The Supercar Track Day

Lamborghini Diablo SV

I must be dreaming. In front of me, glistening in the morning light, the heat shimmering off them as they warm up, are some of the best handling supercars around. I’m being told to get into a Lamborghini Diablo and drive it as fast as possible around a race track. That’s just the first of six of these monsters.

There’s also a Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG, a Lotus Exige, two Porsches that are the 996 and a Boxter S, and the beast that is the Dodge Viper RT/ 10.

Hold on a minute though, I’m not dreaming and really am here at a race track; Mallory Park race circuit on a Supercar day bought for me by one of my friends as a present.

The day has started out overcast and looking like rain, I’m praying it won’t. After all-hurtling around the circuit in a Diablo in the wet could see my day shortened considerably should I start sliding. Luckily for me it stays dry for my sessions in the cars.

When I arrive at the beautifully laid-out Mallory Park circuit in Leicestershire, they first take me to be fitted for a helmet and race overalls. Next, it’s into a room for twenty to thirty minutes of in-depth safety instruction on how to use the track safely and also on what the best racing and overtaking lines are.

Explanation of the main flags used on the day, e.g; yellow or red for various degrees of incidents on the track ahead, are also included in the briefing. After sitting in the briefing room and trying my best to concentrate on the instruction given, (come on, it’s hard to when there’s an Aston Martin DB6 warming up just behind the door), it’s outside to start driving those beautiful supercars.

Looking around are the other cars available to drive, classic cars such as a Jaguar E type and the Aston I mentioned earlier are here, there’s also little single seaters, like an F3 type of car, screaming around the track. Sitting next to each other is a Chevy engined 5.7 litre V8 Shelby Cobra replica and a Suzuki Hayabusa powered track day only vehicle, a Radical.

Back to the cars I’m concerned with at the moment though. We first of all go out in Subaru Impreza WRX STi, with an instructor driving and explaining to me the various corners and what line to take when approaching and exiting them.

Myself admiring the Diablos raw, purposeful looks

We arrive back and ready for my first supercar of the day, the daunting Lamborghini Diablo. I get in next to my instructor for the day and get settled into the leather bucket seat, the interior is unexpectedly bland for an Italian, but then who needs that when you have a car capable of nearly 200 mph.

We set off around the first long, sweeping bend- the steering is twitchy and hard to get used to. The clutch not as heavy as I expect. The bend turns into a straight and I accelerate in forth gear and feel a surge of power that matches the mean look and name, (Diablo meaning Devil in Italian), of the Lamborghini.

I don’t even have time to glance at the speedo as the next corner approaches at a scarily fast pace. The grip is incredible I feel as if I’m being squashed sidewards into the seat. After four laps in the amazing Diablo, I drive back into the compound and park up behind a dark blue Porsche 996.

The best drive of the day for all-around speed and handling has to be the Mercedes SL 55 AMG. To look at it’s not really a fast looking car, more of a sporty two seater. That view of it all changes once you are actually able to drive it. From now on, if I see anybody one of these they will get my upmost respect just for owning the AMG. That goes for all of you reading this as well; respect the SL 55 AMG and dream of one day being lucky enough to drive one.

(Click through to Youtube for high quality video)
The Porsche 996 is up next and you can really feel and hear everything about it that equals the speed you are doing. There’s no pretence to this Porsche and it definitely felt like the most road going race car of the day.We come now to the tiny Lotus Exige. A wise word to anyone with enough money to buy one of these-they really are a great handling, (think go-cart, only damn fast), and looking car, but you need to be able to contort your various limbs and spinal column into different positions to enter and exit the Exige. Last but definitely not least is the eight litre Dodge Viper RT/ 10. It handles as it looks, ever-so slightly wallowy on the corners but the amount of neck hurting torque the Viper produces well makes up for that.

The track day was an amazing experience and cost around the £500 mark-there are slightly cheaper days but for the price you pay this will be one of the most memorable days of your life.

Copyright Chris Davies 2008 – Originally published in Drive Magazine (a Hull daily mail publication)