TVRs at Hethel
Discussion
Good to see a wide selection of TVRs at Hethel on Saturday showing the Lotus boys what a real car is all about. Well sometimes anyway... 
It was hot (30-32) but after an initial assessment, the track was open pit and there was bags of time for everyone.
I have to rate it as a serious contender for a top three place in my list of best track days. The track is very demanding if you want to get it absolutely right and you are constantly having to do things with the pedals, levers and big round thing which makes it interesting. If you are learning then it does need respect but the corner complexes are great for learning the techniques and there are apex and exit cones to help guide you through. There are a couple of fast straights (140 mph) to use the power as well.
The good news is that Bookatrack (www.booktrack.com) have organised a TVR day there on the 5th October. If you have never driven Hethel, here is a great opportunity.
Steve
It was hot (30-32) but after an initial assessment, the track was open pit and there was bags of time for everyone. I have to rate it as a serious contender for a top three place in my list of best track days. The track is very demanding if you want to get it absolutely right and you are constantly having to do things with the pedals, levers and big round thing which makes it interesting. If you are learning then it does need respect but the corner complexes are great for learning the techniques and there are apex and exit cones to help guide you through. There are a couple of fast straights (140 mph) to use the power as well.
The good news is that Bookatrack (www.booktrack.com) have organised a TVR day there on the 5th October. If you have never driven Hethel, here is a great opportunity.
Steve
Hell fire! 140 in a Tiv at Hethel!
You could call that day The Scphincter Twitcher Challenge.
Did any of the Lotus chaps get to grips with any of your cars?
And Steve, I'm intrigued by your 'modified' car that you have on your profile - can you give me the low down and of course, an indication of speed, etc?
Sounds like a mighty fine day though. Nice!
You could call that day The Scphincter Twitcher Challenge.
Did any of the Lotus chaps get to grips with any of your cars?
And Steve, I'm intrigued by your 'modified' car that you have on your profile - can you give me the low down and of course, an indication of speed, etc?
Sounds like a mighty fine day though. Nice!
quote:
Hell fire! 140 in a Tiv at Hethel!
You could call that day The Scphincter Twitcher Challenge.
Did any of the Lotus chaps get to grips with any of your cars?
And Steve, I'm intrigued by your 'modified' car that you have on your profile - can you give me the low down and of course, an indication of speed, etc?
Sounds like a mighty fine day though. Nice!
Well most of the time I settled for a pleasant 130 but I got the chicane before Windsock just right, was into fourth just into the corner and fifth not much later on the exit, at the beginning of the straight. It was then just a question of lining up the chicane, braking all the way into the chicane whilst changing down two gears and then flicking it through the exit in third with lots of welly. This whole sequence is just awesome if you get it right.
For some of the Elise/Exige things I had to lift off in the Senna and Graham Hill Curves but it wasn't a race day so patience and courtesy were the way. I don't know how hard they were pushing but it was nice just to be with them. I was surprised myself at how well the car went.
Oh I was in the Griff 500 shopping trolley with standard suspension but tweaked Engine and uprated brakes courtesy of Tower View. With an instructor in the passenger seat having a whale of a time.
The 520 wasn't 100% so I decided not to risk it. Imagine a Wedge with a 5.2 litre competition engine detuned to about 400 bhp/400 lb torque ish with traction control and about every other mod you can think of. 0-100 is around 8 seconds. 30-60 in 2nd is 1.7 seconds... Max speed is probably around 175 but haven't found a track long enough to max it yet. For more details, www.t-v-r-services.co.uk and look for the 520 story in the engine upgrades. It is road legal...
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
>> Edited by shpub on Monday 19th August 14:26
Bloody fantastic day !!
I shall be going back without a doubt !!
Front tyres are knackered though
It is a very technical track and was as much to do with compensating in one corner to get though the next better to get onto the straights even faster. Was thoroughly impressed with the place.
I would like to go back to get to try and string one top lap together. I always seemed to get one corner wrong.
I would like to say a big thanks to both Steve H and Andrew D for rides in their respective steeds. I was thoroughly impressed with the handling of the Griffith, which I know was being complimented by Steve's driving, but it did quash a couple of concerns I had with looking for one. Andrew D's Caterham Superlight....well.....marvellous beast and looking forward to Folembray immensely.
Cheers
Mark
I shall be going back without a doubt !!
Front tyres are knackered though
It is a very technical track and was as much to do with compensating in one corner to get though the next better to get onto the straights even faster. Was thoroughly impressed with the place.
I would like to go back to get to try and string one top lap together. I always seemed to get one corner wrong.
I would like to say a big thanks to both Steve H and Andrew D for rides in their respective steeds. I was thoroughly impressed with the handling of the Griffith, which I know was being complimented by Steve's driving, but it did quash a couple of concerns I had with looking for one. Andrew D's Caterham Superlight....well.....marvellous beast and looking forward to Folembray immensely.
Cheers
Mark
bloody fantastic weekend i would like to thank tim for the barton angler and the trip on the broads in the boat plus the great meal in the ram on the way home.only problem is that could only drive around the track at a sedate pace so i hope any one who sat next to me does understand. look forward to a repeat next year . p.s. do not know what speed i got up to down the straight.hope to see you all soon. gary loraine and cerb
Really enjoyed the afternoon on track after turning up on spec at Hethel. It was good to put faces to cyber nicknames. Thanks to Steve again for a most entertaining view of Hethel circuit through the side window of the Griff...
I was also impressed by the general courtesy of all the participants, more so even than a TVRCC trackday where I often find faster machinery in straight lines can hold you up in the twiddly bits then refuse to let you by on the straights. Bookatrack seemed to run the day in a very relaxed but professional manner and there were no major incidents that I know of.
BTW Johnno did you manage to retrieve your door mirror, last seen heading East past Norwich airport at some considerable rate of knots?
Regards,
Dave S3c
I was also impressed by the general courtesy of all the participants, more so even than a TVRCC trackday where I often find faster machinery in straight lines can hold you up in the twiddly bits then refuse to let you by on the straights. Bookatrack seemed to run the day in a very relaxed but professional manner and there were no major incidents that I know of.
BTW Johnno did you manage to retrieve your door mirror, last seen heading East past Norwich airport at some considerable rate of knots?
Regards,
Dave S3c
Evening David !
I had asked the organisers when I went out for my last session whether they would check with the marshal at the chicane concerning my mirror and he confirmed it was lying on the grass. My intention was to wait until the end and then wander over and collect it.
Better than that though, the dark haired girl who was at pit lane entry wnadered over at the end and handed it to me unbroken !!!
It was too loose to go back on there and then so I refitted it when I got home with some cloth inside to stiffen it up. This seemed to be working OK until I got into a little bit of a set to with a Golf GTI along the Autobahn section of the M11 and at a speed better not published it decided it really didn't want to remain with the rest of the car and departed stage right quite rapidly !! I decided I wouldn't bother trying to retrieve it this time though ....
All credit to Bookatrack and the pretty girl for sorting me out though !! Great service !!
Was excellemt to put another face to another name. I have to agree that the all of the cars were good at moving over even if the dark blue Golf did take 2 laps to let us past.
In fact I was out at Brands Hatch today and the standard of etiquette there was nowhere near as good IMHO. I was only out as a passenger in 2 different cars for a session in each but it wasn't good ....
>> Edited by johno on Tuesday 20th August 21:26
I had asked the organisers when I went out for my last session whether they would check with the marshal at the chicane concerning my mirror and he confirmed it was lying on the grass. My intention was to wait until the end and then wander over and collect it.
Better than that though, the dark haired girl who was at pit lane entry wnadered over at the end and handed it to me unbroken !!!
It was too loose to go back on there and then so I refitted it when I got home with some cloth inside to stiffen it up. This seemed to be working OK until I got into a little bit of a set to with a Golf GTI along the Autobahn section of the M11 and at a speed better not published it decided it really didn't want to remain with the rest of the car and departed stage right quite rapidly !! I decided I wouldn't bother trying to retrieve it this time though ....
All credit to Bookatrack and the pretty girl for sorting me out though !! Great service !!
Was excellemt to put another face to another name. I have to agree that the all of the cars were good at moving over even if the dark blue Golf did take 2 laps to let us past.
In fact I was out at Brands Hatch today and the standard of etiquette there was nowhere near as good IMHO. I was only out as a passenger in 2 different cars for a session in each but it wasn't good ....
>> Edited by johno on Tuesday 20th August 21:26
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