OK,
Heading up the start-finish straight, changing up into 4th gear at
about the start line, I'm usually in the middle of the track as the
"straight" has a slight kink in it. As you head over the
hill, you aim the car for the kerb on the outside of the track, which
gets you on the right line for Duffus. I brake early at Duffus (just
after the 100 meter board), changing down into 3rd and turn in just
after the 50 meter board, taking a little kerb on the inside and it's
full power all the way to McIntyres. On the short straight at the
exit to Duffus I try not to run too wide as you want to be able to
take the little left hander very early and I take all the kerb and
more here.
Braking at the start of the kerb on the outside of McIntyres and
keeping the car in 3rd gear, I attack the corner turning in earlier
than I feel is correct. I take all the kerb on the inside, usually
just missing the bollard now helpfully posted at the corner. The
car will naturally run wide at the exit which in the wet can be
a real problem as the exit to McIntyres is usually very slidy. From
here its full power all the way to Clarks and I don't feel that
you need to be too precise taking Butchers as long as you nail the
chicane.
Use
as much of both kerbs as possible at the chicane, just avoiding
any tyre wall some one seems to carelessly leave lying around near
the entrance these days. The idea is to straight-line the chicane
as much as possible. It's a blind exit so I always make doubly sure
to check the marshalls point on the right just past Butchers to
make sure no one has lost it at the exit. You might need to change
up into 4th before Clarks depending on the gearbox in the car, but
I let the car scream in 3rd. Braking at Clarks for me is at the
start of the kerb on the outide but it is pretty much just a dab
on the brakes to get the weight of the car on the front tyres.
I am never too sure how much kerb to take on the inside as it can
throw you very wide but it is very important to carry a lot of speed
through this corner for down the back straight. Again, this is a
blind corner so I always try to make sure to check the marshalls
post which is straight ahead just before I turn in. The entrance
to Clarks is my favourite passing place as I seem to be quicker
than the guys round about me going through the chicane so I sometimes
am able to get up their inside before Clarks. The speedo still works
in my car and I can glance at it on the exit to Clarks: I tend to
find that I am usually doing about 70 in the dry. The back straight
is pretty much just a rush to the hairpin, with me usually changing
up into 4th alongside the kerb on the outside of the track at the
very gentle left hander.
The
hairpin is probably most people's favourite overtaking place but
assuming you are not in any danger of someone nipping up your inside
I brake at the 100 meter board, changing down to 3rd, then 2nd and
turning in very late. The hairpin is wide and there are a number
of reasonably quick lines through the corner but the kerb at the
inside is best avoided as it is very high and really unsettles the
car for the run up the start-finish straight. Again, it is very
important to be quick through the hairpin (something I'm not good
at) as the main straight is roughly one third of a lap. I'm pretty
much changing into 3rd as soon as I have come out of the corner
when I find I aim for the middle of the bridge to try and straighten
out the kink. And thats a lap!
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