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Jonathan Palmer Race Day
14th Nov, 2007
The Race Day at the Jonathon Palmer circuit at the Bedford Autodrome in November was a cracking success. Prodec took a selection of Customers out for a full day of racing fast cars as fast as you dare!!!
Five miles of purpose-built track; no barriers, no concrete walls, just acres of flat grass to safely run-off onto. Designed for maximum thrills without any spills, this is the perfect place in which to drive fast cars - really fast, regardless of ability.
The first car of the day was the Formula Audi single seat racer. Sliding down inside the cockpit of this seriously quick single seater is the stuff of Grand Prix fantasies. It's a genuine competition race car that accelerates from 0-60 in a blistering 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 165mph. You get that F1sensation.
Next onto the Jaguar JP1 Le Mans style race car – a two seater, open-top racer, very similar to the Le Mans race cars. Each driver was accompanied by an instructor, and within a very short space of time drivers were lapping at over 100mph, hitting 130 along the back straight with the instructor shouting over the intercom to brake later, turn in tighter.
This was followed by the 150cc go karts All drivers in together for a race to the finish.
Onto the Caterham 7 Superlight. This pocket rocket goes like a cat on a hot tin roof. Its 1.8 litre X Power engine can propel you from 0-60 in a spine tingling 3.9 seconds. Better still, the slick 6 speed gearbox and tiny steering wheel make for flick wrist control when you're throwing the '7' around the East Circuit's tight corners.
We then stopped for a sumptuous lunch and had time to swap stories on who skidded off where etc etc.
After lunch we moved onto the Jaguar XKR, the most powerful car ever to star on the PalmerSport event, the XKR features a supercharged 4.2 litre V8 engine that delivers 420 bhp through a 6 speed paddle shift gearbox. The aluminium body has been stripped of the interior to minimise weight and the cars are fitted with uprated brakes and lowered, stiffened suspension to provide optimal on-track performance. To allow this big cat to really stretch its legs the North Circuit has been extended to accommodate its immense performance; it is now 60% longer with a 140mph straight and new challenging, flowing corners.
Next came the Porsche 911 turbo, again a race prepared car, with full roll cage, paddle shift gearbox and around 350bhp on tap. You cannot afford to be too aggressive with this car; you need to be smoother if you want to avoid a spin. The instructor tells you “Not” to let off the accelerator as you propel the car through the corners, it wasn’t very long before drivers found themselves facing the wrong way in a huge blue cloud of tyre smoke with other Porches dodging to left and right! A great experience and incredibly fast!
Lastly it was on to the Renault Clio. These cars are filled out with racing seats, a sequential gearbox, incredible power to weight ratio, colossal grip and a professional racing driver coaxing you to your best possible lap time - little wonder our guests told us that the Renault Clio Cup touring car racers are the most fun they've ever had in a car! A 6 speed ultra close ratio sequential shift gearbox might sound a mouthful but for lap after lap of the newly extended North Circuit it's an absolute blast and enables you to make quick, slick gear shifts by flicking the lever whilst hammering the throttle to the floor. Breathtaking!
At the end of the day trophies were presented to the fastest drivers in each category. It was a fabulous day of fun, so much so that we’ve already booked another customer event for 2008!! Speak to our Sales Consultants for more information and how you could be joining us.
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