Startline
Unusually for a hillclimb the startline is sloping downwards. The marshalls will hold the car to prevent premature breaking of the timing beam
The startline will become black with tyre rubber, pick your alignment carefully, the black rubber can be slippy when wet rather helping your getaway.
The downhill section; Gurston is narrow but there is still a definite ability to position your car to maximise the speed through the run.
Hollow,
This is the low point on the circuit, in many production car classes this will be able to be taken without lifting or slowing the car, in racecars you’ll hear and see very definite slowing of the car, many cars take a bit of the kerb on the inside.
Karousel
To master the Karousel, you have to understand that Gurston Down is a “thinking driver’s” hill. Because the track has evolved from a short sprint into a technical 1,058-yard climb, your approach to this specific corner determines whether you finish with a trophy or a “could’ve been.”
Here is the Pro Guide to conquering the most famous 180-degree turn in British Hillclimbing.
The Karousel: A Three-Phase Battle
The Karousel is actually a complex of two parts: a blind entry and a tightening exit. Here is how the pros handle it:
1. The Entry (Commitment)
As you fly out of the Hollow (the fastest part of the course), you’ll be carrying massive speed.
The Trap: Many rookies brake too late and too hard, upsetting the car’s balance. Brake late and only enough speed to make the first part of the corner.
The Pro Tip: Karousel was resurfaced to be smoother, you can trust the grip—but don’t overcook it.
2. The short “straight”
Between the two corners there is a very short steeply uphill straight, use this to shed more speed ready for the tight second part of Karousel. On a dry day you can use a lot of outside kerb and even some grass here to open the Karousel radius a little.
3. The 135° Tightener
This is where the history of the track comes into play. The Karousel tightens significantly halfway through.
The Line: You want to late-apex this. If you turn in too early, you’ll run out of road on the exit and find yourself staring at the grass.
The Pro Tip: Keep the car balanced. It’s better to be 2 mph slower in the middle to ensure you can get the power down 10 mph faster on the exit.
4. The Exit (The Launch)
Since the extension of the finish line further up the hill, the exit of the Karousel is the most important part of the run. You need a fast exit towards Ashes
The difference between a “good” run and a “record” run at Gurston is often less than 0.5 seconds. Most of that time is found (or lost) right here in the Karousel. Since the track was extended, this corner acts as a “gateway”—if you mess it up, the clock will punish you all the way to the finish line.
Deers-Leep
There is a hump between Karousel and Ashes that can cause wheelspin, or worse, especially in the wet, be gentle on the throttle!
Ashes
Ashes is a late apex sharp left bend and the last of the technical section, use as much of the track as possible, especially in the dry take a lot of kerb on apex and exit but be wary of the tyre barrier
Finish Line
It’s a fairly straight shot from Ashes to the Finish line, be careful to be all four tyres to be on the black stuff over the line. Also ensure to not suddenly come off the throttle as the finishline is actually on a bend – it has been known to send cars into the field.