I really like this circuit. First trackday in the 3.2 911...
Had our briefing, usual stuff, proceeded out for a noise check - barely passed. Limit here was 105dB - I got through at 103dB
I explained to the other half why i wasn't rushing to the front of the queue to get on track straight away, I was going to give it 30 mins for everyone else to clean the track. Five minutes later an Elise didn't quite make it through Hall Bends...
I had booked some tuition, just a half hour session, totally free. Mainly because it was my first time here, and my first trackday in a 911 - you know the stories everyone tells you - pendulous handling, I was actually quite worried. I went out for a few easy laps, just to learn a bit more about the car, and the track - adorned a Novice Sticker too, just to let people know!
I gathered speed after three laps, got over the mountain and accelerated hard, the entrance to the track is just before the hall bends, followed by the hairpin, quite a tight 2nd gear bend. I backed off a little on the entrance to Hall, i found that with my very stiff front shocks, I could easily give it some stick through here, and i could feel when the front end was sliding, and power through it in third before dropping to second to attack the hairpin. After five or six laps i was giving the rear end some provocation, as its a slow enough corner to catch if you get it wrong...
Into Barn can get a bit hairy if you going quite quick, but once the tutor had pointed me in the right direction you can really make a difference. Down the long straight you dip down, and coming to coppice i tended to lift before the turn and then put the power back down once grip was established by loading the g's on the outer tyres. From there you drift left accross the track, a short sharp stab on the brakes followed by a right turn see's you into Charlies. Progressive power is what you need here into the long park straight, another stab and your into Park, you can get a really nice line here but the exit is essential, you can carry a lot of speed thru the chris curve.
Settle the car on the left hand side for the gooseneck, I was hitting the brakes with the car straight before the first right turn, getting back on the power briefly before the left braking whilst straight, following thru and power down the hill. I was finding the back end was locking up a little here, as the weight transfer is a lot more 'forward' as your braking and going downhill. Mansfield - quite a tight left hander in second exiting and back on the power before braking not too hard for the left \ right combo upto the mountain, i'd power round the left a little, get up to the right, but take it easy over the mountain - i do have some mechanical sympathy!
That takes us one lap - all in all fantastic dry circuit - wouldn't fancy it wet. Have fun thru halls, but you need a straight a line as possible, swing thru the hairpin and progressive up to Charlies. Gooseneck is great fun for learning the car handling under pressure, easy on the mountain.
I'd do it again no problems