It’s 6pm and I’ve not long been home having returned from a LOL day at Silverstone.
A last minute affair, I pretty much confirmed only the day before that I’d attend which should go some way to explain the terrible preparation. I had no idea if my tyres, pads, discs were up for another session on circuit, but considering the weather and reports, it looked like it was going to be a wet, sodden day so there was no huge risk of overcooking the car. Still, mighty disappointed that I left my camcorder at home, would have had some excellent footage otherwise.
Silverstone in the wet is one of the best circuits in the UK for car control and its wide tarmac and wide run offs are perfect for experimentation and seasoned drivers alike. I was in my element with lap after lap of opposite lock tomfoolery. Thankfully, the marshals were relatively tolerant of this behaviour, despite skill levels they are often inclined to black flag anybody who’s off the racing line.
As the day dried out, so did speeds, but having spent the whole day sideways, that didn’t change my driving attitude. Unfortunately, I am not at my fastest at Silverstone. I’m not a big fan of the circuit and I cite it as having bland scenery, repetitive complexes that are unsuited to cars slower than F1 and wide, open tarmac that dulls your sense of speed. Conversely, as a drift circuit, it’s excellently suited.
Silverstone is indeed pretty featureless, but what people don’t appreciate, is just how technically challenging the track is.
Those ‘repetitive complexes’ are there for a reason, and that is to make you think more about your lines. Too many UK tracks (esp Snetterton) have straight forward curves which can be learned and mastered in just a couple of laps, yet in all the years i have been doing Silverstone, even I find the odd bit of extra speed from experimenting with lines there, it leaves you guessing a lot of the time.
The bottom line, is that sometimes you need to go slower to got faster, as some of them pre curves are sacrificial to guarantee a straighter exit a,d better entry for the next etc…
Anyway, you got owned good and proper, so a i think you need so tuition :-D
G.
I suppose if you’ve done the circuit 100 times as you have, then it can become a challenge in itself to master and shave seconds by turning relatively bland complexes into an exercise of study and deliberation.
Let’s just not forget who’s the one constantly asked to teach others!
Mate,
THIS, is how you drive Silverstone ;-)
This guy is awesome, do you know him ??
http://www.vimeo.com/2014513