Yet another lap of Europe, solo in an Evora
Discussion
I'm at the end of Day 1 of my once-in-a-lifetime tour of Europe. I wasn't going to blog about it as it's all been done before, but I'm enjoying it so much so far I've got all enthusiastic about sharing it 
So I'm at least adding something to this forum, here's the details of my trip including estimated costs and timings in case this helps anyone with their own planning. I'll let you know how accurate these estimates were as I go on!
So I'm at least adding something to this forum, here's the details of my trip including estimated costs and timings in case this helps anyone with their own planning. I'll let you know how accurate these estimates were as I go on!
| Day | Leg | Dep | Arr | Hrs | Distance | Petrol etc | Accomodation | Costs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 06-Sep | Hull-Zeebrugge ferry | 17:00 | 09:30 | £255.88 | Ferry | - | ||
| Saturday | 07-Sep | to Grenoble via Reims | 10:00 | 21:00 | 11:00 | 557 | £179.58 | Grenoble | £62.00 |
| Sunday | 08-Sep | to Nice via Route Napoleon | 09:30 | 16:30 | 07:00 | 212 | £100.00 | Menton | £130.00 |
| Monday | 09-Sep | to Andermatt via Monaco | 06:00 | 14:30 | 08:30 | 340 | £40.00 | Andermatt | £73.00 |
| Tuesday | 10-Sep | to Interlaken via Andermatt passes | 09:00 | 16:00 | 07:00 | 150 | £29.51 | Wilderswil | £95.50 |
| Wednesday | 11-Sep | Piz Gloria | 30 | £105.90 | Wilderswil | £95.50 | |||
| Thursday | 12-Sep | Eiger Trail, travel to Freiburg im Breisgau | 14:30 | 17:00 | 02:30 | 138 | £57.15 | Freiburg im Breisgau | £88.00 |
| Friday | 13-Sep | to Nurburgring via Autobahn | 06:00 | 10:30 | 04:30 | 250 | £49.18 | Nurburg | £93.00 |
| Saturday | 14-Sep | Apex McLaren Ring Taxi + Clio hire 2 laps | 08:00 | £560.00 | |||||
| to Rotterdam ferry | 13:00 | 18:00 | 05:00 | 220 | £43.28 | ||||
| Rotterdam-Hull ferry | 19:00 | 08:30 | £267.38 |
Well the ferry started well, it must be the time of year but there were loads of interesting cars and dozens of bikers. Cars included some kind of banger rally, a couple of 911 GT3's and an immaculate Austin Maestro 1.3!
Getting off this morning was a slow affair with queues for passport control. I was on the road by 10:15 which is a late start for a long day.
The first stint was 180 miles non-stop to the old granstands at Reims. Once out of Belgium the roads calmed down and cleared enough for uninterrupted use of cruise-control for long periods.
Getting off this morning was a slow affair with queues for passport control. I was on the road by 10:15 which is a late start for a long day.
The first stint was 180 miles non-stop to the old granstands at Reims. Once out of Belgium the roads calmed down and cleared enough for uninterrupted use of cruise-control for long periods.
Today was my first visit to the Reims grandstands. Visiting them is almost a cliche now, but they're really quite something, set on a straight section of road amongst empty fields.
There was a constant flow of nice cars, lots of them British owned. From a McLaren 570s and Aston V12 Vantage when I arrived, to a couple of guys off to the Alps in a Jag F-Type and M3 and finally a couple in an immaculate rally-prepped Lancia Beta Montecarlo which the owner was kind enough to show me round.
Spent a fantastic hour here exploring the stands and chatting to people before hitting the road again for the long slog south.
There was a constant flow of nice cars, lots of them British owned. From a McLaren 570s and Aston V12 Vantage when I arrived, to a couple of guys off to the Alps in a Jag F-Type and M3 and finally a couple in an immaculate rally-prepped Lancia Beta Montecarlo which the owner was kind enough to show me round.
Spent a fantastic hour here exploring the stands and chatting to people before hitting the road again for the long slog south.
Edited by giveitfish on Saturday 7th September 22:49
My estimates for today were pretty good, I arrived at Grenoble for 9pm after stops for food on the way.
My Evora is my daily driver and has done 15k miles so far in the 15 months I've owned it. I know the car well but it's still great to spend time in. Which is good as I'm doing 2,000 miles this week.
It's a fantastic GT car with comfortable supportive seats, good driving position, cruise control and 33mpg economy at the French limit.It was a long drive today but podcasts via bluetooth and music on my iPod helped the time pass.
Long fast drives have an allure of their own but the real tour starts tomorrow with the Route Napoleon down to Menton via Nice and Monaco.
My Evora is my daily driver and has done 15k miles so far in the 15 months I've owned it. I know the car well but it's still great to spend time in. Which is good as I'm doing 2,000 miles this week.
It's a fantastic GT car with comfortable supportive seats, good driving position, cruise control and 33mpg economy at the French limit.It was a long drive today but podcasts via bluetooth and music on my iPod helped the time pass.
Long fast drives have an allure of their own but the real tour starts tomorrow with the Route Napoleon down to Menton via Nice and Monaco.
Day 2.
For almost 30 years I've been reading in magazines about drives to the Cote D'Azur via the Route Napoleon. I imagine 30 years ago it was a lot more fun!
It's a very scenic route with some jaw-dropping views (especially after Castellane), and there ARE some great sections of road. I managed to catch one pass with wide well-surfaced roads with no other traffic, and actually drove it twice - the first time confirming no surprises or speed traps, the second time at pace
I also saw a new McLaren GT, in fact I actually saw him twice and he was having fun for sure.
However most of the day was spent in slow traffic crawling along at the new French 80kmh limit with no chance of escape, all the time dodging suicidal bikers.
I think if I ever come this way again I need more time to explore the side roads, and also avoid weekends.
For almost 30 years I've been reading in magazines about drives to the Cote D'Azur via the Route Napoleon. I imagine 30 years ago it was a lot more fun!
It's a very scenic route with some jaw-dropping views (especially after Castellane), and there ARE some great sections of road. I managed to catch one pass with wide well-surfaced roads with no other traffic, and actually drove it twice - the first time confirming no surprises or speed traps, the second time at pace
I also saw a new McLaren GT, in fact I actually saw him twice and he was having fun for sure.
However most of the day was spent in slow traffic crawling along at the new French 80kmh limit with no chance of escape, all the time dodging suicidal bikers.
I think if I ever come this way again I need more time to explore the side roads, and also avoid weekends.
OK, on with the updates!
Day 3: Menton to Andermatt
The weather has generally been much better than forecast and Monday dawned nice and bright. The hotel (Hotel Pavilion Imperial) was a bit quirky but lovely people and private parking. Can't fault the location except for the omnipresent sound of scooters.
Bags packed and off. You can get a fair bit in the Evora, I've got clothes etc for 10 days all told plus hill walking clobber and cameras. The boot is deceptive, it goes all the way out to both wings. And there's always the back seats too.
First stop is for breakfast at the first services which happens to be in Italy. It's great, the orange juice was freshly squeezed in front of me - you don't get that at Greggs! To cap it all an Aston (Virage I think) and a Lamorghini Aventator on Monaco plates filled up with petrol beside me.
Then off to my first stop, the Alfa Romeo Museum just off the autostrada at Milan. I was also thinking about visiting Monza as well but it was too far out of my way.
The first part of the route follows the coast on an elevated motorway that curves and dives in and out of tunnels. It's a bit narrow but is a great route with the sun out and the exhaust in loud mode.
I made good progress but not many friends at the toll booths as I had to get out of the car at every one to either get the ticket or to pay. I use a tag in France and it's great when its just you in the car.
I reached the museum in time for lunch. It's very big and very corporate. The cafe and staff are obviously geared up for corporate hospitality and couldn't be less interested in serving you the rubbish food they had.
However the museum contents were great. Alfa have a superb back catalogue and it's all here.
I had a shoo away a little visitor before leaving for Andermatt
Andermatt should have been just a couple more hours, but roadworks added an hour to that. At least I had good company for the queue.
|https://thumbsnap.com/fvNzCobN[/url]
One final diversion before arriving was the Gotthard Pass. Being early evening by this time it was quiet and was great. It's open and fast.
Then down to the Bergidyll Hotel in Andermatt. A bit dated and run-down, but comfortable and good food.
Its late again now, so I'll write up todays drive through "das loop" tomorrow. Tomorrow is a non-driving day for me - I'm walking the Eiger Trail.
Day 3: Menton to Andermatt
The weather has generally been much better than forecast and Monday dawned nice and bright. The hotel (Hotel Pavilion Imperial) was a bit quirky but lovely people and private parking. Can't fault the location except for the omnipresent sound of scooters.
Bags packed and off. You can get a fair bit in the Evora, I've got clothes etc for 10 days all told plus hill walking clobber and cameras. The boot is deceptive, it goes all the way out to both wings. And there's always the back seats too.
First stop is for breakfast at the first services which happens to be in Italy. It's great, the orange juice was freshly squeezed in front of me - you don't get that at Greggs! To cap it all an Aston (Virage I think) and a Lamorghini Aventator on Monaco plates filled up with petrol beside me.
Then off to my first stop, the Alfa Romeo Museum just off the autostrada at Milan. I was also thinking about visiting Monza as well but it was too far out of my way.
The first part of the route follows the coast on an elevated motorway that curves and dives in and out of tunnels. It's a bit narrow but is a great route with the sun out and the exhaust in loud mode.
I made good progress but not many friends at the toll booths as I had to get out of the car at every one to either get the ticket or to pay. I use a tag in France and it's great when its just you in the car.
I reached the museum in time for lunch. It's very big and very corporate. The cafe and staff are obviously geared up for corporate hospitality and couldn't be less interested in serving you the rubbish food they had.
However the museum contents were great. Alfa have a superb back catalogue and it's all here.
I had a shoo away a little visitor before leaving for Andermatt
Andermatt should have been just a couple more hours, but roadworks added an hour to that. At least I had good company for the queue.
|https://thumbsnap.com/fvNzCobN[/url]One final diversion before arriving was the Gotthard Pass. Being early evening by this time it was quiet and was great. It's open and fast.
Then down to the Bergidyll Hotel in Andermatt. A bit dated and run-down, but comfortable and good food.
Its late again now, so I'll write up todays drive through "das loop" tomorrow. Tomorrow is a non-driving day for me - I'm walking the Eiger Trail.
Edited by giveitfish on Tuesday 10th September 23:58
Day 4: Das Loop
My first proper experiences of Alpine passes. From Andermatt I'd planned a loop of Furka Pass -> Nufenen Pass -> Gotthard Pass -> Susten Pass -> Grimsel Pass (North side only, up then back down again) -> Interlaken
This was about 150 miles and took a bit over 5 hours with lunch and plenty of stops for pics. The weather was cold, overcast and drizzly to begin with, with some fresh wet snow at altitude. Quite a few short sections of road works too,
Furka Pass: I'll come out and say it - I didn't really enjoy this one. The route up is exposed, largely unprotected by barriers and only 1.5 cars wide in places. It's slow and scary (to me), so more of an "experience" than a driver's road. But it's incredibly scenic and of course it's the road from Goldfinger!
Nufenen Pass: This was more like it. I had a mostly clear run and it was brilliant. More road width and a lot of fun. Had a decent lunch at the restaurant on top too.
Gotthard Pass: Busier than the previous day so really just a procession. Having a clear run the day before made it obvious how important is was to avoid traffic. The difference between a fun drive or a scenic tour. I think ideally you'd want to be doing these passes at 5am in mid summer, just like you would in the Dales.
Susten: The highlight of the day for me. The uphill section heading West is made up of fairly open sighted esses and I had a lucky break with no traffic. I fair hammered up it, windows down, exhaust echoing off the cliffs. That drive will stay with me for life.
Grimsel: Great drive up, again lucky to have a clear run of the approach road which is a good country road. Going back down I was stuck behind an articulated lorry (it's pretty industrial up there with a big hydro dam) and a vintage car!
Didn't really manage to get any top-notch pictures. The light was very flat and a couple of times I passed an amazing viewpoint while enjoying a fast drive and decided to just keep going.
All in all quite an intense days driving and well worth the trip.
Finally off to Interlaken to my base for the next couple of nights. It'll be nice to not have to pack up and leave in the morning for a change.
My first proper experiences of Alpine passes. From Andermatt I'd planned a loop of Furka Pass -> Nufenen Pass -> Gotthard Pass -> Susten Pass -> Grimsel Pass (North side only, up then back down again) -> Interlaken
This was about 150 miles and took a bit over 5 hours with lunch and plenty of stops for pics. The weather was cold, overcast and drizzly to begin with, with some fresh wet snow at altitude. Quite a few short sections of road works too,
Furka Pass: I'll come out and say it - I didn't really enjoy this one. The route up is exposed, largely unprotected by barriers and only 1.5 cars wide in places. It's slow and scary (to me), so more of an "experience" than a driver's road. But it's incredibly scenic and of course it's the road from Goldfinger!
Nufenen Pass: This was more like it. I had a mostly clear run and it was brilliant. More road width and a lot of fun. Had a decent lunch at the restaurant on top too.
Gotthard Pass: Busier than the previous day so really just a procession. Having a clear run the day before made it obvious how important is was to avoid traffic. The difference between a fun drive or a scenic tour. I think ideally you'd want to be doing these passes at 5am in mid summer, just like you would in the Dales.
Susten: The highlight of the day for me. The uphill section heading West is made up of fairly open sighted esses and I had a lucky break with no traffic. I fair hammered up it, windows down, exhaust echoing off the cliffs. That drive will stay with me for life.
Grimsel: Great drive up, again lucky to have a clear run of the approach road which is a good country road. Going back down I was stuck behind an articulated lorry (it's pretty industrial up there with a big hydro dam) and a vintage car!
Didn't really manage to get any top-notch pictures. The light was very flat and a couple of times I passed an amazing viewpoint while enjoying a fast drive and decided to just keep going.
All in all quite an intense days driving and well worth the trip.
Finally off to Interlaken to my base for the next couple of nights. It'll be nice to not have to pack up and leave in the morning for a change.
Edited by giveitfish on Wednesday 11th September 22:36
Day 5: Eiger Trail, non-driving day
Spending a couple of nights at the Jungfrau Hotel in Wilderswil. It's excellent, secure underground parking and a quality restaurant with superb service, despite me being a t-shirt and trainers sort of bloke.
I've always wanted to see the Eiger in person after reading so many heroic/horrific climbing tales. Its quite a foreboding place to visit, with audible rock falls and small snow avalanches coming down as the day warmed up.
A very satisfying day in the hills in hot sunny weather.
Tomorrow I'm visiting another James Bond set in the form of Piz Gloria, then its off towards Germany to make the next stage to the 'ring a bit easier.
Unfortunately Apex have broken their McLaren 600LT so my taxi lap looks like its going to be in a 911 GT3 RS. Not quite the same, but first world problems and all that!
Spending a couple of nights at the Jungfrau Hotel in Wilderswil. It's excellent, secure underground parking and a quality restaurant with superb service, despite me being a t-shirt and trainers sort of bloke.
I've always wanted to see the Eiger in person after reading so many heroic/horrific climbing tales. Its quite a foreboding place to visit, with audible rock falls and small snow avalanches coming down as the day warmed up.
A very satisfying day in the hills in hot sunny weather.
Tomorrow I'm visiting another James Bond set in the form of Piz Gloria, then its off towards Germany to make the next stage to the 'ring a bit easier.
Unfortunately Apex have broken their McLaren 600LT so my taxi lap looks like its going to be in a 911 GT3 RS. Not quite the same, but first world problems and all that!
Day 6: Piz Gloria and drive to Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany
On Her Majesty's Secret Service has always been my favourite Bond film, so this was somewhere I've wanted to visit for a long time. I was blessed with the perfect weather for it.
The views are great, the buffet lunch was OK and the Bond exhibition is just the right side of cheesy. All in all I spent far too long there. It took nearly an hour to get back to the car park (4 cable cars with queues), then I had a 150 mile drive to Freiburg near the Black Forest. I could have explored the Black Forest a bit, but it was hot and the roads were clogged so I just drove to the hotel. Had a quick squirt to 130mph on a short stretch of derestricted Autobahn on the way mind!
I was really quite sad to leave Switzerland, had a great couple of days there and I think I'll be back.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service has always been my favourite Bond film, so this was somewhere I've wanted to visit for a long time. I was blessed with the perfect weather for it.
The views are great, the buffet lunch was OK and the Bond exhibition is just the right side of cheesy. All in all I spent far too long there. It took nearly an hour to get back to the car park (4 cable cars with queues), then I had a 150 mile drive to Freiburg near the Black Forest. I could have explored the Black Forest a bit, but it was hot and the roads were clogged so I just drove to the hotel. Had a quick squirt to 130mph on a short stretch of derestricted Autobahn on the way mind!
I was really quite sad to leave Switzerland, had a great couple of days there and I think I'll be back.
Edited by giveitfish on Friday 13th September 20:12
Day 7: Drive to Nurburgring, DTM practice @ GP circuit
Up early to try and catch the Autobahn when it was still fairly quiet, and to catch the DTM practice sessions and Lotus Cup at the Grand Prix circuit.
This is my first experience of Autobahn and basically it was just like the A1 in the UK - 2 lanes and full of trucks.
Most of the journey is restricted to 130kmh but I deliberately planned my route to take in about 60 miles of derestricted road. Unfortunately some of this had road works on so I didn't get the chance to reach vmax, but I did touch 147mph on the gps between clumps of trucks and commuters (who seem to cruise nose to tail at 105mph).
147mph in the Evora was undramatic though I was still a bit tense with a firm grip of the wheel!Mine is only 275bhp so it didn't storm up to that speed, but it didn't take long either and still had more to come. Wind noise, stability and just general confidence were all great.
I visited the Brünnchen corner on the 'ring on the way in. The Industry Pool test sessions were in full swing, I saw an Aston DBX among others and the Tesla S which is doing setup (allegedly) for their record attempt, Also lots of boring family cars and suvs squealing around.
When I reached the GP circuit I first had to go hunting for a cashpoint to pay for parking - I'd got a ticket for the DTM practice session online for 10 euros, but didn't realise I needed another 8 euros for parking which I was short of by 50c.
I'd not had to use cash for about 4 days up to this point, a surprise a bit later was the Devils Diner restaurant by the 'ring entrance only accepted cards for payment above 15 euros - all seems a bit backwards.
I've not seen DTM cars before, but with how the timing worked out and at just 10 euros it was well worth checking out. The cars are loud and fast, and the braking performance especially is hugely impressive. These are the real deal.
The practice for the Lotus Cup was pretty entertaining too. The cars seemed loads louder than the R8 LMS and Carrera Cup cars also running, and they moved around a lot more too. The Evora GT4 cars sounded especially good
Then finally back over the 'ring for the evening Touristfaht session to get a feel for how it will be tomorrow. In a word, terrifying. Watching videos is one thing, seeing the speed differentials, variable driving standards and the sheer number of cars on together was eye widening.
I'm sure it'll be fine!
Up early to try and catch the Autobahn when it was still fairly quiet, and to catch the DTM practice sessions and Lotus Cup at the Grand Prix circuit.
This is my first experience of Autobahn and basically it was just like the A1 in the UK - 2 lanes and full of trucks.
Most of the journey is restricted to 130kmh but I deliberately planned my route to take in about 60 miles of derestricted road. Unfortunately some of this had road works on so I didn't get the chance to reach vmax, but I did touch 147mph on the gps between clumps of trucks and commuters (who seem to cruise nose to tail at 105mph).
147mph in the Evora was undramatic though I was still a bit tense with a firm grip of the wheel!Mine is only 275bhp so it didn't storm up to that speed, but it didn't take long either and still had more to come. Wind noise, stability and just general confidence were all great.
I visited the Brünnchen corner on the 'ring on the way in. The Industry Pool test sessions were in full swing, I saw an Aston DBX among others and the Tesla S which is doing setup (allegedly) for their record attempt, Also lots of boring family cars and suvs squealing around.
When I reached the GP circuit I first had to go hunting for a cashpoint to pay for parking - I'd got a ticket for the DTM practice session online for 10 euros, but didn't realise I needed another 8 euros for parking which I was short of by 50c.
I'd not had to use cash for about 4 days up to this point, a surprise a bit later was the Devils Diner restaurant by the 'ring entrance only accepted cards for payment above 15 euros - all seems a bit backwards.
I've not seen DTM cars before, but with how the timing worked out and at just 10 euros it was well worth checking out. The cars are loud and fast, and the braking performance especially is hugely impressive. These are the real deal.
The practice for the Lotus Cup was pretty entertaining too. The cars seemed loads louder than the R8 LMS and Carrera Cup cars also running, and they moved around a lot more too. The Evora GT4 cars sounded especially good
Then finally back over the 'ring for the evening Touristfaht session to get a feel for how it will be tomorrow. In a word, terrifying. Watching videos is one thing, seeing the speed differentials, variable driving standards and the sheer number of cars on together was eye widening.
I'm sure it'll be fine!
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the comments. I did wonder if I was just writing this as a future reminder for myself for when dementia sets in
I can completely imagine your experience on the passes Tozerman. I think I was lucky with it being midweek and a slightly iffy weather forecast scaring some off. It was amazing when it came together though.
I can completely imagine your experience on the passes Tozerman. I think I was lucky with it being midweek and a slightly iffy weather forecast scaring some off. It was amazing when it came together though.
Can’t insure it for Touristfaht and my first and probably only time here so hired a RHD RenaultSport Clio from Apex.
As far as going alone is concerned, I’m quite happy with my own company and my wife was hardly thrilled with the idea of a week spent in a passenger seat. It’s quite a personal trip for me, not sure even my petrolhead mates would want to all the same ie Eiger and Piz Gloria.
As far as going alone is concerned, I’m quite happy with my own company and my wife was hardly thrilled with the idea of a week spent in a passenger seat. It’s quite a personal trip for me, not sure even my petrolhead mates would want to all the same ie Eiger and Piz Gloria.
Day 8: Nurburgring laps
I'm on the ferry now, grabbing a bit of 4G before it leaves. That's it, trip over! 1900 miles so far, over 40 hours of driving. More in a week than most Evoras do in a year
So today was meant to be 2 laps in a rented RHD RenaultSport Clio with an instructor and then a taxi lap in a McLaren 600LT, all from Apex. Unfortunately the 600LT broke so they found me a seat in the RingTaxi GT3 RS at 8:45am with the hire laps after.
Apex were very good at getting this sorted with several alternatives if I'd had more flexibility with times, but I had a ferry to catch. I needed to leave the 'ring by 3pm at the absolute latest.
The day dawned cool and bright, again much better than I expected even a couple of days previously.
Unfortunately the 'ring was closed due to mist and stayed closed until after 10am, delaying everything. Lots of hanging around for everyone and chaos once it did open.
Eventually my turn came and off we went. The driver was a Norwegian who I now know is Oskar Sandberg and is a class winner at the 24 hours! I wish I'd been more clued up beforehand but I'd still probably ask inane questions. I'm sure he's used to it.
I paid 30 euros for the in-car video which I've just checked out. Unfortunately its incomplete but it covers about 2/3rds of the lap. It does show the speed which topped out at over 250kmh (over 155mph!)
The lap was absolutely mind boggling. My eyes were on stalks. To begin with I really thrown about until I got a good grip. Closing speeds with other cars were huge, as were the corner speeds. I could literally feel my cheeks moving with the g-forces.
I pretty much fell out of the car afterwards, then found Luis my instructor. Adrenaline was still pumping and it took me a while to calm down.
We got straight out on track. I'd been talking to the instructors earlier and they said 2 or 3 closures a day due to crashes was pretty normal so I was keen to get my laps in before I ran out of time.
Luis gave me constant very clear instructions about which gear to take, braking points and road positioning. Most of the time he was just telling me "gas gas gas" and "don't lift". The track is seriously intimidating. Lost of corners are blind and/or late apex and it's easy to get wrong but I was much faster than I expected to be and could have been faster still with more confidence. The instruction was worth every penny, I wouldn't have got nearly as much from it on my own.
The Clio was a great car for this, very easy to drive but being stripped out and with uprated suspension it'd also be pretty quick in the right hands.
We passed one car but weirdly there was no traffic passing us and I got a clear run at every corner. Half way round we found out why - a Mk2 Golf had crashed quite heavily and the track entry must have been closed just after we started!
At the end we joined the back of a long queue to leave the circuit but then Luis noticed the track had reopened, so we simply drove past everyone and went round again. We had the track to ourselves again, but this time only for a couple of corners before we were mobbed by dozens of faster cars coming through.
This lap was completely different. I was more confident but in lots of places I was having to get out of the way of faster traffic. I was constantly having to move right and then brake and corner off-line. It certainly reinforced my decision not to risk my own car, I was overloaded keeping on top of corner lines and my mirrors and that was with guidance and a car with good rear visibility.
It was all over before 1pm so I had plenty of time in the end. Yet again I was very lucky - the track had been closed again as I left.
All that remained was to take the car back, do a bit of car spotting around the place and then reluctantly head for home.
I also need to look out on YouTube over the next couple of days - Shmee150 and Misha were filming a new Supra at Apex so I wonder if my mucky car made it into shot?
I'm on the ferry now, grabbing a bit of 4G before it leaves. That's it, trip over! 1900 miles so far, over 40 hours of driving. More in a week than most Evoras do in a year
So today was meant to be 2 laps in a rented RHD RenaultSport Clio with an instructor and then a taxi lap in a McLaren 600LT, all from Apex. Unfortunately the 600LT broke so they found me a seat in the RingTaxi GT3 RS at 8:45am with the hire laps after.
Apex were very good at getting this sorted with several alternatives if I'd had more flexibility with times, but I had a ferry to catch. I needed to leave the 'ring by 3pm at the absolute latest.
The day dawned cool and bright, again much better than I expected even a couple of days previously.
Unfortunately the 'ring was closed due to mist and stayed closed until after 10am, delaying everything. Lots of hanging around for everyone and chaos once it did open.
Eventually my turn came and off we went. The driver was a Norwegian who I now know is Oskar Sandberg and is a class winner at the 24 hours! I wish I'd been more clued up beforehand but I'd still probably ask inane questions. I'm sure he's used to it.
I paid 30 euros for the in-car video which I've just checked out. Unfortunately its incomplete but it covers about 2/3rds of the lap. It does show the speed which topped out at over 250kmh (over 155mph!)
The lap was absolutely mind boggling. My eyes were on stalks. To begin with I really thrown about until I got a good grip. Closing speeds with other cars were huge, as were the corner speeds. I could literally feel my cheeks moving with the g-forces.
I pretty much fell out of the car afterwards, then found Luis my instructor. Adrenaline was still pumping and it took me a while to calm down.
We got straight out on track. I'd been talking to the instructors earlier and they said 2 or 3 closures a day due to crashes was pretty normal so I was keen to get my laps in before I ran out of time.
Luis gave me constant very clear instructions about which gear to take, braking points and road positioning. Most of the time he was just telling me "gas gas gas" and "don't lift". The track is seriously intimidating. Lost of corners are blind and/or late apex and it's easy to get wrong but I was much faster than I expected to be and could have been faster still with more confidence. The instruction was worth every penny, I wouldn't have got nearly as much from it on my own.
The Clio was a great car for this, very easy to drive but being stripped out and with uprated suspension it'd also be pretty quick in the right hands.
We passed one car but weirdly there was no traffic passing us and I got a clear run at every corner. Half way round we found out why - a Mk2 Golf had crashed quite heavily and the track entry must have been closed just after we started!
At the end we joined the back of a long queue to leave the circuit but then Luis noticed the track had reopened, so we simply drove past everyone and went round again. We had the track to ourselves again, but this time only for a couple of corners before we were mobbed by dozens of faster cars coming through.
This lap was completely different. I was more confident but in lots of places I was having to get out of the way of faster traffic. I was constantly having to move right and then brake and corner off-line. It certainly reinforced my decision not to risk my own car, I was overloaded keeping on top of corner lines and my mirrors and that was with guidance and a car with good rear visibility.
It was all over before 1pm so I had plenty of time in the end. Yet again I was very lucky - the track had been closed again as I left.
All that remained was to take the car back, do a bit of car spotting around the place and then reluctantly head for home.
I also need to look out on YouTube over the next couple of days - Shmee150 and Misha were filming a new Supra at Apex so I wonder if my mucky car made it into shot?
Sporky said:
That makes perfect sense to me - you can be utterly selfish about what you do and when, without even slightly inconveniencing anyone else.
Looks like a fantastic trip - and a most enjoyable thread.
Cheers! That's all very true, and it meant I could be flexible too. I originally had Monaco in my itinerary for example but I've been there before so I dumped it on the day to spend more time elsewhere. That's hard to do on the fly if you're in a group.Looks like a fantastic trip - and a most enjoyable thread.
Footnotes for this trip...
A lot of serendipity coming back on Sunday.
First thing: On the ferry I was parked next to a 911 Turbo. I spoke to the owner and it turns out he was also at the 'ring and also had a GT3 RS lap with the same driver as me, as he'd also had an Apex 600LT booking transferred! He also had Luis as his instructor too but in his own car, brave man.
Second thing: In the queue for passport control and about ten Elises and Exiges turn up who I assume were together. I got to drive most of the way home in convoy with a lovely green Exige which was wonderful.
Last thing: I don't really believe this but I parked on my drive with the trip showing 968 - three digit trip which means I actually drove 1968 miles on this holiday....and 1968 is the year I was born!
My car does sort of show very briefly in the background of Shmee's latest video, as does the hired Clio I'd just brought back and also me while I take my photo of him and Misha...oops
https://youtu.be/zoGfdG1RWvg?t=136
I filled up at the famous petrol station just outside the 'ring and was filmed there too along with everyone else it seems
https://youtu.be/pudLd9Gh0F8?t=784
And finally, if anyone is interested this is what my GT3 lap looked like from in the car
https://youtu.be/sxCOukQZDBQ
What a trip
A lot of serendipity coming back on Sunday.
First thing: On the ferry I was parked next to a 911 Turbo. I spoke to the owner and it turns out he was also at the 'ring and also had a GT3 RS lap with the same driver as me, as he'd also had an Apex 600LT booking transferred! He also had Luis as his instructor too but in his own car, brave man.
Second thing: In the queue for passport control and about ten Elises and Exiges turn up who I assume were together. I got to drive most of the way home in convoy with a lovely green Exige which was wonderful.
Last thing: I don't really believe this but I parked on my drive with the trip showing 968 - three digit trip which means I actually drove 1968 miles on this holiday....and 1968 is the year I was born!
My car does sort of show very briefly in the background of Shmee's latest video, as does the hired Clio I'd just brought back and also me while I take my photo of him and Misha...oops
https://youtu.be/zoGfdG1RWvg?t=136
I filled up at the famous petrol station just outside the 'ring and was filmed there too along with everyone else it seems
https://youtu.be/pudLd9Gh0F8?t=784
And finally, if anyone is interested this is what my GT3 lap looked like from in the car
https://youtu.be/sxCOukQZDBQ
What a trip
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