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For those who have not had the opportunity to visit, Pembrey is an airfield circuit located on the south west coast of Wales, about 20 minutes beyond Llanelli. Known as ‘The Home of Welsh Motorsport’, it hosts car, truck and bike racing as well as rally cross, tarmac rallies, track days, karting and driving experiences along with an annual sprint for National A and National B competitors. Facilities include a spacious concrete paddock, plenty of grass areas for camping, toilets, showers, restaurant and a catering van, all of which are basic but entirely acceptable. The track is also very close to the coast, with a country park giving access to a large, sandy beach just a short drive from the venue. The location itself is barely convenient for the residents of Llanelli, let alone the rest of the country, but the motivation to make the trip is the track itself. The combination of a technical in-field section, some really quick bends, long straights and grippy tarmac makes it my favourite sprint venue. Typical of airfield tracks, it is almost entirely flat, and spotting braking/turn-in points can be difficult due to a lack of distinguishing features, but the run-offs are generous in most places. That said, at least one notable Westfield has come to grief at Pembrey, and a dual-drive Fury suffered significant damage on Saturday, so thought is required. There are corners that can be cut aggressively, bends that you can really commit to and options to stay flat (and clench accordingly) where others may lift, as well as places where you can stretch the boundaries of the track to your benefit. The track, operated by BARC Wales, was a popular venue for testing amongst Formula 1 teams in the late 80’s and early 90’s, including McLaren and Williams. This illustrious history has led to a small amount of ‘legend’ being cultivated, including Ron Dennis using a test session at Pembrey to attempt to diffuse tensions between Senna and Prost in 1989, and Senna being allegedly quoted as saying that the Dibeni/Paddock sequence of bends was amongst his favourites in the world…. . The number of entrants for the event was notably smaller than previous years, with the sprint held at Abingdon on Saturday being seen as the culprit, although the finger may be fairly pointed at recent (and much discussed) changes in regulations, too. The Westfield entry seemed smaller too, particularly with Terry and Steve Everall giving it a miss this year due to the 7 hour journey from God’s Own County that it entails. The St Gueno hillclimb in France, held the weekend before, may also have distracted some other Westfield competitors. Charlotte and Adam Phelps, Mike Skidmore, David Cleaver, John Loudon, dick Spanner Racing, and I made the trip and all seemed to be subjected to delays on any motorway that they chose to use. A warm, dry Friday evening provided the opportunity to explore the track and enjoy the evening sunshine in the peace that comes with a remote location. Saturday began cool and overcast but, critically, dry. The driver’s briefing was performed in the genial, informal manner that seems to be customary for the BARC Wales team, and practice commenced just after. Progress throughout the day was slow, with a number of incidents leading to delays and re-runs. For reasons beyond his control, Gary Bunn made a bid for the record number of re-runs in a day, having been victim of a number of baulks and red flags. Mike Skidmore ran into an issue ahead of Practice 1, but was able to register a time for Practice 2, in which most drivers made good progress. I managed a personal best in Practice 2, but then failed to match it for the rest of the day, which was frustrating. All Westfields registered a first timed run, but Mike Skidmore’s second run was compromised by a gear selection issue, and a particularly quick Westfield managed a double-pirouette at the exit of the kink on the back straight; no time was recorded, but style marks were awarded (and you could smell the rubber from the paddock!). David Cleaver finished the day as the fastest Westfield with an impressive 107.81s, with Adam, Derek and Gary in hot pursuit. To give some context, Fastest Time of the Day went to Colin Calder in the well-known Gould GR55, recording 90.11s. Our own Matt Hillam finished fifth in the Top Twelve Run Off with a time of 94.20s in his Dallara. Sunday dawned warmer and brighter, and proceedings were notably quicker than the previous day due to fewer incidents. My pit crew (family) retired to the beach for the morning, which is not an option at all Speed Series venues. With the help of some valuable suggestions from an experienced Westfield pilot and a bit of deep thought undertaken overnight, my times started to improve. Derek, David and Garry all recorded practice times of 108 seconds. Mike had managed to resolve his gear selection issues but then fell foul of another problem on his second practice run that put an end to his troubled event, which was a shame. Garry pipped David to the honour of fastest Westfield with a 108.61s, with Derek close behind. Adam consistently recorded 110s runs in the slick-shod Megabusa, while Charlotte made significant improvements on her Saturday runs. John Loudon progressed from a best of 114.28s on Saturday to a 113.31s on Sunday. I managed on new personal best of 121.35s after a very committed (for me, anyway!) final run, which ended my event on a high note. John Graham in a Gould GR55B managed to break the Calder stranglehold on the Fastest Time of the Day by recording an 88.68s run, which doesn’t bear thinking about! All Westfields were done for the day by about 14:30, which enabled a much-appreciated prompt departure in warm sunshine for the long journey home. Two days of warm, dry weather at a great, albeit remote, track were not without frustration for some, but if you had even half as much fun as I did, you had a great time. If you haven’t visited Pembrey before, grit your teeth and make the journey – it’s worth it. written by Simon Broadbridge Class Competitor4 points
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Sad sad day Shaggy but for someone else a great opportunity to bag a fantastic sprint ready and very quick car GLWS and hope to see you back out one day :t-up:2 points
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Hi all Apologies for the slow service tonight. Adrian has been working on it and found a number of Russian IP addresses trying to hack the forums, which he's stopped without them causing us damage. My thanks to Ade for his assistance, it should be back to normal soon. It's all because Putin was turned down for membership and is throwing his toys out the pramski.1 point
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Another great issue of Westfield World out today. My hearty thanks and congrats to all those who contributed, and continue to contribute - the magazine wouldn't exist without your great efforts. (Library Indexes now updated as well, and PDF of Spring issue available for members to download)1 point
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Agree wholeheartedly with the former but deny categorically ever being guilty of the latter1 point
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What a day. Had no breakfast so as to meet others at Donnotar Castle. Drove 80 miles in torrential rain. Stopped in a cafe that had stopped doing food. Now sat with Gary in the middle of nowhere covered in midges, waiting for a recovery truck for Gary,s car. I phoned my hotel which is 30 miles away and they have stopped doing food. Sat here soaked to the skin and neither of us can stop laughing and just finding everything so funny. It's great going through all the rubbish with great mates. I am sat in buttercup typing and laughing away and Gary is pacing up and down chuckling to himself.1 point
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Thanks guys for all the replies, I'll will go to Rimstock direct. With regards to Westfield, the smaller parts I had ordered have always arrived promptly, and parts have always answered my emails, but I have always had to chase my order. My biggest issue is that I've been constantly lied to, if there are issues, then they need to be up front, and not take money for something that they know there not going to deliver even when it's in stock at the supplier. Anyway good news is I've had my refund so hopefully I'll have a new set of wheels for Monday.1 point
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Some of you need to lighten up. ..Its just TV...light entertainment... yes there are great big errors us petrol heads see but its just entertainment... I think thats why they have added Extra gear as that does at least have a bit more real content. Although either i'm emotionally retarded but i struggle to believe some gingerbloke would get teary about a car. Maybe he was teary that he hadn't invested in one! more likely... Its on a convenient time of day for me..the wife is bathing the kids and I can sit in peace with a beer . Programs like 5th gear which have had less "light entertainment" and more content have simply not done as well as they have not had the showmanship which Clarkson had. No one though GingerT was any good when he started breakfast radio after Wogan but after he stopped trying so hard and being a to$$er he became good. Some of the issue is I'd have a beer with Clarkson but GT I'd struggle with really.. Matt le Plonk i think is funny and not taking himself to seriously...1 point
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I once paid for and waited nearly 4 months for some items that the manufacturer told me were in stock all that period. But as they were a Westfield only part they could not sell directly to me. It really is a complete mystery what could be the cause of this issue between Westfield and their suppliers.1 point
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Just good to know someone is reading my drivel! You'll all find out what it means in due course.1 point
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It can be daunting, but the regulars are usually aware when the entries are large enough we do split grids1 point
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Reverse light not needed is correct (might be any reg, not just Q), not sure on rear fog, but if you have a rear fog light switch, you definitely need a working rear fog light.1 point
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I would love the ride out to see you this evening …………..but it is probably a bit too far for a weekday This working lark is definitely over rated1 point
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I was thinking about writing something Simon, but you made a far better job of it than I would have done... well done! I stayed for the presentations and picked up the trophies for John and Dave John Graham was chuffed to put it mildly! I must agree with you Simon.. for shear driving enjoyment Pembrey is one of the best events of the year...it would be a shame if we lost it if BARC made a loss on the event....55 cars was very poor. :-(1 point
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always some good info on here guides on how to do stuff and the like. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/ it depends how you see your car i used to wash and detail my old car once every two weeks. now i dont bother as my car is a workhorse but if your full detailing wash with the two bucket method dont dry it use a clay bar some people say you need clay lube upto you i then wash it again and rinse off dry with a microfibre drying towel then get your polisher out with a cutting pad i use these http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/machine-polishing-pads/menzerna-polishing-pads/menzerna-compounding-pad/prod_1041.html can be quite aggresive so be careful your gonna need a cutting compund to get scratches out i use dodo juice lime prime for light scratches has a small amount of grit in it but not too abrasive that your gonna wreck the car or if you just looking for a decent pick of products you carnt get much betterthan the meguiars 3 step can all be brought from halfords aswell http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/meguiars-cleaner-liquid-wax/prod_101.html http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/car-polish-compounds/meguiar-39-s-deep-crystal-step-2-polish/prod_715.html http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/meguiar-39-s-deep-crystal-step-3-wax/prod_716.html the step one pre wax cleaner has some cutting capabilitys aswell so could be all your looking for sorry waffled on a bit there maybe a bit more in depth than your looking for aswell but you get the idea1 point
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Sounds like you're making good progress but it would be great to see some pictures1 point
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Very sad to see this mate, was looking forward to some more good battles with you & your rapid motor! I hope we still get to see you out and about. For any prospective buyers, this is a fantastic car, fast and flexible - you can see from the photos that you have a choice of aero or full screen and shaggy was capable of posting some very quick times in the speed series. GLWS.1 point
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Tim's video is on Facebook. I think he lacked commitment....or needs committing!!!1 point