Knockhill Reverse 21st May

Clarkie · Post by **Clarkie** » Sun May 20, 2012 8:53 pm

Anyone going tomorrow night?

Booked on thought I'd give the first reverse one a go

lou_m · Post by **lou_m** » Sun May 20, 2012 9:58 pm

Hope to come along, just to spectate though.

scottishselise · Post by **scottishselise** » Tue May 22, 2012 6:55 am

Very enjoyable

lou_m · Post by **lou_m** » Tue May 22, 2012 9:18 am

Looked like fun and great weather too.

dirkpitt · Post by **dirkpitt** » Tue May 22, 2012 10:37 am

whats the low down on the reverse track guys???

Clarkie · Post by **Clarkie** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:20 pm

Amazing, brilliant etc etc will post write up tonight

dirkpitt · Post by **dirkpitt** » Tue May 22, 2012 3:08 pm

Clarkie wrote:Amazing, brilliant etc etc will post write up tonight

grand...i bet the chicane is like the Laguna Seca corkscrew, in that direction??

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Tue May 22, 2012 3:29 pm

Did they have a chicane before the hairpin? How was that breaking zone? I assume it felt like a totally different track.

scottishselise · Post by **scottishselise** » Tue May 22, 2012 4:18 pm

No chicane before the hairpin, I believe it was spoken about for the bikes then decided against it. The corner is same as the rest, we know where it is etc. It took me a while to get the braking point right for the hairpin namely as I was doing >100mph downhill and I didn't fancy walking home. It can also be rather deceiving. It is absolutely awesome, there is another next Tuesday.

Clarkie · Post by **Clarkie** » Tue May 22, 2012 9:59 pm

Awesome

best trackday I've done at Knockhill

Weather was superb as well

Reverse format makes the track flow better and it feels much faster

Overtaking has swapped to the right now to match the racing line, no chicanes or shortening of the circuit by cutting the hairpin short.

Braking into the hairpin is not a problem in the Exige but some of the heavier cars may struggle after a few laps as they would do normally, it's a big stop but none of the cars on track had a problem, well apart from the GTR that out braked himself and nearly collected me

GTR man mentioned 600 bop and was pulling 5th gear down the straight so I can see why it didn't stop

Sandy Forrest & Co took us in the Seat's for 2 sighting laps and then it was split into sessions. Not a fan of the sessioned format but it was the first car track night in reverse for Knockhill, so it was a learning curve for all. It worked really well keeping the sessions going one after the other, light traffic and no "offs" or red lights.

Clarks is the hardest corner to get a line on to start with, accelerating out of the hairpin, Sandy said to pick up a metal structure just passed the exit of the rallycross as a marker to head for,then start to turn into Clarks, then brake for the left hander. If you start to turn too early it's pretty bumpy on the righthand side and you can't carry the speed into the corner.

Following Sandy for another out lap at the start of the session spotted he heads for the structure out of the harpin then drifts to the left hugging the white line around the end of the back straight, braking in a straightline into Clarks, much quicker and avoids loading the car too much on the entry.

From the chicane up through Duffus is really quick now. Turn into the first part of the chicane straight over, flat for the left hander, braking into McIntyres running out to the kerb, back to the left at the foot of Duffus and then flat up the hill onto the straight. Initially took most of the kerbs through this section but it's much quicker just taking the edge a no more. At the top of Duffus you drift right out to the exit kerb and even the pitlane accelerating down the main straight, already well up in 3rd gear

Most of the time the circuit feels/looks wider than "normal" apart from at the pits where the wall seems to taper in towards the track. It's completely blind until you are over the crest then it opens out agin towards the harpin. I was braking later here as I got more confidence, don't think any of the track days regulars will have any problems here, you could probably carry 3rd gear out of the hairpin as the downhill slope keeps the revs up onto the straight, plenty of room out to the kerb on the way out.

The gradients don't seem as pronounced in the reverse direction hairpin, Clarks, chicane and Duffus are faster in and out with the entry exit feeling/looking a great deal wider.

It's transformed the circuit as we know it, reverse format is by far the best thoroughly recommended to the regulars, they'll love it

P.S. BTCC running reverse would be something to see

Clarkie · Post by **Clarkie** » Tue May 22, 2012 10:00 pm

scottishselise wrote:No chicane before the hairpin, I believe it was spoken about for the bikes then decided against it. The corner is same as the rest, we know where it is etc. It took me a while to get the braking point right for the hairpin namely as I was doing >100mph downhill and I didn't fancy walking home. It can also be rather deceiving. It is absolutely awesome, there is another next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday is for the Hot Hatches, maybe one to avoid

scottishselise · Post by **scottishselise** » Tue May 22, 2012 10:30 pm

Oh - I thought that was Hot hatch? What was it?!

scottishselise · Post by **scottishselise** » Tue May 22, 2012 10:34 pm

You said everything I was thinking

dirkpitt · Post by **dirkpitt** » Wed May 23, 2012 11:28 am

yeah that sounds like a must...........clarkie, what’s the drop like when going over the chicane.....
a thought would be 2hr session in one direction and 2hr in the other......at least that would even up the tire wear

tut · Post by **tut** » Wed May 23, 2012 11:36 am

It was a KH car track day.

tut

Scottish Elises