A day in a Thunderdome

Yes, it is extremely tongue in cheek of me to use this Ricciardo meme. But how can I skip an opportunity to brag about doing something that an 8 time F1 race winner is scared of!

I drove my Mini in an oval, the NASCAR style Calder Park Thunderdome, which is a scaled down version of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Unlike the Broadford drive school day or the hillclimb competition, this was a track day for pure driving pleasure, once again organised by Drive Events.  

The excitement leading up to the day was high! The event Facebook page was buzzing with comments. Most Melburnians thought this track was gone forever. Some talked about trees growing through the tracks. But while it was certainly bumpy and the stands had seen better days, it was an amazing driving experience.

For starters, you are not driving on a flat track! The oval section of the Thunder-dome is like a bowl, with the sides going up at a 24 degree angle to the base! I had never driven at an angle like that, and the first time I was about to hit the banking at ~150kmph, I wasn't sure if my Mini would "stick". But it did and I didn't want to stop circling the dome.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and I am impatiently waiting for the next event!

Track details: Calder Park Raceway, 4.2 kms. 15 Turns. Banking: 24 degrees at turns, 4 at the front straight and 6 at the back straight.

xoxo,

Dark Racer.