Now then - report time.
This weekend we were mainly at Anglesey. Fri afternoon was a half day Book-a-Track trackday, Sat and Sunday Racing. Sat on the National Circuit, and Sunday on the International GP.
Had a nice leisurely start on Friday morning by packing the trailer up and driving off to Anglesey, about 2.5hrs from my house taking it steady. Its a lovely place to go to and it really does feel like you are going off on holiday as you pass over the bridge to 'The Island'. Weather forecast was for a possible shower Fri sometime but all looked good as we approached the circuit. Due to the weekend sprint, Book-a-track had agreed to run 2hrs on the National Circuit, and then 2hrs on the GP. I had never driven the GP before so this was the main reason for coming a day early to 'get my eye in'.
Had previously bought some used Clio Cup slicks for Oulton Park so stuck these on remembering that this place is very very abrasive.
Out onto the National and remembering the lines from a couple years ago. Nice. All was going well until a light shower. I reckoned that if I kept going fairly quickly, the slicks would stay warm and be ok. Bad choice.....3 corners later braking for the downhill un-named left the back end came round quick as a flash. Luckily I jumped on the brakes in time and slowed it on the tarmac before slowly going backwards in control onto the grass apron. Back in the pits to check all was ok.....and then back out again but just taking it a bit easier till the place dried up a bit.
Into the second session, there was a ducks and drakes convoy due to popular request, and then open session. My word. What a simply awesome track. PROPER FAST. It peels off left before School Corner on the National, past the new pit garages on the left and into the fast 90 left Turn 1. Next is hard on the brakes and down a gear for the 180 right Book-a-Track Banking. Very cool, not as banked as Shell Oils at Oulton but apparently 10 degrees. Same line as for Shell Oils though. Out of the banking and then it starts to get really interesting.....up a gear to Church which is apparently the fastest corner in UK Motorsport....hmm, dunno about that one but it is fast. Church leads to a massive sweeping right that joins the National again at School. WOW. Flat out in 6th gear....125mph plus. The tricky bit here is getting over to the left of the track to get the car straight for braking and changing down 3 gears for Rocket, 110 degree right. Just fantastic, very scarey and exhilarating much along the lines of Island at Oulton, but somehow more daunting as you can see the whole of the track stretching out ahead.
This is going to be some sprint on Sunday! People started arriving Fri for the weekend so slowly the car park started to fill with the weekend entrants. Porsche Club GB event so lots of nice porkas, and a round of the MG Car Club champs so loads of MGs.
Changed the slicks for soft sprint tyres and got off to bed down at the local B+B.
Sat morning up nice and early and off to the track to meet with mates. We set up in 'our' corner of the paddock and the crack started.
Big entry in 3b, about 12 cars, but news started to filter in on some non-attendees. Looked like there would still be 5 of us competing on the day though.
Stuart Tranter - Rover 416 - think it was an ex-Rover championship car, very light, big sticky Avons, and Stuart is a many multiple Champion in both sprint and circuit racing. And he knows Anglesey very well indeed. So he will be tough to beat today. Double driven by Colin Price.
Lovely 205 GTI MI16 of local Deniol Jones
Yellow Mk2 Escort of Ben Grindey - also had been there for the trackday on Fri.
Times are me, Stuart, Colin, Deniol, Ben
P1:
129.85, 133.54, 134.13, 135.53, 137.72
Only one practice given as we were doing 2 laps of the National Circuit and that counts as both your practice laps, apparently.
T1: 128.39,
127.02, 131.84, 130.60, 134.97. Stuart into an early lead.
T2:
126.85, 127.20, 130.83, 132.41, 134.89. Back to me.
T3: 127.53,
126.79, 130.31, 133.16, 135.10. Back to Stuart by 6 hundreths.....
T4: 127.12...game over. Stuart misses a gear going into Rocket anyhow and aborts run but I didn't go any quicker so game over. Big handshakes all round.
Final standings, Stuart 126.79, Me 126.85, Colin 127.71.
As part of the timing, you also get a split time for lap 1. If I had strung together my best lap 1 and lap 2 times, it would have been a 126.07. But thats the skill of sprinting, hanging it all together. Another day.....
Right then. Proper revved up now for Day 2
International GP Circuit. Exactly same length as day before at 2.1 miles but only a single lap. Gonna be fantastic scrap this is....
Deniol and Ben went home but we were joined by mate Dave Reade in his Mk2 golf, and a double driven Triumph GT6.
Times are Me, Stuart, Colin, Dave, GT6 1, GT6 2
P1:
104.02, 105.61, 110.70, 120.65, 121.44, 130.28
P2:
102.46, 103.35, NA, 109.72, 119.90, 145.34
Both the GT6 and Stuart's Rover break down in P2 - both are double driven so 4 drivers out.....great.....was really looking forward to a good scrap. Me and Dave only left now so we decide to carry on as normal and have some fun anyhow. Six timed runs follow with us both trying different lines. Result was me first with a 103.05, and Dave second with a 106.65.
Totally knackered. Load up and have a steady drive home amongst the caravans, but do you know, it didn't matter. A fantastic 3 days of Anglesey track action was had.
A few pics:
Mate Malc's Anglia
Cracking Elise R with Honda power
Ripsnorting Metro 6R4
Lovely Porka
Very impressive RS6 - not bad times considering it was on road tyres and weighs best part of 2 tonnes (great No plate too)
And finally....FTD......John Graham's methanol-fuelled Dallara-Vauxhall
Awesome weekend
Till next one
Ave it
Rob