V8 Hot Lap

[BrisWesty]

Went in a competition when at a conference last month and got an e-mail yesterday that said the following:

"Congratulations!! You are the winner of the Howard Racing V8 Hot Lap Competition that was entered at the International Urban Design Conference on the Gold Coast.
...
Your prize includes the following:
V8 Hot Lap at Queensland Raceway with Howard Racing on Wednesday 7th November 2007.
Transfers to and from Queensland Raceway (from Brisbane City)
BBQ and refreshments trackside
You name will appear on the Howard Group website as the competition winner."

Not quite the ozgolf champs, but I'll take it!

[poidda]

Not quite the ozgolf champs, but I'll take it!

Sell it and come to the champs then! ;)

[Grunt]

Howard Racing guys were scary at Bathurst. Might pay to sell it.

[shazza_rs]

Westy,

My dad has just done the same sort of thing at QLD raceway last saturday. He actually got to drive the V8 car for 8 laps. He opted to get a video done and the video didn't show the track so he got another 5 laps for free in a different car. He absolutely loved it! In fact he didn't stop talking about it all weekend. :)

A hot lap will be fantastic!

[markTHEblake]

Is this televised, i wanna see you get spring putting a cushion on the front seat.

[BrisWesty]

Is that the voice of experience Blakey?

Note to self - wear platform shoes in order to reach pedals.

[phoeno]

I was fortunte enough to do the 5 laps drive at Willowbank a few years ago. It is well put together, cars are good but they are not V8 Supercars. They had a choice of Commodore or Falcon, one was a former GTP Cup car with a V8 Supercar body kit and the other was a production model XR8 with a few go fast bits.

The video I had too was mainly of me driving, but I wanted to see the outside of the car 80% of the time and me a little bit.

They have the track and instructions setup so you only run the short course, change from 3rd to 4th and back to 3rd twice over during the lap.

It is over before you know it, the cars look great, make all the right noises but arn't that quick to drive.

A lap in a real one with a real driver, not a mug punter like me, would be a nice experience, sadly 5 laps was all over before I knew it. Not sure I would be giving up a golf event for 1 lap in a car.

[markTHEblake]

Is that the voice of experience Blakey?

I like standing next to you, makes me feel like I am Arnold Schwarzenegger

[BrisWesty]

Just an update on the Hot Lap.

Drove out to Willowbank on Wednesday. Raining off and on a fair bit of the way, but got heavier the closer I got.

The car park was a bit of a swimming pool by the time I arrived. They then advised, "We've had to cancel today, the track has too much water on it. It's just not safe out there. Can we reschedule for another time." Bit of a disappointment after driving for almost 2 hours, but better to be safe and have another go on a dry day.

Came home via Brookwater because I've never been there and seeing as was in the vicinity. Didn't play, but looks like a hell of a test.

[BrisWesty]

Success at last. Overcast, threatening rain, but a dry track at Queensland Raceway. Turn up, and the guy organising it all out says, we've got a different driver today. This little guy with curlyish hair walks in, and it's Glenn Seton.

While I'm getting into a race suit, all of a sudden there's this almighty roar from outside the tent. Look out, he's fired up the Falcon, and goes out for a few laps.

Game on. Slide into the passenger seat and exchange pleasantries while they put in a smaller brake pedal. Starts up. Drives out the pit lane at 40km/h and all of a sudden all hell breaks loose. Comes up to the first corner, and I'm expecting 5 barrel rolls off into the tyre wall. Holy crap, talk about grip it and rip it, huge G-forces (compared to what I get in the Sonata ;-) ). I thought every now and then I'd opened the throttle on the road and experienced some speed or handling, or that I could even drive. I was kidding myself.

Top speed about 230km/h for the 2 laps. Braking - just get up hard on the straps because my back certainly wasn't up hard against the seat. It's like you're about to go through the windscreen. Cornering - I had no idea they corner as hard as they do. Acceleration - Not much different to my mate's worked RX7 twin turbo, but felt a damn site safer in Glenn Seton's passenger seat at 230km/h than I did in Rob's back seat at 190km/h on Old Gympie Road.

Absolutely amazing. In the past I've thought "yeah, I could tootle round at the back of the pack" when I've watched the V8s. But nothing prepares you for the grip, the speed, the acceleration, the braking, the heat and the noise. Then chuck in another 20-30 cars all trying to use the same bit of track and the respect level goes up another several notches.

Then had to go back to work and be productive (pretty unsuccessfully) for the rest of the day.

I'll see if I can put in a couple of photos.

[Grunt]

Sounds like a great day was had. I did a lap around Oran Park a few years ago in a Group A Commodore. Was fun. Sounds like yours was more fun.

[Grunt]

The day is almost here for me to do my V8 Supercar drive, not as a passenger but as a driver :). I have got 8 laps of Eastern Creek tomorrow, 6 as a driver and 2 as a passenger in the V8 Supercar of my choice, Commodore or Falcon, they even offer an auto. I am not sure who would bother in an auto.

Only one drama, the Sydney weather is crap and could cause it to be postponed.

[BrisWesty]

Nice Grunt. Enjoy!

[Tongueboy]

fine in this arsehole of a joint so he should be racing!

[PeteyD]

There are pics on facebook.

[Grunt]

Yeah was ok, but to be honest I was expecting a bigger rush out of it all. I will upload the Driver cam footage to youtube later.

Did not really care what car I drove. Falcons were in greater number so I drove one of them.

11104
Speedo did not work but going off the in car footage and telemetry I got up to about 170km/h on the straight. Made a fair few mistakes through my laps and as such did never really get a full flying lap. One thing that was hard was the fact the co-driver had the mirrors set up for him. I went the wrong way when one of the ride cars lapped me causing the co driver to grab the wheel. Apart from a few missed gear changes it was pretty good. I got into trouble for using the ripple strips through the flip flop corners.
Don't know why, but the speeds did not seem that fast at all.

Ride laps were ok but again got caught up on a lapped car and slowed down.

Was all over in just under 2 hours. As I said to Rachelle I am glad I got it for a present as I doubt I would have paid for it myself , got it for my birthday off parents and sister, I think they paid around $500. John Bowe was there and people had paid $1000 to do the same as me and get 1 lap with J Bowe plus lunch, one of the staff there, said lunch would want to be good.

[Grunt]

Grunt's impersonation of a V8 Driver


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_1LT-F6AZ8