Shakedown at Circuit Meppen
Rather spontaneously, we decided to head over to Circuit Meppen (most will probably know it as Race Park Meppen) last Sunday. As some you may have heard already, Driving Fun (DF) have taken over the Circuit at the end of last year. Together with the take-over announcement, the Dutch organiser set forth a modernisation plan including a new layer of tarmac as well as a little extension to the circuit.
Last Sunday marked the official opening under the new ownership structure as well as the opportunity to see how the works at the track are progressing. Not to forget, it was the perfect opportunity to see whether our MINI survived the lengthy winter hibernation!
So we loaded the trailer on Sunday morning and made our way to the track. The two hour ride went smooth and we arrived at Circuit Meppen right in time for the lunch break. Perfect to unload the car and have a quick bite at the barbecue organised for the participants.
From the Pitlane you could see the work in progress for the extension. It will make the backstraight a bit longer and end up in a tight hairpin which then connects back via a hanging left hand turn to the original layout. While we are excited to see how the new layout is going to work out, there is also a part of me which is a bit gutted that the chicane will no longer be part of the circuit - it was always fun!
The most important change though will be the new asphalt. Currently, it feels like driving on sandpaper with each lap literally "slaughtering" the tyres. I am sure that the new tarmac will transform the circuit and make it much more enjoyable!
Surprisingly, the MINI worked perfectly the entire afternoon. Seeing that it was tucked away in the garage since the end of October last year and just go a quick clean before we headed to Meppen, I expected that it wouldn't be so happy to be woken from its hibernation mode with some proper track action.
It is the perfect tool for the tight and twist layout of Circuit Meppen - same goes for a nice track-prepped Mazda MX-5 as you can see in the video below!
We cannot wait for our Track Day at Circuit Meppen in July this year! I'm certain by then, we will be able to enjoy the advantages of the extension as well as new asphalt! As our GP Days Track Day is already sold out since a couple of weeks, don't hesitate to secure your spot on the wait list!
