POINT and SQUIRT - High Performance Small Cars
Track Day Reports
Rockingham Speedway Track Day
Posted (on the EVO forum) - 15 Jul 2001
Yesterday was spent in the good hands of EasyTrack tearing about on an
infield and bit-of-the-banked-turns circuit at Rockingham Speedway. This
was my first 'real' trackday, after an airfield about a month previous.
It was fantastic fun! I've certainly never driven the Clio like this
before. The chance to really fling it about and operate the pedals in an
on-off way is huge fun. Even leaving the pits and being able to hurl it
to 90 with abandon was fun, but the corners, squeals, lurches, noises,
forces and even the overheated tyres and brakes were extra excitement
too.
The infield section turned out to be quite challenging with very short
sections between the corners. It was a real trade off between gearshift
and holding on to the steering wheel! The little right, left-right,
l-e-f-t section was probably the best bit, although forcing the little
French tart over 100 along the back wall was almost as satisfying.
Things I learnt ...
- 110 -> 85 takes a surprisingly long time under braking
- It isn't a corner until one wheel is in the air
- When the tyres overheat things get slippy
- When the brakes overheat the pedal just makes everything vibrate
As was the case at Wrougton airfield, the only new hatchbacks on the
circuit were Clio 172s. Say what you like about them v. other cars. We
owners are getting our fun from them. Other urban / track warriors that
were more than three months from the showroom included Golfs, 205s, a
Williams Clio and a 306 Gti.
How can I mention Mark's Williams so far down the list? I'm so sorry
Mark. Well it is my thread dammit ... post your own if you want top
billing! :)
Mark was, as expected, a celebrity in his Williams - kitted with racing
slicks, brakes rated to about a billion degrees and air filters so big
that sparrows fell from the sky due to lack of remaining oxygen - everyone
loves to watch and / or ride in his car as he roars and slides the Willy
about biting the ankles of the caterhams and passing the elises.
Personally, I refuse to ride in it, knowing that it will generate a four
figure upgrade bill on my Clio - something I am not ready for yet. That,
and I'm a wuss. There were many forum readers there that did ride with
Mark, his bro and the generous TVR, Exige and Caterham drivers. The crowd
of folks there was great... I spent most of my time with EVO forum and
Clio 172 owners, but the 'serious hobbyists' were great to talk to as
well. The whole scene is a lot less of a clique than I had imagined and
everyone was approachable and enthusiastic about their cars and driving.
Back to me again, and I was getting instruction on and off throughout the
day. This is really worth it, and has saved my tyres and brakes from total
annihalation at the very least. Two EasyTrack instructors rode with me
and pointed out the racing line, braking points and said 'faster', 'more',
'now', 'upshift', etc. It helped a lot. One of the instructors wanted me
to push harder than the others. 'Third', "no", 'third!', "ok dammit" ...
squeal, slide, grass, mud, "arse", 'ok, next time round then, it can be
done'. Luckily I overheated the brakes later that lap and got a reprieve.
The second instructor then drove me round for a few laps shaving about 10
seconds off my times. This proved the best way to learn the lines and you
should consider asking if you do a similar thing. In my last session I was
a lot better, quicker and didn't quite overheat the brakes, and squealed
the tyres a lot less.
Sure enough, I didn't want the day to end. I made a commitment to the
future and bought my rented helmet and promised myself to do more and
do better. Trackdays are expensive and wear your car out in no time
flat, but this is the most fun you can have in a car I'm sure and it
beats the hell out of anything that can be done on the road - legally
or otherwise. Castle Combe next up on October 8th, but don't hold me
to that ... I might just appear somewhere else inbetween.
Justin Gould
