FCD:MP 16th Dec

I'v been planning to go to Mallory Park for a while now, so I was booked onto the 16th Dec drift day and wow what a day it was, open tracks are so much fun and can see this format really catching on with other tracks over the winter months.

So to start, it was Wed evening, me and a few mates were all planning on driving up and staying in a hotel that was about 6 miles from MP, I had only Wed day to get everything ready with the car, tyres sorted, swap a few bits out and sort my non starting issue's out. Well 6 o'clock come on Wed evening, I was still scratching my head on why the car wouldnt start, so my mate was on his way to try and help, by this time I had tried most things, so decided whilst I was waiting I may as well remove the inlet and pull the plugs and check them over, cleaned them up, stuck them back in and she fired up, the only thing we can put it down to is fueling.

So finally had the car running at about 19:00 Wed evening, the rest of our gang had already set off for the hotel, so me and my mate started to get my car loaded up, then onto Bently to get his AE86. By the time we had both cars loaded on, and everything else we needed and set off on the A31 towards the M25 it was now coming up to 23:00, the lads had called to say they had arrived and were off to the pub, I hated them all lol.

So eventually arrives at the hotel at just gone 02:30, slight issue getting into the room as my mate had only booked a 3 person room with 5 of us trying to sleep in there lol, the night duty guy wasnt going to let us in for a moment, until the girl in the group gave him some puppy dig eyes about how we only need a few hours kip after driving all night and we'll be gone by 06:00, so he let us slide past (phew, didnt fancy sleeping in the truck )

So 06:00 the next morning, I woke up feeling so tired, already exhausted, but that was soon over come with the excitement of Mallory Park. We wanted to get there early for an undercover pit bay area and we rocked up with only about 1 or 2 other cars already there, so we picked our bays and proceeded to unload the cars off the truck. With shelter from the rain all day and hot tea and coffe with biscuits and mince pies supplied by Mallory Park, this was a luxury we dont usally get.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs213.ash2/47609_10150354065805384_640625383_16261726_5223257_n.jpg

So after our briefing, it was time to get out there and start tackling Mallory.

http://www.mallorypark.co.uk/images/stories/mallory_park_track_layout.jpg

Now Mallory is getting a bit of a reputation as a car killer, so I was thinking just take it easy to start with, you got all day, plus I wasnt sure how the geo setup would be in the wet, so went out and me being me, by the second lap I was already tackling Gerrards, now to say this bend is a little bit big is an understatement, it just keeps going, but the car felt so good, the power felt good, so I just clutched it and sideways she went around Gerrads, pulling the top end of 3rd, which is definitely the fastest I have ever drifted, I pulled into the pits and I was like a kid at Christmas I was bouncing everywhere, hi-fiving with mates, "lets go again", "lets go again" I said.

Gerrads is without doubt just sheer awsomeness, and slowing down for Charlies at the end was just as interesting, had lots of trouble balancing the car whilst keeping it sideways and trying to scrub off all that speed from Gerrads. At first I was using too much wand and the car just kept spinning into a 180 and going backwards through a tyre stack blocking the usual route. Pumping the handbrake and a combination of the foot brake kept the front and rear balanced for the tight right hander into Charlies, but it really felt like I was on the wand and foot brake, for something like 100 to 200 yards lol, just scrubbing speed off, but then I suppose I was drifting Gerrads at around 60mph and needed to scrub that off to 20/25mph in the wet.

So out of Charlies, little flick left, then right onto Stebbe Straight, or Manji straight as we called it on the day, again 2nd gear couldnt carry a manji all the way down into Edwina's, so again snatching 3rd and sliding it left to right I was now getting a lot of comments on my driving and how savage the car sounded.

So through the little Chicane onto Edwina's, again as I finish Edwina's its time to snatch 3rd for John Cooper Esses, before scrubbing off loads of speed for Shaw's Hairpin, round that in 2nd and as I exit, again into 3rd to really try and stretch a manji out to link Shaws Hairpin and the Devils Elbow, but when you do get it, the speed you are carrying around the Devils Elbow onto the start/finish straight was awsome. Then along Kirbys Straight at about 100mph before scrubbing some speed off at the end for Gerrards all over again.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs615.ash2/156713_1650715142072_1062787818_31713246_6711516_n.jpg

I've been working and waiting a while now for a shot like this, I really felt my drifting stepped up a level thanks to this track

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1368.snc4/164060_1650713222024_1062787818_31713229_1209440_n.jpg

This will be coming out of Shaws Hairpin...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs413.snc4/47596_1650732902516_1062787818_31713313_3335287_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1354.snc4/162677_1650733662535_1062787818_31713315_4240386_n.jpg

I think this would have been at the end of Stebbe Straight.......possibly.....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs822.snc4/68231_1650754383053_1062787818_31713385_4040005_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1201.snc4/155308_1650756423104_1062787818_31713395_4445367_n.jpg

Devils Elbow......

http://www.blackettphotography.com/images/images/driftworks/MalloryPark16thDec2010/Mallory11.jpg

Im still buzzing about this place even now, I so glad drifting never lost Mallory as it looked like around the summer time.

Even my mates were saying how controlled the car looked, one commented on how it just looks like I was so in control of the car, even when throwing it from side to side down the straight in 3rd, and as I told him, thats exactly what the car felt like. I cant fault this car at all, even on a rain drenched, high speed track. Never once did I feel the front end understear, or wash out, so much grip on the front, so big thanks to the Sats Supra team for giving me that setup. I always said the Supra even in its stock form always felt so much better then my built, fully spec'd Nissan, and this track day has just proven that for me.

Got only small issues to sort with the car now, headlights, heater blowers and uprated rad. But the car does need to go back and get the fueling turned down, its rediculously rich, she drank a whole tank of fuel on the day, and she didnt even have to drive there or home lol.

So its onto Christmas now, maybe another practice day before the end of Jan, and then start getting things ready and geared up for the start of the 2011 British Drift Championship.

Heaters??? Don't need them, wear a wooly jumper

Heaters??? Don't need them, wear a wooly jumper

I couldnt skid through totally fogged windows by the end of the day Im so glad I didnt go your route lol

I couldnt skid through totally fogged windows by the end of the day Im so glad I didnt go your route lol

Luke...use the force.....

Great write up and some nice artistic shots there.

Car's looking great mate

Great write up and some nice artistic shots there.

 

Car's looking great mate

She looks better now I have had some time to sort out the ride height, just gotta get some big dishy wheels

Nice work my skiddy friend

Got some more pics coming through....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs600.snc4/57995_10150358488350384_640625383_16344364_1671477_n.jpg

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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs012.snc6/166249_10150358467060384_640625383_16343939_7678549_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs755.ash1/164630_10150358467130384_640625383_16343942_5412502_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs413.snc4/47650_10150358467175384_640625383_16343944_3169964_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs802.snc4/68234_10150358467265384_640625383_16343948_1893615_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1391.snc4/164347_10150358467360384_640625383_16343952_5737193_n.jpg

Me going in backwards at the end of Gerrards

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs002.snc6/165265_10150358467480384_640625383_16343954_452115_n.jpg