Due to a colleague cancelling, I was lucky to get to go and at such late notice it was a real bolt out of the blue and considering I’d been at the Nurburgring and Spa on the Sunday and Monday, it made it into a totally fantastic week.
I arrived at 8:00 after a nightmare journey in torrential rain for a full English breakfast and then briefing. It's not too laboured but of course they have to do it for the insurers. Martin Brundle presents it and it's well done and quite light with some humour. Then without any time wasting it was off to the first event.
Porsche 911 JP3 (0-60 4.5, 320bhp)
This was my first proper drive of a 911. i.e. I've never pushed one on track before. The track was extremely wet on the South Circuit with standing water and it was raining. This was going to be fun!
The instructor builds you up progressively but quickly. After a few laps I felt I could start pushing...hence I lost the rear end! It seemed it steps out quite progressively and from then on I managed to catch and power out the drifts. It seems quite a flattering car to drive. A great start to the day.
Then it was straight onto the Caterham Superlights (0-60 3.9, 286bhp/tonne)
It was still wet but it had stopped raining and it was drying off fairly quickly. It meant it was very variable grip conditions on the twisty East circuit and with that added to the very sensitive throttle, it meant I and many others ended up covered in mud after some artistic spins!
I enjoyed the Caterham much more than the 911. It just seemed to offer much more feedback and the slick ultra short gear change is brilliant. I don't think I ever pieced together a great lap as I'd always muck up on one bit or another. If only I could have got all the good bits in one lap…. I wonder how many others said that!
From here we went to drive the Renault Clio Cup touring race cars (0-60 4.1, 198bhp/tonne) .
I didn't expect to be that impressed but when a car can do 0-60 in 4.1 through the front wheels, you know it’s going to be interesting. It's a weird car to drive as it was left hand drive, had a sequential gear shift (clutch used on downshifts only) and it just didn't behave like any front engined, front wheel drive car I’d ever driven before. If you're running wide, the instructors encourage you to floor it and it seems the front wheels just grip and pull the car through and in the direction you’re point it. The grip through the slalom section on the North Cuircuit was astounding. A really great fun car.
Straight after this we were in to the only production road car they use. The Nissan 350Z (0-60 5.9, 287 bhp) .
They had disabled all the traction control, stability program etc and your left with a tail happy insane car. The instructors tell you not to worry about fast lap times (despite all the events being timed and you competing against each other). They just want you to have huge fun and get the back end out all the time. Some of the tank slappers you get to see are hilarious....unless you're in the car and then just bash your helmet around the inside of the car as it snaps left and right. After around 3-4 laps I started to get the balance point and managed to come out of bends sideways with the rears tyres alight and head off powering down the straight. It's a great ego trip and it makes you real like some sort of driving god…until you spin again!
Then it was time for a very good lunch and before that had really sunk down in our stomachs it was time for what was the main event: The single seat Formula Palmer Audi (F.P.A.) cars (0-60 3.4, 400bhp/tonne) on the West Circuit.
For this event you get an extra briefing as you're carrying 125+mph round seemingly impossible bends and then you need to be able to slow it down safely. Since you're out on your own there's no one to advise you so they prepare you before the off. The nerves before are quite intense and one guy actually didn't do it. There was still a couple of puddles out on the course but with a very clear warning to keep out of them, they switched my group onto slicks. Damp track in places plus cold slicks and my first time in a single seater and my pulse was racing. They strap you in and fire up the engine and give you the go....at which point I did the classic and embarassing thing of stalling it! Doh!... but then so did a load of others!
Out on to track and after a couple of warm ups I started pushing on. The car grips like nothing I'd been in before. I've been impressed with the turn in abilities of 911 GT3's and Caterhams in the past but this was amazing. Even planting the throttle felt very safe and your confidence levels build and build. The acceleration and wind pressure at higher speeds keeps your helmet pushed back on the rest but theres very little space for much other movement. After some good track time and with knees and elbows bruised, the chequered flag came out and I came into the pits on cloud nine. The grip, the power and the braking are just amazing.
From this event we would have been karting but the course was flooded so we went to a large area that was marked out with two courses a mirror image of each other. It was time for some head to head pursuit racing in Caterhams. Three heats to drive and lots of 180 turns and to finish a 360. It meant lots of spins, lots of do-nuts and lots of smoke. This is the time for smoothness but it just brought out the hooligan in everyone. I was a great laugh and an excellent viewing spectacle.
Then it was onto the off-road course. The Nissan Pathfinder (approach angle 33 degrees, lateral angle 48 degrees) is just a bit different to a Caterham which is really brought home when you turn the wheel a quarter turn and it still goes straight on rather than turning sharply.
Slow and steady was the plan and with targets to hit (tennis balls) and a drive along two slippery logs, it meant this event was scored on points rather than fast times. One section takes 30secs it you drive at a constant 1500rpm but when you're bucking around over bumps and troughs it's easier said than done. Somehow I did a 30.3sec run....but I was still beaten by many!
The final driving action of the day was the Jaguar V6 engined JP1 twin seat Le Mans type car (0-60 in 3.6, 370bhp/tonne) .
I wasn't expecting this to be as good as the FPA but with a sequential gear box, the V6 torque and an instructor encouraging me on, I'm sure I was pushing this car a lot harder than the single seater. (I forgot to mention the instructors are all top notch. For the JP1 I had Barton Mawer next to me who is one of Australia’s drivers for the A1 GP next year. In the 911 it was Steven Kane a former F3 driver) We drove on the West Circuit, the same as for the FPA, so it was good for comparison. It sounds amazing and feels more planted that the FPA. This meant I was lapping 5secs quicker and pulling some serious Gs.
Back to the suite for afternoon tea and the presentations. All the events are competitive which really adds an edge to the days events.
I managed to win the Porsche 911 event and some other respectable finishes, it meant I came second overall. At least it proves you can own a quattro and not lose all driving ability!
The guy who won is someone I've raced against on numerous karting events. He always beats me! I always kidded myself it was down to his size and weight. I guess karting as your hobby and owning a Caterham does help hone your skills so maybe, just maybe he might be a fraction better driver.
This event is 100% top notch. It's very very slickly organised and it runs like clockwork. It’s so well sorted that by the time I’d got home I’d already received this picture of me on track.
If you get the chance – DO IT !!!!! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
