Abingdon

[AlanP]

Chaps,

Any opinions on Abingdon? I've looked through every post that comes up on a search but nothing I saw really gave me much idea of what it's like. One comment saying it's not a good as a real circuit.

How are the run off areas? Is the long straight as long as the back straight at Bedford?

There are a few comments about the abrasive surface.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Alan

[phil4]

It's got it's pro-s and cons.

It's an old airfield, not a smooth racetrack. It's quite flat and featureless, and has quite high tire wear.

It's doesn't really have runoffs as such, there's the road, then there isn't.

What it does have going for it is a distinct lack of serious danger, there's nothing really to hit, it's not too long, so quite easy to learn and the straight is very wide.

It's very local to me, so it's easy for me to say yes. I'd say Castle Coombe is a much better track, albeit with a bit more to hit, but there's nothing to say that Abingdon can't be a good place to run the car hard and learn/perfect braking, cornering etc.

[AlanP]

Thanks Phil. I like the certainty (almost) that you'll be driving home that you get from Bedford, so that encouraging. A

[Sir Nick]

"It's doesn't really have runoffs as such, there's the road, then there isn't"

[Preseh]

I went there at the tail end of last year. The main negative for me was how busy it was - I found myself stuck behind a train of Vauxhall Corsas with poor track etiquette a couple of times. As Phil said, there's nothing really to hit except cones so it's good from that perspective. I did aquaplane 360 off onto the grass at about 100mph overtaking a slower car on the straight so don't be too ambitious getting off line in the wet - there was a lot of standing water. On a quieter, drier day, I definitely would have enjoyed it more

[Peter255]

I found the course a bit limited compared to a proper racetrack. Too many tight twisty artificial cone chicanes.

It was also a tyre wrecker with sections of high grip tarmac that shred tyres.

From memory at the start of the day it was also a question of weeding the course with the cars for the first few runs!

But it is pretty safe. If you make a mistake you are only likely to kill a few cones so cosmetic damage only.

This is an old video showing you the track from a while back.

[AlanP]

Thanks for all that, I think I'll give it a go early September.

Marvellous.

Alan