Track Day Diaries – Llandlow Notes from the paddock with reporter Joe Pugh.

The day started bright and early for us in South East Wales. The weather was brisk, fresh and chilly, with the  ever-present threat of rain looming overhead: a textbook

Welsh autumnal day. Before anything else, the noise testing took place, and thankfully every car fell below the 105db limit.

Among our numbers for the day, were a few Chims, a couple of Griffs and a Tuscan added in for good measure. We even had a BMW Z4, a Lotus Elise and a Tesla Model S join in the fun!

The 9:30 circuit safety briefing was followed by a few cheeky sighting laps under yellow flag conditions.

Eager to get out before practice in the rain, the lads wasted no time in “warming up the tyres” and the sound of laughter and conversation were soon permeated by the sweet roar of V8s, V6s and total silence from the Tesla 😉

As my feet became ever-damper and my face ever- colder, I did wonder what it is exactly that might inspire someone to take their finest wheels out and drag themselves down to a soggy racetrack on a day such as this? Mark, owner of AmoréAutos Ltd, tells me “It’s a lot of fun! The guys can come down here and really push their cars insafety…

…TVRs are such a high-performance vehicles, with no traction control or ABS. The track’s the best place to test the limits. Even in the wet!” There were a couple of spins and close shaves as the morning progressed. A few of the lads misjudged the deceptively tight corner at the end of the paddock straight with either a spin or overshoot.

The track became damper, but that didn’t affect the spirits. Cars were flying in and out of the paddock, with both fuel tank and drivers needing topping up and a rest. The chat ranged from tyre pressure to suspension, and everything else in between: a real haven for any petrol head!

In between run-outs, I spoke to David Allen about why he enjoys track days: “You can go fast without having to worry about anything. You get to know the car. They have a reputation for being fierce and you can get used to things like the handling in a safe environment. It’s just great fun.”

David has owned  TVRs  for several years now, and in that time he’s owned two Chimaeras and a Tuscan. The latter he chose as his weapon of choice at the track. “It’s the noise, the looks, it’s everything! TVR’s have got theatre… wherever you go, everybody seems to love them.”

The driving continued and the change in weather allowed

practice of wet conditions. I’d been to Llandow before a few times for a supercar experience day, and the circuit did not disappoint: the tight corners and rolling straights proving a great testing ground for each car. I had the pleasure of joining several drivers for a few laps.

My thanks go to all the guys for their time. It was a treat to see experience their beautiful machines in action. I’m only sorry for the extra 80kgs of weight that I added to their streamlined vehicles!

After lunch the track was once again a hive of noise and adrenaline. During another break in the fun, I spoke to Nigel

Jones, a proud owner of a TVR for over four years, and a devoted fan for many more. “TVRs haven’t got any driver aids like a lot of modern cars do. You go out on a track like this today and you’re pitting your wits against the machine. It’s all on you.”

Nigel chose his 290S to thrash around Llandow’s circuit as he loves the balance and handling in the wet. Beyond the actual driving experience, it’s the tight-knit community of TVR lovers that

Nigel really appreciates. “It’s a nice bit of camaraderie, the guys are great. We’re all on the same wavelength and we have a great laugh.” The afternoon draws to a close with the rain

getting evermore biblical and light fading fast, we packed our cars back up, said our goodbyes and headed off into the sunset.

A successful day with a great bunch of guys. There weren’t too many cars, so the driving was competitive, each driver pushing their pride and joy as much as they dared.

This was Amoré Autos first ever track day, and hopefully not their last. I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all.

By Joe Pugh.

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