|
Level Of Control.....Unmatched!
See captioned portion of pg.45 in Sports
Car Int'l Mag, titled The Right Stuff: Formula One Drivers get a huge amt of publicity, and a paycheck to match. However, the fastest line on a track is also the neatest line, so a quick race driver need not have the best car control.
Because they spend all their lives going sideways, rally drivers arguably have better car controlthan circuit racers. However, there is a 3rd breed of driver who spends as much time going straight as sideways and whose job is to help engineer your street car to the point where it rides and handles properly and safely. He is the test driver, one of the unsung heroes of the car business. Many test drivers have honed their skill in competitive motorsport, yet their level of car control is often better than the pro
racers. The greatest test car control is how well someone can control a powerslide. the annual Drift Challenge
organized bt the German car mag Sport Auto is one such event that measures this skill, and competitors powerslide a rear-wheel-drive car against the stopwatch through Hockenheim's Sachs Curve. The record stands at just under nine seconds. Even more difficult is the Sideways challenge at Silverstone, orgaanized by England's Autocar mag. It involves drifting three different cars through three corners, linked by short straights with no practice runs allowed. Marks are awarded for style, speed, precision of line and angle of draft---All in all, a pretty tall order. Many famouse race and rally drivers have been humbled by this ultimate test of car control, and the overall winner for two years running has been Lotus test driver Gavan Kershaw. Second place this year went to Mathew Becker, another Lotus test driver. Enough said.
|
Linear Mode
