We were greeted by a sunny day and a cool track when we arrived at Garry's backyard. Perfect conditions for ripping around the tight track the Wilmington's have gifted to the trackday community.

This is now my third visit to MDTC, and it appears that I have more fun with each day there. I've heard some drivers consider the relatively low v-max and short distance around the circuit as points of criticism. However it's these elements that also set MDTC apart from some of the larger circuits on the Eastern seaboard. It truly is a training centre - it demands maximum attack at all times from the driver if you want to be quick, and with only one short, uphill straight there is no time to rest during a lap.

It was fitting then that we had Jeff Denmeade as our Official Instructor for the day. Jeff's enthusiasm for teaching the finer points of driving quickly became clear as soon as we set out on our morning track walk. Hailing from the famous Skip Barber Racing School in the USA, it is no wonder he is such a great instructor.

After settling into probably my quickest laps around MDTC to date, I managed to grab Jeff to sit in with me for a session in the afternoon. - his tall frame just fits into the NC! Within the first lap, Jeff had established where my driving had plateaued, and set about pushing me harder and faster through a number of areas around the circuit. By the end of the session I was sliding on the throttle down the back straight in 3rd gear, braking super late for the right hander, and tapping the witches hat on the exit point with my outside wheel. Jeff will be at our next Wakefield trackday on ANZAC day. Do yourself a favour and make sure you grab him for a few laps. It will do your driving a world of good.

By the end of the day, Marulan had proved once again that it is the perfect venue for a training day, with a small field providing everyone with plenty of tracktime and opportunity to socialize. These are the great aspects of MDTC. However it is also incredibly rewarding to string together some quick laps around the twisty track. Closed road events like Targa Tasmania just don't come as cheap as this!

Matt Wilmot