Tuesday 9th June 2015

Leaders Hillclimb Multi Car Challenge - BMW i8

Chance of a hybrid course record at Shelsley Walsh ... if Al can keep the i8 on the black stuff

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The plan to run in the class for production cars over 2000cc has gone a little awry of late. We started off well with the Mercedes A45 AMG, but then the temptation of an Abarth 695 Biposto dropped us into the sub-2000cc category. 1,499cc turbocharged petrol engine or not surely the additional electric power of a BMW i8 would get us back among the larger engined production cars?

Hybrid power put the i8 in a class of its own

However, the powers that be at Shelsley Walsh decided the i8 should run in Class Z, which is specifically for hybrid and electric cars. It was a disappointment on one hand as we'd wanted to test the i8's mettle against established runners such as Porsche 911s, Subaru Imprezas and supercharged Lotus Elise and Exige variants.

The upside is there was no previous class record for hybrid cars at Shelsley, so the Multi Car Hillclimb Challenge only had to keep it together to join a select group of record-holding drivers.

Arriving on Saturday morning, there was little to do to the i8 other than give it a wipe over with a clean cloth and apply the usual championship stickers and ones for the NationalAssociation of Blood Bikes. There was one more sticker to add this time, though, thanks to new sponsor Primo, which provides multi-vehicle insurance policies.

We were also prepared for the idiosyncratic way practice runs are allocated at Shelsley. If you are among the first 30 drivers in the queue to sign on, you're guaranteed three practice runs on the Saturday, plus your two competition drives on Sunday. Everyone else takes pot luck for an additional third practice run.

Two power sources, four driven wheels...

We didn't manage this and nor were we prepared for the huge interest in the i8. Surrounded by petrol- and methanol-fuelled cars, the i8's petrol-electric hybrid set-up seemed to capture the imaginations of everyone we spoke to. The most common question was whether or not the car ran solely on electricity, which it can for up to 23 miles depending on the battery charge. There was also a lot of surprise at how quiet the car is from the outside.

Our main concern was making sure there was sufficient charge in the battery to deliver the i8's full whack of 362hp. With the 131hp electric motor driving the front wheels and the 1.5-litre turbo triple powering the rears, 0-62mph comes up in 4.4 seconds, so the i8 looked good for getting off the line at Shelsley.

This proved to be the case and it was remarkably consistent over the first 64-feet, recording identical 2.44-seconds for each timed run. Less consistent was the intervention of the DSC traction control system, which we decided to leave switched on due to the relatively narrow tyres and their hard rubber compound.

On the road, the i8 feels brilliantly balanced, but into the 'Bottom S' at Shelsley, the BMW's front end would begin to understeer and that brought the DSC into play. Switching off the DSC only made the problem worse, so it was better to devise a driving style to work with the system as best as possible.

To achieve this, we found avoiding the left-hand kerb at Bottom S and an earlier turn in for 'Top S' kept the DSC at bay. In the end, the first timed competition run proved the best at 35.27 for team-mate David Finlay as trying to be even smoother in the second run could only net 35.38 seconds. To put that in context, our best time in a Volkswagen Golf R last year at Shelsley was 34.95 seconds.

Different tyres would make a massive improvement to the i8 for hillclimbing, but as a showroom fresh road car it acquitted itself well and deservedly now holds a class record. You can watch the run recorded on our Garmin Dash Cam 20. [Coming soon! - Ed.]

The next outing for the Multi Car Hillclimb Challenge is Loton Park on June 13-14 in a Vauxhall Corsa VXR, followed by Doune on June 20-21 in a Ford Fiesta ST with Mountune kit. So, it's a battle of the small hot hatches.

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Previous reports:
Mercedes AMG A45
Abarth 695 Biposto

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Watch the video here.
 

 

Photos: Rich Danby

[andyps]

Interesting variety of cars used so far. How did the i8 compare with non-hybrid cars from the other class? It would also be interesting to see how much difference sticky rubber would make as it could reduce the impact of traction control.

[alisdairsuttie]

A set of Toyo R888s would probably knock off a couple of seconds from the i8's time, which would put it in contention with the A2 class Subaru Imprezas, supercharged Elises and Porsche 911s that are all in the 32-33 second bracket.

[dukebox9reg]

Boring or not (so people say) it shows the Golf is still a bit of a performance bargain.

[Reavenger]

What's the rationale for putting non-sporty tyres on the i8?

[Guvernator]

Reavenger said:

What's the rationale for putting non-sporty tyres on the i8?

That should be pretty obvious shouldn't it? It's a hybrid so has crappy tyres for the same reason that a Prius does, to improve the headline mpg figures.

I love the way this looks and the clever use of the hybrid power-train. Just wished they'd made it sound a bit more interesting and added something a bit better than a lawnmower engine for the petrol part.

[Reavenger]

Guvernator said:

That should be pretty obvious shouldn't it? It's a hybrid so has crappy tyres for the same reason that a Prius does, to improve the headline mpg figures.

I love the way this looks and the clever use of the hybrid power-train. Just wished they'd made it sound a bit more interesting and added something a bit better than a lawnmower engine for the petrol part.

Fair enough but when the reviews came out it was marketed as a 'supercar' with a supercar price tag. Seems like it has a confused identify somewhat (which again I think was highlighted in the PH review).

Like you say, if it was really going to be something interesting and more super car based, they might have put better tyres and a slightly bigger engine in it. 2.0L perhaps.

[redroadster]

I think bmw have done a brilliant job for its first effort and it looks fantastic totally modern , park in the street and see what attention it gets as for its cost they can sell every one they make so that's proved people have taken to it .

[Huff]

I was there on Saturday, just out of shot watching when the second pic was taken, and rather enjoyed seeing the i8 run amongst various other things. As a pure road car it is a lot quieter than some! Sounded good though.

To put the time into context - Shelsley is a 'power' hill but also narrow, and experience/cunning can trump power. There was a roadgoing standard Clio 172 same session which - driven by an driver experienced on the hill, and also on good though road-legal tyres - beat the i8 by a bit over a second (!) Likewise I saw a well-prepared A-series engined Mini beat a Porsche GT3 here a year ago; well-prepped & driven Sevens can break 29.0 ...hillclimb is nowhere as simple as 'more power =moh better'.

- which is also why it is such a great form of motorsport, and so open to innovation!

Edited by Huff on Tuesday 9th June 21:41

[unpc]

I used to hillclimb a bit and I drove an I8 s couple of months ago. I can't think of a less suited car for this except maybe a Prius.

BMW have done an admirable job of integrating all the various systems but the car left me totally underwhelmed.

[LMA37]

Power is not what you need its handling for hill climbs. Which is why the i8 here didnt do so well with those tyres and the DSC on. Plus most hill climbers will have the tracking adjusted for better turn in. Handling is why I can beat more powerful cars in my RX8. At the same time on a very wet track I can also be out run by a well driven Fiat Panda.
I found the i8 to be so good and such a game changer when I test drove it that I order one. I certainly didn't find it boring to drive.
Now the question is do I take it to Shelsey and have a go at that time when it arrives

[robm3]

Love to see the Tesla R (or whatever the really fast one is called) do this as well... wonder how it would go

[heebeegeetee]

LMA37 said:

Power is not what you need its handling for hill climbs.

Are you sure about that? By UK standards Shelsley's hills are long and steep (certainly not fun to walk up, at my age).

We're all fairly convinced that grunt is exactly what you need at Shesley. We were there at the weekend, the cars that the OP wanted to be classed with were all running similar grunt I would have thought, but less electrical interference I imagine.

[heebeegeetee]

Huff said:

well-prepped & driven Sevens can break 29.0 ..

Really? We're thinking they'd have to be pretty special. Powerful, traction control and possibly not road going, I would have thought?

In fact we've just found a class record for a 1600 hayabus Caterham is 29.38, so not far off breaking 29's.

[Skyedriver]

andyps said:

Interesting variety of cars used so far. How did the i8 compare with non-hybrid cars from the other class? It would also be interesting to see how much difference sticky rubber would make as it could reduce the impact of traction control.

Thinking of chopping in the Fiat Turbo for one, Andy?

[Huff]

heebeegeetee - I am corrected, should have said 'into the 29s'. But as you suggest, not in comfort with the aircon on

[alisdairsuttie]

Definitely have a crack at the time, LMA37 - what they're there for! Also, all the cars we're using this year are on the showroom spec tyres, so it proves you can drive a car straight to a hillclimb and take part.

Shelesley is a real mix of power and handling as you need the grunt up to and out of the Esses, but you also need excellent turn-in and traction to get through this section. As with all cars, it's the balance of power, grip, steering, brakes and handling balance. I think the i8 acquitted itself well for what it is, though it's not the ideal hillclimb car. Still, it was a chance to try something different and PH was there to give it a go.

We've got something very different lined up for the next Shelsley round, so come along and see what you think of four-wheel drive and a V8!

[andyps]

Skyedriver said:

Thinking of chopping in the Fiat Turbo for one, Andy?

Not this year Tony!