CVAR had 100 cars registered for the event, with 16 cars in our race group. Our race group included Mustangs, Corvettes Camaros, 2 XKEs, a Dodge Dart, Shelby 350 Mustangs, Porsche 911s, a Sunbeam Tiger, a Dodge Challenger, Ford Falcon, and a Firebird.
Turn 1 This turn can be taken much faster than what your car may make you feel. 3rd or 4th gear full throttle. The approach speed for this turn on most cars is between 85 - 115 MPH. Well balanced cars should be able to take the turn at approximately 80 MPH or better.
Turn 2 Straight uphill, blind to big turn at 3.
Turn 3 The complex at 3 includes a sharp left hander, followed by a short, easy left/right kink. The line here involves taking the car in very deep on the outside (right), then turning sharply in to apex. Speed drops from 100 mph to 30 mph. Apply full throttle post-apex to attack the left-right combo, taking the line as straight as possible. This will naturally position you on the left going up-hill toward 4. Cars that get it wrong in 3 will have turned in too early, or carried too much speed through the hairpin, resulting in oversteer and spins at the second left-hander or prior to the right hander out of the complex. The turn-in at 3 is not the place to gain time - resist the temptation to over-drive it.
Turn 4 Is basically a decreasing radius curve that appears to start just below the crest of the hill. Get familiar with the turn-in points at lower speeds before attacking this section. This turn, like all at Hallett, should be taken very deep, so that you exit on the far right side of the tarmac. There is a small white square painted at a sufficiently aggressive turn in point on top of the hill, on the left side. If your left front tire hits this square, your turn at 4 should position you well for an attack on 5. The transition from 4 to 5 comes fairly quickly on a hot lap - probably 3rd gear in road cars. The only braking required between 4 and 5 is to set your speed at the turn-in on four.
Turn 5 You'll naturally get a lot of weight transfer to the outside as you approach turn 5 - especially if you didn't go deep enough into 4. A well-balanced car should be able to take this turn fairly quick, but heavier vehicles and hot tires can lead to a tank-slapper or shunt. You can get back on-throttle before apexing turn 5, leading downhill to 6.
Turns 6 and 7 The complex at 6 and 7 is a double-apex turn. Carry the car very deep into 6 (late) on the right side of the tarmac, and look to a spot just past the white-red paint on the inside (just before the straight leading to turn 8). After making this turn properly, you should be back to full throttle exiting 7 fairly quickly. Again, like most turns at Hallett, you need to go in deeper than you'd anticipate, and use all the road.
Turn 8 Approaching 8, set the car with the brakes quick and hard once, taking the left-hander somewhat deep. You will see 3 telephone poles, aim straight for it, and it will take you right to the apex of eight and, with enough speed, carry you over to turn nine. Take a straight line from the inside of the first left-hander, close to the cone (apex) of the right-hander, and on to the bottom of the hill on the far left of the tarmac.
Turn 9 Coming out of 8 on-line and under late braking, you quickly return to throttle and apex 9 by touching the rumble strip on the inside (right), leading back out to the left rumble strip going up the hill to the back straight. Extend the turn very gradually to the right to set up for 10.
Turn 10 Approach the carousel at 10 from the far right, and brake very deep into the turn. Done properly, you can return to throttle quickly and stay on it, touching the inside rumble strip just before the storm grates. An approach into 10 in a road car should be between 80 - 100 MPH. Cars get it wrong here by using too much throttle too early, or not going deep enough - both often result in either a spin or an excursion into the field to the right of the track.
Once again, I can’t thank Mark and Floyd enough from keeping the Jag “race ready” the entire weekend. It’s a ton of work and they really gives it 100%. It was a Fabulous Weekend of Racing!
Philip Taxman
