Goodwood Easytrack
Author
Discussion

Captain Crimson

Original Poster:

621 posts

289 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Anyone off to Goodwood on 27th Aug? This is my first trackday and need some moral support - don't want to be embarassed by the Golfs and Novas! By the way are Easytrack reputable and well organised? Any hints or tips for avoiding the gravel appreciated.

mondeoman

11,430 posts

282 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Goodwood is a nice track ..... you'll enjoy the day.

Just take it easy to begin with - IIRC there are turn in, apex and exit markers on all the corners, so its not too difficult to get a clean line.

The only place to be REALLY careful is St Mary's - braking, turning, off camber - can get quite interesting.........

Podie

46,646 posts

291 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
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Also quite narrow by modern standards...

shpub

8,507 posts

288 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Easytrack are excellent. Been with them several times. Goodwood is the fastest track in the UK and I would say all the corners need to be treated with care because the circuit is flat and featureless and it is difficult to work out where you are. Get things wrong and it's either the tyre wall or the corn field. Because it has not changed since the 60s, the safety is not in the same class as Silverstone... Corn field is preferable but as many of the offs are big ones you may not have a choice. So take it carefully.

Get some instruction and take it easy. Goodwood demands a lot of respect and care.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

PetrolTed

34,455 posts

319 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
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[shameless plug]

...and don't forget to buy your Goodwood circuit sticker when you've done it

PistonHeads Shop

[/shameless plug]

shpub

8,507 posts

288 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Buy lots of them... stick them on the proud bits of your car and then they get scratched and not your bodywork....

Podie

46,646 posts

291 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:

Buy lots of them... stick them on the proud bits of your car and then they get scratched and not your bodywork....



You on comission Steve?

shpub

8,507 posts

288 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:

quote:

Buy lots of them... stick them on the proud bits of your car and then they get scratched and not your bodywork....



You on comission Steve?


No but nearly all my big offs have been at Goodwood:

110 on Levant straight and into the tyre wall sideways. Broken rack, front suspension, door window, buckled wheels.

138 through Fordwater corner: scrape along length of car, smashed front spoiler. Where there were stickers, no body damage.

120 through Fordwater after coming together with small suicidal animal. Couldn't find the front grill/spoiler. Fist sized hole through stone guard and alloy rad. All rear suspension and transmission joints wrecked after going backwards into the cornfield for about 80 metres. Returned with grass skirt for extra aerodynamic appeal...

Stickers and gaffa tape are indispensible...

Any chance of a PH sticker in white to go on the Purple 520, Ted?

Steve

PetrolTed

34,455 posts

319 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:
Any chance of a PH sticker in white to go on the Purple 520, Ted?


You bet.

mondeoman

11,430 posts

282 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:

No but nearly all my big offs have been at Goodwood:

110 on Levant straight and into the tyre wall sideways. Broken rack, front suspension, door window, buckled wheels.




How on earth did you come off on Lavant???

Fordwater I can understand, but Lavant??

Leadfoot

1,910 posts

297 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Be carefull, as steve says Goodwood does not have the run off area that a modern circuit has. The gravel traps are so small that they must just be for decoration rather than effect.
You'll see lots of Elises on the day. Don't try & brake as late as them, & make sure you do it in a straight line.
Get some instruction as the lines thru some of the corners might not be immediately apparent. Double appex jobs etc.
Try & get a smile from the tea wagon bird (face like smacked arse).
Take it easy during the morning & learn the track.
Go to pizza hut for lunch, 4.99 buffet.
Get your lunchtime petrol from the Shell or Esso stations on the dual carriageway (East), don't bother with the long Qs for Sainsburys.
Be carefull in the first session after lunch. for some reason this seems to be the one where everyone goes mad.
Stay right till the end of the day. Lots seem to drift of home in the afternoon & if you are lucky there may be few enough cars left for them to run 'open pit lane'. It's happened before.

Podie

46,646 posts

291 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Steve - sounds like you've had your fair share of entertainment then

shpub

8,507 posts

288 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:

How on earth did you come off on Lavant???

Fordwater I can understand, but Lavant??


You haven't seen me drive have you...

This is quite a common place to come off. I know of at least four other sprinters who have come to grief here. In my case it was a combination of a slightly unsettled car coming out of the hairpin onto the straight as I have to change into fourth while still exiting the corner, using as much of the track as I could and suddenly the car did a 360. I corrected it but ended up on the wet grass doing around 70 and went into the wall sideways.

I was also told that there were still some traces of oil from a big engine let go from a Tuscan racer so whether I hit one of those I don't know but Dave Wallis from Tower View who was in the passenger seat at the time said I had done nothing differently from the few laps before. I was not hanging around though.

Both got out OK and went ouch when we saw the damage. Dave (and I) were pretty glad that he had installed the roll bar as I am convinced it was a big help.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

Captain Crimson

Original Poster:

621 posts

289 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Thanks for all the advice. A question or two (I'm sure a few more will come up before the day):-

1) Do I keep the the fan on over-ride all day?
2) Is it worth unscrewing the front number plate?
3) Will a standard Griff 500 pass the noise-o-meter?

Thanks

sharpy

39 posts

299 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:

You haven't seen me drive have you...

This is quite a common place to come off. I know of at least four other sprinters who have come to grief here. In my case it was a combination of a slightly unsettled car coming out of the hairpin onto the straight as I have to change into fourth while still exiting the corner, using as much of the track as I could and suddenly the car did a 360. I corrected it but ended up on the wet grass doing around 70 and went into the wall sideways.

I was also told that there were still some traces of oil from a big engine let go from a Tuscan racer so whether I hit one of those I don't know but Dave Wallis from Tower View who was in the passenger seat at the time said I had done nothing differently from the few laps before. I was not hanging around though.

Both got out OK and went ouch when we saw the damage. Dave (and I) were pretty glad that he had installed the roll bar as I am convinced it was a big help.



Was this the time Dave told me about, when your skid lid flew off and out the side window?

Naughty naughty Steve

I believe you retrieved it hurriedly before the marshalls arrived at the accident scene

Regards

Dave S3c

shpub

8,507 posts

288 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
Well there is a sticker on the dashboard saying "Check your helmet!" now.
Yes it was the time. He hasn't been out with me since...

Leadfoot

1,910 posts

297 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
quotequote all
quote:
1) Do I keep the the fan on over-ride all day?
2) Is it worth unscrewing the front number plate?
3) Will a standard Griff 500 pass the noise-o-meter?



1/wont hurt
2/ditto
3/should do. I've been ok 2 times but borderline the last. Wouldn't worry too much. IF it does fail you could always nip down to B&Q (just down the road IIRC) & get wire wool/chicken wire/big jubilee clips to fashion some extra muffling for the noise test...err I mean before you go on the track

Don

28,378 posts

300 months

Friday 9th August 2002
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I enjoyed Goodwood very much. Certainly its narrow in comparison to Silverstone. You'll have a great time.

I got there early and has no problem filling up at Sainsbury's - and they do Super Unleaded. Don't drive into Chichester at lunchtime unless you

1) Know Chichester really well,
2) or have a GPS navigation system and have recorded the location of the circuit!

If you're heading to the circuit from further north (e.g. Reading, Basingstoke etc) the run down through Selborne is very scenic...

ap_smith

1,999 posts

282 months

Wednesday 14th August 2002
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Goodwood is a fantastic track, but just to repeat what's said above it's extremely fast.

In my Subaru (deceased) I topped 100 Mph in 3 places, with over 130 Mph on the back straight after Lavant. In a TVR you're going to see speeds beyond that.

St Mary's is a very difficult corner, I had my only spin of the day there. Basically you come out of the previous corner and I think you have to quickly get your line right for entering into St Mary's.

The only word of warning is that they are very keen on noise restrictions and testing there. I saw one chap in a not-too-noisy yank tank get failed.

Have fun and enjoy.

Andy

Captain Crimson

Original Poster:

621 posts

289 months

Wednesday 28th August 2002
quotequote all
Thanks for the hints and tips! Had a great day at Goodwood for my first track day, and only 96db. Being waved past by a Ferrari and Porsche just made my year
couldn't keep up with the Elises and Caterhams
though.



>> Edited by Captain Crimson on Wednesday 28th August 21:58

>> Edited by Captain Crimson on Wednesday 28th August 22:04