[Hurrycane12]

Congrats GTO, awesome report, enjoyed very bit of reading and the pics too.

[kphilip]

GTO, awesome review and congrats on ur win

[capt_rocker]

Whoa man GTO...
That was a cracker of an experience. I could see myself in your shoes and racing suit.
What a pulse attack it must have been. Its a dream day for any auto enthusiast.
The post is so wittingly written that one feels right inside of the open wheel Renault.
Awesome pics too.. cheers to you GTO and congrats for the trophy!!

[Samurai]

GTO, I never click on any thread under motorsports, but this one I knew I had to click.

And was just WOWed, you virtually took us there. I could feel the RUSH.... Got goose bumps just reading the thrilling details.

I didn't understand the umbrella part, why were they holding umbrellas, I didn't see any rain.

[Gilead]

GTO, fantastic report and congrats on the trophy! Why is the rev limit so low? I would have expected these cars to red line at 10K RPM. Do you have any videos? Official or otherwise?

[kunaldhami]

Whoa, That must an experience of the lifetime. Really loved the report and congrats on the trophy.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I didn't understand the umbrella part, why were they holding umbrellas, I didn't see any rain.

Sun umbrella.

The racing suits are hot enough, and then to wait in the open sun out on the track can really be fatiguing. Hence the umbrellas.

Originally Posted by Gilead

I would have expected these cars to red line at 10K RPM.

I imagine the Michelin guys set a lower redline for this driving experience, as setting non-professionals out with so much power on tap would just be lethal. This way its a lot safer. Hence my Q on the usual RPM limit as well.

Have you seen the top-gear episode where Hammond gets to drive an F1 car?
They have to step him up through the other formula cars (including Formula Renault!) slowly before they can trust him to handle the F1!! And this is after the guy has driven a veyron etc

YouTube - Renault R25 Formula One Car (Top Gear) [Part 1] HQ

cya
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[nitrous]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Why is the rev limit so low? I would have expected these cars to red line at 10K RPM.

1.Reliability.
They probably ran practice maps on the ECU.
That said, the race setup might be just 500 rpm over the conservative map.
2. This is most probably a road car engine that has been developed into a race engine unlike engines specifically built for racing which will have inherently been developed with a big bore, high rpm specification.

[lsp]

WHOA!!!!

Congrats GTO. That would have indeed been an awesome experience and you penned it down superbly for us. Nice pictorial coverage. Your performance at the event was commendable and we expect no less from you.

I presume you are getting the race suit pic framed.


Where are the motor sport babes!! Did you deliberately leave them out??

[ashthedivx]

WHOA.... !!

Rush, for sure you have got a terrfic luck !! Congrats man !!

[SmartCat]

GTO, what makes the F1 drive so scary and exciting? The performance stats on paper does not seem to be extraordinary (when compared to supercars).

My guess is - the open car feeling, being so close to the ground and massively powerful braking (going by your description).

Is the seat comfy?
Did the Michelin guys communicate with you via radio while you were driving? Or could you communicate with the F1 driver infront of you?
Does it have a 6 CD changer?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Glad to see there weren't any cases of "we were going to put you in xyz car... but now we've run out of time"!

Actually, there were two

Toward the end of the afternoon, we had to choose between a ride in the 2 seater Formula car and the Porsche GT3. Also, we didn't get to drive the GT5, but seeing Narayan's report on this machine, I don't think we missed much.

What RPM is the redline on the Formula Renault usually set at (ie during races etc)?

IIRC, 7,000 rpm. It's a cost sensitive competition, hence they don't scream at 18,000 rpm like their Formula 1 brethren.

I have to sheepishly admit that I over-revved the engine once during a downshift. Saw the red light go on at about 6,700 rpms (+ / - 5%).

Did you break traction at all? Lock up during braking etc?

Nope, only 9 laps man! My capability is far lesser than the car's!

What if you spun out without going into the gravel, would they let you continue the rest of your laps?

Most people were towed back to the garage. I know only of one chap who spun, recovered and was allowed to proceed.

Originally Posted by navin

Rush, this has been on my most enjoyable reads of all of your review posts.

Originally Posted by Samurai

GTO, I never click on any thread under motorsports, but this one I knew I had to click.

Originally Posted by sidindica

thats an experience of a lifetime....driving a car "unlike any other" that you have driven in your life

Thanks guys! I'm glad you enjoyed the read as much as I did compiling it.

Originally Posted by lsp

Where are the motor sport babes!! Did you deliberately leave them out??

Team-BHP remains family safe

Originally Posted by smartcat

GTO, what makes the F1 drive so scary and exciting? The performance stats on paper does not seem to be extraordinary (when compared to supercars).

The way that its driven, smartcat. My own drive in the Formula car wasn't scary, but the ride with Philippe can make some people nervous.

The only other ride that comes close - in terms of thrill - is with a friend on a Yamaha 250cc TZR. Now, that bike doesn't have the performance of a liter bike either, yet it could leave you in a daze.

Is the seat comfy?

These cars aren't comfortable at all. Stiff seat, body-tight suit and super tight seat belts.

Did the Michelin guys communicate with you via radio while you were driving? Or could you communicate with the F1 driver infront of you?

Philippe is a Formula driver, not Formula 1. Nope, there wasn't any radio communication at all. He's start slow and gradually increase the pace depending on your skill level.

Does it have a 6 CD changer?

Sure does. with 6 cylinders to boot. You should hear the high notes, it can make you deaf!

[Vibhanshu]

Hi GTO, Great stuff. I bet it would have been a ride of life.

Whats the G-Force usually at corners (T3, T4, etc) - any counts?

[narayan]

Great to see this report GTO...also was a bit disappointed because i did not get lucky twice !!

truly this is an experience which any petrol head would love to be a part of and I had asked Rahul whether they might offer this on a fee basis for people willing to pay. but i guess thats not on the cards...

if you have given the best timings, truly its a great achievement because you hardly get time to get used to these cars and before you realise it, its time to step out of them..

and like GTO mentioned, the test drivers who take you through the paces are truly amazing, especially Phillipe who drove the MUV like no one could drive the GT5 !!

I got to drive in the passenger seat once when he took a few laps in the Subaru impreza and i was totally blown. you realise the importance of racing lines and how the 3RD DIMENSION ( incline ) makes A LOT OF DIFFERENCE - this is something we never notice in a 2D TV SCREEN IN A F-1 RACE

[neel385]

Great work GTO!! But then this is the least we can expect from BHPian 1