’s a vital dynamic I was so glad to get on top of. A great guy indeed. We stayed behind when others went home and spent a good 45 mins having fun, he loved it lol
I might be riding a Speedway bike soon by the way……… my moto is “your a longtime dead” so you better enjoy it now while you can.
I just want to gently slide and remember that feeling that taught me so much as a younger man. I’ll be gentle I can tell you but a massive thrill.
That’s if I can get time off work!

Edited by Classic Chim on Monday 29th May 17:12

[QBee]

Car track days don’t use any of the chicanes, they are only for bikes

[Classic Chim]

I wonder why that is?
Possibly noise issues with people who own houses not 1/2 a mile away from the hairpin in the village.

[QBee]

Classic Chim said:

I wonder why that is?
Possibly noise issues with people who own houses not 1/2 a mile away from the hairpin in the village.

I imagine it's just to slow them down a bit, and give overtaking opportunities, otherwise it would be a bit of a power circuit

[mk1fan]

Great day today. Need to download the free photos and see what videos the camera took

Great circuit definately going back.

Weather stayed dry all day and I was last off the track. Packed up and it started to rain as I pulled out of the circuit!

ETA:
I forgot to mention that it was a very quiet day. Only about 30 cars at the start and only six or seven (including Phazed and I) by 3pm.

Edited by mk1fan on Friday 23 June 14:33

[mk1fan]

Couple of vids from Mr Phazed. I have some but not sorted through them yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqHQMofvMS8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3SHfk5ujV8

[QBee]

No idea what Peter was looking for on the passenger seat, but I suspect it may have been a paddle - there was a definite "creek" coming from somewhere on the soundtrack.

Nice to see you guys having fun at a summer afternoon sort of speed.

[mk1fan]

'Run 3' is I think the corresponding run in Phazed video linked above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKQlo3QeuGs&li...

[Classic Chim]

Good stuff. Those Mini look rapid too.