PH at Brighton Speed Trials

The first competitive event for the Vuhl 05 and they let PH drive!

As explained in the brief drive story last week, a quarter-mile drag race probably isn't the best display of the Vuhl 05's ability. This is a car built to deliver incredible lap times and g-forces rather than terminal speeds and 64-foot numbers.

Who's more nervous?

But as also mentioned, the Brighton Speed Trials is too notable an event to have any concerns about the car. And besides, despite the track focus, the Vuhl's vitals would suggest it should be quite good at this whole drag-racing lark: 400hp per tonne, a claimed 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds and great traction too. The only other thing required was a driver capable of changing gears and it should be on for a competitive time. To think it sounded so simple a few days ago...

The first stumbling block to success was the entry list. For some reason the Vuhl has been entered in the Class 5 'Road-Going Series/Specialist cars', which meant the four other vehicles were an AC Cobra, Shelby Daytona coupe, Aston DBR1 replica and a 300hp Cosworth-powered Dax Rush. Arse. Lots of power and very little weight, all of them. With it staying dry there probably wasn't a huge traction advantage either. The second issue as it turned out was the oaf behind the wheel but we'll come to that.

Also running in the Vuhl's class...

All and sundry
Brighton at just after 0600h on the Saturday morning of Speed Trials is a fascinating place. Clubs are still open, Friday nights are still on and yet at the end of the seafront the road is closed and the racing cars are already gathering.

Except they aren't all racing cars, not at all. I hadn't checked the entry list much beyond the Vuhl's rivals and to see such an eclectic mix was a genuine surprise. From Bentley Arnage to MG ZR via Ferrari F40 and Aston DB7 Volante it's a really odd mix. There's everything from standard road cars - special mention here to the Gordon Hick in his SEAT Leon Cupra bought last week! - to the Allard of Brighton legend Jim Tiller. He and the car have been competing for five decades and it's capable of runs in the low 10s. It's an insane car, and an absolute must-see at the event.

What, never seen a JPS trike before?

However, you want to know how woeful the attempts were and it can be put off no longer. The three runs (one practice, two timed) really aren't enough to learn the best launch technique and that's the racing driver excuse I'm sticking with. It was also very irritating to leave with a best time not representative of a very fast little car.

Advice from the factory was that the Vuhl starts best (i.e. fastest) in second gear. Right. Except nobody representing Vuhl at Brighton had started it in second gear and I certainly hadn't. We settled on about 4,000rpm while trying to get off the clutch smartly; not too much slip but not letting it bog either.

It worked! The Vuhl lunges from the line, clocks 2.5 seconds over 64ft and feels very fast. But then there's an odd flare of revs in third and the speed has subsided. It does the same in fourth. Surely this can't be wheelspin? Of course it's not, the clutch is slipping. Badly. Oh balls. Perhaps I wasn't off the clutch as quickly as I thought from the start but that strategy is out for the first timed run.

And it's go (not that quickly)

Dude I almost had you
We try second again but, so conscious of slipping the clutch, I jab my left off and bog down massively from the line. Those tenths as the boost builds feel like an eternity and then it's finally off. There are no slip issues and, while the shift feels longer and vaguer than would be ideal, the gears are in and the finish line is looming. The numbers? 2.78 to 64ft, 13.29 and 111.8mph terminal speed. Good, but it with plenty of room for improvement.

That was the plan. We decided to try the last run in first because, well, what was there to lose? Annoyingly I was too eager on the line, dumping the clutch with too many revs and getting a load of wheelspin through first and a jink sideways into second as well. But it goes to show how tardy the second gear start was that the 64ft time is 2.73 and the terminal speed is identical, probably losing half a second correcting the second gear slip-up.

Now can we try a track?

It's ultimately a little frustrating because the Vuhl is clearly a car that can run comfortably in the 12-second bracket. But then it's impossible to leave Brighton on a downer because the event itself is just so much fun. It's low-key enough to remain very friendly and informal yet sufficiently well organised to run smoothly. The appeal of doing a quarter-mile on the public road shouldn't be underestimated either; everything is more enjoyable when it feels a bit naughty, right?

A final word on the car too, because barely a minute passed on Madeira Drive without someone taking another picture. The Vuhl really is a very exciting car to look at, even in matte grey and parked opposite an F40. One young lad describes it as "the car from the future" and plenty of people want to know about it. Mainly how to pronounce the name but they're definitely intrigued. As a first competitive outing it didn't go exactly to plan but the event is superb and the car has shown real promise. One day soon we'll get the Vuhl on a circuit to deliver a definitive verdict but from these brief exchanges it looks like the track day market could have one more terrific contender.

A huge thanks to the Speed Trials marshals, without which the event wouldn't take place, and of course all the spectators for coming along! See here for the full list of results from the Brighton and Hove Motor Club site.