Top Cats Tuscan Experience
Ted went to Donington to learn how to drive a Tuscan race car
I was excited about driving a Tuscan race car. A day sharing the Top Cats' race car was certainly something to get excited about.
Nevertheless I was surprised by how much I learned from the experience. I'm fortunate enough to have driven a good selection of cars on track and to have driven Donington numerous times.
The challenge presented to me by the Tuscan race car was completely different to what I expected however.
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The car is prepared. The ex Michael Caine car uses a 4.2 litre TVR V8 salvaged from a Cerbera and then rebuilt by Top Cats |
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The day started like any other track day with a lengthy briefing first thing, covering the usual aspects such as overtaking rules, use of flags etc. This briefing also alerted drivers to the new surface at Donington which was not only damp but greasy too thanks to the fuel deposited by the airliners landing nearby at East Midlands Airport.
I was one of four drivers attending the Top Cats day. Two had elected to do the morning session and two of us were doing the full day. There were plenty of nerves from the two chaps who'd never driven on track before - it's a pretty daunting experience to consider driving on track for the first time, driving a TVR for the first time and driving a race car for the first time!
I was excited about getting behind the wheel. After all it should be just like driving a Chimaera round track but with about 100bhp more power available shouldn't it? I've done dozens of track days in my old TVR and spend plenty of time behind the wheel of a Chimaera - I knew what I was getting into...
Reality Check
How wrong I was. Whilst plenty of Tuscan race drivers have regaled tales of just how difficult these cars are to drive, nothing prepared me for the reality!
Having climbed through the roll cage and adjusted my seating position, I was strapped into the beast ready for my first laps. Beside me was instructor Richard Fores. Connected via an intercom Richard gave me the signal and we edged off down the pitlane to head out onto the circuit.
At low speed the steering is immensely heavy as you'd expect. Extremely wide tyres and a very quick rack require considerable effort to steer. Out on track I imagined that given a bit of speed that would become a lot easier. Not the case! Driving around Redgate, building up speed I realised that the steering remains incredibly heavy and solid. The steering rack is geared such that an almost insignifant movement translates to the car weaving about - it's a good job the it is heavy!
Although the Tuscan only weighs about 850kg and has 350-400 bhp from it's 4.2 litre AJP V8 it does not feel light and breezy! It's a monster that when guided correctly slips around the circuit without too much effort. But get your lines wrong and you'll be engaging in a real workout as you fight it to get it back on line.
Pulling it Together
As I got used to the steering I could spend more time concentrating on my speed and lines. Although I've driven Donington and thought I knew what I was doing it's not until you've got an experienced racer beside you that you realise how wrong you can be. Whilst my entry points may only have been a metre or two out in places (and more in others!), when guided through the bends correctly it can make a huge difference, particularly compared with compounding mistakes bend after bend.
The brakes also require a large amount of work to summon their best. A very, very firm shove is required to get the huge discs warmed up and doing their thing. Braking at the end of the Dunlop straight required a damn firm shove to wipe off enough speed - enormously effective when pressed hard enough but like every aspect of the Tuscan - pussying around will achieve nothing.
Richard gave me running commentary and guidance throughout the day, remaining immensely patient as I gradually strung together the various aspects and built up speed. Having spent the first two sessions pulling over to let faster cars past, I was now travelling at sufficient pace not to worry about letting cars pass all the time.
The morning session came to and end and two happy chappies went home with nervous looks translated into beaming smiles and full of promises to return.
In the swing of it...
That left two of us to drive in the afternoon - more exciting as we both were showing more confidence and comfort behind the wheel. As with many things in life, it's easier when you do it right and my first session after lunch was thrilling. Powering the car up to fifth gear under the Dunlop bridge, hearing the V8 howling and then scrubbing off the speed even more quickly than it was built, balancing the hefty car on the throttle through the chicane and easing the power back on for the pit straight. I was no longer overwhelmed by the car and could concentrate on my technique.
With a few red flags interrupting play and the day getting late, I was left sat in the car with Richard waiting for the track to be cleared once again. We'd spent 3 laps of the previous session behind some old dodder in a single seater who appeared to know nothing about racing lines, mirrors or courtesy. With the Top Cats team now just waiting for me to finish my last session I was tempted to just call it a day and let them get off home.
Flyer!
Conscious of the fact that opportunities like this don't come up very often in life, I hung on in there. How glad I was that I did! My final session of the day transformed my experience from fun to sensational. I'd got the feel of the car now. I knew my lines better. I'd got to grips with the steering, the brakes and had a good sense of its balance now. Unimpeded by duffers and fast enough to stay clear of traffic I indulged in what seemed and endless series of laps in which it all came together. It was smooth and flowing and relatively quick (for me).
I'd been arrogant enough to think there wasn't a great deal to learn at the beginning of the day and that it would just be a day blasting around the circuit. By the end of the day I'd both realised how much I had learned and how much I still had to learn. A simply fantastic experience and I too went home beaming.
Links
- www.topcatsracing.com
- Future Top Cats Events
- Tuscan Racer Wallpaper (1280, 1024, 800)
- Tuscan Racer Screen Saver for Windows
(2MB)
(virus checked but you are still advised to take your own precautions)
dannylt said:
You can see why most of the actual race cars have power steering! I thought crashing through the dog gearbox was fun too. Driving it in the wet was a VERY different experience though! Was lucky to have both in the same day, and the dry was fun.
You need to try a Radical next Ted!
Actually lot of us use the non-PAS rack - lighter, more feel, less to go wrong, and er, cheaper when you bend it.
Yes its hard work. But so it should be!!
Hawthorns ltd said:
29/220
Now try a full race version, 450/475 bhp, in a race with no: 6 , no 5 , and about five others up your rear end thinking that they have a chance to overtake you
Great to hear that you have "met the beast", can we look forward to the full race debut
Hello Uncle Rodney
Wouldn’t you know it, after all that work getting the car nice and shiney again, that No 8, tall chap, moustache – very big tyres – gave me a smack up the chuff. The paint wasn’t even dry!!!
It’s a shame you can’t bottle the feelings from first driving a race Tuscan, then take the lid off and remind yourself what it felt like every now and then.
griff2be said:
Wouldn’t you know it, after all that work getting the car nice and shiney again, that No 8, tall chap, moustache – very big tyres – gave me a smack up the chuff. The paint wasn’t even dry!!!
It’s a shame you can’t bottle the feelings from first driving a race Tuscan, then take the lid off and remind yourself what it felt like every now and then.
29/220 Well, the poor old fellow has trouble these days seeing things right in front of his nose, lost his sense of direction and no doubt feels like it's all going down the tubes, still....... back to the racing
I don't know about finding it in a bottle, but two helpings of vindaloo with a side order of senipods followed by sliding down a 40ft razor blade, using my nuts as brakes does it for me.
Hawthorns ltd said:
Wouldn’t you know it, after all that work getting the car nice and shiney again, that No 8, tall chap, moustache – very big tyres – gave me a smack up the chuff. The paint wasn’t even dry!!!
It’s a shame you can’t bottle the feelings from first driving a race Tuscan, then take the lid off and remind yourself what it felt like every now and then.
Well, the poor old fellow has trouble these days seeing things right in front of his nose, lost his sense of direction and no doubt feels like it's all going down the tubes, still....... back to the racing
I don't know about finding it in a bottle, but two helpings of vindaloo with a side order of senipods followed by sliding down a 40ft razor blade, using my nuts as brakes does it for me.
That's probably why you had to give it up then,
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