Sunday 3rd November brought the Trackskills track day season at Kirkistown Racing Circuit to a close for 2024.
Ten great days for the Public were run during the year, as well as two exclusive ones for the Irish Porsche Owners Club.
The whole ethos of track days is to be able to experience the upper levels of your car’s performance capabilities in a controlled and relatively safe environment. Everyone is going in the same direction. As a driver, you don’t have to contend with pedestrians, bicycles, trucks or tractors. Nor are there any speed traps to catch your eye, just when it is too late.
Trackskills is owned and staffed by current, competing racing drivers, who are always on hand to offer advice and encouragement. However, no one is ever encouraged to push beyond his or her capabilities.
Around 60% of the cars that turn out will have been driven to the circuit. The others will have been transported on trailers or in trucks.
The most popular makes are Mazda MX5s, Renault Clios, Honda Civics and all models of BMWs. Renault Méganes have shown a rise in popularity in the last couple of years. So have Suzuki Swifts.
And then there are the one-offs. When Terry O’Neill turns up, he is always in a Maserati. John Lyttle and Raymond Grimes share a rare GM3 sports car. Desi Auld is very impressive in his Seat Leon Cupra, especially when his brake disks are glowing red hot! There was even a Subaru Forrester at the final meeting.
Lotus 7 derivatives, such as Caterhams, Westfields and others, tend to make more appearances during the Summer months. Over the season, there is also a steady turn out of actual Lotus cars, allbeit the more modern models.
The paddock is a very friendly place. Help is always at hand if a mechanical problem arises.
All newcomers are treated to a learning session in the Trackskills BMW, usually with Greer Wray at the wheel. Most make two comments after this experience. The first is that the advice given and demonstrated was “really useful” and the second was that they didn’t realise that a diesel BMW 5 Series could lap Kirkistown so quickly!
During the day, all action on track is organised into 15-minute sessions. Before the lunch break, there are at least three groups. Two of these are for drivers who have driven with Trackskills previously and the third group is only for newcomers. That way, the newcomers get peace to learn the circuit without worrying about hindering the more experienced drivers. After lunch the sessions are retained but groups are no longer used.
There is always a team of MotorsportUK qualified marshals and a medical crew in attendance.
The most popular session during the whole season is the very final one of year. By November, the clocks have gone back an hour and darkness begins to descend from 4:15pm onwards. The final event can run until the marshals at the corners can no longer see each other. For spectators, the places to stand are the Hairpin and Colonial 1, where the cars are braking from high speed to less than 50 M.P.H. With such hard retardation, the brake rotors light up a wonderful orange colour. The heavier the car, the brighter the rotors! Grant Quinn’s BMW M4 was lighting up both front and rear disks. As mentioned above, Desi Auld’s Seat was glowing like a steel furnace. One of two Toyota GR Yariss was also getting the front disks glowing. In the gloom, it was hard to identify which one it was.
Eventually a halt was called and that was it all over for another year. Next year’s season begins on Sunday 9th February, with the following date being Sunday 16th March. For all 2025 dates please check on www.trackskills.com or www.kirkistown.com
