Werrington

[kevin bryant]

Come on, you know you want to give it a go.

 

Contact Roger McEwen for how to get started. rcmcewen@lineone.net

Regards Kev

 

 

A drivers view of Werrington – by Jonathan Boyes, TR7 16v Rally Car

"Werrington is possibly the ultimate 1200 metre challenge which will test your concentration, skill and nerve every run. The facilities normally consist of two food vans and a row of portaloos. The organisation is friendly and flexible, which fits with this kind of place, where a Ferrari may be overlooked, but a well prepared MK1 Escort will draw a crowd, proper stuff! Spectator areas are good here and prove to be very popular with an abundance of photographers, both professional and amateur.

 

"Coming out of the Paddock area, (aka a field), you join the start queue, which soon shortens, so use the time well to focus your mind.

 

"When you arrive on the start line and the marshalls have settled you into place, block out everything other the car, track and red light. When it turns green start in your own time. Accelerate hard through first and second. If your car is fast enough you will need to brake, but not over hard, smoothness is everything on this first right hander. The corner looks like a long fast right, but caution; the recently laid tarmac is quite slippy and several over enthusiastic runners regularly don't get any further, much to the amusement of the watching paddock spectators and those that line the hill to the left.

 

"So power on, flat up the hill slight right, left, right, through second and third gear for me. Like Wiscombe, a course plan would show this as a straight, but no chance. Victorian driveway design clearly didn't consider straight lines to be any fun. Keep your foot flat through the gap in the bales over the cattle grid, yes, cattle grid! Not too bad in my car, but the ground levels immediately after the grid, so some will be unsettled and even airborne. Now the road changes surface to old tarmac, kinks left past the house and maybe drops slightly down hill. Then brake hard for the 90 left which narrows on exit. This is the part of the course which offers me most room for improvement as I still brake too early; but believe me, you don't want to be too late here as several competitors know to their cost. The clue is the very substantial yellow tyre wall preventing forward travel.

 

"Assuming you have navigated the corner successfully you head through another, and narrower gateway into the Courtyard, but no time to enjoy the view as you head directly for the Rhododendrons. Avoided gardening by turning right and quickly left through the first chicane onto the short straight over a little hump. Now what's your nerve like? At the end of the straight is a left right chicane, how much throttle can you hold in? Obviously this will vary car to car depending on weight, BHP and quite frankly, how well set up it is. I don't even know what I do, I fancy a slight lift then hard down through the right hander, which would explain why I kiss the grass with the o/s rear. That's the last corner and then it is just a sprint to the line. Crossing the line I'm just going for 4^th, so finishing between 80 and 90 mph.

 

"Once finished, if you can settle the adrenalin shakes, reverse into the top paddock to your left and switch off!

 

"Saturday night is BBQ night, so you can enter both days and make a weekend of it. TR's are always welcome and probably most, especially road going, are very well suited to this 'Rally Stage' type course."

 

Jonathan Boyes