RE: Hypercars to go racing

RE: Hypercars to go racing

Wednesday 26th November 2014

Hypercars to go racing

'Ultracar Sports Club' to bring together hypercars at Blancpain GT events. Interesting...



Say you're privileged enough to own a LaFerrari, a McLaren P1, a Porsche 918 or any other mad hypercar of the past decade. They're not exactly the cars to roll out at Bedford on a Friday evening. But then the fun of a track day is finding similar cars and drivers that match your pace. So what if you could bring together the hypercars for what might reasonably be called the ultimate track day?

This and a P1 on the same track? Yes
This and a P1 on the same track? Yes
That's the premise of the Ultracar Sports Club from SRO Motorsports. It won't be racing as there is no timing or classification so that headline is a little misleading. Apologies. What it aims to do is bring together the various hypercars at track events for owners to enjoy their cars with like-minded individuals while also providing an incredible spectacle for fans.

The planned USC events for 2015 are tagged onto the Blancpain Endurance Series events at Paul Ricard (20-21 June) and Misano (3-4 October). There will be four 30-minute sessions for the cars over the weekend with Pirelli providing tyres if required. If you do arrive in a Veyron (with bespoke Michelins), the USC is confident that another agreement can be reached.

The eligible car list is predictably droolworthy, split into homologated road cars and non-homologated track specials. Models listed so far include the latest hybrid hypercars, Aston One-77, Lamborghini Veneno, Koenigsegg One:1, Veyron, the Ferrari XX models and the Pagani Zonda R.

Well there must be enough of these to take part
Well there must be enough of these to take part
All well and good (and exciting) but there are of course a few issues with the Ultracar Sport Club idea. The first being that similar events are organised by manufacturers; think of the P1 GTR programme, Ferrari Corse Clienti and so on. This doesn't sound as intense as those programmes so may appeal to those owners who want to use their cars in a more relaxed setting. Furthermore, though it's an obvious point, the eligible cars are exceptionally rare and many are probably stored in collections. Will there be enough owners willing to take part? Let's hope so because, from a fan's perspective, the thought of the world's fastest cars being driven hard (but not competitively, remember) at a couple of great circuits is one to be very happy about. We'll keep you posted.

[Sources: SRO Motorsports Group, SportscarInfo.de, Sportscar365]

Author
Discussion

gregf40

Original Poster:

1,114 posts

115 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
My business partner is thinking about participating in this in his 918. Might have to see if I can tag along to a couple! biggrin

FastRich

542 posts

199 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
What a fantastic idea! It gives the less fortunate like me an opportunity to see the cars "having a go" and not just parked up at Sunday Service/Breakfast Club/other car shows.

Lets just hope enough owners want to partake!

Collaudatore

1,054 posts

201 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
I notice there is no mention of a Volvo S70 on the eligibility list.

Why is that? I for one will not be attending due to this ridiculous oversight!!

Yours,
Infuriated
(Aberdeen)


Erwin1978

97 posts

145 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
how to ensure it will not be a slow moving parade, since price money will not impress most owners/drivers there should be a certain element of competition in order to encourage the drivers to drive at at least 9/10 of a cars capability. My advice is that 1st price is a complete servicing of said vehicle after the race (bar crash damage), with Veyron tires being GBP20k/set this should inspire some eagerness? Talking about drivers, most owners supposedly do not have the skill to exploit the capabilities of their cars, nor will insurance companies easily allow other drivers i reckon...

Bonefish Blues

26,448 posts

222 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
I think it's my age, general non-specific grumpiness etc that leads me to wonder why, when even the richest of the rich is likely to tippy-toe around in a way unbecoming to their machinery, and further whether a Time Attack format might work rather better.

I know, it is me.

Matt UK

17,649 posts

199 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
What makes them think that the people who buy them, have the ability / willingness to actually drive them?

I have met one such person who currently owns of the cars mentioned.
He cheerfully admitted to not knowing much about it at all. He didn't really know much about cars at all - outside of attending the F1 the circus and sitting in the back whilst a driver does the actual driving.

He does however have an eye for buying stuff and selling it for more or using it as commercial collateral.
Property, shares, businesses, art, wine, cars, precious metals, currencies etc whatever etc. By his own admission, none of it interested him in such a way that he cared for one more than the other beyond the realms of timings, yields, exposure and margin...

I wonder how many of these cars were sold to similar mindset people?

Edited by Matt UK on Wednesday 26th November 16:20

wtdoom

3,742 posts

207 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Ive never "tippy toed "around anything in my life , certainly won't start now in my 918

Regards

Able and willing to drive of Berlin

marcosgt

11,011 posts

175 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
There's a difference between "driving Miss Daisy" and not being a professional race driver.

I would image a proportion of those wealthy enough and disposed to buy Hypercars will welcome the chance to drive them at speed on F1 circuits.

I don't, on the other hand, expect to see the XJR-15 demolition derby repeated! biggrin

M.

articulatedj

102 posts

120 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Why not just set out pallets of cash and burn them? That would be as amusing, and likely cheaper.

Regardless of how wealthy I am, a high horsepower Radical or Caterham SP300R is going to be more fun for racing than a hypercar, and will be just as fast around track. The batteries won't go flat after a few laps, and I won't go through 50-100K worth of expendables in a single weekend - if I don't crash it.

I realize this opinion might be controversial on here, but at some point, it really is just thumbing your nose at the rest of the humanity. I don't want to see cars on blocks in a basement, but racing is a whole different animal, and I doubt the vast majority of hypercar owners are even able to drive a 911 at the limit, let alone a P1. Those who can (like Lewis Hamilton), would just make mincemeat of the rest. The whole thing just seems rather sad to me.

Edited by articulatedj on Wednesday 26th November 17:11

alexpa

644 posts

171 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Another neat idea from Stephane Ratel.

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
It's a good idea, but doubtless with so much expensive metal in close proximity it'll end up looking like a parade lap rather than a real spectacle.

danp

1,603 posts

261 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Title should read "Hypercars not to go racing"?

Henry Fiddleton

1,581 posts

176 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Would the drivers drive their own cars after the Harrods loop (x4)?

wink

Anyway, I've booked my Mx5 on track.

They better not scratch it, because if they do...

Voguely

340 posts

157 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Like the idea in theory, but as others have said, I'm just not sure it'd really work. Also, that list is maybe a bit TOO limited - for example surely most Koenigseggs should be allowed (or at least things like Agera Rs) rather than the single One:1, and likewise for the Zondas (Cinques perhaps?), otherwise you are relying on an incredibly small pool of owners, who are spread over the whole world, wanting to get involved.

footsoldier

2,251 posts

191 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
wtdoom said:
Ive never "tippy toed "around anything in my life , certainly won't start now in my 918

Regards

Able and willing to drive of Berlin
Likewise. See you on track...

alexpa

644 posts

171 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
SRO know their market. Trust me. They started with the Lamborghini one make series, through BPR, and many other successful series.

wtdoom

3,742 posts

207 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
footsoldier said:
Likewise. See you on track...
Top man , see you soon

Napolis

303 posts

212 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
We're going real racing with ours and a customer of ours will be racing alongside us.

For those who will be attending the 24 Hours of Nurburgring next May do come by and say hello.

Should any of you be at the Geneva Auto show same goes. We'll be debuting our race and road version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgt7dlGEGmM

greygoose

8,225 posts

194 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
danp said:
Title should read "Hypercars not to go racing"?
Indeed, very misleading headline.

P4ROT

1,219 posts

192 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
A club for people with big watches and even bigger wallets biggrin