The James Whitham track training day at Mallory Park feels as if it reflects the two sides of James Whitham.
On the one hand, there is the light-hearted, carefree part of the day where we get as much throttle freedom as we wish and the opportunity to chew through tyres and burn petrol going around in circles. This is the James Whitham we see on TV.
Then, there is the serious part of the day, where the business is to help riders at all levels become better track riders by showing them how to improve their track riding safely, even if they have never been on track before. This reflects the hard-working, no-nonsense Yorkshireman.
Bring both of those together at Mallory Park in the sunshine, and you get one hell of a track day.
Mallory Park
Originally, Mallory Park was a grass track circuit until 1956, when the original one-mile oval was given a hard surface. Some years later, the track was extended by adding a loop with a hairpin bend.
Despite the hairpin (Shaw’s Corner) being the tightest corner on a UK race track, and having had two chicanes added to reduce the speeds, Mallory Park is a fast circuit.
The Suzuki GSX-S1000GT I’m riding drank two-thirds of a tank in four of the seven 20-minute sessions. Perhaps it has something to do with there being three hard acceleration zones.
The lap starts with Gerard’s bend, a 200-degree curve roughly a third of a mile long, leading to Sebbe Straight. Hard on the brakes for Edwina’s – a classic left-right chicane – and it is then back on the throttle for the run through the John Cooper Esses to the hairpin.
A short burst of acceleration and wiggle through the tight Bus Stop chicane opens out onto the challenging left-hand downhill Devil’s elbow, accelerating as much as you can as you join the Kirby Straight, and start another lap.
The circuit is superb for training as it packs a wide variety of corners into a beautifully compressed package. Each lap works you hard. No sooner are you maximising 4th or 5th gear than you need to brake equally vigorously, and shuffle down the gearbox for the next corner.
Where Can I Find …
- James Whitham Track Days – Official Site
- Mallory Park – The Friendly Circuit Website
- Suzuki GSX-S1000GT – Suzuki’s Website
- Cadwell Park – Track Days and Evenings
The Format
As with all track days, signing on starts early, so the safety briefing can commence and deliver the eager riders to the track.
There is something slightly surreal about sitting in the same rider’s briefing as the likes of Christian Iddon, Dan Linfoot and Davo Johnson, to name but a few, who will be our instructors today.
With the briefing complete, by a simple show of hands, we are divided into three groups: fast, intermediate and “the rest”, the green group, which is a polite way of collecting the not-so-fast, first timers, and those with less experience.
Having opted to be part of the green group, as I’m here to learn how to go faster with better lines rather than just whacking the throttle open and hoping, I’m glad I did. Some of the green group are quick, well-mannered, and safe, but they are quick nonetheless.
Having visited the noise tester – there is a strict 103 dB limit – and having been briefed, the green group assembled at the end of the pitlane for our two sighting laps, at the end of which we are led back through the pitlane, and then released in small groups onto an unsuspecting Mallory Park.
Track Time
Each hour is divided into three, twenty-minute segments. The green group leads off, followed by yellow (intermediate) and then the fast red group.
The message for the first green group session is to build into the day. Get to know the track and what corner is coming next, as the exit from the corner dictates your arrival at the next.
The compact nature of Mallory Park makes it easy to learn how the corners connect in the first session, and having assembled in the garage at the end of the session for our debrief, JW gets down to the business of showing us how to improve.
Improvements
During our track sessions, the instructors circulate with us, occasionally stopping off the track to watch a particular corner.
In the first few sessions, the feedback is mainly to the group as a whole. None of us is using the full width of the track, and Gerard’s, the long 200-degree bend, looks simple but needs a specific technique to navigate it quickly.
With the chalk-and-talk session complete and a few specific questions answered, we have a few minutes to socialise before we are once again assembling at the end of the pit lane.
Corner By Corner
What we each wish to work on in our sessions is up to us. I’m trying to build on the lessons learnt at the British Super Bike School and maximise the corner by being on the right line, both on the way in and the way out.
Rather than trying to maximise all the corners at once, I’ve opted to start with the slow-speed corners, work them out, and then try to understand Gerard’s and the Devil’s Elbow.
With session two complete, the feedback is now becoming more specific. It is impressive how the instructors can pick out and remember individual points for each of us.
I get an “Aye, you’re alright. Steady”, but listen to the feedback given to others, as there is always something to learn.
One rider’s style shows he rides a lot of motocross. Another isn’t hitting the apexes through Edwina’s. There is something for everyone, along with a few gentle reminders about track etiquette and learning to read what the rider in front of you will likely do next.
Nemesis
After a frenetic morning of track time and debriefs, the lunch break arrives, and I have time to study my nemesis, Gerard’s.
The slow-speed corners have gone well, and I make a little ground on other riders going through them. I could be harder on the throttle on the exit, but decided that as long as I’m not holding anyone up, I’m on it hard enough.
Which leaves me with the exit from the bus stop onto the start finish straight and Gerard’s to work on in the afternoon.
Devil’s Elbow
James Whitham comes past me and taps the back of his seat, a sign that means follow me. His line out of the Bus Stop is wider than mine, kissing the far end of the rumble strip on the right-hand edge of the track.
There is so much more space than I need for the speed I’m going, and the GSXS1000GT’s shift lights are coming on in 4th and I’m peaking 5th between the bridge and braking for Gerard’s.
It is a beautifully simple demonstration that there is space if I want to go faster. There is no need to lean the bike over more; in fact, it is the opposite. Use the space and keep the bike more upright, so you can safely open the throttle more, if you wish.
Bloody Gerard’s
I think I got Gerard’s right twice the whole day. I found the entry to be easier to get somewhere near right than I did the exit.
There is a line on the right after the marshal’s hut that straightens out the exit onto Sebbe Straight. On the two occasions I nailed it, it was a revelation. I could see the straight line to the apex on the left and the curb stones on the right.
Hook it all up and you are out of Gerard’s like a Yorkshireman’s whippet, who has just seen a ferret.
The less effective lines are still excessive amounts of fun, but take more effort, torture the tyres more, and ultimately are slower and not what I’m here for. I’m still trying to work out what I did differently the two times I did manage to get it right.
Six Out Of Seven
After six sessions, two hours of track time, on a gorgeous sunny day, I noticed I was getting tired and making a few simple mistakes, and opted to skip the seventh and last session of the day.
There is more for me to learn, but the last session wouldn’t help; I’d got everything I would get from the day, and unlike most people who had turned up with trailers and vans, I still had to ride home.
Bottom Line
Brilliant. The atmosphere is relaxed, the instruction is on point and tailored to each person. No one is there to push you to go faster. The overall formula for the day was to help us all find what we were looking for, be that going faster, having fun, or, as in my case, just trying to get better at the basics.
The others on track were respectful of each other, and the day passed without incident for the green group. (I think one rider in the yellow group endured an unscheduled dismount.)
Mallory Park is a great track, be it your 1st or 51st track day. You are always busy, and if you are somewhere near the most effective line, you will be getting a shuffle on.
Next up: An evening at Cadwell Park, and to see if I’m any closer to catching Roger
