DanBoy's First Driving Experience...
Discussion
Today myself and family set off to Silverstone where I would be attending a Ferrai experience with Drive Silverstone. It was a fantastic day, the weather behaved itself (although it did look a bit menacing once or twice) but I just thought I'd mention a few of my main thoughts on the day:
The first four laps were done in an Elise, and I have to say it only took about thirty seconds (maybe less) before I realised what an absolutely cracking car the Elise is - It goes exactly where you want it to, when you want it to, with oodles of grip, and a really nice weight to the steering. It is excellent at changing direction (as you'd expect) also had more torque than I expected - Owning an MR2 I was under the impression that most naturally aspirated, high-revving Toyota fours were pretty dead below four thousand RPM. Drivers on the day were split into groups of three... My Elise was the last to venture onto the track and the first to return; a testament to just how easy the car is to drive, how much confidence it inspires, and just how capable it is.
A Ferrari 355, on the other hand, is bloody hard work in comparison. The car I drove was a left-hooker, and having never driven anything other than RHD before I found that I suffer from something akin to target fixation when looking for the apex of a bend. I seem to want to be on the other side of the car so that I feel closer to the clipping point, resulting in me getting a little too close. I guess it takes some getting used to, as do the offset pedals and the fairly tricky gear change. A compromised driving position in a Ferrari? Surely not! Whilst the steering actually felt lighter than that of the Elise, the 355 was alot less willing to change direction (again, as you'd probably expect). That's not to say it doesn't do corners, though, but I only had four laps in it and I only really started to get to grips with it half way round lap three. I got my arse kicked by the Elises when I was in the 355 which just goes to show that you really shouldn't try to run before you can walk. I would imagine the 355 could be an absolute weapon, but only when you've gotten to know it inside-out. I noticed there was a degree of travel on the accelerator where nothing happened, before my foot finally met some resistance and the throttle actually began to open - Is this normal? I only ask because the car was apparently having some kind of trouble, buffeting heavily at low revs when exiting the pits in first gear. Every driver who drove that particular 355 encountered the same problem.
On the whole, though, the day was very well organised and I think I'd do it again, although I'd rather just have a day with an Elise if I'm honest, as for a driver with as little experience as myself the Elise is simply more fun. The instructors were great, especially the younger guys in the Elises. At the end of the day every driver got given an overall percentage based on their performace. Clearly the "grading" was pretty basic and probably a tad generous, but I ended up going home with an 84% mark, so I was pretty chuffed.
I now want to save up for an Elise, and I think track days are going to become a very expensive hobby!
>> Edited by DanBoy on Saturday 11th June 21:19
The first four laps were done in an Elise, and I have to say it only took about thirty seconds (maybe less) before I realised what an absolutely cracking car the Elise is - It goes exactly where you want it to, when you want it to, with oodles of grip, and a really nice weight to the steering. It is excellent at changing direction (as you'd expect) also had more torque than I expected - Owning an MR2 I was under the impression that most naturally aspirated, high-revving Toyota fours were pretty dead below four thousand RPM. Drivers on the day were split into groups of three... My Elise was the last to venture onto the track and the first to return; a testament to just how easy the car is to drive, how much confidence it inspires, and just how capable it is.
A Ferrari 355, on the other hand, is bloody hard work in comparison. The car I drove was a left-hooker, and having never driven anything other than RHD before I found that I suffer from something akin to target fixation when looking for the apex of a bend. I seem to want to be on the other side of the car so that I feel closer to the clipping point, resulting in me getting a little too close. I guess it takes some getting used to, as do the offset pedals and the fairly tricky gear change. A compromised driving position in a Ferrari? Surely not! Whilst the steering actually felt lighter than that of the Elise, the 355 was alot less willing to change direction (again, as you'd probably expect). That's not to say it doesn't do corners, though, but I only had four laps in it and I only really started to get to grips with it half way round lap three. I got my arse kicked by the Elises when I was in the 355 which just goes to show that you really shouldn't try to run before you can walk. I would imagine the 355 could be an absolute weapon, but only when you've gotten to know it inside-out. I noticed there was a degree of travel on the accelerator where nothing happened, before my foot finally met some resistance and the throttle actually began to open - Is this normal? I only ask because the car was apparently having some kind of trouble, buffeting heavily at low revs when exiting the pits in first gear. Every driver who drove that particular 355 encountered the same problem.
On the whole, though, the day was very well organised and I think I'd do it again, although I'd rather just have a day with an Elise if I'm honest, as for a driver with as little experience as myself the Elise is simply more fun. The instructors were great, especially the younger guys in the Elises. At the end of the day every driver got given an overall percentage based on their performace. Clearly the "grading" was pretty basic and probably a tad generous, but I ended up going home with an 84% mark, so I was pretty chuffed.
I now want to save up for an Elise, and I think track days are going to become a very expensive hobby!
>> Edited by DanBoy on Saturday 11th June 21:19
Hi there,
If you enjoy this sort of thing, you might enjoy some time in your own car with someone like Hugh Noblett at Cadence or Don Palmer.
Both their details can be found here:
www.hpc.org.uk/guests/guestjoin.html
If you enjoy this sort of thing, you might enjoy some time in your own car with someone like Hugh Noblett at Cadence or Don Palmer.
Both their details can be found here:
www.hpc.org.uk/guests/guestjoin.html
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