TRACK GUIDE CADWELL PARK

T R A C K G U I D E CADW ELL PARK

We guide you around the UK’s version of the Green Hell

Words ALEX NEVILL Photos JONATHAN FLETCHER & FAST FORD ARCHIVES The Mountain is Cadwell Park’s signature piece

THE KEYS TO CADWELL PARK

■ Build your pace: there’s no tarmac runoff anywhere, just grass and tyres, so small mistakes have big consequences. ■ Plan your lap: each corner has its own demands; sections such as Charlies or the Mountain require a degree of aggression, but they’re followed by corners such as Park or Hall Bends where the same approach will result in you losing time. ■ Be brave (or don’t): leave a bigger margin of error than you might at other circuits. There’s such a high chance of damage when you’re flat out at Cadwell, it’s just not worth the risk if you aren’t driving competitively.

Known as the mini-Nürburgring, Cadwell Park presents an incredible challenge for drivers. It’s extremely narrow and offers a fantastic combination of blind crests, big elevation changes and some really rewarding cambers. As a racetrack it’s better suited for bikes (it really is that narrow), but for a pure driving experience it’s unrivalled, making it a great track-day venue.

1 - COPPICE

The first turn is Coppice; a fast left-hander that climbs uphill steeply. You need to carry as much speed as you can through the corner. There’s a cut-through for a shorter version of the circuit to the driver’s right on approach – you want to use that as a marker for turning in. Try to be soft and smooth with your steering inputs to help keep the momentum high and, if the car allows, try to keep left on the exit to set yourself up for the righthanders at Charlies.

2 - CHARLIES

Charlies features two right-handers, but the straight between them is too long for this to be considered a double-apex. As with Coppice, momentum is key as it leads on to the longest straight on the circuit.

You’re still climbing at this point, so the first turn will only need a lift or a dab of brakes. The apex is the kerb on the inside, and from there you’ll want to run back out to the left.

The crest of the hill is between the two corners, which of course means the second turn is downhill. It’s a tricky corner, and lacks any markers, so you’ll need to develop a feel and a rhythm for the corner.

With braking downhill, there’s limited weight on the rear of the car, so you’ll want to be sensitive with the brake pedal to manage the weight transfer. Turn in early and hug the inside through the corner; it’s an easier way to keep the minimum speed high.

3 - PARK STRAIGHT & CORNER

hander that’s slower than you think. There are brake marker boards to the left, but it pays to find some other reference points in case other drivers ‘move’ the boards.

Get your braking done in a straight line and clip the inside kerb halfway around the corner for your apex. On the exit there’s a kerb on the outside, but you’ll only want to kiss that, otherwise it gets a bit bumpy.

PARK CORNER 3

4

CHRIS CURVE

4 - CHRIS CURVE

Shortly after Park you have Chris Curve, a long, flat corner that you accelerate through. Gently roll the car into the curve to minimise how much you affect acceleration, and hold the car to the inside. From there you can release the car back to the left but be aware that the track never fully straightens before the Gooseneck.

5 - GOOSENECK

The Gooseneck is the most daunting corner on the circuit. There’s positive camber in both curves in this S-bend, meaning you can attack it and carry a lot of speed. But you also must be inch-perfect with your line. There’s a very fine line between getting it right and having a big accident here.

The approach to the Gooseneck is one continuous curve, and the closest you get to a reference point is a slightly tighter kink in the road. From that point you should be working on your entry to the corner; you’ll need a brush of the brakes but again bear in mind that you won’t be fully straight.

There isn’t really a clear turn-in point, so turn early and slowly instead of late and sharp. Use the kerbs; aim for the start of the kerb on the right and keep tight until it ends.

There’s a slight crest before the left-hander that means the apex is hard to spot, but after a few laps you should know where it is. Once you’ve reached the end of the kerb on the right, turn in to the left. The crest drops down into a dip, and the lowest part of the dip is your apex. Try to use as much kerb as you can on the apex and get back to full throttle as soon as possible to keep the momentum up.

PARK STRAIGHT

6 5

GOOSENECK

MANSFIELD

2

CHARLES

1

COPPICE

CADWELL PARK

THE MOUNTAIN 7

HALL BENDS 8

HAIRPIN 9

10

BARN

6 - MANSFIELD

Having survived the Gooseneck, you then dive downhill into Mansfield. The gradient doesn’t flatten out until you get to the apex, which means the entire braking zone is downhill and it’s difficult to slow the car down.

Again, finding markers for your braking point is difficult, and while still learning the track it’s better to slow the car slightly too early than it would be to brake too late and miss the apex. The apex is early, just after the start of the inside kerb, so that you can get on the throttle early and hard for the run down to the Mountain.

7 - THE MOUNTAIN

The Mountain is Cadwell’s signature piece. At the foot of the mountain is a left-right chicane; you need to keep your minimum speed high for your best run up the Mountain itself.

On the approach to this section there’s a slight curve in the road; you’ll want to cut back to the left to shorten your distance. Once

Its tight and twisty nature makes Cadwell a brilliant venue for track days 0e479381-0069-45af-b2a9-c0a37e1e14de 0e479381-0069-45af-b2a9-c0a37e1e14de

that’s done, head back over to the right of the circuit and into the (very bumpy) braking zone. If you get enough of a feel for them you can use the bumps as reference points for your braking, and there’s a cut-through road to the right that you can use as a turn-in point.

The circuit climbs uphill again through the left turn, which means you can carry more speed into the corner than you might think. The apex for the left is within the first half of the inside kerb, and from there you’ll want to hold the car to the left on the exit.

There’s the smallest of straights between the two corners, so instead of trying to straight-line this section it’s better to hold the car to the left briefly and turn in later for a straighter line through the corner. This gives you the best acceleration up the Mountain.

The second corner is roughly a 90-degree angle, so the apex is the corner of the inside kerb. Use the kerb but only the flat part; avoid the sausage kerb on the inside.

Climbing the Mountain itself is really straightforward, but just make sure you cut back towards the middle of the track as you reach the top; this will enable you to travel the shortest distance.

8 - HALL BENDS

After passing the paddock and the clubhouse on your left, it’s onto Hall Bends; a rightleft-right series of esses. There’s nothing to be gained time-wise through the first right specifically, but it is important as it sets you up for the rest of the section.

The corner itself is flat on the throttle but it’s on a crest, which makes the approach to the left afterwards difficult.

You need a mid-late apex here; keep to the right of the circuit on exit for the best line through the left. Use the exit road from the assembly area on your left as a turn-in point and aim for the widest part of the kerb. Run your right wheels over the kerb and hold the car within the right-hand side of the circuit.

At this point you’ll need a dab of the brakes before turning in to the left. Between the two corners you only have the wheel pointed straight for a fraction of a second, which is the best time to brake.

You’ll therefore need to time your braking correctly, but also make sure you brake hard enough so that you can come off the brakes before you turn in to the left-hander, having slowed enough to make the apex.

The apex of the left is halfway around the corner, and you’ll want to use as much kerb as you can to straighten your approach to the second right.

You won’t need the brakes for the second right, although depending on your line and your car you might need a slight lift. But if you get it right, you’ll be flat through here. The apex is late, just before the crest, and again don’t be afraid to use the kerb on the inside.

9 - HAIRPIN

The braking zone for the Hairpin begins as soon as you’re over the crest. It’s one of the slowest corners you’ll find anywhere, with an incredibly difficult approach over the crest, downhill, and on a left-hand curve.

This combination makes it very difficult to get the car stopped in time for this tight right-hander.

If you’ve got the end of Hall Bends right, the car will naturally be placed on the left as you go over the crest – exactly where you want to be. Hug the white line on the left until the road straightens, at which point you need to start looking to turn in to the corner.

The tightest part of the corner is your apex; kissing the kerb with the right wheels will shorten the distance you travel, but it’s also quite a big kerb so it will be bumpy.

10 - BARN

Cadwell is often referred to as the UK’s miniNürburgring

Barn corner is the last on the circuit, and because it follows the Hairpin it’s a slow approach. This makes it feel a little underwhelming, but it’s important to carry as much speed as you can through it and onto the front straight. You’ll need a dab of brakes, and the apex is the start of the kerb on the right. Hold the car to the inside until the kerb ends, and then use all the track on the left for the best run down to the finish line. 0e479381-0069-45af-b2a9-c0a37e1e14de 0e479381-0069-45af-b2a9-c0a37e1e14de