Jul
15
Hello everyone and welcome to my second blog of the week, this one all about my recent visit to Germany for a test at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Formel ADAC.
On the Monday night after Snetterton I travelled down to Stanstead in order to stay in the Holiday Inn Express. My flight was at 6.25am Tuesday morning and would mean a very early start if I was to drive down from Leeds so it was easier to stay over. On arrival at Berlin airport we picked up the hire car – A Volkswagen Golf, very smart I must add, it would later be put through its paces. The track was 70 miles from the airport straight down the A13 motorway. Not fully understanding the speed limits we wait to be passed by a big BMW or Mercedes doing some silly speed before we get our foot down.
The Eurospeedway is a brilliant track. Very similar to that of Rockingham, just with a much better infield section and atmosphere. I would be testing for Neuhauser Racing, an Austrian race team who had competed at the track that very weekend so it made sense for the test to be here. The car itself is very smart indeed and a definite step up from the tubular Formula Ford I was driving. The car featured a Carbon Fibre tub, sequential gearbox and front and rear wings. The engine is from Volkswagen, and is a lot slower than what I am used to with the Ford. But the brakes and downforce mean the corning speeds are much higher and the car handles brilliantly. The sequential gearbox and the grip make the car very easy to drive. The time is really gained on the brakes and also keeping up the rolling speed. With the lack of power it is important you carry as much mid-corner speed as possible.
The team also run in German Formula 3 and have a brilliant setup. Hannes Neihuaser oversees the ADAC operation. Despite his young age he has a lot of experience, having raced in both the F3 Euroseries and Porsche Supercup.
We spent much of Tuesday setting up the car to my liking, making a seat and adjusting all the pedals. We then walked the track to see the lines and get a general feel for the place. The track looked like a good challenge with some wide open corners meaning various different lines could be used.
Wednesday morning rolled around and we were on track at 9am. We had time for a quick few laps in a road car to see the track at speed. We opted that the best vehicle would be the hired Golf and Hannes was at the wheel. A few slow laps at first before being passed by a Seat Cupra. Things got a lot quicker from here, in England they are very strict on the speed of the cars when doing these sort of things. If anything the marshals were cheering us on, lots of tyre squeal ensued and we almost visited the gravel at turn 2 but still all good fun.
I was rather nervous I have to admit. I had only competed in four car races in my life, yet here I was being strapped into a totally different car with a different team and surroundings. Not to mention I was here after being invited, I was feeling the pressure to perform. Left foot braking was a must in these cars, something I had left behind in Karting and the gearbox was also new to me. It took me about a lap to figure the car out, the gearbox was very simple, pull back on the stick when you hit the limiter going up, and blip the throttle going down. Straight out of the pits I could feel the difference in the grip to what I was used to. The car doesn’t slide around underneath you like the Ford and just wants to be driven deeper and deeper into the corner, using the downforce to pull you round.
It was a great experience and by the end of the day I posted a very good time on my new tyre run. Hannes seemed very pleased with my performance, and despite my lack of experience with the car by the end we were testing setups and wing angles for his own knowledge.
So that was Germany, thank you to Hannes for the opportunity and also to my Uncle, Phil who accompanied me on my trip. He has spent the last seven years following me all over Europe Karting and he continues to do so now in cars, for that I say a big thank you.
Will I be racing it?…I will let you know.
Cheers
Dan
