Track
Details
Address: Glan-y-Gors Park, Cerrigydrudion, Corwen,
LL21 0RU
Phone Number: 01490 420770
Web Site: www.gygkarting.co.uk
Track Length: 800 - 1600 Metres
Facilities: Changing Rooms, cafeteria and corporate
Kart track.
Weather Forecast: Click
here for next 10 days
An Introduction to Glan-y-Gors
An Introduction to Glan-y-Gors by the current lap record holder
in both Heavyweight and Lightweight Sprint classes, Trevor Randall.
Glan-y-Gors (GYG) is an absolutely brilliant, big, sweeping
track in North Wales – and well worth the journey. Ever since
my first
time there, I’ve rated it as my favourite kart track in the
UK. It’s Wales’s mini-Nurburgring, the fast, sweeping turns and
uphill/downhill
nature combine to give the driver a fun, rollercoaster ride,
on a track where the stopwatch rewards commitment in the fast
corners.
Track Layout
Club Corner (or “Hill’s Punt/Hegarty’s Backflip”)
Turn 1, Club Corner is a flat out right turn that is very important
for laptime up the long Dragon straight. Keep the steering smooth
here and you could be overtaking the kart ahead before the next
corner. It’s vital not to get held up around here at the start
of the race as you will pay for it all the way up the hill.
Dragon Straight
This is the longest straight of the season in Club100, it is
slightly uphill too, making the exit onto it even more important.
At end of it, there is a flat out right turn which is a great
overtaking place if you get a good tow/slipstream from the kart
ahead. Be careful though, because this right turn is followed
immediately by the blind entry and heavy braking required for
the right hand hairpin known as The Spoon.
The Spoon
This is a challenging, tricky, blind entry corner that you
cannot see until you are already on it at full speed!Brake early
here
on your 1st practice lap, then build up to a comfortable braking
point that allows a smooth straight exit of the corner. Approaching
the turn from the left of the circuit, use the Marshal’s Post
on right as a braking marker.
Overtaking moves do happen here – the entry is wider than the
exit though, so side by side racing isn’t really going to help
the progress of either racer involved.Also beware of the large
kerb on the exit before Snowdon straight – leave room for fellow
racers here to avoid messy contact.
Snowdon Straight
This is the downhill straight exiting the Spoon and approaching
The Carousel. Look up and to the right to see Mount Snowdon (!)
alternatively check to your left as you approach the Carousel
as if someone is trying to overtake you here it is imperative
that you allow racing room, because it is a very fast section
and there is really no room to go side by side through the next
turn, The Carousel.
The Carousel
This fast, long, double apex turn is a real challenge. It’s
like a bigger version of The Horseshoe at Clay Pigeon. Brake
from
the left of the track before turning in, then get back on the
power and aim to leave a kart’s width between your front left
wheel and the kerb at the first apex. Keep it smooth through
the middle of the turn, feeding in the power and drifting out
slightly to centre of track, then cutting in to clip the second
apex closely, before unwinding the steering lock and using all
of the track on the exit to get a good run up the next uphill
straight. It’s important to keep the kart balanced through this
long left hander as oversteer here hurts laptime.
Compression Corner
After exiting the Carousel, the track climbs uphill again,
around another flat out right turn, which is strictly single
file on
the racing line, before heading downhill again, starting with
the excellent Compression Corner. This is an on-the-limit off
camber right turn that needs a slight brake or lift on entry
before turning in on the power, using the track camber on the
apex to keep a high momentum speed while applying more throttle
to fly on the exit. There isn’t much room on the exit here so
don’t overdo it, although a good run might allow an opportunistic
overtaking move to be considered into the next right/left corner
sequence.
Druids 1 right (“Randall’s Grasstrack”) & Druids
2 Hairpin left
These are a continuation of Compression Corner, where the track
falls downhill quite steeply. This makes the braking zone for
the first right hander (Druids 1) a place to be careful of
brake lock ups as you knock off some of the speed to get around
this
medium speed right turn. There is some speed to be gained by
hugging (not riding) the kerb through Druids 1 as the track
falls away off camber. Also hugging the kerb gives a good line
through
to the tight left hairpin (Druids 2) that requires decisive
braking before turning in tight to the kerb on the apex.
Devils Elbow
Exiting the left hairpin (Druids 2) unwind the steering and
apply the power through the twisting and undulating left/right/right/left
Devils Elbow section. Keeping steering inputs to a minimum
as
you increase the throttle, focus on the exit of the final
left and use the track’s camber to keep the steering smooth
and
the revs rising. A good run out of the final left allows
possible overtaking moves into the final turn.
Paddock Bend
This final corner of the GYG lap is a right turn that requires
a slight lift off the throttle or dab on the brakes,
before turning in from a position as far left of track
as you
can get to, following
the exit of Devils Elbow. It’s similar to the final
turn at Whilton Mill, where there is a kerb on the apex but
it is best
avoided
in order to keep the kart controlled and balanced and
keep up the momentum for a good exit through the corner
and over the
start/finish line. It is possible to overtake into
this final turn if you get a good run out of Devils Elbow
and
the driver
in front didn’t, but this leaves you open to attack
into turn 1, Club Corner, as you begin another lap of this
brilliant circuit
