May 31st saw over 20 Ariel Atoms (plus a couple of Abarths) rock up at Castle Combe to experience one of the fastest and most notorious tracks in the UK.
Arranged by our very own Sir Nick (who in some of his spare time is also a safety marshal at the circuit), Ariel Club members plus some friends of the club enjoyed a day of perfect weather and exclusive use of the 1.85 mile circuit. Standards of driving throughout the day were very high, making for a welcoming environment for all, especially for those who had never driven their Atom on track before.
The fact that seasoned racing drivers, gentleman drivers and track newbies all shared track time with no complaints, just a lot of big grins is one of the key aims of Club Track Days. Some of our members even enjoyed free track insurance thanks to the fact that the day was organised by the club.
Club ‘Top Bloke’ Si “Sideways” Clark kindly donated his time for free to the Club, and was kept very busy giving instruction to both new and old hands. Excellent feedback was given by all who benefited from Si’s expert tuition, with drivers reporting big improvements in confidence and smoothness following their sessions with him. Si is a development driver for Ariel and knows a lot about how to set up the cars, but his real super powers are being able to transfer some of his immense skill and knowledge to others in such a friendly and easy going manner, especially given the fact that it’s often done at high speed, in an open cockpit and without the use of verbal communications!
If you want to add the best upgrade money can buy this season, book some instruction with Si for a day – https://siclarkdriving.co.uk/
The day was also supported by the Service team from Ariel, led as ever, by technical guru, Steve ‘Rookie’ Rook. The factory guys were able to help a number of people throughout the day, giving some hints and tips about set up and even breaking the spanners out to help some members get back on track.
There was another friend of the club in the pit lane, the amazingly brave Owen – the walking encyclopedia of all things Ariel Atom. Owen enjoyed some quick laps in a number of cars, at one point demonstrating the advantages of an ‘anti-submarine’ 5 point harness over a 4 pointer!
Some pictures from the day.
