Castle Combe circuit video
 

Sorry guys, a bit late and I'm afraid it is from within a car from from I've seen so far....

http://www.moleracing.com/on_board_v...tle_combe.html

Is it still the same track ?????

Frank

They have added a chicane just after " Tower " corner...



Phil

Circuit layout
 

The new chicane is on the Dean Straight, approx where the words 'viewing area' are.

Only cause I'm off work and nothing to do....here's my view of the track. My comparison is with the CB5 which will be down on power, suspension and tyres on DD bikes, but similar enough to get a feel for it.

Start/finish straight is flat out and includes the Folly kink which is a corner of sorts, but it's very exciting to be leaning over full on the gas. The start is great going around this bend, with 5 abreast flat out with nobody on any real racing line - very exciting.

As you approach Avon Rise and the left hander, you have to decide where you're going to brake. The faster boys may leave their braking really late here and carry a load of corner speed into the left hander, but most will ease off a bit, balance the throttle and tip it in to the left, which means you're braking with the bike lent over having been flat out - scary, but a great place to make up time.

The problem is, this is the all important approach to Quarry which is the most difficult and probably most important corner on the track IMHO. A bad position going around the left will put you out to the right and too close to the apex for the fastest line, but depending on who is around you, you may actually have to be there to block people behind you. It is possible, particularly in the first lap, to head straight for the apex and out-brake everyone on the correct line and block their fast exit. Of course, this puts you in the wrong position for a fast exit and importantly, the corner does tighten up and many find themselves dancing with the grass on the left as you exit. Late turn in, hit the apex and hard on the gas if you can otherwise, you'll be out-dragged down Farm Straight to the Esses. If you get Quarry right, and you're dicing with someone on a similar bike and skill, it may be possible to hold a defensive line all the way to the finish.

The Esses are typical of any chicane. Again, you can go out to the left and take the classic route, but beware of people like me who tend to just go straight for the apex, out-brake you and force you onto the grass on the left. Doing this does mess up you're exit a bit. The exit is all important here again as you are now hard on the gas down a very short straight to Old Paddock Bend.

OPBend is a lovely fast corner and possible to take flat out if you get the right line. You must get from the right coming out of the Esses, over to the left for a late turn in as you're full on the gas and there is little room for error here. If not, you find yourself too far over to the left on the exit, feathering the throttle with almost no run-off area.

From here, it's flat out down Hammerdown into Tower. I find this a tricky little bleeder and was taken a few times by people with more guts than me. It's hard on the brakes and a little bumpy as I recall and again, only has a few hay bales between you and the tyre wall. This is a good overtaking place. It's very tempting to turn in too early here, so leave it late, get early on the gas for the run up a slight hill to Bobbies.

It's possible to get a better drive out of Tower and out-brake people into Bobbies and as it's one at a time through it, so you often get a bit of paint exchange and grass tracking here.

Coming out of Bobbies, again it's hard on the gas all the way around Westway which is more of an extension of a straight than a real corner as your're flat out.

Next up is the new chicane about three quarters of the way down Dean Straight. It's worse than Cadwell's new chicane. It's basically a piece of tarmac about six foot wide that looks like you laid it yourself on your driveway at home. There is a barrier in place all the way across the existing tarmac. This forces you to be very late on the brakes and was the sight of many accidents last year. It's one bike at a time and the drive out of the corner is critical. Gearing choice is important here as it is just possible to get earlier/harder on the gas than the guy in front of you, slip stream them around the corner and down the very short straight to the finish. There were a few people who came out of Camp in the lead thinking they'd won only to be beaten by a tyre width on the line.

Camp itself is flat out on the CB5, but a little scary as the back wheel is shuffling about a bit, it's a typical CB5 leaning off pose that is required here to try to keep the bike as upright as possible. There's not much run off again and there were a few accidents here last year as people either slid off or made contact trying to stay too close for the run to the line.

If not the last lap, it's flat out again heading for Quarry.

I've never ridden one, but depending on your gearing, a 583 may top out down the straight, but there's a compromise with the fact that there as so many corners linked together and a good drive out is essential if you don't want to be passed on the way into the next one.

Good places to watch - on the bank above the new chicane as you can see the approach, the chicane itself, the finish and all the way to Avon. Quarry is worth a short walk to and it's possible to keep walking and go all the way around the track. I quite liked watching at Tower as there is a lot going on and you're fairly close to the action.

Ah, wish I was going myself now.

Best of luck everyone, hope it stays dry.

WeeJohnyB

great report John !! However i am now " officially " sh11ting myself

To add i was flat out on the 675 down the straight

Phil

[Edited on 2-6-2005 by fil2]

Fabulous write up WJB.

Do you really have to brake for Avon Rise??
I've not ridden the circuit, but been there to watch and I was sure it could be kept on the stop 'til braking for Quarry.
I guess I'll find out!

Hmm, making me think now Nick. I'm fairly sure the start of the braking zone is in the corner if you're early, I seem to recall still being lent over when braking. Will stand corrected though.

WeeJohnyB

I wa braking on the crest of Avon Rise on my Fireblade, hopefully a bit later than that on the 600SS

:o:o:o:o..u better have them brakes sorted then skids as quarry comes up really really fast as you well know



[Edited on 2-6-2005 by fil2]

[Edited on 2-6-2005 by fil2]

This is gunna be great fun :D:D:D:D:D:D

Can tea biatchs use the competitors entrance:puzzled:

Only if you have a vehicle pass I'm afraid.

If not, then you'll have to park in the Spectators area, but your pink ticket will get you in to the paddock... on foot ;)

:(

Blimey - that's good!!!!

You gotta have space-hopper sized bolucks to leave your braking much after Avon Rise I reckon!!! Unless you like the taste of rubber!!!!;)

It's a trick, he was doing 40mph on his warm up lap ;)

Here is a 33MB video - on board bike, April 2005 with the new chicane.

http://homepage.mac.com/richardmorri...CMCF050418.wmv

Nice little video - on the day it may be a little busier, louder, closer, faster and more fun! Some of the lines may be a little different as well.

Nick - note the brake light coming on whilst still lent over for Quarry and that's going a lot slower than you'll be going, so I think my original statement still stands, although it's been a while, so happy to be corrected.

WeeJohnyB

Noted john, but my little monnie only does 140!
I was planning to start by following your notes anyway... they've proved good in the past, thanks chap.

So Nick, were you braking whilst still banked over to the left heading for Quarry? Was my write up accurate in terms of overtaking etc?

WeeJohnyB

Mornin' JohnyB

You were sort of right... My ideal braking point for quarry would have been at the very moment the bike went light at Avon Rise, but that wasn't very helpful for stability! So what I ended up doing was to back of about 10m before avon rise so I could extend the braking point a bit.
I don't think I worked out what was the right thing to do - I found an apex at Quarry probably half a dozen times over 28 laps! Braking before the rise and I was too slow into the turn and got mugged, braking after the rise (without shutting off before) and I was going wide and getting mugged.

Funny thing tho wjb, your report didn't mention how much hard work that circuit is!!

Can safely say the DD brake (singular) is not a patch on the full pfm 6-pot setup I had on my Fireblade, even so I still found myself just knocking it down a gear at the bottom of the rise and then braking just after the crest using the wide entry line to add a little extra braking distance.

I think my top speed on the 583 with 15/41 gearing reving to 9k and a decent taiil wind is no better than 125mph, so if Nick was doing 140mph I may as well be in a different race.

Kev, I've not got a prayer of doing 140 on the monnie!
I reckon it wasn't much more than 120, but will have to do the maths to work it out.

My speed estimate is based on the fact I was running standard road gearing for a 600SS and was reving it to 9k which is a little more than the standard redline from what I recall. I have seen various writeups saying the 600SS was good for 120mph so I presume I was going a touch faster as I approached Avon Rise flat out in 5th.

Nice one, so were you upright or banked over when braking?

WeeJohnyB

yep, all of those!

But when I'd worked out what was less hazardous to my health, I scrubbed some speed whilst banked over by shutting the throttle early so I could start braking while upright and trail the front brake into the turn for Quarry.

So wjb, tell me what I shoulda done... if you can imagine yourself on a monnie, doing about 120 approaching Avon Rise... over to you!

[Edited on 6-6-2005 by NBs996]

nah, you're asking too much. I'm genuinely trying to remember. I still have an image in my head of it being a dodgy section with undulation, two changes of direction and braking as well as a corner that tightens up, so I think I was on the brakes whilst banked over, but could easily be wrong.

Anyone got any lap times?

WeeJohnyB

I was lent over all the time while braking, and I kept leaning over until I hit the ground.... Arse. On the other hand I was flat out over Avon Rise and then for another 5m or so every lap, so it was bound to happen eventually!

:lol:

I'm a little bored this eve, so I've just worked out my top speed approaching Avon Rise...

Assumptions/errors:
The needle was waving around the 9000rpm mark, so I've used 9000 for the calc;
Can't account for the expansion of the rear tyre due to centrifugal 'fling' cos I didn't fancy leaning over to measure it!
So the number is tending towards the low side.

top speed = 121.0463mph

now I'm bored again.

[Edited on 8-6-2005 by NBs996]

Simon Knowlson told me that he approached the same point of the circuit at 170mph, I think Dallas tried this and when he then missed his braking point by a couple of feet it was crash, bang wallop and no more track time for the ZX10R that day.

Nick from what you say and what I think my top speed was there isn't much in it apart from the extra couple of seconds it took my bike to get there.