Oops. Tracked it after owning it for less than one week.

Its very, very fast.

First time i've ever seen car to car contact on a trackday too. I got hit by another car. Thankfully not driving my car at the time and the damage to the car i was in was limited to scuffed paint that would polish out. The knob end that hit me didn't even appologise.

 

that didnt take long
quick as in too quick for the handling or quick as a package ie the handling matches the engine? its not long now before i take mine on Bedford so interested on your feedback.

 

I was very impressed.

Monstrously quick in a straight line and the handling is pretty good too. You can feel the overall weight of the car when braking and when you turn in, but once you get turned in the handling is excellent. It was certainly one of the faster cars on the circuit. There were a couple of M3's and a Cayman which i was catching regularly and the power of the car meant that the Caterhams were despatched with ease on the straights.

Its great fun, but the brakes aren't up to more than 5-6 fast laps. Be careful with them at Bedford as the full circuit is a brake killer.

With track orientated tyres and decent brakes it would be very rapid machine. But i think it would prove expensive to drive on regularly on track and i certainly wouldn't do a full day in it.

I was at Donington driving a PBMW race car (or cars) which were also great fun, cost peanuts and will lap all day without wilting. Half the speed of the Z but as much if not more fun.

However, my problem is that i've got used to driving proper track cars and road cars just don't compare.

Glad i did get a couple of sessions on track in the Z4M though. I was a little intimidated by the it on the road in the short amount of time i'd driven it. I'm very comfortable in it now after getting an idea of its limits on track

 

Very unusual... I presume they were binned after that?

 

Makes such an awesome noise does this car/engine. Who cars how fast/slow/well it corners when every prod of the throttle makes you grin

 

Nope. Didn't get binned and didn't even come off the track after hitting me. Wouldn't have happened on a bookatrack day...

I was there having been invited to drive Tom's PBMW car. Its a older 3 series, completely stripped and caged etc, that Tom races in the PBMW series. There were a few other PBMW cars there using it as a bit of a test day. There were also quite a few other race cars there, including one red Seat Leon.

The PBMW cars are great fun, but run virtually standard 1.8 or 2.0l engines so are not that fast on acceleration. The Seat was much faster on acceleration.

I was doing my first session in the car so taking fairly steadily. I saw the Seat come up behind me on the run up to Coppice and sit right up my arse so i'd already decided to let him past on the straight. However, halfway through coppice as i was accelerating through the corner he accelerated into the corner of my rear bumper.

I pulled into the pits to appologise to Tom who was very cool about it. His car was pretty much undamaged, and in his own words the car is a race nail so its had quite a few bumps and bangs and he expects more. The Seat driver carried on lapping.

We reported it to the circuit day organiser who went and spoke with the Seat driver when he came in. He claimed i'd been indicating to pull over and let him past (which i most definately wasn't). But even if that were the case it was still his fault and common courtesy would have demanded that he come over to apologise.

As i said, wouldn't have happened on a Bookatrack day and in the unlikely event that it did he'd have been kicked off the circuit immediately. I've been black flagged on a bookatrack day for being too agressive and its bloody annoying, but this incident totally justifies the Bookatrack zero tolerance approach to poor driving.

It was lucky the car the Seat driver hit was a race nail and that its owner is so pragmatic about his race car. If he'd hit the back of my Z4M and subsequently not even apologised i think i'd have flattened him.

 

Steve, when are you going to Bedford?

 

Monday 11th April, I'm doing the welsh weekender with petrolhead nirvana Saturday and Sunday then Bedford on Monday, it's going to be a good weekend

 

For some reason i thought it was an evening session and i was thinking of popping along as Bedford isn't far from me.

You're going to have a fun few days!

 

starts at 2pm with breifings etc, shuts at 8pm, im hoping for good weather all weekend, its a good mix of cars for the welsh trip-should be fun
Ferrari 360 F1
MINI Countryman
BMW Z4m Coupe
Lamborghini Gallardo
Porsche 997
Porsche BoxsterS
BMW M3 or 130i
Ferrari 599 twin turbo
Ferrari 360 spider
Porsche 996 turbo
BMW M3
MG TF
Lamborghini Gallardo
Ford Focus RS
Skoda VRS
Renault Clio V6
Ferrari 360 spider