Just thought I'd share my euphoria after getting back from Belgium.
Since buying my Z in June I haven't really driven it much in the wet and was finding it a bit frustrating on the public roads - it just seems to attract tossers in Corsas with wide wheels and black windows who want to impress their spotty mates/girlfriends. So when an open-pitlane trackday at Spa came up I seized the opportunity with both hands. The wife wanted to come too so the trip was expanded to a couple of nights in the Ardennes followed by an inevitable couple of nights in Bruges.
I'd done a full day at Spa in my previous car (V6 Peugeot 406 Coupe) and loved the place. Not difficult to learn but very tricky and it can punish you. But oddly I was almost hoping it would be wet - it seemed safer to explore the wet handling of the Z on a track than find out the hard way on a slippery roundabout. Beware of what you wish for - it was wet all day until about an hour from the end!!
The almost instant verdict was that a wet Spa, 400+ bhp and normal road tyres was not going to make for a relaxing day! BIG moments at Raidillon, Des Fagnes and the Bus Stop kept me honest but were collected OK. (More than can be said for a black McLaren which went in front-first but also did a rear corner...) The front end was fine everywhere and Brembo floating discs plus AP 6-pots looked after me on big brakes into Pouhon, Rivage and the Bus Stop but the rears tyres just didn't stand a chance with anything less than very gentle power application - especially at Raidillon. I fiddled with rear tyre pressures to try to reduce oversteer but I'm not sure the heat being generated in the wet was sufficient to warm the tyres up to restore the stability lost by reducing the pressures.
But as a learning experience it was wonderful!! My love affair with the car just increased with each lap - it just never let me down. If I'd had a set of track-day wets on it would have been flying! As it was I still had the chance to realise that the power the thing has is just biblical - it was faster in acceleration and a straight line than plenty of Porsche 911s and Boxsters and even showed a clean pair of heels to two race-prepped BMW 3s. I left the circuit having learned masses about the car - it almost seemed pointless doing too many damp/dry-ish laps at the end of the day because flogging around wasn't going to teach me much more.
So I was a happy lad who tucked into a few well-earned beers that night - but in a way even better was to come. The trip from Malmedy to Bruges the next day was just 2.5 hours of heavy-ish rain and the car was wonderful - everything worked as it should do without any of the feared leaks from targa roof seals/window rubbers, etc. Next day was sightseeing with the Z tucked up snugly in an underground car park but the trip to Calais on Sunday was just incessant torrential rain - traffic was down to about 40mph in places. And the Z just sailed merrily though the lot! By the time we got back to Milton Keynes the red car had firmly sealed its place in my wife's and my hearts and completely vindicated the expenditure on what, to be honest, isn't the most "sensible" car on the planet! Comfortable, civilized when it needed to be, reasonably economic (27 mpg), exciting when required, a feeling of security - and a head-turner everywhere. Just brilliant - thank God I've got it! :hyper:
My real track heart is at the Nürburgring, however, and next year... I'm interested to see that there might be a Z trip to the 'Ring. I'm up for that! :clap:
Hi!
Just thought I'd share my euphoria after getting back from Belgium.
Since buying my Z in June I haven't really driven it much in the wet and was finding it a bit frustrating on the public roads - it just seems to attract tossers in Corsas with wide wheels and black windows who want to impress their spotty mates/girlfriends. So when an open-pitlane trackday at Spa came up I seized the opportunity with both hands. The wife wanted to come too so the trip was expanded to a couple of nights in the Ardennes followed by an inevitable couple of nights in Bruges.
I'd done a full day at Spa in my previous car (V6 Peugeot 406 Coupe) and loved the place. Not difficult to learn but very tricky and it can punish you. But oddly I was almost hoping it would be wet - it seemed safer to explore the wet handling of the Z on a track than find out the hard way on a slippery roundabout. Beware of what you wish for - it was wet all day until about an hour from the end!!
The almost instant verdict was that a wet Spa, 400+ bhp and normal road tyres was not going to make for a relaxing day! BIG moments at Raidillon, Des Fagnes and the Bus Stop kept me honest but were collected OK. (More than can be said for a black McLaren which went in front-first but also did a rear corner...) The front end was fine everywhere and Brembo floating discs plus AP 6-pots looked after me on big brakes into Pouhon, Rivage and the Bus Stop but the rears tyres just didn't stand a chance with anything less than very gentle power application - especially at Raidillon. I fiddled with rear tyre pressures to try to reduce oversteer but I'm not sure the heat being generated in the wet was sufficient to warm the tyres up to restore the stability lost by reducing the pressures.
But as a learning experience it was wonderful!! My love affair with the car just increased with each lap - it just never let me down. If I'd had a set of track-day wets on it would have been flying! As it was I still had the chance to realise that the power the thing has is just biblical - it was faster in acceleration and a straight line than plenty of Porsche 911s and Boxsters and even showed a clean pair of heels to two race-prepped BMW 3s. I left the circuit having learned masses about the car - it almost seemed pointless doing too many damp/dry-ish laps at the end of the day because flogging around wasn't going to teach me much more.
So I was a happy lad who tucked into a few well-earned beers that night - but in a way even better was to come. The trip from Malmedy to Bruges the next day was just 2.5 hours of heavy-ish rain and the car was wonderful - everything worked as it should do without any of the feared leaks from targa roof seals/window rubbers, etc. Next day was sightseeing with the Z tucked up snugly in an underground car park but the trip to Calais on Sunday was just incessant torrential rain - traffic was down to about 40mph in places. And the Z just sailed merrily though the lot! By the time we got back to Milton Keynes the red car had firmly sealed its place in my wife's and my hearts and completely vindicated the expenditure on what, to be honest, isn't the most "sensible" car on the planet! Comfortable, civilized when it needed to be, reasonably economic (27 mpg), exciting when required, a feeling of security - and a head-turner everywhere. Just brilliant - thank God I've got it! :hyper:
My real track heart is at the Nürburgring, however, and next year... I'm interested to see that there might be a Z trip to the 'Ring. I'm up for that! :clap:
I've added some pics in case anyone's interested.
Cheers
Dave
Edited by downhilldave