18th May

When I first thought about racing at Anglesey the first thing that came to mind was the long journey to the circuit and wondering if the effort would be rewarded. I’ve spent a lot of time at the old circuit and that was always a special to me. In late 2006 they dug up the old track and built a new one, I was saddened to see the old one go as I had some many fond memories there but I was also intrigued to see what the new layout would be like.

After the just over 240 miles and 4.5hours in the car we arrived at the Welsh circuit on a fine Saturday evening. I had heard a lot about the track and how go it was but nothing prepared me for this, as we come down the service road into the paddock the track just appears and the first impression is wow! Just from the paddock the elevation of the new track is very apparent and to be honest I couldn’t wait to get onto the track. Unfortunately I would have to wait for Sunday to drive it. However as it was my first time to the track both Barry and I took a wonder around the track once the testing, that was taking place on Saturday, had completed.

As soon as you step on track you get a feeling of how big the place is, the old track was just over a mile and the new one is over 2. There are a number of different track configurations and we are on the full International circuit this weekend. The track starts off reasonably flat but soon climbs up a hill which is a bit like Paddock Hill at Brands in reverse, its that steep. At the top I needed a oxygen tank as the air was that thin but the view from up there is breath taking. From the top you start the journey back down. I was knackered just walking the course, I can only imagine what driving around it would be like.

Sunday, the grid is disappointely small but that said most of it is made up from Radicals so at least is should provide some close racing. Most of the guys had been testing there on the Saturday, apart from J-P Ivey but he had been to the track before, so I was feeling at a slight disadvantage. The track was very flat apart from the odd bump on braking on some of the hairpins so I took an educated guess and made the car slightly stiffer from my standard Combe settings.

The track – from the start line you are greeted by a fast right hand bend that can be taken with a lift, as is the theme with this track you can’t see the apex or exit until you into the corner. Accelerate hard out of this bend upto 4^th and then hard on the brakes for the first of the hairpins, this corner is banked similar to Shell at Oulton. 2^nd gear for this and hard on the gas from the apex. Upto 4^th gear and into School, this is a scary corner, you enter with only a lift (sure with practice this could be taken flat) and then just keep on the power trying to keep the car on the black stuff on the exit. Now onto the back straight which isn’t straight, snicking 6^th half way along it. There is a small right kink which is taken flat, the g-force here is incredible, just after the kink you brake like hell up hill. You can’t see the corner at the top of the hill at all so it’s just a judgement call on where to brake. You are braking from about 135+ to about 40mph for a tight 2^nd gear left bend called Rocket that you can’t see – good game! This bend is followed straight away but a tight right. Upto 3^rd and then into a late apex right, this would be ok but you can’t see the exit. So again you are powering hard but no idea where you are going. Over the crest and back down hill and into a right which is going down hill on the entry and up hill on the exit. This means the car is pretty unsettled on the entry which is entertaining, but to add a bit more spice there is also a big bump mid corner. Finally you get a straight where I get up to 5^th before braking hard again for a 2^nd gear hair pin. Another straight and up to 5^th again before braking for the final corner (left). Like all the others you can’t see the apex or exit so you have to hope you got the car in the right place. Out of this corner and back over the line.

So back to the qualifying, I am basically learning the track as I go. As you can see it is a pretty complex track and I am making a few mistakes as I try different lines. We have 20 minutes to qualify so I get 13 laps in, the last lap being my quickest and although it puts me 7^th on the grid I am within a second of the other boys, so pretty happy with this.

The good thing about the MSVR races is we get two races usually for the price of one so if I make a complete balls up of the first I get a second chance. The car felt a bit soft on qualifying so I up the dampers again. For the start I was behind Bill Henderson in his SR3, the lights go out and I get my usual fast start but it was cut short as I had no where to go. I settle into the race and make up a place into the first hairpin. My lack of experience of the track is showing and the group just starts to creap away from me. After mid-distance I was getting the track and starting me up time on the cars in front. I was soon on to back of 5^th position and got a great run out of the final hair pin and out dragged him into the final corner. A couple of laps later my luck improved as the one jade in the race had a puncture and retired. This promoted me upto 4^th which is where I crossed the line. The race wasn’t overly interesting for me but I was getting to grips with the track. My times were equal to the guys in front apart from Paul Steele (SR3) who was consistently 2 seconds quicker than the rest of us. On returning back to the pits we were greeted by a huge oil leak again. After some investigation is appeared to be the catch tank blowing out. Barry and I set about cleaning the car and emptying the catch tank completely. I also sealed up the starter motor as that was also a suspect the oil leak. An hour or so later and the car was prepared again and ready for race two.

The grid for race 2 was from the results from the first so I was now starting from 4^th which was much better for me as I had a gap to aim for. I was feeling good about this race, I knew the track a lot better now and my lap times were good enough to keep up with the pack. The lights go out and I drop the clutch, as normal with my little car it just rockets off the line between both cars on the first row. Paul, who was on pole, just edges me out on the exit of the first corner but I am running second. Out of the first hair pin and into School for the first time, I can’t describe how scary this corner is, and on cold tyres it was scarier than normal. Paul pulls a bit out me going up to Rocket but I am still running second. I maintain this position for a couple of laps. J-P Ivey is breathing down my neck as we start the 3^rd lap. Remember that Jade from race one? Well he started from last place so was making his was through the pack. I see him coming as I enter the last hair pin, what I didn’t spot was J-P trying to follow him through. I lost a bit of momentum out of the hair pin which enabled J-P to out brake me into the final corner. Bill Henderson was now on my tail and I was on J-P’s tail. We now have the best part of 15 minutes with under 2 seconds covering us. Excellent fun. The car was running very well but it was still to soft. Bill tried to intimidate me by switching on his head lights, that had the reverse effect as I could now spot him quicker in my mirrors and defend when I needed to. The last couple of laps I was starting me make ground on J-P on the final lap I was within attacking position. A slide out of the final hair pin lost me a few valuable 10^th’s and I wasn’t close enough for a clean out braking manoeuvre into the final corner. I cross the line 7/10^th behind J-P and Bill was just over a second behind me. Fantastic race.

A great weekend, anyone that has thought about going to Anglesey but is put off by the journey don’t be you are missing out on a fantastic track. The only thing that lets the track down is the lack of facilities and no Steak and Ale pie at lunchtime! Cheers to Barry for his help this weekend.