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