Friday 24th June 2011

TT Tank Slapper - What A Save! (Update)

New Video: Mark Higgins talks us through his 'biggest ever moment'

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Update: Subaru America has released a new video of Mark Higgins' recent attempt on the TT lap record (for production cars). He's obviously watched the footage himself a few times now, and there's some fascinating over-dubbed detail on what happened in those crucial milliseconds. Check it out...

 

(Original PH article below - 10th June)

Sometimes 150mph feels quick...

...wouldn't you agree, Chris?

We hope somebody passed Road & Track photographer Chris Cantle a fresh pair of underduds following this epic 'near-death' experience on the TT course.

Chris was riding shotgun with Mark Higgins while recording a hot lap during the TT record attempt we posted on the homepage earlier, when former British rally champ Higgins shared "the biggest moment of his life" at something over 150mph in sixth gear - on what is usually a quiet suburban Manx street.

"To be honest, I don't know how we held that", quips Mark, thus committing to the history books a bit of understated repartee that will surely merit a mention in the 2011 'stiff upper lip' awards.

[britsportscars]

He did well to prevent the Impreza from becoming some kind of garden ornament!

[STiG911]

What gets me is the passengers face! It's like he's miles away, thinking about what he has to pick up from Tesco's later!

[johnpeat]

As per the other thread - that passenger is either the stone-cold coolest man alive - or he's dead and animated by wires of some sort...

[johnpeat]

STiG911 said:

It's like he's miles away,

Bits of him very nearly were...

[nightwalker]

Definately a brown pants moment there.

[wab172uk]

Well held. Could have been very nasty.

[Corsair7]

Lol, the drivers hands are going like someone driving a dodgem at the fairground!!!

[MattOz]

No idea how Mark Higgins held that, but fair play to him. Great car control in extremis.

[vit4]

Jesus H, if I were the passenger my reaction would've bit a bit louder than that

[McSam]

Whoa!

That's properly hair-raising. His steering input is insane, how he managed to not get lost in his own hands, never mind catch it, is beyond me. Incredible. That should easily have seen the car and them written off for good!

And all he does is comment on it being a big one while dropping a gear and carrying on!

[Chunkychucky]

fkin hell.... what a save

[joebongo]

What did he do? Lots of steering input and a relatively straight course maintained.

He was going with against the spin I take it (I have no knowledge of such things).

[STiG911]

What gets me is the passengers face! It's like he's miles away, thinking about what he has to pick up from Tesco's later!

[Mr Roper]

MattOz said:

No idea how Mark Higgins held that, but fair play to him. Great car control in extremis.

Seemed effortless and in total control, then wap it back into gear and carry on....very cool

[722Adam]

"You ok after that?"
"Yeah we're great, how you doing?"
"fk!"

[McSam]

Link for the underprivileged

joebongo said:

What did he do? Lots of steering input and a relatively straight course maintained.

He was going with against the spin I take it (I have no knowledge of such things).

Needs a lot of countersteer very quickly, up to the point where the car starts to respond and snap back the other way.

It looks like the car went light, possibly bottomed out in one of the right corners as the road rises, and so started to slide. Then it's just a matter of getting the countersteer - winding it on and off very quickly - as right as you can until the car settles.. At that speed on a road like that, no joke. You can see from the speed of his input just how hard the car's let go.

[Celt]

He deserves some man points!

[ctallchris]

He'll never get the brown stain out of that white race suit

[Steamer]

an armful of oppo.

Here it is from another view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfdgQSkiYIQ&fea...



Is that passenger the new face of valium?!!

[T16OLE]

Jesus christ, thats mental