Anglesey July 10th
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Discussion

rex

Original Poster:

2,067 posts

290 months

Saturday 11th July 2009
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Great day at Anglesey yesterday. Very sunburt face and arms though. There was a nasty crash into pit wall in the pit wall in the morning session. Is there any info on if the driver was OK.

Dimski

2,100 posts

223 months

Saturday 11th July 2009
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I cannot remember who I spoke to, but I gather he was ok.

A couple of cracked ribs, but no serious problems and should recover fine.


It was a good day, and yes, my sunburn hasn't faded yet either.

If anyone knows the driver, I wish a speedy recovery.

rex

Original Poster:

2,067 posts

290 months

Saturday 11th July 2009
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Glad there was nothing to serious. Speedy recovery to whoever you are.

t11ner

6,919 posts

219 months

Sunday 12th July 2009
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We were there, was a bit of a worry when the fire engine came to cut him out and the doctors car drove through as well frown.

Makes me glad that I've got a full cage on my se7en, I guess it might not seem worth the trouble if a car is only used occasionally on track but things only have to go wrong once...............

Excellent day other than that though, some nice cars out there and the weather was very kind to us which was a good job since we were camping both nights biglaugh

Steve H
Trackaction-Online

nfo

326 posts

230 months

Tuesday 14th July 2009
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I had a great time too - hope the guy who crashed is recovering well. His car seemed a bit different in construction to the usual seven-alikes, any idea what it was?

I did find that compared to Colerne (which was quite slippery at the end of June), there was more grip and my car understeered more noticably. At Colerne 140bhp was enough to get the rears sliding, not so at Anglesey. Some suspension adjustment may be required...

jleroux

1,511 posts

284 months

Tuesday 14th July 2009
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nfo said:
I did find that compared to Colerne (which was quite slippery at the end of June), there was more grip and my car understeered more noticably. At Colerne 140bhp was enough to get the rears sliding, not so at Anglesey. Some suspension adjustment may be required...
Does the rear of the car not drive over the same bit of tarmac as the front of the car?

Jonny
BaT

Dimski

2,100 posts

223 months

Tuesday 14th July 2009
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jleroux said:
nfo said:
I did find that compared to Colerne (which was quite slippery at the end of June), there was more grip and my car understeered more noticably. At Colerne 140bhp was enough to get the rears sliding, not so at Anglesey. Some suspension adjustment may be required...
Does the rear of the car not drive over the same bit of tarmac as the front of the car?

Jonny
BaT
Yes, but I know what he means.

I suffered no understeer at Oulton or Cadwell (earlier this year), neither did another mx-5, however we both found plenty at Anglesey. Tires seemed to suffer more at Anglesey too.

In a way, it's good to know it wasn't just us, but the caterhams too.

Is this something you have come across at Anglesey as a TDO Jonny?

Big 968 Dave

278 posts

265 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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Ive been to Anglesey twice now, in its "new" incarnation. And both times ive had terminal understeer + EXTREME tyre wear.. All i can say is i have never experienced this at any other circuit.
Its as if the owners got a "deal" on some cheap tarmac, or the surface is some new fancy race tarmac...
I like the coastal layout, with the corkscrew section,far better than the GP layout,,its just a pity the grip levels are "strange" for want of a better word...
OH,
And its wasnt just myself that had this lack of grip, MOST if not all the people who i spoke to said the same thing...


jleroux

1,511 posts

284 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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plenty of people complain about understeer at anglesey but it doesn't take a genius to work out that there's no physical way the tarmac can be causing it. it's a technical circuit with some interesting/challenging corners (off camber/tightening on exit etc) all of which means you need to drive it properly to avoid running out of road.

I can do a whole lap of the coastal circuit pretty much on the lock-stops, there's nothing inherrently understeery about the tarmac.

as for the suggestion that they used cheap tarmac - that's just plain stupid and an insult to all the highly experienced motorsport bods involved in the £4.2M project.

sorry if I sound blunt, but i've had this argument with far too many people now and it's starting to grate!

Jonny
BaT

speedychrissie

2,994 posts

263 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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I missed this thread. I was there in the old elan and had a very good day. It was the first proper test for my car (I have only had it 4 weeks) so I didnt do a lot of laps and only really started exploring the limits of grip at the very end of the day but still had fun.

The seven-a-like that crashed was a robin hood zero (well that is what a kit car building friend told me). There was a lot of controversy about it when released as it has no steel chassis like all other kit cars but rather uses aluminium sheet to create a double-skinned monocoque of sorts. Obviously it is just one opinion but it was felt by some people that the driver would have easily walked away from a similar crash in a car with a chassis.

GravelBen

16,361 posts

254 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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jleroux said:
...it doesn't take a genius to work out that there's no physical way the tarmac can be causing it.
scratchchin

More grip can and generally does make it harder to provoke power oversteer, especially in lower powered cars. It doesn't take a genius to work that out wink. Same reason its easier in the wet, simply due to power/grip ratio at rear wheels.

Of course you can still get a car sideways but it takes a different (perhaps trickier) driving style and more commitment.

jleroux

1,511 posts

284 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
quotequote all
sorry about that - in hindsight that was all a bit aggressive (early start this morning made me grumpy!). the surface at anglesey is grippy definitely - in the wet or in the dry there's good and consistent levels of grip. I think the fact that the circuit has better grip than elsewhere encourages people to head into the corners faster than normal - classic case of going in too fast and washing out at the front.

if the car's understeering, try turning in on the brakes, turning in later or maybe even get the set up of the car looked at. ultimately, all cars are set up to understeer from the factory when pushed hard - they don't want you to park it in a kerb/tree/school.

finally, dare i say it - get some tuition!

Jonny
BaT

rich_vw

814 posts

216 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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Big 968 Dave said:
And its wasnt just myself that had this lack of grip, MOST if not all the people who i spoke to said the same thing...
Having only done the one track day myself (although am a very compertant driver) at Anglesey I found it very different, although I was in a rear wheel drive oil burner with some 150bhp I found the grip level to be very high also the understeer was no more than I have expected from a factory set-up with traction control, we even managed to get a bit of high speed drifting going on the back 'straight'.

Tyre wear as mention by Jonny, will come from the technicality of the track, odd cambers and change in elevation.

Most people I have spoken to (work collegues and other lads who have done countless days there) find it to be to a very high standard (with exception of the pit area).

Will be doing a bike track day there the end of the week so may find it completely different with 180-bhp through the rear wheel, if this is the case I will let you know!

R

Birdthom

790 posts

249 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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Top day I thought - really enjoyed it. From what I saw/heard the 7 driver had bust some ribs and had to be cut out but was essentially OK.

I seem to be able to get terminal understeer and violent oversteer all in the same bend at Anglesey but I don't think the tarmac is to blame tongue out It seems to be a very consistent high-grip surface and about the best surface out there IMO.

Dimski

2,100 posts

223 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
quotequote all
jleroux said:
sorry about that - in hindsight that was all a bit aggressive (early start this morning made me grumpy!). the surface at anglesey is grippy definitely - in the wet or in the dry there's good and consistent levels of grip. I think the fact that the circuit has better grip than elsewhere encourages people to head into the corners faster than normal - classic case of going in too fast and washing out at the front.

if the car's understeering, try turning in on the brakes, turning in later or maybe even get the set up of the car looked at. ultimately, all cars are set up to understeer from the factory when pushed hard - they don't want you to park it in a kerb/tree/school.

finally, dare i say it - get some tuition!

Jonny
BaT
I did, just the 20 mins organised by the TDO.

It helped me out no end.

He did insist on braking in a straight line however, discouraging turning in under braking...

Car felt good, just that there was "more" understeer than at other tracks. I don't think you can expect much else if you enter the corkscrew a little too quickly!

I know what you mean about grip there, it was grippy, backed up by the tire wear.

ETA, yes, must get more tuition. Amazing what just 20 mins did, I need more!!! smile

Edited by Dimski on Wednesday 15th July 11:44

fieldl

1,320 posts

255 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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Did my ARDS at Anglesey on Monday. Great tuition which really helped. I managed to get rid of any understeer after 20 minutes. Slow in fast out, otherwise as already mentioned you will just wash out in the bends.

ginettajoe

2,106 posts

242 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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Dimski said:
jleroux said:
sorry about that - in hindsight that was all a bit aggressive (early start this morning made me grumpy!). the surface at anglesey is grippy definitely - in the wet or in the dry there's good and consistent levels of grip. I think the fact that the circuit has better grip than elsewhere encourages people to head into the corners faster than normal - classic case of going in too fast and washing out at the front.

if the car's understeering, try turning in on the brakes, turning in later or maybe even get the set up of the car looked at. ultimately, all cars are set up to understeer from the factory when pushed hard - they don't want you to park it in a kerb/tree/school.

finally, dare i say it - get some tuition!

Jonny
BaT
I did, just the 20 mins organised by the TDO.

It helped me out no end.

He did insist on braking in a straight line however, discouraging turning in under braking...

Car felt good, just that there was "more" understeer than at other tracks. I don't think you can expect much else if you enter the corkscrew a little too quickly!

I know what you mean about grip there, it was grippy, backed up by the tire wear.

ETA, yes, must get more tuition. Amazing what just 20 mins did, I need more!!! smile

Edited by Dimski on Wednesday 15th July 11:44
....... who might have instructed you, and for what reason did he "discourarage" you from turning in on the brakes?? Virtually every corner at Anglesey, is a trailbraking corner, and for anyone to tell you different, it is wrong & the main cause of understeer!! Depending upon the car, Church corner, and the first corner, it is either a light brake, or roll off the power just before you turn to transfer some weight over the front wheels!! If you stay "Flat" on the power, any car, whether it be front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or four wheel drive, will understeer badly. I'm not in total agreement with Jonny's solution to overcome understeer by turning in later, because to turn later, you actually create more steering input, and therefore induce understeer, the earlier you turn, the less steering input, but when turning earlier it is important to turn more progressively to avoid creating an early apex. Creating an early apex pushes you wide at the exit, which then requires more steeering input, that then induces understeer!

So the solution to eliminating understeer at Anglesey is to turn in on the brakes, turn early and progressively & you'll discover how to drive Anglesey circuit without understeer!

HTH

Dimski

2,100 posts

223 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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To be honest guys, in my case, I am still a novice, and just learning.

So I'm not really concerned. Some corners the car felt like it would understeer, some oversteer. Nothing unusual, only a novice observation on a track I hadn't driven before. Which, btw, I liked.

A brilliant day.

Dimski

2,100 posts

223 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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As for my car, it is an Mx-5 with P5 puredrive, GEO set up to Wheels in Motion settings by a garage suggested here (I think) and mx-5 forums, but road rather than track. No doubt that could be changed, but I drive it all over the country TO the trackdays, so a super hard riding oversteery road car would be a pain.

It's a great compromise, and anyway, they may be road rather than track, but there's nothing wrong with the settings, it's my driving that needs improvement. smile

ginettajoe

2,106 posts

242 months

Wednesday 15th July 2009
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Birdthom said:
Top day I thought - really enjoyed it. From what I saw/heard the 7 driver had bust some ribs and had to be cut out but was essentially OK.

I seem to be able to get terminal understeer and violent oversteer all in the same bend at Anglesey but I don't think the tarmac is to blame tongue out It seems to be a very consistent high-grip surface and about the best surface out there IMO.
......tut tut, what have I tried to teach you??? Think about it, ..... you induce understeer, car pushes wide, start to come off the power & hey presto,....oversteer!!! Oh, just a reminder, .... CHECK THOSE WHEEL NUTS!!!eekrolleyes