Bigpower

Has anyone got any tips for driving Cadwell Park? I've got my first race meeting there on the 1st of July and I've booked up on a trackday on the 28th of June ti sneak in some practice.
After visiting a BRSCC meeting there and having never driven the circuit before I can admit to feeling a bit "overwhelmed" by the place!

hmmm - where to start ??

It is narrow, twisty, hilly & great fun

Have you got the circuit driver guide for it? Also Circuit Driver Magasine did a feature on it a few months back which is well worth the read.

Have you booked tuition for the Track Day?

I've ordered a guide from Demon Thieves, hopefully should arrive next week. Its a circuit days day and I was hoping to have a word with Chris and see if he'd talk me through a couple of laps.
Do you have to scrub off much speed for the Goose neck? Bit concerned about how to tackle Hall bends, it looks like it starts getting a bit narrow there.

To talk through the lap from my cars perspective:

1. coppice - turn in at the start of the slip road on the right and attack the apex and hold it tight to the left (dont run wide as you need to start braking from charlies 1 just before or on the crest and the outside is generally covered in sh1te) - for mine I was having to brake for coppice to about 90mph but as it is uphill the grip is phenomenal.

2. charlies 1 - normal corner with a straightforward apex - let it run wide and brake for charlies 2 at the crest between the two corners (you can and poss should treat as one corner) and carry speed out of charlies 2 onto the long 'straight'

3. flat all the way over the crest on the straight and braking around the 2 marker for the tight righthander (Park) - can take some kerb here iirc and let it go wide before dabbing brakes and bringing car in on a gradual line towards the inside of the long right.

4. Chris Curve is a long un - dont apex too early, bringing it towards the 2nd apex and then let it drift out. I think there is a tree to aim for but carrying speed here is weird as there is no landmarks.

5. Gooseneck - tried a couple of lines into this. A wide line in to straighten the first part and get the best line for part two (tricky as braking whilst turning for part 1) on head straight for it and brake in a straight line. I found this easier but you may not. brake again between the corners and take plenty of kerb on the apex downhill turning in quite early. (yes you do need to brake quite heavily for it but part 1 is about as fast as the first part of the esses iirc)

6. massively steep downhill bit to Mansfield - brakes are red hot at this point and if it is going to understeer it will be here. Turn is late and use the full width of the exit - dont run wide though as there is stuff to hit

7. a little kink that is taken flat out before the bottom of the mountain suprises you at how close it is .... stand on the brakes and hug the left apex of the first part ready for a good exit speed up the hill - you need to carry as much speed up the hill as possible as it is almost vertical (well it seems like it anyway ) - try and go over the crest in the middle as the road is still turning afterwards.

8. Hall bends are beautiful and wooded and feels very enclosed - keep left past the restaurant and into the sequence - VERY VERY VERY slippery if it has been raining or the track is damp.

9. stand on the brakes for the Hairpin (barrier is very close to the left exit here) and head downhill to Barn. Nothing too tricky about the hairpin if the car is settled and you dont try and take liberties with grip. I saw plenty of cars go straight on here though so guess the temptation is there to attack it.

10. Barn - quite tight but opens out after the first early apex (i think) and can nail it down the straight over the start/finish line.

I am sure that an instructor would explain stuff better than me (and I am no expert) but it is a fabulous track and rewarding to the n'th degree when you nail a lap or three.

The Circuit Guides guide is very good but I didnt read it until afterwards. Our first lap was hilarious cos I hadnt a clue where the circuit went as it is so blind.

Duncan that is gold dust! Thanks very much

I've done a trackday there a couple of years ago, and it was excellent. Well suited for your type of car. I take it you will be doing the full track? Like dunk metioned, tight, twisty and hilly in places. Not really a flat out track if i remember, you shouldn't be getting in top gear anywhere. The chicane before the (mountian) is probably the slowest part of the track, and then its up and over the mountain, upsets your stomach, its a blind crest, which is a bit unnerving. This then leads onto the wooded part of the track. Very tight, no real place for any overtaking, and can be wet and slippery as its quite shaded from the sun. Try and carry as much speed as you can out of the last right hander, this then gives you momentum down the start/ finish start. This is just from what i can remember, hope its of some use...

Yep very useful Steve, thanks mate :-D

My favourite circuit from when I raced bikes...

Definitely a good move doing the practice day beforehand. I always raced well there relative to the other circuits cos half the riders didn't know the track.

Dunc described the corners, I'll describe a few overtakes. Once you've built up to it, Coppice is very fast - following a more cautious opponent through there you can run a little wide on the exit thus stealing the line into Charlies 1. Late turn-in/apex to Charlies 2 and you can out-drive opponents onto the straight. Into Park, a straightforward 90deg righthander, go up the inside on the brakes. Round Chris curve you can sometimes take the outside line (on a bike...not so sure about in the car), or dive up the inside on exit to steal the line into the gooseneck. Mansfield - up the inside on the brakes again. Into the mountain it's narrow, similarly it's difficult to pass into Hall bends. Hairpin - steam up the inside on the brakes, line is unimportant since it's so tight. Up the inside into Barn also possible, without compromising drive onto straight since there's loads of room on exit (which is blind until you're at the apex).

Which club runs the MkII Golf championship, Pike?

cheers
Andy

Good advice Andy :thumb:

[makes mental note to follow rather than lead you round the track on 16th July ]

Thanks Andy, the series is administered by golfgtiracing.co.uk and run through the 750MC.