This was my first trip to Castle Combe (Wiltshire, UK). It's always nice to try out a track for the first time but there is also the worry of hearsay about the danger zones of each track and whether they are going to catch me out. With CC it's the combination of Avon Rise and Quarry corner that everyone talks about and that it is regarded as one of the faster circuits in the UK. There is an amazing statistic banded around that Quarry is responsible for 25% of all motor racing accidents in the UK! You only have to search Youtube for 'Quarry corner' and you will find lots of footage of big offs.



CC tends to run session days where cars are let out in groups of 12 and then you go and join the back of the queue for your next go. Our day was indeed ran to this format. After the initial sighting laps I went out for my first session and kept everything nice and smooth while I felt my way around. Luckily it was a gorgeous sunny day so there was plenty of grip everywhere. By the end of the session I could feel the back end getting a little loose and sure enough I found that the Toyos had gone up 6 psi as they had warmed up, so took them down to 32 psi hot all round which seems to be where they offer the most grip on my car.

The next session saw me have the local instructor, Dave DaCosta, on board. His tuition was excellent. My lines were pretty much OK according to Dave but I was braking too late and too hard and not using enough throttle at some points. He got me braking earlier and more controlled and encouraged me to carry more speed in to the corners and use the throttle to balance the car past the apex. And then to go hard on the throttle out of the corners. The videos below were after his instruction and hopefully show that I was able to make good progress as a result.

As far as the track is concerned, I enjoyed it a lot. It is indeed a quick circuit when you're on the throttle a lot of the time. Folly corner is an adrenaline rush because it's flat in 4th gear and is really bumpy on the apex. The car was dancing through there as it scrabbled for grip. Quarry is no big deal as long as you stand on the brakes just before the top of Avon rise and then turn in late for the right of Quarry when the car is settled. Turn in too early and the car is too 'light' and a tank slapper usually follows (as an MX5 found out to his cost). However, for me the best complex is Old Paddock through to Hammerdown, which with commitment is very quick and rewarding to drive.

The car was absolutely brilliant to drive on the day. The minor softening of the KWs that I did before the trip meant that it handled and coped with the bumps beautifully. The brakes stayed firm all day. And the new RS engine mounts have added both a bit of extra stability to the rear and introduced a rawer growl to the engine note during hard acceleration.

A late session with my buddy John as a passenger (and sometimes co-driver urging me on)

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

The last session, keeping up with John in his 964RS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw-Ye0_SU3Y

 

Great write up Steve, thank you . I'm heading there on Tuesday. Instructor booked. Let me know if theres anything I should be thinking.

 

What a coincidence!

How's your exhaust noise? It's a strict 100 db static test for you to get on. I have catbypass, standard and standard and was OK.

There are no garages so don't take too much stuff as there's no where to stash anything safely.

The food in the cafe at lunch time is very good.

There's a petrol station a few miles down the road on the A420.

The instructor will tell you all you need to know about the track. Overtaking is always on the right. Take it easy and build up speed as you go through the day. Have fun!

 

With my cat bypass and g-pipe I'll be in trouble, no? Fortunately I still have my final silencer.

Thanks for the info.

 

Yes, you'll struggle on the normal 100 db days but they sometimes have 'noisy' 105 db days which you would be OK with. I'd put the final silencer on to be safe if I was you.

 

I was at Aintree last Saturday, 104dB - Cat Bypass, Standard, Standard. Last tiem I ran that setup at Oulton I got measured at 99dB..

 

This one is from an earlier session and features a fiesty little MGB GT V8:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp_RkS_Lai4

 

Looks like a fun track. I have always been put off Castle Combe because of the noise regs and watching too many quarry corner crash videos but will have to give it a go someday.

Steve - what settings do you typically use for bump/rebound on your KW's for track if you don't mind me asking? I have been running mine as follows:

-Front Rebound - 6 clicks from full hard
-Front Bump - 1.5 turns from full hard
-Rear Rebound - 10 clicks from full hard
-Rear Bump - 1.00 turn from full hard

I am going to Bedford next month with the objective of playing with different set ups (KW's, ARB's and tyre pressures) but would be really interesting to hear what set ups you and others have gone for.

 

Thanks for posting the Vids Steve. Looked like a glorious day in Ole Blighty, rare Nice driving too!

James, this is an interesting question. You know, I never considered offsetting the front and rear setting like you do. I'm at 1.5 clicks off full hard at all 8 settings and like it very much, but this may be far from optimal. I run this set-up on the street & track. Looking forward to seeing where others fall, and I'm sure different tracks would demand different setting for ultimate optimization.....

 

James, I've tried a few different settings to date. At CC I had them set as:

R bump: 5 clicks
R rebound: 7 clicks (I always leave this one because it's a pain to adjust)
F bump: 5 clicks
F rebound: 6 clicks

From what I've worked out, there are 6 clicks to a turn. All clicks above are from full hard. I was really pleased with these settings at CC because they reduced the under steer that I experienced at the previous outing at Donington where I ran the bump much stiffer.

I would say your current settings, with relatively soft front bump, would be good for the tight turns that feature at Bedford but for tracks with fast turns, like Spa, Silverstone and CC, firming up the bumps would the right thing to do.

 

Hey, your windshield wipers are facing the wrong way. You should get someone to take a look at that.

 

Youll also notice the drivers on a different side to you but fear not.

 

Great run. !!! Thanks for sharing !

 

Thanks Steve, really helpful. By 'turn' I meant one turn within the access hole at the bottom of the damper which I think equates to a quarter of a full turn. In 'click' terms, I guess that means my set up is approx:

FR: 6 clicks
FB: 2 (ish) clicks
RR: 10 clicks
RB: 1-2 clicks

I had too much understeer at a recent TD at Brands Hatch so I think I will try softening the front bump setting a little and stiffening rear rebound to see if that helps.

 

In that case I would say that your bumps are set way too firm for most tracks and will give you understeer in the slower turns. Just like I found at Donny. It would definitely be worth trying to back off the bumps another couple of clicks and see how you get on.

p.s. Is your front bump also an access hole? On mine, the rear bumps are an access hole but on the front it's done with an allen key from the bottom of the shock.