February - Mazda MX-5 Club of Victoria & Tasmania

Driving Calder …■ Words & photos: Lachlan StoryI will preface this piece bystating that I have neverdriven an MX-5 aroundCalder, something I hope toremedy soon.I have, however, punted various othervehicles around this excellent track,varying from an Austin A 30 to a sevenlitreV12 Lister Jaguar. It is a fast and, ifdriven properly, safe and exciting track. Iam not a professional driver, but I drivefor fun and I have picked up a bit fromsome seriously good drivers.Calder is so named because if it is goingto be cold, it will be colder there thananywhere else on the planet, with thepossible exception of Ballarat and thesub-Antarctic continent. Also if it is goingto rain it will rain there. I can recall anumber of events where rain was drivensideways by a demonic wind.Navigating the track depends on whatvehicle you are driving. I can say withabsolute authority that driving an AustinA 30 (803cc’s of raw power) around Calderis somewhat different from drivingthat V12 Jaguar on that same track. (Noless exciting ... maybe more so!) I havea photograph of my A 30 entering themain straight with the driver’s frontwheel inches off the ground and thedrink-driving “You’re a bloody idiot”advertisement in the background.I have also raced a Moke which, whileit performed well on the tight Wintontrack, was hopelessly outclassed at Calderwhere it failed to take a corner andended up beside the track looking like aruptured ferret. (Notice I said “it”, not “I”.Terminology is SO important in puntingaround a track!)I love Calder because you can go fastenough to know how fast your car is and,at the same time, find out how well yourcar handles in tight circumstances.The secret to this track is to be smooth.It is great to accelerate hard and brakehard but on this track it will cost youtime. If you brake at the right place andtherefore take the corner faster youroverall times will improve. Simple (yeahright, simple if you know how!). I lovewatching the really good drivers who allseem to be driving slower than anyoneelse but it is “smooth” not “slow” andtheir times are invariably faster.Enough of that for now. I will cruise youthrough the track and explain (in myopinion) the best way to maximise –safely – your car’s the abilities. I say in myopinion because you can always learnmore from other drivers. There are nohard and fast rules – only guidelines.Right from the start, the aim is to get fromthe start/finish line to the start/finish linewith your car in one piece and your sanityintact ... and hopefully with a respectabletime to your credit.From the start grid, halfway down thefront or “main” straight, we drive flat outto the first turn. Some treat this 180°sweeper as two turns, but it should betreated as a single sweeping turn if youare to take full advantage of it. For thisturn, as you come over a slight rise inthe straight, you are about 200 metresfrom the turn. Depending on the car youshould start braking here. Enter the curvelater and exit later, thus enabling you totreat it as one corner rather than two,washing off less speed and exiting muchfaster and better placed for the followingturn. Remember: the more speed you lose,the harder you have to pedal to it make up.After the late apex on Turn 1, youaccelerate up a short flat straight. Staywide, and enter Turn 2 late so that youcan stay wide for the left-hander thatleads into a short uphill section known asJane’s Hill. (Bob Jane had to buy a wholerace track to have a hill named after him!)Crest his rise in the middle and on thedownhill run, move left in anticipation ofthe approaching right/left chicane.As you crest Jane’s Hill you are enteringthe right/left chicane. This is known as“The Kink” (or “Oh S—t” Corner). I like to12