With the TRAX Silverstone just around the corner, we thought a track guide of the National Circuit might tempt a few of you into one of the many track sessions being held on the day. Honestly, it’s not that hard…
NATIONAL CIRCUIT
This 1.64-mile track is the same layout as used by many of the country’s leading motorsport series’ – including the British Touring Car Championship – meaning you’ll be able to really put your car through its paces.
The National Circuit also features some of
Silverstone’s most legendary and iconic corners form part of both the new and old F1 layouts, giving you the opportunity to follow in the tyre tracks of truly great drivers past and present!
Your track time at the TRAX will start with you lining up in the pit lane near the medical centre. With so much going on around the show, the traditional pit lane exit is not in use, so follow the signs for ‘Track Time’ and you will be guided to the track entrance behind the Medical Centre building. When it’s time to go you will be led out by a Safety Car, joining the track at Brooklands Corner. DO NOT overtake on this first slow lap. Use the steady laps to familiarise yourself with the circuit and to keep an eye on your temperature gauges, making sure everything is as it should be before the full-throttle laps to follow.
The Safety Car will stay out for one or two laps, or until the track staff are happy everyone is good to go, and when it leaves the track at the exit just after the Luffi eld corner (note, this is where you will exit at the end of the session), then your track time is underway…
As you come blasting down the pit straight you’re heading straight into the first corner of the National Circuit – Copse, a fast, sweeping right-hander.
On the straight, try to stay to left as much as possible (although faster cars will overtake on the left, so keep your eyes open) for a better line through Copse. You cannot see the exit of the corner as you approach, so use the ‘50m’ board on the left as a reference for your turn-in point. It’s not as sharp as people often think, so turn-in nice and smoothly. Avoid jerking the wheel, and keep the power nice and smooth too – you don’t need to lift off (as this can unsettle the back end) but don’t go flat out either (otherwise you’ll drift wide and onto the run-off areas). Use as much of the track as you safely can for the exit of turn one, and gradually you will build confidence in the best line through the corner to carry maximum speed along the short straight and into the second corner…
These famous flowing corners have long been part of the GP circuit at Silverstone, but you’ll need to take a totally different line to Lewis Hamilton and co. That’s because this is part of the track where the National circuit deviates from the GP loop – at Becketts, which is now an almost hairpin right. As you approach the first part, you should already be on the right-side of the track. Using the kerbs on the right as a turn-in reference, start to look through the left-hander ahead and look for the black and white kerbs (with red ‘sausage kerb’) on the left of the track at Maggotts. It may appear counter-intuitive at first, but you really want to aim straight for those kerbs (stay off the red bits!), this is because you want to effectively straighten the kink at Maggotts as much as possible so you’re in the best position to turn right at Becketts. Use these kerbs as a reference for your braking point, and you’ll want to do all the heavy braking in a straight line to keep the car as stable as possible, before easing off the brake and turning right into Becketts…
With the speed sufficiently reduced, let-off the brake and turn-in into the right-hander at Becketts. This is the link between the traditional Becketts corner on the GP track and the Wellington Straight, and for many drivers, including the pros, it’s quite a tricky corner to master; the double-apex can easily catch you out. Initially, aim for the kerbs on the right side and then apply the power – it’s a deceptively late apex, though. With some power on, unwind the steering and allow the car to run to the left of the track. You’re looking to just clip the kerbs on the left side of the track before looking to the second apex on the right which takes you onto the straight. Don’t be tempted to hug the inside of the corner all the way through as it will compromise your speed and line onto the Wellington straight.
The Wellington straight is the long straight that goes under the bridge and brings you into the Brooklands complex. As you enter the straight you’ll be on the left of the track, but by the time you get to Brooklands you’ll need to be on the right, so gradually make your way over to the right side of the track as you power down the straight. This is one of the key overtaking areas of the circuit, so keep an eye out for any faster cars coming past on the left.
This is the corner where you’re most likely to out-brake yourself, so don’t. On the right-hand side there are marker boards, keep an eye out for the one with the left-hand arrow on it and use this as a reference point. For the first couple of laps brake hard well before this board and get the speed down ready to turn-in by the time you reach the marker board. Gradually, you can brake later once you are more confident and familiar with the track and the cornering speeds your car is capable of. You want to get all the heavy braking done in a straight line before bleeding off the brakes as you turn the car into the corner at Brooklands. Be careful though, as some faster cars may still be coming up on your left and having to take a sharper line through Brooklands to overtake. They shouldn’t, but it can happen so
just be aware. If you’re too late on the brakes you will completely miss the apex, but if you turn in too soon you will quickly run out wide. You may need to trail brake to keep the car in line as you aim for the apex on the left-hand side. It’s another late apex, much later than you first think – indicated by two red humps on the inside of the normal black and white kerbing. Use 1/3 throttle to coax the car into the apex, and try not to allow the car to drift too far to the right as it will compromise the entry for the next corner, Luffield…
Luffield is a tricky right-hander that catches lots of people out. There’s the added complexity of the rapid change of direction from left-hander at Brooklands to right-hander at Luffi eld, and this rapid weight transfer can cause your back end to break lose. However, if you’ve exited Brooklands correctly you’ll be in the middle of the track as you brake and prepare to turn into the first part of Luffield. Clip the first apex and allow the car to drift wide a little into the middle of the track again. Holding steady on the power and looking through the rest of the bend you can spot the exit. Aim for the second apex – the kerbs on the right-hand side – and apply full power allowing the car to run across the track to the kerbs on the left-hand side as you exit for the smoothest and fastest line through Luffield…
The final corner before you reach the start/finish line is a seemingly gentle right-hander at Woodcote. But don’t be fooled, this can easily catch you out if you don’t give it the respect it’s due. As you’ll be flat-out until you reach the braking point for Copse, Woodcote is usually taken at full-throttle. Therefore, positioning is key. As you exit Luffield, you’ll be on the left of the track. As you approach Woodcote you can see through the corner and onto the straight. Ease the car towards the apex at Woodcote, and allow it to drift back out to the left again as you go across the start/finish line and get ready to tackle Copse for lap two…
Mark your calendars for the TRAX Silverstone on the 1st of September, an unmissable event that caters to ALL enthusiasts and automotive admirers alike. From the captivating drift showcases to the invigorating track sessions and the stunning display of engineering prowess.