Mallory Park Track

[zorba_the_greek]

I am looking into booking a track day @ Mallory Park for mid November. I have watched a few YouTube vids, mostly of motorbikes crashing out but was wondering if anyone on here has any first hand experience of driving round in a car.

The track looks fast and a little tight.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

FYI have some track day experience and it would be in a DC2 (FWD)

Edited by zorba_the_greek on Friday 15th October 16:11

[brillomaster]

done any trackdays before? Mallory is a good starter for ten, having essentially only 5 corners its pretty easy to get to grips with.

Plus its a proper track, so is more satisfying to drive than airfield days.

watch out for cars overtaking round the outside of gerrards - being such a short track there arent that many overtaking spots, so some organisers allow overtaking here.

[Steve H]

Yep, an excellent circuit that a lot of trackdayers avoid because it doesn't look so impressive on the map but they are missing out. Also a bit grippier in the wet than some other circuits which might not hurt in November!

Here's a few laps I did there this summer - http://www.youtube.com/user/TrackactionOnline?feat...

[Evangelion]

Went a couple of weeks ago, but was demoted to passenger as I'd forgotten to take my licence! Still went to the briefing though and was told it's a coarser surface than some other circuits so can imagine it's better in the wet but we only went round in the dry. I personally can't wait to drive it as I think it's brilliant. Overtaking is only supposed to be on the left and on the straights, but we slipped past a couple of cars at Gerards where they were holding us up (so-called 'hot' hatchbacks, we were in an MX-5) and nobody said anything.

[PabloTeK]

Not first-hand of a track day, but I've cleaned up after some of the racing and as far as I can tell there are 3 critical points to watch out for:

1. Gerrards - You'll be full-tilt from the exit of the hairpin to not long before it, I've seen plenty of race cars get a bit worried when they realise how much speed the actually have! It's a bloody quick corner though, lighter cars absolutely bomb it through there in the right conditions...

2. The Esses - Another twisty bit after a long straight (baring in mind Mallory is basically a flat reverse oval) and I've again seen cars here get a little twitchy with all the speed you carry into it. Like Gerrards there is some run-off but not an overly large amount.

3. Hairpin - You can't cut the corner one bit. Why? Well the inside wall is over a foot high and most definitely solid

It's a great track IMO, would love to drive it some day in a car, I can imagine entering Gerrards on a bike would require a new set of underpants every time I entered it The atmosphere is special too, unlike Rockingham, Donington and Silverstone (which are all great tracks too) it has a rather special atmosphere about it that I've never found at any of the other 3 Midlands circuits.

[gruffalo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH3XukGkoI8

Above link is taken at Mallory, great circuit hard on brakes as there are several quick bits with slowish corners after.

Hairpin is brilliant followed by devil's elbow off camber blind apex left hander, Gerrards at the end of the pit straight goes round the end of the lake get the exit right, in my car foot flat in third snatch a bit of 4th on the straight, about 130ish then down to 75 for the right into the esses taken falt in third again then up to the hairpin and hardon the brakes down to second grab third for devils elbow at 85-90 then 130+ past the pits.

Fab fun cant wait to go back.

[Carnage]

Mallory is novice-friendly in that there are only five corners, but it is a circuit that can bite. If you book a day there, watch out for getting on the power too early out of Gerards, then running out of road and spinning back into the inside wall.

The Esses have very, very little run-off - I broke my neck there last year - and the hairpin is slow and rather dull, especially if you can't dive up the inside of people as in a race.

I like Mallory but its worth bearing in mind that the average lap speed there is one of the highest of any circuit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH8LxIfNOO4

[zorba_the_greek]

Guys thank you so much for your detailed feed back and video links.

I will be sure to have a good look at them all and do a bit more reading up.

As some of you have mentioned it does look a little tight but as i will be with the Hondas-on-track boy/girls as it is sessioned that i know are sensible so there shouldn't be any stupid overtaking round any of the more dangerous corners.

FYi i have done the following track days

Nurburg ring x 60 laps
Castle combe x 3 times
Brands x 2
Silverstone x 1
Good wood x 1
Snetts x 1
Bedford x 3

Edited by zorba_the_greek on Sunday 17th October 22:24

[g40steve]

The JC Esses in the wet need respect otherwise the barriers come up quick
Gerrards is awesome & fast.