Mallory Park 9 June

[Sigmamark7]

I was at Mallory Park yesterday and the Weather Gods had finally seen sense and made sure that it didn't rain all day.
It was a great day organised by Javelin, but where were all the other trackdayers? At most there was only about 25 cars there and half of them seemed to have gone home by lunchtime!
I know that Mallory isn't as engaging as some other circuits, but it is challenging, has some high g corners and with a lap time of about 1 minute, if you screw up a corner, you get another chance to get it right a minute later!

So why were so few people there?

[cleverdick]

I think these days people are happy to pay for a cheap evening trackday during the week,so can more or less guarantee no car wear issues.Or go the whole hog and pay for an all day weekend trackday,and mostly trailer for somewhere over an hour and a half tow.Was at Bedford the night before and it was sold out,thats over 40 cars,i think I only saw 3 trailers.But Im sure if it had been Silverstone or Brands it would have been nearly full(more testers,but not testing of course).But I could be completely wrong.

[Terzo204]

Were you the bloke who span at the hairpin?

If you loose the back end, steer into the slide…..

(hello Mark)

[Sigmamark7]

A quick spin shows commitment Mike. Anyway, weren't you the one who spun at Castle Combe a fortnight ago, and at Keevil and at Oulton and virtually everywhere else ................ ?
Apparently you should steer into a slide, not blame your brakes!!

[Terzo204]

Don't forget Hullavington Mark!

[QBee]

Good to discuss this guys, even with the bickering.

I started out this season with the full intention of coming to Mallory to support the circuit, as i only live 50 miles away, but so far haven't booked. The weekend noise limit would rule me out, but I could do a weekday/evening. So far I have done Snetterton twice, Bedford GT once and am about to do Cadwell Park in June.

So I will come and try the circuit.

[Sigmamark7]

Qbee. I was brought up in Leicester and Mallory was the first circuit I ever went round (steering whilst sat on my Dad's knee) so I have always had some affection for the place. With a weekday noise limit of 105, it was the first circuit I have been to with my Radical, where I haven't spent half the day trying to get through the noise limit, so it was a bit sad to see so few cars there. My journey was just over 100 miles each way to the circuit, but it was certainly worth the trip.

[QBee]

Sigmamark7 said:

Qbee. I was brought up in Leicester and Mallory was the first circuit I ever went round (steering whilst sat on my Dad's knee) so I have always had some affection for the place. With a weekday noise limit of 105, it was the first circuit I have been to with my Radical, where I haven't spent half the day trying to get through the noise limit, so it was a bit sad to see so few cars there. My journey was just over 100 miles each way to the circuit, but it was certainly worth the trip.

Cannot criticize without trying. My TVR is on average 105.8 dB, but sometimes is under 104, and normally gets down to 100-101 with bolt on cans. I will come to Mallory. Only 50 miles from me.

Bedford last week (damp early morning) was the first time I have really struggled with a noise limit (101), but everyone was failing, so in the interests of not having a serious number of "never agains" they let us through with a strict warning about the drive by limits, and only an Exige got sent home. The rest of us practiced changing up past the meters ,and straight down again for the next corner.

[Sigmamark7]

QBee said:

Cannot criticize without trying. My TVR is on average 105.8 dB, but sometimes is under 104, and normally gets down to 100-101 with bolt on cans. I will come to Mallory. Only 50 miles from me.

Bedford last week (damp early morning) was the first time I have really struggled with a noise limit (101), but everyone was failing, so in the interests of not having a serious number of "never agains" they let us through with a strict warning about the drive by limits, and only an Exige got sent home. The rest of us practiced changing up past the meters ,and straight down again for the next corner.

I got 103 dB at a very rainy and damp Bedford, but having tested and retested, was allowed out with a warning of where to short shift - good work by the Circuit I think and I didn't trouble the drive by meter all day.
At Castle Combe with a Supertrapp added to the same silencer, it started off at 107 dB!! I removed 4 discs and it went to 105, then having removed all but 4 of the discs, I think they took pity on me and let me out. The Supertrapp completely killed the engine though and it couldn't rev cleanly all day. Some friends who were watching that day said the car was considerably quieter than others who had gone straight through the noise test.
The same set up at Mallory recorded 99 dB. Somehow the Supertrapp fell off somewhere, but remarkably it was in my box of bits when I got home!!
Noise metering seems a bit like Witchcraft, but I don't need the angst at the start of a day, so it's noisy days only for me going forward I think.

[QBee]

Interesting. I did a day at Snetterton, just scraped the noise test, then stood on the pit wall and watched the cars going by, a mate drving mine. He came past at full chat in third.......and was one of the quietest cars on track

In the words of the great Phil Mitchell " wozz goinon?"

[Sigmamark7]

QBee said:

Interesting. I did a day at Snetterton, just scraped the noise test, then stood on the pit wall and watched the cars going by, a mate drving mine. He came past at full chat in third.......and was one of the quietest cars on track

In the words of the great Phil Mitchell " wozz goinon?"

Like I said - Witchcraft!!

With trackdays costing North of £200, plus another £100ish for fuel there and back, it would be nice to have testing which is consistent and surely it is the heard noise i.e. as measured in a drive by, that irritates neighbours and creates the issues. I am happy with Bedford's 1 strike policy for the drive by - if you trip it, you go home! The static test can be used as a measure of how "at risk" you are and then a review after the first session gives a clear indication of how early you will be going home. It isn't as if the people doing the measuring aren't already at the circuit, so it must be possible to arrange and at least we would know we have failed a "proper" test of how irritating we are!

[gruffalo]

Static noise testing is pointless and just a sop to the people who really don't know what they are talking about but have the power to wreck our fun, the only noise test that should be used is a drive by using properly calibrated equipment.

Oh yes, Mallory.................. A fab circuit, love it and surprisingly technical.