Covid-19 put a crimp in my regular journeys to the UK and Europe for track days but slowly I am getting back to it.
This month saw me get to Oulton Park and Anglesey circuits in the UK. I was last at Oulton Park in 2012 - so its been some time.
My trusty steed is a 2018 Caterham 420R. Ex-Bookatrack rental - in fact I was the very first rental customer and "gently" ran it in at Spa doing 500+ miles around the track. Nothing special done to it. Standard 2L Duratec with 210hp. 5 Speed Miata gearbox. LSD. 13 inch Apollo wheels with Avon ZZS "tyres." Only modification I have done is to switch out the leather seat for a Tillett race shell.
A company by the name of TFL Racing Limited support me by storing the Caterham in Stratford and then bringing it to the circuit I am signed up for. They have a sizable business in supporting Caterhams (and even Radicals) with this - not just track days but also race events. It ends up a social day as the other drivers are fun company to hang out in the pits with.
UK circuits are old school in style. A lot of them were originally carved out of former WW2 airfields. However, Oulton Park is not one of those. Its narrow, tight, and bumpy. It rewards the brave.
I was running with Goldtrack for both days. Goldtrack are a higher end track day organizer. Less cars so no delays getting on track. The format is open pit lane. When you want to go out, you just do, no waiting. Passing is on the left only with point by on the straights. A few race drivers took liberties with that when presented with an open track for a dive bomb down the inside of a slower car. Despite that it was well behaved.
The crowd is eclectic. Historic racers. Modern racers. Modern super cars. Race and road Caterhams. A raft of super hot hatches. And all skills of drivers in between.
The parking lot at Oulton tells the story.
The owners were too scared to put these on track. The track machinery looked like this:
This very pretty Lotus Elan, with very rare BRM Twin Cam, sadly did not go far. It was towed in after half a lap with electrical issues:
In fairness to the Lotus, it was not the only one with electrical issues. The Caterham 420R (not mine) below was possessed. It would start itself even after unplugging the ECU, removing ignition key, removing the cut off key and removing all fuses. It needed an exorcism or just a good auto electrician. It was not fixable on the day.
While I was rusty to find the right lines, eventually it all came together on the day.
Yes I do have a comedy "Croc" fake New York plate on the car. It was a gift from some UK track day friends who want to warn those overtaking that I might not know how to corner both left and right...
I only had one incident all day. I was following a Caterham 620R and he had a HUGE braking moment at the second chicane with massive clouds. I dropped on to the grass to avoid going inside the smoke cloud - after all who knows what lurks inside there! Justice was served as the results of his flat spot were evident in the pits later.
Then it was time for a short 2 hour drive over to Anglesey, in Wales. Normally this circuit is shrouded in mist, fog, rain, drizzle, sleet, hail or snow, all with a howling gale for amusement. This is because it is perched on the edge of the Irish Sea, easily the most spectacular siting of a race track I have ever seen.
For the first time since I first drove this circuit in 2010, I got fine weather. Unbelievable.
The view from the top of the spectator mount was epic.
The other reason I like this circuit is that it is a fun drive. Mix of fast and slow corners. Lots of G forces. And that view as you exit Peel and see the Irish Sea with the mountains of Snowdonia in the background....amazing.
Even though it was a Goldtrack day, the crowd attending changed. Less high end posers and more real enthusiasts. Far less exotica in the pits to look at.
The only problem was most of the attendees had not not been there before so the slow traffic was quite bad as people tried to learn the lines. The good news was there is lots of passing opportunities on this circuit. So it was easy to get by.
Only one other TFL customer came with me to Anglesey for the day - a Caterham 620R .
The good news about Anglesey is that bulk hp gets you nowhere. A 2019 visit here showed a 420R can hang onto the back of a 620R. It may not be able to pass but provided no slow traffic gets in the way, the 420R can do close lap times.
If you ever want to sample the joys of a Caterham in its homeland - whether on road or track - let me know and I can put you in touch with TFL Racing that supports Caterham rentals for visitors.
Links
TFL Racing
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