Possibly
the ultimate TVR petrolhead experience - driving a TVR Tuscan race car, no holds
barred, on a circuit! The warp-speed acceleration, internal organ re-arranging
retardation on braking and limpet-like grip have to be experienced to be
believed! Oh, and brutality of the kick in the back when rapidly moving up
through the 'dog' 'box won't be forgotten in a while!
I joined fellow PistonHeaders at Bedford Autodrome for the Topcats Racing TVR
Tuscan race car experience. Peter (GreenV8S), Andy (AndyTather), Mark (Mark
Benson) and I (jeremyc) were sharing the car together with TVRCC Sprint Editor
Tony Connor (TonyC) for the whole day.
And what a beast we were driving! The specially converted two seater has seen
real race action, being Michael Caine's championship winning car from 2000, and
delivers over 400 bhp from it's AJP V8 whilst weighing in at around 850kg on
full slicks and race suspension (that's 0-60 in 3.0 seconds to you sir!).
Experienced TVR Tuscan and British GT racer Charlotte Osborn was our instructor
and passenger for the day - a brave lady indeed!
Charlotte first drove each of us on two familiarisation laps of the 3.6 mile
GT circuit at Bedford; this enabled us to have some idea of the lines, braking
and gear change points, as well as to get something of a feel for the
capabilities of the car.
Then it was our turn! The rest of the day was spent taking it in turns to
pilot Charlotte for 5 laps stints, with two-way intercom communication to ensure
that we received the necessary advice (and egging-on) from the passenger seat.
It takes a little time to get used to car - the rapid fire gearchanges (the
faster the better) and the phenomenal speed that can be carried through corners,
but the improvement in every one of us through the day was discernable, as was
the increasing width of grins from drivers extricating themselves from the
drivers seat!
The car wasn't as difficult to drive as I expected, but there was plenty to
challenge us in trying to string together a smooth and fast lap. It's a brutal
physical experience as well as requiring intense concentration. Standing on the
rock-solid brake pedal, slamming through the gearbox and wrestling with the
steering to the accompaniment of the howling side-exit exhaust. Absolute speeds
weren't measured, but the rate at which roadgoing Tuscans and Cerberas were
caught and passed (we were at a TVR Performance Technique day) was incredible.
Not surprising as it was estimated we were hitting nearly 150mph down the
straight....
Topcats Racing will be running further TVR Tuscan race car experience days
this year and I can thoroughly ould recommend them as a fantastic way to
experience what has to be one of the ultimate driving sensations, under expert
and safe tutelage. There are very few people that are lucky enough to even ride
in a racing TVR Tuscan, let alone drive one for a day! A big thanks are due to
the whole Topcats Racing team: Charlotte, Warren and Brian - a very memorable
day out!
And the highlight of the day? The string of TVR owners walking up to the
newbie drivers and asking how they can sign up for a 'hot lap' ride with us!
That put us in the same company as Michael Caine, Richard Hay and Jay Shepherd
who were there piloting the TVR Motorsport Tuscan on demonstration laps...