Post by Catriona on Jun 15, 2010 12:34:40 GMT
(Originally posted 26th January 2007)
The first feature this website carried was back in 2003 when John Findlay described a lap of Knockhill in his XR2. Since that was written the track has had two seperate upgrades, the second of which changed the layout of some of the track quite radically while still holding onto its unique shape. With that in mind, we thought it was time to update the article, this time with the help of drivers from some varying series to get an idea what a fast lap of the track is like from differing perspectives.
Firstly, XR2 race winner and 2006 series runner-up Andrew Winchester takes us round a lap in his Fiesta XR2.
"Approaching Seat Curves in 4th gear it's a quick brake, take as much kerb as possible on the right which will usually launch you onto two wheels for a moment. Back on full throttle you then head for the kerb on your left at the bottom of the hill again taking as much as possible and try to get the car back to the left hand side of the track before the braking zone for Scotsman.
It's hard braking and down into 3rd here and as usual as much kerb as you can manage on the inside and running right to the edge of the kerb on the exit, then back on full throttle and with a late turn into Butchers and a bit of kerb you can keep your foot to the floor all the way to the chicane.
As you approach the John R Weir chicane you just feather the throttle for an instant as you launch over the crest on the left kerb and then back to full throttle as you take the right hand one. To carry as much speed as possible out of here it's important to make the chicane as straight as possible so I always aim to try and scrape my left wing mirror on the tyre barrier on the left.
Still in 3rd it's flat out along the back straight towards Clarks, the most important corner on the track, just a quick brake and enough kerb on the inside to slightly reduce the radius of the corner but not too much that it launches you into the air and momentarily stops you accelerating out, again using all the kerb and grasscrete on the exit to carry as much speed down Hislop's Straight as possible about half way along here we go back into 4th. Approaching the Real Radio hairpin braking at about 75m and down to 2nd, it's a late turn in avoiding the inside kerb but using all the the outside kerb and it's back up the main straight for another lap."
Now we switch shape of car entirely and hop into multiple race-winner Lance Gauld's No. 23 Legend for a lap of the track in a late-braking, sideways style.
"Starting from hairpin exit, legend cars love to be driven loosely, they are no slick-shot arrows which follow a tight tight line. The legend exits the hairpin loose and often sideways with left side on the outer kerb in 2nd gear. 3rd, 4th and 5th are taken in fairly quick succession and by start line 5th is usually engaged unless the wind is blowing the wrong way when you might wait for the bridge as these cars have the aerodynamics of a brick.
Braking hard but not too late on left side of the track dropping to 4th, it’s two wheels on inside kerb and push the throttle hard down, keeping it flat down the hill and through the left at the bottom, feathering the throttle slightly to stay on the right line for Scotsman, which is again a swing from the outside, down to 3rd, preferably in a 4 wheel sideways drift, 2 wheels on inside kerb and a steady application of power to the outside kerb, get this wrong and a legend understeers badly off in the blink of an eye.
Through the dip and a change to 4th gear, the legend is at its most spectacular through the chicane, with a dab of the brakes and a lot of aggression, you lightly touch the inside kerb then take loads of outside kerb trying to fling the car towards the inside bollard, getting it sliding and waiting for it to take off, before the wheels have regained grip, again the car likes to be loose here, you already have opposite lock on and throttle down to counter the imminent oversteer, get it right and its very quick, wrong and it's gravel time.
We hold 4th up to Clarks, it’s a very late apex, almost getting to the outside kerbing before turning in usually without touching the inside kerb too much and launching up the hill trying to drift the car so it doesn’t spear off over the kerbs on exit. 1200cc legends take this in 3rd, 1250 cars are usually in 4th.
Exit Clark with 7500rpm in 3rd, with a quick change to 4th and then 5th down to the hairpin, here braking is the most critical, car over to left and onto brakes as late as you can critically without locking the tyres, almost impossible to feel them through the steering so takes a while to brake late enough here without going off, it’s a late turn in and up the hill usually without touching the kerb."
Switching back to a hatchback, we look at the track from the perspective of a Mini driver, in this case current lap record holder and race-winner Mark Dryden.
"You are just into 4th gear for a matter of seconds before finding your braking point and taking 3rd gear at the top of Seat Curves. I take a bit of kerb on the way in and launch myself down the hill never lifting until my car is straight for Scotsman still holding 3rd. The Mini understeers like a pig here so slower in, quicker out is the best method. Still holding 3rd for the John R Weir Chicane, I have tried several approaches for this blind chicane, trust me flat out is one sure-fire way to have a large accident!
The Mini tends to get a bit of oversteer on the exit of the chicane before you power up to Clarks still holding 3rd. Again the Mini likes to understeer here and the marshalls at Clarks hate us for constantly being in their kitty litter on the exit. I grab 4th gear on the way down to the Real Radio hairpin and when I think it is sensible to brake I count to 3 slowly and then brake!!! No seriously though it is very late, get the car turned in and power back up the gears to complete your lap."
Lastly we look at a lap in something tuned for even more speed, the much-modified Fiesta of Peter Taddei which ended the 2006 season well in amongst the fastest cars in the Saloon and Sportscar Series.
"Accelerator nailed to the floor, as you head up the pit-straight, checking the pit wall as you come over the rise moving past 120mph on the speedo. Drift over to the left hand side of the track waiting for the braking point into Seat Curves. Gently ease on the brakes then get ready to turn in, run over the kerb and let the car drift out to the outside for the tricky left hander before Scotsman. Ease on half power through the left hander to maintain the balance between power and grip then a quick burst of full power before braking quickly for Scotsman.
Flick the car round Scotsman and get the power on early for the run up through Butchers. Stick to the left and launch the car through the chicane keeping it as straight as possible then hard on the power up to Clarks. Approaching Clarks at over 100mph slow down to ensure good grip through the corner and squeeze the power on early for the long run down to the hairpin. Get tight to the left for the braking point at the hairpin and wait for the 100meter board as the hairpin looms ahead. Brake hard, don’t lock the brakes, and scrub off in excess off 100mph before turning into the hairpin. Control the power through the hairpin drift out on the exit then put pedal to the metal as you’re on your way to complete another quick lap."
The first feature this website carried was back in 2003 when John Findlay described a lap of Knockhill in his XR2. Since that was written the track has had two seperate upgrades, the second of which changed the layout of some of the track quite radically while still holding onto its unique shape. With that in mind, we thought it was time to update the article, this time with the help of drivers from some varying series to get an idea what a fast lap of the track is like from differing perspectives.
Firstly, XR2 race winner and 2006 series runner-up Andrew Winchester takes us round a lap in his Fiesta XR2.
"Approaching Seat Curves in 4th gear it's a quick brake, take as much kerb as possible on the right which will usually launch you onto two wheels for a moment. Back on full throttle you then head for the kerb on your left at the bottom of the hill again taking as much as possible and try to get the car back to the left hand side of the track before the braking zone for Scotsman.
It's hard braking and down into 3rd here and as usual as much kerb as you can manage on the inside and running right to the edge of the kerb on the exit, then back on full throttle and with a late turn into Butchers and a bit of kerb you can keep your foot to the floor all the way to the chicane.
As you approach the John R Weir chicane you just feather the throttle for an instant as you launch over the crest on the left kerb and then back to full throttle as you take the right hand one. To carry as much speed as possible out of here it's important to make the chicane as straight as possible so I always aim to try and scrape my left wing mirror on the tyre barrier on the left.
Still in 3rd it's flat out along the back straight towards Clarks, the most important corner on the track, just a quick brake and enough kerb on the inside to slightly reduce the radius of the corner but not too much that it launches you into the air and momentarily stops you accelerating out, again using all the kerb and grasscrete on the exit to carry as much speed down Hislop's Straight as possible about half way along here we go back into 4th. Approaching the Real Radio hairpin braking at about 75m and down to 2nd, it's a late turn in avoiding the inside kerb but using all the the outside kerb and it's back up the main straight for another lap."
Now we switch shape of car entirely and hop into multiple race-winner Lance Gauld's No. 23 Legend for a lap of the track in a late-braking, sideways style.
"Starting from hairpin exit, legend cars love to be driven loosely, they are no slick-shot arrows which follow a tight tight line. The legend exits the hairpin loose and often sideways with left side on the outer kerb in 2nd gear. 3rd, 4th and 5th are taken in fairly quick succession and by start line 5th is usually engaged unless the wind is blowing the wrong way when you might wait for the bridge as these cars have the aerodynamics of a brick.
Braking hard but not too late on left side of the track dropping to 4th, it’s two wheels on inside kerb and push the throttle hard down, keeping it flat down the hill and through the left at the bottom, feathering the throttle slightly to stay on the right line for Scotsman, which is again a swing from the outside, down to 3rd, preferably in a 4 wheel sideways drift, 2 wheels on inside kerb and a steady application of power to the outside kerb, get this wrong and a legend understeers badly off in the blink of an eye.
Through the dip and a change to 4th gear, the legend is at its most spectacular through the chicane, with a dab of the brakes and a lot of aggression, you lightly touch the inside kerb then take loads of outside kerb trying to fling the car towards the inside bollard, getting it sliding and waiting for it to take off, before the wheels have regained grip, again the car likes to be loose here, you already have opposite lock on and throttle down to counter the imminent oversteer, get it right and its very quick, wrong and it's gravel time.
We hold 4th up to Clarks, it’s a very late apex, almost getting to the outside kerbing before turning in usually without touching the inside kerb too much and launching up the hill trying to drift the car so it doesn’t spear off over the kerbs on exit. 1200cc legends take this in 3rd, 1250 cars are usually in 4th.
Exit Clark with 7500rpm in 3rd, with a quick change to 4th and then 5th down to the hairpin, here braking is the most critical, car over to left and onto brakes as late as you can critically without locking the tyres, almost impossible to feel them through the steering so takes a while to brake late enough here without going off, it’s a late turn in and up the hill usually without touching the kerb."
Switching back to a hatchback, we look at the track from the perspective of a Mini driver, in this case current lap record holder and race-winner Mark Dryden.
"You are just into 4th gear for a matter of seconds before finding your braking point and taking 3rd gear at the top of Seat Curves. I take a bit of kerb on the way in and launch myself down the hill never lifting until my car is straight for Scotsman still holding 3rd. The Mini understeers like a pig here so slower in, quicker out is the best method. Still holding 3rd for the John R Weir Chicane, I have tried several approaches for this blind chicane, trust me flat out is one sure-fire way to have a large accident!
The Mini tends to get a bit of oversteer on the exit of the chicane before you power up to Clarks still holding 3rd. Again the Mini likes to understeer here and the marshalls at Clarks hate us for constantly being in their kitty litter on the exit. I grab 4th gear on the way down to the Real Radio hairpin and when I think it is sensible to brake I count to 3 slowly and then brake!!! No seriously though it is very late, get the car turned in and power back up the gears to complete your lap."
Lastly we look at a lap in something tuned for even more speed, the much-modified Fiesta of Peter Taddei which ended the 2006 season well in amongst the fastest cars in the Saloon and Sportscar Series.
"Accelerator nailed to the floor, as you head up the pit-straight, checking the pit wall as you come over the rise moving past 120mph on the speedo. Drift over to the left hand side of the track waiting for the braking point into Seat Curves. Gently ease on the brakes then get ready to turn in, run over the kerb and let the car drift out to the outside for the tricky left hander before Scotsman. Ease on half power through the left hander to maintain the balance between power and grip then a quick burst of full power before braking quickly for Scotsman.
Flick the car round Scotsman and get the power on early for the run up through Butchers. Stick to the left and launch the car through the chicane keeping it as straight as possible then hard on the power up to Clarks. Approaching Clarks at over 100mph slow down to ensure good grip through the corner and squeeze the power on early for the long run down to the hairpin. Get tight to the left for the braking point at the hairpin and wait for the 100meter board as the hairpin looms ahead. Brake hard, don’t lock the brakes, and scrub off in excess off 100mph before turning into the hairpin. Control the power through the hairpin drift out on the exit then put pedal to the metal as you’re on your way to complete another quick lap."