Outlon Park Today

Strictly for tarmac whores
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robin
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Outlon Park Today

Post by robin » Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:11 pm

Was really good fun. Getting up at 4 and then hacking down the M6 for a slightly late briefing was not so much fun, but worth every second ...

The track was super-greasy which was pure comedy in some places (e.g. druids). Had 20 laps or so in the passenger seat with Neil who was making the most of the limited grip and we were grinning from ear to ear for the whole time.

Then came in to discover Nigel Ayres had an electrical gremlin which we spent the next hour or two fixing (lunch was early - 10:45 or something - due to the local hunt? - so only lost about 1 hour on track, no big deal).

In the afternoon I did two long sessions in Neil's car while he tried to get into Simon I's Locost, though I don't think that ever actually happened. I really enjoyed the limited grip and the drying line, especially the fast section from cascades round to the fosters chicane. I never give it the max in druids; driving Neil's car in tricky conditions did nothing to change that, so no full sideways moments for me there, but I was happy to survive each lap unscathed :-)

It was good to catch up with Malcolm and Wheelie, too. We had the usual paddock banter, which is half the reason for going on these trips IMHO.

But, it was all over too soon with the chequered flag coming out just before 4:30. A tricky journey home with lots of fog and the usual shady driving standards saw us back at Neil's for 8:30 (it's lucky that he knows the back roads near his gaff like the back of his hand, because we could see about 3 feet out the front of the car on some sections!). Should have been a doddle getting back to Edinburgh in 20 minutes or so, but my dodgy alternator finally failed on the way home and the battery was already quite flat after prolonged neglect, so by the time I got to Corstorphine it conked out (I was already limping along with just side lights on and ignoring people frantically trying to tell me I had no lights - all the streets are lit, so I'm not sure it much matters).

And then, incredibly, a mysterious man in a Land Rover Discovery pulled up and asked if I would like a tow :-)

Make of that what you will, but it was the highlight of my day.

Robin
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mckeann
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by mckeann » Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:45 pm

glad u made it home. Eventually. I had an absolute blast. I did wonder how i would explain to people that i didnt crash at druids, i crashed after druids from laughing so hard at the stupid length of slide through druids. Thankfully it never happened.

Was good fun on track, less so on the foggy drive home, but always an adventure. Thanks to wheelie for the shot of his car, i always enjoy spanking other peoples tyres, and he seemed to enjoy druids ;)

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Mike Scib
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by Mike Scib » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:05 am

Cheers for the heads up guys.

Sounds like it was a good day, now wheres the pics 8)
alicrozier wrote:As Robin said, need to be comfortable and confident to push right up to the limit - sometimes you only find the limit by going beyond it...
(that's why I think Mike will do fine, that and his lack of imagination). :roll: :lol:

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DDtB
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by DDtB » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:20 am

Yeah yeah.... whatever... the birthday party for a 1 year old I had to go to instead was obviously way more fun... honest!... :roll:

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wheelie
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by wheelie » Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:04 am

Image

That was epic fun, a damp to drying track is much better than a snowy one.

Good to catch up with Robin, Mckeann & Simon. Malcolm, nice to meet you.

Mckeann twisted my arm (not that it needed much twisting) on Friday evening to get up early and join the fun at Oulton Park.

Briefing was at 8.30, so we decided to leave less time than we needed for the Edinburgh to Cheshire journey. Alarm at 4.30, strong coffee, into a damp car at 5, then tip-toeing down an icy A701 made for a slow start, but good preparation for Druids. The gritters and traffic had cleared a dry line on the motorway so only the endless 50mph zones slowed progress. We missed the first briefing but made it out for the sighting laps - the slippery surface and being blinded by low sunlight at Lodge soon woke me up.

I managed to get lots of track time in, with only 40 cars there was plenty of space. As usual with a LoT day driving standards were good, with only a couple of stoppages. I haven't looked at the rear tyres yet, but I'm not expecting good news after 245 track miles finished off with the Mckeann drift experience.

I had fallen out with the car at the end of Frolic, after the commute across France with Andy G , Mike & DDtB, I arrived in Nurburg with no coolant and some other grumbles. It was a real disappointment following the brilliant Mas du Clos and drifting in the heat at Mornay not to be able to get some laps in at the 'ring.

After today I'm in love with it again, it was nice and oversteery in the damp. All the slides were progressive and easily provoked, I really enjoyed Britten's and Hislop's chicanes. One day I'll love Druids too !

Another trackday survived. Roll on the next Oulton Day - February 27 2010.
Anyone for Spa in April ?

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mac
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by mac » Sun Dec 13, 2009 9:50 am

After reading that I'm quite glad I had to go to work - not!

Woke up at 4.30 yesterday morning and almost comtemplated loading up the mondeo with my lid and begging face - but common sense (and not having any overtime for months) prevailed and I went back to sleep.

For the record there's no way Neil could get into Simon's car - it's a little known fact that where most people have knees is where Simon's legs stop. I'm not the tallest and I can just get in the car, but my knees are above the dash level!!!

I'm hoping that next year I get to do more fun stuff, even if that does mean taking a year out from the hillclimbs.


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mckeann
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by mckeann » Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:10 am

i did get a drive in simons car, but only an outlap and an inlap in simons car due to a red flag. Some honda powered phoenix conversion did a cv joint causing a red flag.

Anyway, it was a bit of a squeeze, and not what i would call comfortable, but i could drive it ok. I was going to get a few more laps later in the day, but simon was fixing the wee niggles and trying to fine tune his brake balance. I decided to drive wheelies car instead as robin was in mine. I love wheelies car. Its so nicely balanced, straight out the box from lotus, infact, i'd go as far to say, its the best standard lotus i've ever driven.

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H8OAG
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by H8OAG » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:25 pm

:thumbsup

Oulton + Winter............fab

Teaches car and sphincter control in equal measures

How many (slippy )yards before and after Druids ?

You lucky boys
:cheers
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mac
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by mac » Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:36 pm

I'm amazed Neil - I can't work the pedal in Simon's car as my knees are too close to the steering wheel
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mckeann
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by mckeann » Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:44 pm

H8OAG wrote::thumbsup

Oulton + Winter............fab

Teaches car and sphincter control in equal measures

How many (slippy )yards before and after Druids ?

You lucky boys
:cheers


as always, the car was sideways from the change of tarmac on the entrance, to the change of tarmac, just after the crest. Thats the line isnt it ?? :lol:

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robin
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by robin » Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:50 pm

H8OAG wrote::thumbsup

Oulton + Winter............fab

Teaches car and sphincter control in equal measures
LOL.
How many (slippy )yards before and after Druids ?
Braking zone was OK. Turn in comedy. Slippy all the way to the exit kerb, though once the car was pointing down the next straight, the wheel spin was easy enough to deal with. Weirdly, I don't think a single person ended up off the road in that corner - probably because it was so treacherous from the off that everyone pussied their way through it all day. Later in the day the entrance sort of dried out (though there was a slippy patch that you slithered through to get to the drier bit), but the middle and exit sections never did, so that was also entertaining - something like understeer-oversteer-understeer-oversteer-fcuk :-)

The exit from Shell hairpin was slippy all day too, though the entrance and corner itself dried out around lunchtime. Some amount of correction was required on every lap I think, and somebody did get it badly wrong in the afternoon with a lot of ploughing taking place on the inside of the circuit but incredibly no tyre wall contact :-)

Oulton definitely deserves it's no-novice rating I think!

Cheers,
Robin
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H8OAG
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by H8OAG » Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:04 pm

Pair of Loons!
There must be an underground stream or something that contributes to a six month period of permaslip
Must crank up the car search and get the Still Game team down to join you in 2010.
:cheers
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by gambler » Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:02 pm

Sounds like a good day. I got some instruction at oulton and the instructor said, ' just get round druids in the wet. Dont bother trying to go fast' And thats with 4 wheel drive.
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wheelie
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by wheelie » Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:49 pm

robin wrote:
H8OAG wrote::thumbsup
How many (slippy )yards before and after Druids ?
Braking zone was OK. Turn in comedy. Slippy all the way to the exit kerb, though once the car was pointing down the next straight, the wheel spin was easy enough to deal with. Weirdly, I don't think a single person ended up off the road in that corner - probably because it was so treacherous from the off that everyone pussied their way through it all day.
Cheers,
Robin
I was lapping with a blue 111R in the afternoon. He out braked himself and went straight on at the entry to Druids. Fortunately he managed to turn in on the grass, getting it back on tarmac before hitting the gravel trap or the barrier. Lots of ploughing evidence on the exit too later in the day.
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robin
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Re: Outlon Park Today

Post by robin » Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:27 pm

gambler wrote:Sounds like a good day. I got some instruction at oulton and the instructor said, ' just get round druids in the wet. Dont bother trying to go fast' And thats with 4 wheel drive.
That's 'cos the instructor didn't want to be a passenger being ferried to the scene of the accident :-) I had no qualms being in the pax seat with Neil driving, but I wouldn't fancy being in the pax seat with an unknown (to me) driver, especially not if they appear intent on going sideways at every opportunity ;-)

Cheers,
Robin
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