Prodrive Live Feedback
17 December 2001, 09:27 AM
#1
Scooby Newbie
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As I had to shoot off on Saturday I didn't get much chance to talk to everyone generally (and Stef specifically) about the day. For those that couldn't make it here are my thoughts on the day.
Overall it was a fantastic experience that opened my eyes to the potential of the scooby and the skill of the instructors. However, after a couple of days reflection I was left wondering who exactly they will be targeting when Prodrive try to sell this as a full-price day. I'll elaborate more later.
Event 1: tarmac rally. Wow! Best bit first. You get taken round a newly built mini tarmac rally section in the new STi with upgraded brakes (and suspension I think). This is the bit most people came for and comparing their car to my MY00 PPP'ed turbo it felt so much more solid and well balanced. Couldn't say the power was too much different because there weren't any long straights but the car felt fantastically solid (with the "forest" tyres I was told by the instructor). The instruction was excellent and you get to do about 4 or 5 laps, have a quick pause and then do 1&3/4 laps as a test.
Good points: good circuit, excellent instruction and get to drive new STi
Bad points: only got driven by instructor for about 5 mins and I only drove for about 5-10 mins max.
Event 2: off road. Get taken out in an old Land Rover round a purpose-built 4x4 course.
Good points: knowledgeable, friendly instructor, the go-anywhere abilities of these old ex-army Land Rovers
Bad points: not very challenging (but I guess they don't want us to kill ourselves!)
Event 3: track session. Eye opener for me! This was great if you were a track session regular but felt very haphazard and slightly daunting for track virgins like me. You just grab an instructor and go in your own car. It would have helped if they had asked who the inexperienced track drivers were first and then had the instructors drive these people around first showing how to do it and all the braking points. As it was I drove it first (badly!) and then was shown how to do it afterwards. I gather that on most track days there are "brake here", "change down here" signs on the track. There were none of these and as I'm one of the "try it on the track not the road" believers I gave it some on the first lap without knowing what I was going and did a very acrobatic spin in the first chicane! I told the instructor beforehand that I had never done any circuits before but he only starting giving any real instructions after the spin! I starting learning slowly how to drive the circuit but felt it would have helped enormously if an instructor had driven me around first.
After I had finished an instructor drove me around in the one of the new Sti’s. Amazing that car in the right hands. It is a real eye-opener to the capabilities of the Scooby. I would have loved to go out again in my car afterwards but time was short. Shame.
Good points: get to drive your own car on a circuit and learn a lot about your and your car’s capabilities, great for track day regulars who can just get in and go with feedback from Scooby-savy instructors
Bad points: no brake markers, seemed a bit “free-for-all” and could do with a bit more organisation for track-day virgins
Event 4: autotest. A white-lined, coned circuit where you have to follow a complex series and forward and reverse manoeuvres and get timed at the end. All in your own car.
Good points: own car, tests your and car’s handling
Bad points: the back end of the course is not very intuitive and if you’ve got a crap memory like me then it’s as much a memory test as a driving skills test, didn’t learn anything
Event 5: skid control: first use the test Vectra with it’s tyres lifted slightly off the ground by a kind of cradle. Very useful exercise on how to gently counter a skid.
Next take Scooby on the water-sprinkled slippery surface and go round a couple of cones learning to control a skid when you loose it.
Good points: learn how to control Scooby in a skid, confidence to really force a skid and see how to contol it
Bad points: had to really give it some to enforce a skid and just zigzagging between three cones didn’t seem very natural. I’ve been on a skid-pan course before and there were more “normal” driving manoeuvres that induced a skid.
Looking back on the whole day I learnt a hell of a lot and got to drive the new STi – mission accomplished. However, if they are aiming at Scooby folk then the my opinion is that the 4x4 and autotest were just fillers. When the gravel stage is finished they should replace the autotest. If the gravel stage is anything like the tarmac stage then this is the reason why I think most people want to go to Prodrive – the high-speed, rally experience. For my perfect Prodrive day it would also include more high-speed driving instruction and driving techniques but that’s just what I need personally.
Reading through this lot again I do sound like a miserable old git but I’m just trying to play a bit of devil’s advocate so that we can give some measured feedback to Prodrive. When they get the gravel stage ready this day is going to be a real corker. Until then driving the new STi with Prodrive instructors is enough to entice most Scooby folk but is it enough for Mr Joe Public?
Flame suit on!
Paul
Overall it was a fantastic experience that opened my eyes to the potential of the scooby and the skill of the instructors. However, after a couple of days reflection I was left wondering who exactly they will be targeting when Prodrive try to sell this as a full-price day. I'll elaborate more later.
Event 1: tarmac rally. Wow! Best bit first. You get taken round a newly built mini tarmac rally section in the new STi with upgraded brakes (and suspension I think). This is the bit most people came for and comparing their car to my MY00 PPP'ed turbo it felt so much more solid and well balanced. Couldn't say the power was too much different because there weren't any long straights but the car felt fantastically solid (with the "forest" tyres I was told by the instructor). The instruction was excellent and you get to do about 4 or 5 laps, have a quick pause and then do 1&3/4 laps as a test.
Good points: good circuit, excellent instruction and get to drive new STi
Bad points: only got driven by instructor for about 5 mins and I only drove for about 5-10 mins max.
Event 2: off road. Get taken out in an old Land Rover round a purpose-built 4x4 course.
Good points: knowledgeable, friendly instructor, the go-anywhere abilities of these old ex-army Land Rovers
Bad points: not very challenging (but I guess they don't want us to kill ourselves!)
Event 3: track session. Eye opener for me! This was great if you were a track session regular but felt very haphazard and slightly daunting for track virgins like me. You just grab an instructor and go in your own car. It would have helped if they had asked who the inexperienced track drivers were first and then had the instructors drive these people around first showing how to do it and all the braking points. As it was I drove it first (badly!) and then was shown how to do it afterwards. I gather that on most track days there are "brake here", "change down here" signs on the track. There were none of these and as I'm one of the "try it on the track not the road" believers I gave it some on the first lap without knowing what I was going and did a very acrobatic spin in the first chicane! I told the instructor beforehand that I had never done any circuits before but he only starting giving any real instructions after the spin! I starting learning slowly how to drive the circuit but felt it would have helped enormously if an instructor had driven me around first.
After I had finished an instructor drove me around in the one of the new Sti’s. Amazing that car in the right hands. It is a real eye-opener to the capabilities of the Scooby. I would have loved to go out again in my car afterwards but time was short. Shame.
Good points: get to drive your own car on a circuit and learn a lot about your and your car’s capabilities, great for track day regulars who can just get in and go with feedback from Scooby-savy instructors
Bad points: no brake markers, seemed a bit “free-for-all” and could do with a bit more organisation for track-day virgins
Event 4: autotest. A white-lined, coned circuit where you have to follow a complex series and forward and reverse manoeuvres and get timed at the end. All in your own car.
Good points: own car, tests your and car’s handling
Bad points: the back end of the course is not very intuitive and if you’ve got a crap memory like me then it’s as much a memory test as a driving skills test, didn’t learn anything
Event 5: skid control: first use the test Vectra with it’s tyres lifted slightly off the ground by a kind of cradle. Very useful exercise on how to gently counter a skid.
Next take Scooby on the water-sprinkled slippery surface and go round a couple of cones learning to control a skid when you loose it.
Good points: learn how to control Scooby in a skid, confidence to really force a skid and see how to contol it
Bad points: had to really give it some to enforce a skid and just zigzagging between three cones didn’t seem very natural. I’ve been on a skid-pan course before and there were more “normal” driving manoeuvres that induced a skid.
Looking back on the whole day I learnt a hell of a lot and got to drive the new STi – mission accomplished. However, if they are aiming at Scooby folk then the my opinion is that the 4x4 and autotest were just fillers. When the gravel stage is finished they should replace the autotest. If the gravel stage is anything like the tarmac stage then this is the reason why I think most people want to go to Prodrive – the high-speed, rally experience. For my perfect Prodrive day it would also include more high-speed driving instruction and driving techniques but that’s just what I need personally.
Reading through this lot again I do sound like a miserable old git but I’m just trying to play a bit of devil’s advocate so that we can give some measured feedback to Prodrive. When they get the gravel stage ready this day is going to be a real corker. Until then driving the new STi with Prodrive instructors is enough to entice most Scooby folk but is it enough for Mr Joe Public?
Flame suit on!
Paul
)
17 December 2001, 07:01 PM
#4
First off, I would say it was a really good day and better value/more fun than a day at Brands or similar. If I had to be really fussy I would say that I would have liked longer in the rally car to really learn how to do it right, although all day would still not be long enough. I did feel that the brakes needed an amazingly hard push to even start to work, on top of which I guess they were not getting hot enough to work well (with me driving anyway).
The 4x4 and autotest were good fun and the track time/skid pan fantastic, having only done one trackday two years ago.
So, all in all, my only suggestion would be longer in the rally car please.
The 4x4 and autotest were good fun and the track time/skid pan fantastic, having only done one trackday two years ago.
So, all in all, my only suggestion would be longer in the rally car please.
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