I had to use the 'Triple Supercar Drive' voucher that the in-laws got me for Crimbo last year, and today at Dunsfold Park was the day.
When I booked it back in May, I opted for the Lambo Gallardo, Ferrari F430 and Aston Vantage. The voucher also included a hot lap passenger ride in a Focus RS. I ignored the VERY HEAVY upsell of experiencing an Ariel Atom for only an extra £45. That said, I also ignored the other upsells such as: insurance waiver (£35), photo memorabilia (£25), face masks / rubber gloves in case you forgot your own (£5) and upgrading my hot lap from a Focus to a Supercar (£15).
I'm also not a track person. There was no sideways action to be seen and nobody ventured off the tarmac to rip up the grass - each to their own I guess - but you get the idea: Scrooge McDuck was attending a Supercar experience day courtesy of the In-laws.
We all waited in line as marshals called out our names and we posed next to our car of choice for the obligatory photo (for insurance purposes I was told!) before setting off.
First up: the Fezza. It was a bit of a let down, but I'm gonna rack this up to it being my first ever outing of the track and therefore being very conscious of which cones not to hit and the fact that all the mirrors were angled so that my experienced tutor could see what was happening behind me, rather than myself. At one point I was instructed to pull over and let a Focus RS go by - rude!
Second up: The Aston. Very dated. Lazy V8 engine and changing gear over 4k RPM was met with a thud that would have had me calling Henry / Rookie at the factory first thing in the morning.
Third helping: Hot lap in the Focus RS. Yeah, I can see how man mated with machine expects Fezzas to get out of their way. I'm not a good passenger BTW.
Lastly: The Lambo. The one I would go for if I didn't need 4 seats. Of course, by now I knew the track and how it all worked, so confidence was building. The fact that my experienced tutor introduced the car as 'the fastest accelerating car you will ever drive in your life' didn't inspire to hold back.
Anyway... I came away thinking how shite all the cars were. Not in a 'I own an Ariel and you are all dreamers' kinda way, but more in a 'how on earth are these cars still running' kinda way.
Seriously, these cars were ragged to within an inch of their lives - as you would probably expect. I left Dunsfold thinking I wouldn't spend my money on any of these cars, which I am sure is not what the manufacturers aimed for when building them.
In other news, there was 1 x Radical being piloted by some race champion or other offering hot laps (race slick tyres, many wheels spins in the pit lane, much showing off of how to attach a 5 point harness etc.) but most people seemed to be in the queue for a hot lap in one of the 2 Atoms - kudos Ariel!
I know Atoms. I know what a well looked after Atom looks, sounds and smells like. I know that what I saw today were 2 very tired looking Atoms with puffs of black smoke and gearbox crunching noises despite their experienced pilots.
And this brings me to my point... I'm assuming by the dash warning lights taking centre stage in the Fezza, Aston, Lambo and Focus (I kid you not!), as well as the various mechanical clunks, grinds and grates that I witnessed, today taught me what Supercars look like when not looked after properly.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the experience, but as a potential owner of one of the 3 cars I opted for back in May, I'd stick with my Beemer thank you very much and keep my cash earning almost negative interest in the bank.
Shame really, but an experience nonetheless...
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