We discovered this phenomenon last Wednesday after a long, tiring, frustrating and ultimately successful day testing one of our race cars.
Luckily, the workshop and mechanics live nearby to the circuit, unluckily myself and one of my drivers live some three hours drive away, so we stayed in a very good yet cheap hotel near to the track, so that we could not only have a beer after a long day, but also wouldn’t be faced with a long drive home at the end of the day.
We walked into the hotel at 6pm, checked in at the bar (surely a bad sign? ), and then had a pint. Never has a beer tasted so good. We had endured a very slow morning with the car on jacks trying to find a kink in the fuel line so that we could get the car running and then a fault free afternoon where the ran ran for three hours without skipping a beat.
Naturally the first beer didn’t touch the sides, neither did the second and it could be argued that the third didn’t really do the job either.
The bar closed at midnight and we were the last to leave, staggering up the stairs to the room before passing out in an alcohol fuelled haze. Much hilarity ensued as we saw the lighting on the stairs and naturally assumed we were being beamed into a space craft -
After breakfast and much coffee the next morning, we settled the bill to find that we had spent more on alcohol than we had on the room*, and thus the phrase “Adrenalin drinking” was born.
*In our defence, we had bought the three mechanics a couple of beers too, but it appears that we ourselves were exceptionally thirsty.
The day started early, as I needed to be there for 8.30am to sign on and it was a 70 mile drive to get there. Having not been able to get a new pair of racing boots in time, I opted for the thinest pair of trainers that I had and took those with me, along with helmet, racing suit and various other bits and pieces.
I got slightly held up in traffic and arrived fifteen minutes late which wasn’t a problem. Although security at the gate took my camera off me :( Some other car manufacturers were testing cars and all photography was forbidden in case pictures were made public.
Once I was signed on and my driving licence had been checked I had bacon sandwiches, pastries and coffee whilst being briefed on the activities planned for the day. I’d was going to get to drive the cars not only on the high speed bowl, but also the mile long testing straight, the apline course and the city track too. On each course I’d be accompanied by a race instructor who after demonstrating what we’d be doing, would then hand the car over to me.
First up was the alpine course. This is a track layout that simulates fast, tight and blind bends that up and over hills. The track itself is very tight, no more than two lanes wide at any point and for the tricky bits it also has armco on both sides to stop you going over the edge. For the movie buffs amongst you, it was where this scene in Casino Royale was filmed -
So, off we go and do a few laps with the instructor showing me the lines for some of the corners. Then he hands over the car and off we go. The first thing I notice is that the steering is really nimble, I can turn the wheel and the car responds immediately, with a dab of the accelerator the car hunches down onto the road and explodes forward. The first lap I take quite slowly, as I’m not sure where the corners are, but for the second lap onwards I start to open the car up a little. It handled amazingly well, going over a blind crest I managed to get all four wheels off the ground at one point. The alpine course gives you a good idea as to how the car will handle round a tight circuit where you need to steer a lot and quickly move between two gears most of the time. I got some very positive feedback for my car control and the lines that I took for the laps that I did.
Next up was the city course, this was a series of very low speed exercises to demonstrate the capabilities of the car not only at low speeds, but also the effect of the turning circle and just how easy it is to flick the car through tight bends whilst still keeping control of the car. Out of everything we did that was the one exercise that I least enjoyed, although it did help me understand what the car could do.
Then after a little break for pastries and coffee I got taken out onto a handling circuit and shown what the car could do round a 3/4 long fast twisty circuit. I wasn’t allowed to drive the car, but we did 10 laps at increasing speeds. What made me laugh was that the recommended speed was 50mph and on the last lap we hit 90mph a couple of times. This really gave me a good feel for just how well the car could be steered through corners without losing traction with the road. I would really have enjoyed being able to try this myself, but would have needed a couple of hours at least to learn the bends and the layout to get the best out of it.
Next up was the high speed bowl. This is a track that is a perfect two mile long circle, where the lanes slope upwards. The idea being that aside from doing high speed test runs, you can also drive the car with no hands!
We got out onto the track and the instructor demonstrated that in the fourth lane at 75mph you could drive with no hands on the wheel, simply by feathering the throttle with your foot you could control the car. So I jumped into the car and off we went. It is very strange to take your hands off the wheel of a moving car, especially at that speed and it took me a couple of laps to relax enough to enjoy it. Just when I had started to enjoy it the instructor told me to put my hands back on the wheel and plant the accelerator to the floor. The car moved up into the top lane and we hit 147mph or so and it just felt completely planted on the road surface. I did a handful of laps at that speed, with the armco just inches away from the car before we slowed down and finished the excercise.
Finally we went out onto the mile long straight to to do a number of tests. Firstly with a shorts shift (flappy paddle) gearshift we did a number of high speed runs. This involved taking the car from 0 to as fast as possible down the mile long straight and then brake testing to slow down. I hit 141mph on the first run and braked way too early, the second run I managed just a shade under 150mph. Then we did some braking tests to see how easy it was to slow the car down. I suprised the instructor by cadence braking (old instincts never go away) , but the car was very easy to control from 140mph down to a standstill.
Then we had a late lunch, and at around 3pm it was time to head home. Twice on the way home I had to remind myself that I was no longer on the high speed bowl but rather a public road.
It was a very enjoyable day and the car was everything and more than I expected it to be. I just need to find a decent sponsor for next year, then we’ll race one.
AM “Hi this is Aston Martin, would you like to come test drive some of our cars next week at Millbrook proving ground? We’ll have a range of cars there, including the N24 Vantage which we understand you might be thinking of racing next year.”
Perpetual “That would be great, thank you very much.”
AM “We’ll provide you lunch as well.”
Perpetual “Brilliant, I look forward to seeing you then.”
AM “Someone will contact your PA in the next few days to arrange the details, remember to bring your race overalls and helmet.”
Perpetual “I am packing my bags already.”
I suspect the rest of the day will be somewhat anticlimactic now.
This weekend is the biggest sportscar race of the year, with the 76th annual running of the 24 Heures du Mans at Le Mans. This is the second year in a row that I am not going and I am really rather glum about it.
At 2pm UK time, 55 cars in four different categories will set off on the ultimate endurance race. The race takes place round a combination of over eight miles of race track and public road and will see the fastest cars hit almost 200mph at four places round the circuit.
However not to be outdone, the group of us who usually make the pilgrimage every year, are instead congregating at one persons house, where we shall drink beer, have several camp fires and watch some of the race from the comfort of a lounge as opposed to a from the trackside. I am sat here listening to the Radio Le Mans radio coverage/commentary. Qualifying starts tonight and some of it is on Eurosport so I am having to Sky+ The Apprentice in order to prioritise my evenings viewing.
I will never forget the first time I saw the start of a Le Mans race, the sound of 50+ cars was electrifying. Then watching the cars racing into the night and then out of the morning dawn at various points of the circuit, along with sneaking onto a restricted part of the circuit and crouching next to the armco watching and feeling the cars go past just a few feet away at 180mph left impressions in my mind that ultimately led to me starting my own race team.
If all goes to plan, then we ourselves will be competing in this race in 2012. Nothing beats an ambitious target I find.
), and then had a pint. Never has a beer tasted so good. We had endured a very slow morning with the car on jacks trying to find a kink in the fuel line so that we could get the car running and then a fault free afternoon where the ran ran for three hours without skipping a beat.
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