2021 Time Attack Championship Round 5: Anglesey
After a 9 year hiatus, the UK Time Attack Championship heads back to Anglesey!
Round 5 of the 2021 Time Attack Championship brought us back to Anglesey. A circuit that hasn’t been on the calendar since 2012! This brought a new dimension to the weekend as many of the drivers had to learn a new circuit.
This includes Jonny, who had not driven at Anglesey since that event 9 years ago. Before this however, there was still the usual pre event checks and that needed to be done.
There was a slight leak from from a worn fitting on the gearbox oil cooler, we decided to replace the complete hose rather than just the fitting to play it safe. Jonny also installed a new set of gear cables after the failure at Oulton park.
Lastly, the brakes where bled to get some fresh fluid into the system and the pads where replaced. With all these jobs complete, the car was ready for it’s outing in Wales.
To add to the challenge, the weather was also looking very unpredictable, with the forecast changing by the hour in the lead up to the event. Promisingly, we woke up Sunday to dry, albeit windy conditions.
Warm Up
The last time Jonny was at Anglesey, his Vauxhall Astra G was essentially still a road car. As a result the plan for the first session of the day was to get accustomed to the circuit, learning lines and braking points.
Within 7 laps, Jonny had already beat his PB from 2012. Showing the progress the Astra has made over the years. He ended the session posting a 1:20.297.
Practice
After warm up we checked the car and discovered a crack on the rear brake disc, unfortunately we don’t carry replacements so Jonny decided to perceiver. Out on track it was time to start pushing., building on a solid morning session. After taking a few laps to build tyre temperature, Jonny set a 1:19.075. An improvement of over a second.
Jonny improved again on the next lap, knocking half a second off his benchmark time. Jonny aborted a promising looking lap three after the locking the rear brakes into rocket, unsettling the car and sending it into a slide.
After pitting to make sure the car was okay, the session was red flagged as a result of a broken down car blocking the pitlane entry. Practice wasn’t restarted but Jonny was feeling happy with the progress made and was looking forward qualifying.
Qualifying
Over the lunch break, we inspected the rear disc to check the crack, as we suspected this was the cause for the lock up in practice. To counter the issue we switched the brake bias to the front.
On track we set about chipping away at the lap times. With temperatures a little cool, not helped by the sea breeze, a few laps where needed to get some heat in the tyres. The first flying lap produced a 1:18.055 another half second improvement.
The next four laps didn’t bring any improvement as Jonny struggled to get on top of the first sector. The final lap of the session was looking encouraging but a car spinning in front cost Jonny what was certain to be his fastest lap of the day. A frustrating end to qualifying.
Final
The first flying lap in the final was a 1:18.787, leaving us a little off the pace. It was a good banker however, allowing Jonny to really push the limits the next time around. The following lap yielded a 1:17.869, our quickest lap of the day and another PB.
There was plenty of time to improve but the more the session went on, the more the cracked rear disc was becoming a problem. Locking up was becoming a real issue, with the crack catching on the pads every time the brakes where applied.
Despite this, Jonny was still pushing hard and on the final lap set the second fastest first sector out of anyone. The big braking zone in to rocket followed, frustratingly the rear locked up again sending Jonny into a spin. Costing us the lap and almost certainly a podium finish.
This meant Jonny ended the day with a 1:17.787. A very respectable lap considering the issues with the car. Sadly, it wasn’t enough for a podium but the car had the pace. We really hope the championship heads back to Anglesey next year. We have some unfinished business with Trac Mon.
Our focus now turns to Donington for round 6 on August 30th. A large crowd is expected over the bank holiday weekend, looking to make the most of an action packed time table. Donington is another circuit on the calendar Jonny has had success at in the past, so we are hoping for another strong result!