Taysilla: FCD:MP - My first Mallory day.

Yesterday was my first trip to Mallory Park for their infamous open pit lane, full circuit drift day and what can i say... I've fallen in love with Mallory Park!

To give a bit of back ground on FCD:MP, a guy called Bob Inglis started running drift practice days there in December 2009/January 2010, Chunk kicked it off nicely with his 130mph entry into Gerrards corner!

Unfortunately due to lack of interest the majority of FCD days got cancelled in early 2010 until there was an out cry on the Driftworks Forum for everyone to support these days and not lose this amazing track and ever since they have all been fully booked!!!

So, onto my first experience of FCD:MP.

The night before me and my boyfriend, Sid made the drive up to Leicester via Fabricage in Cambridge to pick up Sid's C33 Laurel, staying with local Mallory drifter Chunk we could get up to the track nice and early (still not early enough to get a garage!)

Kirsty Widdrington and Tom Yates of Team Twisted getting the cars warmed up.

We unloaded our stuff with everyone else in the large open pit area and headed to the briefing. There was a good turn out for the day including 30 drivers and about 10 guests joining in the action, we were warned the morning may get a bit crazy with everyone heading out together... and with the new wet tarmac, there were a lot of red flags out!

Jay from Jims Factory was ready to get out there in his MX5

If you haven't been to a FCD:MP day before you're required to complete three viewing laps to get to grips with the circuit, so myself along with a group of others headed out at 9.30 to get a look at the track and realise just how big the place is!

The straight going into Gerrards corner.

So i went out for my first laps and thought I'd take it steady gripping most of it and skidding some of the easier corners like the hair pin until i got used to the fast pace of the track!

The day is so well organised yet unstructured at the same time, come and go as you please and you can go drifting with who you like!

Sid drifting the hair pin in his C33 Laurel

Julie having some fun around Gerrards and making it look far too easy!

The Japspeed lads seeing how good an s14 can off road

Andy Shervington couldn't have possibly driven his little XE powered Starlet harder. Skills!

Paz ironically getting shown up by the under powered Starlet! He won't ever grip Gerrards again haha

By about 4pm everyone was starting to get pretty tired after having a whole day of open track time, so the track quietened down a bit, the perfect time for me to try some different entry techniques.....

It didn't really work out! But Mallory is a great learning curve where you can try new things and do so in relative safety. Thanks to Ammo and Malx for digging me out!

Mallory is a step up from the usual drift tracks currently used in the UK and unfortunately does claim some casualties. Matt and Ian Blackett (new name Stackett) were the unlucky ones on this occasion and Matt is perhaps looking at re-shelling his S14a after some contact with the wall.

The day finished on a total high, the new track pushed me to do things other tracks didn't.

I didn't once feel in over my head, as it's such a relaxed place. If you want to grip the majority of the track and drift the less scary bits you can and there is no pressure to do 100mph Gerrard style entries straight away (although of course that's what everyone aims for!)

There are corners for all skill levels and next time i am determined to nail Devils Elbow!