Let me explain a little further and it should clear it up for you.
08R works well for both of us. You get 99.9% exits at BR and a guaranteed runway occupancy time every time. The distance from touchdown to BR means we can vacate, taxi into stand 110 and keep our brake temps below 300 deg, which is the optimum for the relatively short turn-around in Gatwick.
On 26L however it can be a bit more problematic.
Firstly there is the issue of runway exits, for the A380 only FR and J are available to us.
In simple terms, we have a choice of either vacating at J, which gives us the option to vacate direct onto J and then manage the brake temps well for the outbound crew.
OR
We vacate at FR and our brake temps will normally be around 450-500 deg by the time we get on stand. With no external cooling other than the Sussex breeze we tend to lose 100-120 deg an hour from the brakes and we have no brake fans fitted. Max permitted temp for take off is 295 deg and we require brakes to manoeuvre around Gatwick on the way out and normally have quite a wait at the holding point.
Now this is not your problem I appreciate, but it is an important consideration. When I am training guys and we are early then I encourage guys to use FR and try to manage the temps accordingly and also it gets me to Tesco 5 mins earlier. However I cannot speak for everyone.
Now for Smokey Lomcevak's bored musings with his "skip", the issue with the end of the runway is with our OANS/Airport Nav/ROW/ROP systems, of which I am sure he is an expert.
The layout of the airport at Gatwick means that "J" lies beyond the official end of the runway, which means that if we are doing more than 10kts past that then there is a high likelihood of a Runway Overrun warning (not good) and subsequent ASR paperwork. The BTV system targets 10kts groundspeed 300m from the threshold end so guys need to disconnect it early to allow the plane to roll on at a higher speed.
So in short on 26L, FR is ok on a normal day but gives us high brake temps for a turnaround. With being unable to accept any other exit after that until J, we are almost stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If the airport surveyed G/GR then it would probably make all the problems go away instantly for both sides.
However you are more than welcome to ask the question about vacating at FR and I am sure most "skip's" (out here we are called captain) will happily oblige. The key thing is to ask early to give us the chance to re-select the exit during a non-critical stage of flight. On transfer to tower it is a bit too late to manage it with someone inexperienced on type, which is why most people will take J.
In return if we can get an accurate TOBT/TSAT and minimal taxying, then most people will happily dispatch with higher brake temps, especially on 26L.
I am happy to give any interested controllers a tour of the plane and associated systems next time I am in Gatwick (next month). We did this in Birmingham, after starting operations there and I think it was mutually beneficial for both sides. Feel free to PM me.