Stewart
25th July 2013, 11:12 PM
So won a place on the Top gear Car of the year track day at knockhill. Fantastic well organised event. Luckily I was in the afternoon group that worked out well with the sun coming out and a dry track. The fleet of cars were all the Toyota GT86.
I lovely lunch introducing the pro-drivers etc and explaining how the day would run, usual intro to what we were driving and why it had won Car of the year on Top Gear. Pluss nice to meet the other punters.
Time trial:
Anyway got to spin a Toyota GT86 (about fifteen of them) in the wet on a time trial round a course set up back to back with a mirror course trying to beat the other guy to the box. Donuts were the order of the day round three cones at the end. It was fantastic to take a car sideways and going flat out in first. First thought was “oh Christ” but after the first non timed run (we had four timed runs and one slow introduction to the course run) I got over the feeling I was in someone’s pride and joy or on a dealer test drive and let it rip.
Pro-Drift:
Then David Llewellin took us out to show how a professional drifts and donuts. Total riot of a guy that can sure drive. Well he should he won the British Rally championship twice.
Road drive:
Then they let us pair up and drive the cars out on the roads about twenty miles. While not encouraged to go nuts it was great to drive the car faster than I would normally having radios and two Jeeps in front keeping an eye on us and plod lets say. Car for a rear wheel drive felt secure enough. I’ll emit I was not pushing on too much but my paired guy who owns one was more full on. That’s why we signed in and out of the drivers seat with the noted time of day ;)
Race track:
One of the Girl-pro drivers took us out driving showing us how far you can push it if you know what you’re doing. I was happy enough passenger at this point as other punters in my group were out actually driving and she was making them all pull in for us to get past. Anyway jumped out and watched as the pack of cars, a few pro but mostly guests screwing the cars round the track. My car 16 was missing so all I could do was watch. Cars came in and swapped guests and took off still with my car 16 missing. Great company at the pit lane so was enjoying every second. Plus David Llewellyn was driving a fully race prepared version taking some of the company of the guests kind of thing and thanking them for just coming along even if they were not being able to drive. Every guest had minimum twenty minutes in the drivers seat on the track and the cars started coming in. My Car 16 appeared (I had missed that the other driver of my car was late to get in as he had gone missing) So he finished really when I should have been being the second driver of the car. Up shot was instead of going round in a pack of about seven or eight cars all getting in each others way I had the track all to myself with the instructor. :cool:Absolutely amazing!!!! Every lap got better and better, cleaner and faster. That dip after the start sure is a new ball game to that of seeing it on the TV when you are arriving at 90 Mph and stomping on the brake to bring weight forward to go round and go flat out again.
Back for Cake and Coffee and round up of the day. I’ve done a solo Parachute jump from Strathallan from 2200 feet and trial flight piloting a plane 90% of the flight round Turnberry lighthouse and back to Prestwick and this was up there with them for sheer enjoyment.:thumbs up: The added bonus was the Topgear Jeep that took JC and Capt Slow to the North Pole was sitting out open so had to have a sit in it….. :smilewinkgrin:
Excuse the crappy I-phone pic’s, it was one of those days I was more into having a blast than trying to take pic’s. :frown:
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/P1040487_zpse2f08c98.jpg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/P1040486_zpsc99a2fd3.jpg
http://youtu.be/QNANUaAHk1w
http://youtu.be/Xrc9b9EgPNE
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image6_zps22391de1.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image5_zpsa5bf4e6d.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image1_zpsc91b7feb.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image3_zps33845701.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image2_zpsc35b68b5.jpeg
I lovely lunch introducing the pro-drivers etc and explaining how the day would run, usual intro to what we were driving and why it had won Car of the year on Top Gear. Pluss nice to meet the other punters.
Time trial:
Anyway got to spin a Toyota GT86 (about fifteen of them) in the wet on a time trial round a course set up back to back with a mirror course trying to beat the other guy to the box. Donuts were the order of the day round three cones at the end. It was fantastic to take a car sideways and going flat out in first. First thought was “oh Christ” but after the first non timed run (we had four timed runs and one slow introduction to the course run) I got over the feeling I was in someone’s pride and joy or on a dealer test drive and let it rip.
Pro-Drift:
Then David Llewellin took us out to show how a professional drifts and donuts. Total riot of a guy that can sure drive. Well he should he won the British Rally championship twice.
Road drive:
Then they let us pair up and drive the cars out on the roads about twenty miles. While not encouraged to go nuts it was great to drive the car faster than I would normally having radios and two Jeeps in front keeping an eye on us and plod lets say. Car for a rear wheel drive felt secure enough. I’ll emit I was not pushing on too much but my paired guy who owns one was more full on. That’s why we signed in and out of the drivers seat with the noted time of day ;)
Race track:
One of the Girl-pro drivers took us out driving showing us how far you can push it if you know what you’re doing. I was happy enough passenger at this point as other punters in my group were out actually driving and she was making them all pull in for us to get past. Anyway jumped out and watched as the pack of cars, a few pro but mostly guests screwing the cars round the track. My car 16 was missing so all I could do was watch. Cars came in and swapped guests and took off still with my car 16 missing. Great company at the pit lane so was enjoying every second. Plus David Llewellyn was driving a fully race prepared version taking some of the company of the guests kind of thing and thanking them for just coming along even if they were not being able to drive. Every guest had minimum twenty minutes in the drivers seat on the track and the cars started coming in. My Car 16 appeared (I had missed that the other driver of my car was late to get in as he had gone missing) So he finished really when I should have been being the second driver of the car. Up shot was instead of going round in a pack of about seven or eight cars all getting in each others way I had the track all to myself with the instructor. :cool:Absolutely amazing!!!! Every lap got better and better, cleaner and faster. That dip after the start sure is a new ball game to that of seeing it on the TV when you are arriving at 90 Mph and stomping on the brake to bring weight forward to go round and go flat out again.
Back for Cake and Coffee and round up of the day. I’ve done a solo Parachute jump from Strathallan from 2200 feet and trial flight piloting a plane 90% of the flight round Turnberry lighthouse and back to Prestwick and this was up there with them for sheer enjoyment.:thumbs up: The added bonus was the Topgear Jeep that took JC and Capt Slow to the North Pole was sitting out open so had to have a sit in it….. :smilewinkgrin:
Excuse the crappy I-phone pic’s, it was one of those days I was more into having a blast than trying to take pic’s. :frown:
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/P1040487_zpse2f08c98.jpg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/P1040486_zpsc99a2fd3.jpg
http://youtu.be/QNANUaAHk1w
http://youtu.be/Xrc9b9EgPNE
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image6_zps22391de1.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image5_zpsa5bf4e6d.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image1_zpsc91b7feb.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image3_zps33845701.jpeg
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq72/sav112g/image2_zpsc35b68b5.jpeg