Palmer track day at the Bedford Autodrome - 56k warning

[crayzayjay]

Better late than never

At long last, I've been arsed to resize the 100-odd pictures I took on this great day a couple of months ago. The Palmer track day is a slick, professionally organised track day in Bedford, UK (where evo magazine tests road & track cars), where participants thrash several cars around four track circuits, a mini-rally course, and an off-road course.

Here’s my account of how it went. If I ramble – and I will – have a look at the pics I've attached instead.

There were three groups of 15 on the day. Each group was transported in a minibus from event to event, where you would wait in a 'hospitality suite' before going on-track in batches of 4 or 5.

View from inside the first (and lousiest) hospitality suite:





First up was off-roading in the Vauxhall Frontera



This part of the day is effectively a time-filler as the Mitsubishi Evo 6 circuit (which is adjacent to the off-road course) is pretty small and only accommodates 3 or 4 cars at a time.

A few pics of the off-road course:

(Sorry about the terrible quality on the first 5 or 6 pics, they will get better later on I promise. I had just bought the camera the previous day and hadn't had much time to experiment so I didn’t really know how to use it properly)





You get the idea: steep inclines, mud, water crossing, etc, but it didn’t turn out to be too shabby and the Frontera was pretty impressive.



After getting back to the 'hospitality suite', it was time for the Mitsubishi Evo 6



The purpose of the Evo round was not to set a fast stage time, but to demonstrate good vehicle control and style, i.e. to drift around the mini rally course, which is characterised by changing surfaces – tarmac, gravel, mud, and a few puddles, which now resembled swimming pools due to the amount of rain that was coming down.











After a demo run in the passenger seat next to the instructor, I took the wheel. Drivers get 5 laps: 4 practice attempts, and one final run which is marked by the instructor. Strangely, the Evo’s were RWD and not AWD, and consequently very easy to spin on a wet, muddy course, which I found out on the very first lap. I got caught out by the change in surfaces again a few laps later but gradually got used to the behaviour of the car, and kept it together on my official lap. I got a nice little sequence of mini-drifts going, and scored fifth out of 45 overall with an 89/100 score.

Lots of fun, but 5 laps – especially considering how short the circuit is (< 1 min per lap) – was nowhere near enough to get comfortable with the car.

Pic taken by a buddy:





Next, it was back on the minibus. Destination: the West Circuit.



Machine: Renault Clio Cup race car.





I was really looking forward to this one, and it didn’t disappoint. I love the purposeful looks of the Clio, which makes a nice, raspy sound from its fat exhaust.



Brakes have no problem slowing the light Clio from high speed



Sequential gearbox





After an awesome demo run with my instructor (driver in the Clio Cup race series), it was my turn.



Exiting the pits:



The stripped-out, race-spec Clio was very quick, but not as quick as Palmer would have you believe. 200bhp/ton does not equate with the low 4’s to 60 claimed on the Palmer website. High 4’s or low 5’s would be my bet. Still, the Clio was mighty quick, with instant throttle response and absolutely no body roll.



The sequential gearbox was good fun, very easy to use. The front end of the car was sharp and grippy, and very resistant to understeer despite the poor track conditions (still raining, hadn’t let up since earky morning). On one corner, the back end of the car slid out under power mid-turn. I wound on some opposite lock, but as the car was very sideways, it felt like a lost cause. The instructor yells MORE POWER. I obliged, and somehow the little Clio pulled itself sideways

The Clio was an easy car to drive fast and after only a couple of laps I was getting more and more confident and aggressive. Being encouraged by my instructor, i overtook a couple of cars on the straights and one under braking before the chicane. On my penultimate lap I clipped a kerb (big no-no in the wet) going into a fast left and slid sideways down the straight at over 100mph

The guy laughed and we carried on. I finished second quickest in my group by two tenths, and 6th on the day out of 45, around 1.5 seconds off the winning lap time, which was set in the afternoon on a drier track. The circuit was lots of fun but not easy to learn over the handful of laps I drove, especially with the instructor screaming instructions in my ear (wired helmets).

A Clio V6 inside the hospitality suite:






Next up was the FPA – Formula Palmer Audi single-seater, still on the West circuit.





Essentially these are formula cars powered by tuned Audi TT engines pushing out over 225bhp. The result is unbelievable, mental acceleration. Palmer quotes mid 3’s to 60mph, which seemed perfectly realistic to me at the time. After a briefing session, where we were instructed to leave the cars in third for the first few laps, and taught how to use the dog-box, I was strapped in and shown the controls.

Can't get in without removing the wheel:



Tight fit - this is a car i hopped into after my laps. Had to wear a wetsuit on my run due to the rain



Very small gearstick:



Booster seat for the midgets:



The controls were all fine but the brake pedal was a bit concerning. It’s not that travel is short, it’s virtually non-existent. The guy assured me that that was the way it was supposed to be.

So, first of my group out in the FPA. Quite frankly I didn’t know where the hell I was going for the first two laps. Visibility is so much worse than in the Clio, and you don't have an instructor sitting next to you telling you where the braking points are.

So, my first ever time in a single-seater, I don’t know the circuit, it’s raining down, my visor is steaming up like crazy and I’m not even out of the pits.

Some people going out later in the FPA:





Needless to say my main objective for the first few laps was survival. After two tentative laps, I started to give it everything on the straights and by god the acceleration was mind-blowing, truly staggering at the top of 3rd gear and 4th.



The car was very grippy despite puddles of water all over the place and changed direction like something out of a computer game. The most tricky thing, unsurprisingly, was applying the throttle. Despite all the grip from the wet weather tyres, when boost came on (turbocharged engine, remember), the back would slide around a fair bit, no matter how progressive you were with the pedal and even when the car was pointing straight. Not too difficult to catch with a short lift and steering correction, but pretty scary on a few high speed points in the track.

At one point I came up to some yellow flags – someone had spun out – so in a foolish moment, I raised my hand to acknowledge it, Mikka-style

I took my eye off the turning point and promptly spun. Doh! The rules for the FPA were: 2 spins and you’re out, so for the next couple of laps I didn’t push at all, not wanting to be called in to the pits early. I started playing more with the gearbox but it was a real pain to use. The shift is extremely notchy and I often selected 5th when trying to downshift from 4th to 3rd. I scored the 3rd quickest time in the group, but a good 3 seconds off the pace and 12th overall on the day.

Pics of my mate going out:



Last minute instructions:



The FPA is the car I most wish I could have a second attempt at, as I only starting to push harder on the last couple of laps. By then i thought, if i spin now i'll only be losing two laps tops. So i started breaking late - well past the ‘brake boards’ - and the brakes were as you’d imagine very strong. You could just mash them and the wheels wouldn’t lock, even in the wet. Obviously a lot of grip in the tyres, but easily overcome by the power at the rear wheels. To sum up, spectacular car to drive, but the weather made it difficult for first timers such as myself.



After lunch, it was off to the South Circuit



...and time for the Jaguar JP1 (clicky), a ~400bhp/ton Le-Mans style track car designed by ex-Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer.



Somehow I thought this was going to be the one I’d enjoy the most and that's how it turned out. The power delivery on this car is far smoother than in the Formula Audi, as it’s powered by a normally aspirated 3 litre Jaguar V6.

Evil or what?











Curves in all the right places:




thanks to Neutrino for chopping a guy out of the picture above

Again it had a sequential gearbox like the Clio, no clutch for upshifts, but required for downshifts, and if you’re changing down two gears you need to depress the clutch twice.



Where's the satnav?





It was nice to use all the gears and I was able to really get in a groove with the car, so much so that I didn’t notice that it started drizzling again on my run











Despite the greasy conditions the car had tons of grip and could really be driven very aggressively early in the stint. The instructor I had for this round was awesome. On my second lap I overtook a VX220 (JP1's and VX220's run on the same circuit) and I was closing on another JP1 ahead. There was a turn ahead so I figured we would wait until the next straight but my instructor gestured at me to keep going so I went down the inside, broke well past the brake signs and barely in time for the turn. Awesome brakes

I managed to set the quickest time of the group by a fairly substantial margin. The instructor who reviewed the times was quite surprised and said that I went quicker than he’d been able to go in the morning. That brought a big smile to my face, but the circuit must have undoubtedly dried up a lot by the time I got on. Regardless, much bragging to my friend ensued

Someone spinning out:



More pics of the JP1:







I absolutely love this car, in case you can't tell



I later found out that we'd come back to the JP1's on the North circuit, but at the time it was a sad farewell...





Next up was the the twisty East Circuit



...and a hangar full of Caterham 7 Superlights:















There's nothing to distract you in the Seven, which is a very communicative, natural car to drive. The steering is very quick and being able to see the front wheels really helps you to place the car on the track. I can see why the Seven is such a popular track car. It was very easy to get sideways on the twisty circuit, and not too hard to hold it as long as you didn’t go nuts with the throttle.

The Seven only has 140bhp, but weighing in at just 490kg acceleration is extremely potent. On one particular medium right, the back would step out quickly under power - lift for a split second and some opposite lock, and you’re instantly pointed in the direct direction and back on full power. Sitting right over the rear wheels you know exactly what is going on at all times, and with the quick steering it’s not too difficult to catch when it gets sideways. Apart from once when I didn’t, on the fastest point of the track

My final two laps were far more disciplined than my mostly-sideways early ones, I set the quickest time of the group and 6th overall on the day.









Overall, a really, really enjoyable car to drive, and it sounded really nice too.



Next up, I struggled into the tiny Vauxhall VX220 Turbo on the South Circuit.



I absolutely hated this car. It just felt remote and unspectacular following the JP1 and 7 and dare I say it, for a car that does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, slow. I didn’t get on with the instructor I had for this one, and wasn’t very attentive to his instructions.



The black VX220 Turbo I went out in:



The car was very neutral but I still managed to spin it twice, and my quickest lap was mid-table. Don't even mention the level of comfort in there, me being over six foot and wearing a helmet...



Finally, it was back to the Jaguar JP1’s on the North Circuit and our instructor called for some banzai laps for us to get the fastest time of the day as the track was getting drier, although still wet.

Serious grunt down the main straight:





Turning onto the main straight:



I didn’t enjoy the North Circuit as much as the South, it was too slow and technical. The East Circuit wasn't that fast either, but with the Caterham you could at least have some sideways moments. Not with the JP1. When it goes, it's (1) likely to be at a higher speed and (2) more difficult to catch.

On my 3rd or 4th lap, I lost it under braking at over 100 down the main straight, skimmed on to the grass and took out a brake sign

After a bit of a telling off, I sheepishly crawled back onto the track, and drove cautiously for the last 3 laps, setting another mid-table time.

Back into the pits for the final time:





So, I finished 6th overall out of 45. Not too bad considering some of the guys in the other two groups came in their own race suits

Highlight of the day? The Jaguar JP1, without a doubt. I absolutely loved this car. An intoxicating sound, a fun gearbox, and tons of power and grip. It inspired confidence and didn’t need to be handled as delicately as the FPA. Overall, a tremendously enjoyable experience and a great introduction to track days

[Moppie]

Crap pics, but who cares!


What an awsome experiance!
I wish there was something like that here in NZ, but we don't get anything close.
Its almost enough of a reason to visit the UK.

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by Moppie

Crap pics, but who cares!

Thanks for sugar coating it

I thought some of them were ok

Originally Posted by Moppie

Its almost enough of a reason to visit the UK.

But... I'm here!

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

I thought some of them were ok

There are some that are pretty good, but there are far to many that are simply out of focus
Cull them and you would have a great series of photos, your comentary is more than enough, and dosn't need all the extra images

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

But... I'm here! :

Actualy I will make it there one day, I have to, theres a wee town there that shares my last name

[zzpza]

i'm not quite sure, but i think you enjoyed yourself?



j.

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by zzpza

i'm not quite sure, but i think you enjoyed yourself?

Just a little bit

[clawhammer]

How much does something like that cost?

[crayzayjay]

I don't know, i was invited. I would guess around £500-£600, so about $1k. But they throw lunch in for free

[zzpza]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

I don't know, i was invited.

lucky git! well i can't complain too much as i had the same on a prodrive rx8 day.

j.

[crayzayjay]

Nice! You should put up some pics if you took any

[zzpza]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

Nice! You should put up some pics if you took any

i took a few, but i was too busy enjoying myself as either pax or driver. i'll see what i can dig out. the skid pan was amazing. it was worth it for that alone.

j.

[ac427cpe]

Those pics were AMAZING, that would be so much fun!!!

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by ac427cpe

Those pics were AMAZING, that would be so much fun!!!

Thanks, it was an amazing day

What's the deal with your Seven? After experiencing the Superlight I can't imagine having one in my garage and not spending every minute working on it to get it going

[Menu dei Motori]

oh damn what a ride


ufff the jp1 must have been the best ride?

[crayzayjay]

Yeah, the JP1 was the most enjoyable car to drive, partly because it was more usable in those conditions than the Formula Audi. The FPA was quicker and more 'dramatic', the back end was all over the place and could have done with more downforce. I'd love to drive it again in the dry.