Oulton Park Musings

Built in the undulating parkland of Oulton Park this race track is fast and challenging. With several sharp changes of elevation traction can be an issue and it has one of the most deadly and challenging corners on any circuit.

Knickerbrook is a fast, off camber, undulating right hander at the end of the longest full throttle run on the circuit. 

But let's backpedal. T1 is a fast right hander, it's just short of flat in 4th/5th on entry then flat mid corner with a tricky curb on exit it's easy to get wrong and quite crucial for the short, but fast, run through T2 into T3. T3 is another important corner leading onto the first true straight, it is a fast left hander probably running in 4th gear with the run down to the next corner being one of the two overtaking spots that are truly on the circuit. For our Formula one circuit we run down to T4 as a tricky fast 5th gear left then T5 is a hairpin before running back flat through T6. The Formula Atlantics do a hairpin T4 just before the F1 circuits T4 and rejoin just after T6.

Both circuits run the rest of the lap the same and the next corner is Knickerbrook. This is where Derek Warwicks brother, Paul Warwick, was tragically killed and caused a chicane to be implemented there. However we are running the pre-Warwick accident layout so this corner is approached at max speed and in the Atlantics is flat out.

Get the line wrong and the off camber nature can put you in a spin. After Knickerbrook we have a flat left and approach the next right hander at max speed. This corner is almost as challenging as Knickerbrook due to it's blind nature. It is a double apex corner and get it right can give you the speed you need to take a place into the penultimate corner. This is a 2nd gear 'humped' turn with the car going light just as you want to accelerate through Deer leap and over the S/F line.

Where the Atlantic and F1 circuits re-combine is one of several bumps that are upsetting for the F1 cars more than the Atlantics.

Overall a very fast, challenging circuit that should provide a lot of enjoyment and produces some classic racing in the Atlantic event today.