Luke,
I don't get much time to browse this board so apolgies for late response but hopefully in time for your trackday. I've just spent the l;ast 2 days at Cadwell, instructing for Lotus-on-Track and have done <cough> .. lots .. of laps of Cadwell.
Good advice from Duncan but I have a couple of differences so i'll use Duncans post to point them out.
dynamix wrote: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'
THE most important complex of corners on the circuit for a quick lap time AND potential to carry more speed for an overtake.
I don't hold the car to the left hand curb as Duncan suggests. I actualy turn-in a cars length before the slip road (or sometimes a touch more, but this needs to be built up to). I generally don't brake although in the cars I have driven I rarely see more than about 115mph as I approach the corner. I prefer to ease off (lift off) early (at the previous slip road, actually part of the short circuit) and let the car settle before turning in and giving it pretty much full gas (i.e. I ease off to return a bit of grip to the front, once I know tha car has bitten and heading for the apex (if the posts are there, it's the 2nd one) I apply gas to move grip back to the rear to ensure the back doesn't step out).
I do then let the car drift out to the right .. NOT ALL THE WAY to the right, ideally about 1/2 a cars width .. although it all depends on the car as the the important bit is setting it up for the next right (Charlies 1).
Because I am turning in earlier and running a more shallow line I can carry more speed through this corner. Possibly around 100mph in my MR2 with road tyres, certainly well over this with a stiff race car on slicks (although DONT use this as a benchmark just aim for as fast as you can through the WHOLE complex.
I KEEP the same lock on which starts to bring me back to the left for Charlies 1. No real reference point but generally EARLIER than you think. Charlies 1 is not a corner, it's a slight curve, it's important to have that picture in your mind. As you turn in you should need very little lock and it will look like you are going to drive straight off the left hand side of the track. You WON'T but you should be right out toward the line on the left as you crest. You should just about have time to straigten up (important) and then turn in for Charlies 2.
NOW, really important to keep up as high a speed as possible up the hill through Coppice, and into Charlies 1. As it is so steep this usually means you have to change down a gear in this complex. Ideally you don't want to do it before Coppice as it destabilises the car and strangles the entry speed, the IDEAL time to do it is as you are coming back left for the approach to Charlies 1 (don't worry, there is a video, see later). The gear change helps slightly with the direction change and the extra torque of the lower gear helps pull you through Charlies 1 with no risk of the back stepping out.
There is a reference point as you are almost at the top of the crest, a speaker post, it just helps you get the car out wider on the left as you are coming over the crest. I point it out to help people but once you've done it right a couple of times you don't need it.
NOTE: What you look at whilst driving a circuit is MASSIVELY important. Whatever your eyes see dictates what you do with the wheel and the pedals. If you approach Charlies 1 and look at the track, you'll see a riight hand corner and treat it as such. If you look at the LEFT hand curb as you are running up the rise you will see empty space beyond it and THINK "if I go there I am going to come off the track". If you can just look up and pick out the speaker post it will just allow you to open up the lock just a little which, although a small thing is incredibly important here.
Anyway, you've gone over the crest and you of course will look at Charlies 2 and see a sharp(ish) bend to the right. Again, try and perceive it as a gentle curve because YOU MUSTN'T TAKE OFF TOO MUCH SPEED HERE.
You may need to brake a little at first to give you confience but generally you should try and do like Coppice entry and just ease off.
Assuming you have gone over the crest and straightened (very) briefly, ease off the gas (not total lift) to move grip forward and turn into Charlies 2 ON A SLIGHTLY TRAILING THROTTLE. The front will bite, the back will get a little light but as soon as you are heading for a (very tight) apex you can get back on full power (in med power FWD or RWD) and stop the slight slide. When you turn for the apex of Charlies 2 really make sure you get as close as possible, you often have to steer to actually hit the curb as the car will take a moment to do the direction change so you don't end up hitting it. If you aim to just miss it, you will miss it by a foot or two. Full power and unwind right out to the left and going parallel to the grass on the left.
I spent a long time on that as it is SO important. The key is carrying as much speed through and out of that complex as possible, the extra speed through gives you the option to move the weight around for optimum grip and gives at least an extra 5mph on the exit (often more). This is Especially important as it's 5mph at 75mph+ which is worth more than 5mph at 40mph+ (as it takes a lot longer to get from 75-80 than from 40-45.
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.
Definitely don't take apex curb here, it's very severe, you may get away with it the odd time but don't aim to take it. I'd also steer clear of exit curb for the best laptime. Even in a quick car I wouldn't brake for the right hander, i'd again ease off the gas early and float the car in, you may get a bit of oversteer but again adding a liitle power keeps this in check. Hold the inside curb from the blue-white, past the rough bit and just a fraction longer. If it's dry, look up further down the track and you should see a square of brown tarmac. As soon as you see this you can usually go full power and unwind out to it. In a RWD car, once you have a lot of weight over the left rear you can give it lots of power to actually help turn the car.
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)
Not a particularly importnt corner but you can take more speed through if your perception of the corner is of a more open chicance rather than a tightish left right. Look at the video and see how little steering lock I use. I think there is some curb on the right where you turn JUST after (feels too early), you then get as close to the apex curb as you can BUT DON'T HIT IT) you then seem to be going to fly off the end of the track ... but you don't there is room, a b it like Charlies 1. Probably hard to do, I generally have to forve people to do it before they realise it's possible. By all means try it (slightly slower at first), there is time to be gained here.
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
Advantageous to trail brake here, even right into the apex, esp in FWD
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.
There is time to be gained here. The trick is to "make more of a meal" of the first right/left so that you are mucb straighter over the next right left. This allows you to run quicker and for longer through it and brake harder (as you are straighter) for the (so called) hairpin.
Turn in is AT the spot where the p] tp 3rd.
TURN IN AT THE GRAVEL ROAD and aim to get tight to the curb on the right (there is usually a post there). This looks and feels too early. YOU WILL GET MASSIVE UNDERSTEER on the first 3rd but HOLD IT INTO THE CURB as best you can, you have to LIVE WITH the understeer here, it does go by mid corner. Most people will go in slower to avoid the understeer but by mid corner, when the grip returns fully, they have list too much speed.
About half way around the curb you should be able to start accellerating, pretty much full power but UNWIND out to the left and keep it parallel with the grass on the left for a short time before easing over to the right for the approach to Coppice.
in the DRY you can hug the pitwall, slight aero benefit in the WET stay away from the pitwall, it's very bumpy and can kick the car into the concrete.
As Duncan said, it's a fabulous track and once you get really comfortable with the lines and techniques it feels a lot safer (esp Hall Bends).
I mentioned a video which is here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsXvu_st4LE
It's me in my MR2 on a Lotus-On-Track day. It has less than 130bhp and running on standard tyres (Toyo T1-Rs). Much less power to weight than the Lotus' but as you can see, the lines make such a huge difference.
Any questions, let me know
Maxx
