TRACK GUIDE THRUXTON

It’s time to head to the fastest track in the UK, as we guide you around Thruxton

Words ALEX NEVILL Photos FAST FORD ARCHIVES

Thruxton is renowned as the fastest circuit in the UK, and is seen among race drivers as the track that separates the men from the boys. The high-speeds and lack of run-off areas mean you need to be brave to nail a lap, and even low-powered shopping cars average speeds close to 100mph around here. In a tuned fast Ford you’ll need to make sure your lines and braking points are spot on.

Thruxton is a test of the driver’s nerve as much as for the car they’re driving. It’s incredibly fast and a little bit scary.

1- ALLARD

The first corner is Allard. Like most of the circuit it’s flat-out in most fast Fords, but take the time to build your speed and find out what you and the car are capable of. There’s a slight dip in the road on the approach, which makes a good turn-in marker. The apex is about three-quarters of the way around the turn – or halfway around the patch of tarmac you’ll find on the inside, depending on which makes the most sense to you.

The way the surface has been laid allows us to use it as a reference point for the racing line. The surface is effectively set out into four lanes with a seam between each. For this guide we’ll refer to them as lanes one through to four, with one being the first lane on the left – like motorway lanes.

Having approached the corner in lane one, and then apexed in lane four, there are a couple of options on the exit: some drivers let the car run out to lane three for the shortest run to the left-hand curve that follows, but some prefer to let the car run out to lane two. The car accelerates best in a straight line, and by running out to lane two the wheel is straighter and it’s easier to continue accelerating through, and out of, the corner.

On the flip side, if you can get a slipstream from the car in front (if it’s a competitive session; don’t worry about this on track days) then the best line is whichever they take so that you can stay in the tow.

As mentioned, Allard is followed by a long curve to the left that goes over a slight crest. Use lane two to keep the wheel open and cut back to lane one at the end of the curve.

If you can, try to wait until you’re out of the curve before you brake for the Complex. In the same way that the car accelerates best in a straight line it also stops best in a straight line: you can apply more brake pressure

Even seasoned racers respect Thruxton’s high-speed thrills

and slow the car in a shorter distance with greater stability, which in turn sets you up for the Complex better. There’s a marshal’s post to the driver’s left, which makes a good reference point for braking.

2- COMPLEX

The Complex is made up of three corners: Campbell is a 90-degree right; followed by Cobb, which is a slightly more open left; and then a final flat-out right-hander, Seagrave. From the exit of Seagrave, you’re flat-out (or close to flat-out) for most of the lap, so a good exit is critical.

The apexes are fairly obvious (the tightest part of the corners) and you can use the lanes as markers. After the apex of Campbell, try not to run further out than lane three (stay on the right half of the track) and then position the car so that the right wheels are back into lane four before turning for Cobb.

You’re accelerating through Cobb, so you must run wider on the exit. But you should still only go to lane three before bringing the left wheels back into lane two for a straighter (therefore faster) line through Seagrave, and all the way back to lane one on exit.

3- NOBLE

Noble is a fast double-apex corner, but in a low-powered car it’s best viewed as an acceleration zone and a chance to continue building speed before things get tricky at Goodwood. Approach the corner from lane four and use the painted kerb on the driver’s right as a reference point, turning-in just after you’ve passed it.

As with the Complex, the apexes are simply the tightest parts of the turn, but you don’t want to hit the first one. Turn into it, of course, but only get as far in as having

your left wheels into lane one to help keep momentum; keep your wheels inside lane one until you turn into the second apex.

4- GOODWOOD

As soon as you exit Noble you need to be setting yourself up for Goodwood, a long right-hander. If you find you’re able to take this corner flat-out then you have a couple of options line-wise: you can either head straight to lane three from the exit of Noble and turn in from there for a shorter distance overall; or position yourself in lane two from the exit of Noble and start to turn into the corner just after the patch of tarmac starts in lane three.

This will be a longer distance to travel, but the trade-off is that it’s a straighter line and therefore easier to carry speed through the corner. If you’re in a car that needs a bit of a brake or lift here, then the second line is for you, as the straighter line will help you carry more speed and with better stability.

The apex is quite late here, around the start of the kerb (don’t hit it). Once the kerb ends, let the car run back out to the left, where there can be a variety of lines. If the corner is easily flat-out then you only want to run out as far as your left wheels dropping into lane one on the exit; the track follows a curve on the exit and we can shorten the distance by staying in lane two and cutting into lane three through the tightest part of the curve.

Alternatively, if the corner isn’t flat-out or you’re having to work at the pedals a bit, then you’re probably better off running out all the way to lane four to help you carry as much speed as possible through the corner. You will still want to cut back towards lane two or three for the curve.

5- CHURCH

Church is up next, and we can only assume it was called this as a reminder to say your prayers before you turn in. It’s the fastest corner in the country, and you can tell that from the driver’s seat. It’s a bit scary.

The apex is on a slight crest and therefore hard to spot. It’s a little bumpy (by Thruxton’s standards, anyway – overall the circuit is very smooth, but you notice even the smallest bumps at 100mph-plus) and you run out of space very quickly on the exit.

Having moved back to lane one after the curve on approach, there’s a dip you can use as a turn-in point. Although the apex itself isn’t clearly visible, the marshal post on the inside is a great reference point until you can see the kerb, which is your actual apex.

The corner is slightly longer than you’d think, as there’s a slight kink on the exit. You need to hold the car within the right-hand side of the track until you reach the kink, at which point you run out all the way back to lane one.

The corner is flat-out in a most well-set-up cars, but the best advice is to find a speed

COMPLEX 2

3

NOBLE

1

ALLARD

THRUXTON

4

GOODWOOD

8

FINISH LINE

7

CLUB 6

BROOKLANDS

5

CHURCH

you’re comfortable with and gradually start chipping away from there.

6- BROOKLANDS

The part of the track that follows has a curve (known as Brooklands) and a small crest (called Woodham Hill, although it’s definitely not a hill). The best line through Brooklands is lane two, as it means the car is slightly straighter. You then cut back into lane one as you go over Woodham Hill for the straightest line into the braking zone for Club.

7- CLUB

Club is probably the trickiest part of the circuit, and with it being the end of the lap, the pressure’s on not to screw it up.

After the non-hill there’s a kink to the right that starts the entry into the Club chicane. For the shortest distance, run the car over to lane four – up to the white line on the inside.

Before you get there, though, you’ll need to be braking. Try to get the downshifts done in this part of the braking zone if you can, as it’s the straightest part of the braking area and therefore least likely to generate lock-ups.

After the kink, let the car run out into lane three slightly before turning into the first right. When turning into the chicane you can either ignore our advice about the kerbs and attack the first kerb with the right wheels for a shorter and straighter line, or look after your car and drive around the kerb. Either way, the important part is to apex late enough that you can keep the car to the right of the track (the lighter surface) before you turn in to the left.

The rest of the chicane comes up so fast that you’ll be acting on instinct instead of having time to look for reference points; just try to be as straight as you can and get on the throttle hard and early. The kerbs through the rest of the chicane are flatter and more usable.

Scary Thruxton can soil your shreddies

8- FINISH LINE

Keep the power on from the exit of the chicane as you sprint towards the finish line.