Cars I'd like to drive one day, part XXVII...

Tell me this does not look like a fun challenge: a Caterham R500 on a cold december day, 265hp, 1100 lbs... track is not crowded and there are no safety nazis warning giving you "excess of oversteer" warnings.

Clip is from Italy's Track4Fun.com, trackday organizers and now also official Caterham importers. Great commercial for your product guys!





And...yes It doesn't always work out perfectly.... and it certainly isn't the fast way around, but it sure looks fun.

Enzo Shake and Bake

A classic in fabulously dooshy driving, again from out tracktad friend Manuma. Out of the Porsche GT2 and into an Enzo Ferrari, that's how my track days go too....in my dreams anyway.

So once again, same track (Imola) and a couple of hugely entertaining laps along what may have been a worried passenger. "Everything OK? please don't barf in the Enzo". Manuma commeted on his video below, maybe he'll chip in and tell us if there was any clean up involved.

By the way, that's a 400 km/h speedometer on the Enzo and it looks like he's reaching something like 260 km/h at the end of the front straight, that's 161mph....nice!

Listen to how squeaky and rattly the Enzo is, I kind of like that about it.

Video after the jump



And here is the rest of it.

Now let's add two turbos to that: Porsche GT2 track video.

You have enjoyed Zampa's Porsche 996 GT3 video below, now let's switch to the next generation of flattened VW Beetle, the 997.

Same track, Imola and we ride this time with Manuma in his Porsche 997 GT2. This is the same car our own CG has and aside from massively more power, the 997 has a better suspension setup (stock) and is easier to drive at the limit than the 996.

We are not sure what if any modifications this GT2 has or if it's been aligned any particular way, we do know it is wearing Pirelli Corsa.

The GT2 is a massive 7 to 8 seconds faster on this track than the 996 GT3 and it does it with a lot less drama. Most of the advantage comes on the straights with the big turbo just destroying the GT3 on the uphill sections. If you are familiar with the corners at Imola, the 996 can just about hang to Tosa but on the run up to Piratella and later from Acque Minerali to the Variante Alta...well it's all over, ciao!

The 997 seems to be more balanced mid corner with possibly a touch of understeer.

In the video below I have combined the two laps. After the jump, you can see the original GT2 video, three laps of which the first is the fastest and well, it gets more sideways and hooliganistic from there. Again, nice car control from our Italian tracktard friends!

Tomorrow we switch to a red car on the same track...

We do sideways here

Let's ride along for a lap of the "Circuito Enzo e Dino Ferrari" in Imola, Italy in Zampa's tail happy Porsche 996 GT3.

Our friend does a great job carrying speed though the many left-right chicanes. For sure he would be severely reprimanded at Porsche Club of America's track days where our own CG was once sternly scolded by a PCA official with a "we don't do sideways here" warning!

Zampa tell us he was on Michelin Pilot Sport Cups that day. Tomorrow we will show you a lap on the same track but with a 997 GT2. It will be a good illustration of what about 200 extra horsepower can accomplish.

For now enjoy this ride on this fantastic track, as you will see Zampa is quite comfortable with high speed oversteer.

The data system he is using is from RaceChrono a system which uses a GPS enabled smartphone and the overlay done with RaceChrono2AVI which Zampa describes as "the poor man's Trackvision"!





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Hypnotic.

Brilliant, sometimes a simple yet twisted idea can result in hypnotic zen like this.

"Zampa" is one the original tracktards, if you are familiar with cinghialoni.org and track4fun.com, he needs no introduction. We have have featured some of his, mostly sideways, antics here before. It's a long drive from Milano to Nürburg, why not make an arty tracktard stoner film out of it?

Part 2 and 3 are after the jump. Be sure you stop by and see some of Marco's excellent automotive photography on his web site too!

Suffering....

Winter is still lingering here in the North East and all those email alerting you the track day are coming and you need to register, let's face it, they are just increasing your suffering...

Meanwhile our Tracktard friends in Italy have had their first outing of the year, at the historic Monza track, just outside of Milano. (Zoom in to see race cars on the track!)


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If you are reading this from Europe I highly recommend you check out Track4Fun, these guys organize what seem to be spectacular, mostly open track, relaxed and hassle free outings.

Let's suffer though these super pictures by Marco Zamponi

Open Passing

Continuing our series leading up to the start of track season, let me wax poetic about the joys of open track and open passing.

Simply put, this is why you want to stop sucking and get good. It's quite a different experience from the more widely held "Driver's school" track days, only advanced drivers can attend and in the best of them, rules are very simple: if you are an ass, you go home. That's it.

We have done a number of events with organizations like Group 52 and they have just been spectacular.

In the video you will ride along with two Italian tracktards from Track4fun.com, Zampa and Luke. See how much fun can be had when capable but especially, AWARE drivers are on track together.
Some of the antics you will see would get you banned from US "we don't do sideways here" club organizations, but in the right context it's absolutely fine.

A note on open passing. I feel that open passing in a track day is potentially safer than the "point by" in that it forces everyone, the passer and the passed, to stay situationally aware.

Enjoy this great video and incidentally, if you do speak Italian, the comments are hilarious.

For history buffs, the track is Dijon, the same of the mythical Villeneuve-Arnoux duel of 1979.

Fxx Evoluzione

You KNOW the only reason you have not purchased an FXX is because you were waiting for the "Evoluzione" package!...

This new tuning option developed using the data gathered by the customers-testdrivers cut a whole 2 seconds from the lap time at Fiorano to 1:16sec. Want tasty? The 6.3L v12 now develops 860Hp at 9500rpm, 1000rpm more than the before. The shift time has been cut by 20 ms to 60.

A new diffuser and rear wings add more downforce on the rear of the car and a claimed 25% improved efficiency. A new 9 way traction control system has been added, apparently the need for more sophisticated system settings emerged from ahem, ...test driver needs.

Finally, telemetry channels for brake pressure and steering angle were added along with the possibility to install two additional video cameras for added rear visibility without sacrificing aero efficiency with rear view mirrors!

Well, while you are saving your pennies, let's have a listen to the old, slow FXX!

This quick video from Luke.Duke atTrack4fun.com is from their awesome track day at Rijeka in Croatia this past week end. Turn up your speakers.

Note: this is number 28, one of only two black FXX made. The other, number 30 without a stripe, is owned by Michael Schumacher.

4 Fun track day

If I were living in Europe, there is no way I would miss the track day Track4Fun.com is organizing at Rijeka on Sunday November 18. Check out what kind of hardware showed up last time!

Find more info on Track4Fun.com

Photos by Maxige




FXX @ Rijeka 2006 (Driver: Manuma).


GT3 @ Rijeka 2006 (Driver: Maxige).

European Track Day Championship round 2: SPA

Let's visit with out friends at Track4Fun.com and a video from their recent outing at SPA. In the clip, some fun* between a Porsche 996 TT and a Z06 Corvette. According to their accounts, the Porsche is on Pirelli Corsas while the Z06 is on the stock run-flat tires.

The new Vette continues to impress even die hard euro car fans, obviously he gives up at the end of the clip likely because his tires have overheated, but the car is a beast.

Notice how despite no passing rules and lots of playing around*, there are no ball of flame exposions or collisions.... common sense and open eyes do the trick, well done boys and way to show those curbs at Eau Rouge who's boss!!

By the way, this is first look at the new Spa layout. No more "bus stop", now replaced with a very tight right-left onto the pit straight. The whole pit lane has been redone as well.

* having fun like this will 100% result in you getting kicked out of certain PCA track events because of the "we don't do sideways here" rule...

Nice garden, you let cars drive on that?

Mas du Clos has to be one of the most gorgeous looking tracks on the planet, look at those manicured runoff lawns! They must be very exciting when it rains but man, they look pretty.

Here are some great shots from the Track4Fun guys who had what looks like a very Lotus-centric track day. Excellent pictures by Zamp and AlexF.

At the bottom is a movie clip from a 996GT3. Don't get thrown by the music, just a bit of humor which ends with the first oversteer moment!














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First round of the European HPDE championship

Looks like our friends over at Track4fun were contesting the first round of the European HPDE championship* at the glorious Salzburgring in Austria.
Though Zampa, the driver of the GT3 in the video below left, will have to consult JustGoFaster.com's list of tire excuses soon, the sound from his GT3 is just fantastic, I love it.
(photos by Andi111s)


Now speaking of HPDE championships, the Axis will be fighting hard for pointless bragging rights this Saturday at Pocono East, Time trial and lots of cameras, EVO IX vs 997s vs GT3 vs MCoupe vs M3... weeeeeee! Below right is a video of what happened last year around this time.

*"HPDE Championship" also known as the "Track Day Championship" is a self-mocking term among track-a-holics.

P.O.D.

Mas Du Clos, May 2005 by LukeDuke Track4Fun.com



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11/10ths all the time.

is what I would do, what we all would do, if we had access to a track like Paul Ricard. Taking the theory of paved runoffs to the logical extreme, it's not wonder that Bernie Ecclestone's circuit in southern France is a favourite of car companies that have to hand over their supercars to ham fisted journalists.

Explore the map below to see how it it would be essentially impossible to do any damage to anything even remotely street legal on such a track.
Of course one might argue that the vast expanse of asphalt makes the track devoid of any character and charm. True, but I would trade that for a chance at experience impunity!

Below is a video courtesy of "Dr.Stringfella" from Track4fun.com in Italy. He is driving his Flying Carrot Westfield Xtr2 which he used to own. I'm not 100% sure what he's driving now, maybe he'll drop by and set the record straight.
Notice the quirky track day mix: an F3000 and Alfa TZ and a bunch of spec Caterhams all on the track at the same time!


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