Anglesey Track Day

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Another track day, another mechanical fault - it's the rules, don't you know?  Almost crashing the car is also the done thing, and I did have a half-hearted go at this, getting a tank-slapper on down the pit straight which resulted in the marshall sticking his head out of his window and giving me a Paddington bear-style stare.  As I was already in trouble, I hung the backside out on every corner for the remainder of the lap, then came in.  Nobody came after me though, even though this company (Focused Events) don't take any nonsense and send you home if you fall off the track twice, which seems a bit harsh!

Anglesey is a great circuit, this was the international layout which is the longest at just over 2 miles, but the straights are much shorter than they first appear, and it's pretty hard on tyres and brakes - more so than Brands Hatch, for instance.  It's very technical and takes some learning, but there's a lot of run-off so it's much less daunting than Oulton or Cadwell.

Here's a few laps; not a lot happens, but you do get to see the Irish sea at 1m45s.  I mostly get stuck behind a French hatchback which is presumably trying to find the supermarket... nobody would take a front-wheel drive car to a trackday, surely?  That would be like going to an expensive restaurant then demanding Micro chips, wouldn't it?



By 3pm I was on the way home, a stud securing the turbo to the manifold gave way again and it was blowing pretty badly.  I couldn't give it any beans during the 5 hour ride home (a record non-stop drive for me), but I drove through Snowdonia and it's just wonderful in a topless car on a sunny day.  I got an incredible high-40s mpg too!

If you're reading this because you're thinking about taking a long hike to Anglesey, it's certainly worth it but DO NOT STAY IN HOLYHEAD.  Holyhead is SHIT, it makes Great Yarmouth look like Monte Carlo, and may even be worse than Tenby.  If you want the complete Hell-like experience, stay at the Travelodge which is LIKE PRISON, except in prison they at least give you soap and you do get lots of company.

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