Driving the Super Trofeo
Sep 29, 2009 | 04:14 PM
#13
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 195
Guys, in terms of the driving experience. I was fortunate enough to drive a nice lime green LP560 first, before getting into the Super Trofeo, so I was able to make a few comparisons.
First off, even getting into the ST isn't easy - through the bars of the roll cage. And the race bucket seats are "hip hugging" to say the least. Once firmly strapped in, you notice how HOT it gets in the cabin since the only means of ventilation appears to be the small slider in the plexi side window. Once out on track it was around 50 degrees inside.
The controls are pretty familiar, although with the racing seat mounted a little lower than the normal road car you do adopt a bit more of a sit up and beg driving position, arms more bent. Steering response even on cold slicks is immediate. The steel brakes are very powerful, allied to the extra grip available with warmed up slicks, this is probably the most obvious difference to the road car. That, and the chassis setup which means virtually no roll or weight transfer effect under heavy acceleration or braking. You can get the back to unload under braking, over the kerbs, and being idiotic with the steering but it is very stable. The road car feels almost "sloppy" in comparison. Being a relatively heavy car, it doesn't take much to get heat into the tyres, a few corners forcing the car to understeer and things start to get up to temperature.
Looking at the video, I could have braked later just about everywhere, and been on the power earlier too. But it was my first time out and things happen so fast, the experience of driving the car bombards your senses, and when you finally pull back into the pits and reluctantly turn the engine off, its all you can do to regain your breath, grinning from ear to ear, and recount how amazing it was to drive. It wasn't heavy and intimidating, it was brutally quick but almost benign in that the steering was so good, the brakes so strong, the chassis responses so well controlled, you never felt like you couldn't take more and more liberties with it.
We were lapping something like 20 secs quicker than a Scuderia (that's a 2 min lap), and it felt really quite easy.
I have the chance to drive it again at Hockenheim in October
First off, even getting into the ST isn't easy - through the bars of the roll cage. And the race bucket seats are "hip hugging" to say the least. Once firmly strapped in, you notice how HOT it gets in the cabin since the only means of ventilation appears to be the small slider in the plexi side window. Once out on track it was around 50 degrees inside.
The controls are pretty familiar, although with the racing seat mounted a little lower than the normal road car you do adopt a bit more of a sit up and beg driving position, arms more bent. Steering response even on cold slicks is immediate. The steel brakes are very powerful, allied to the extra grip available with warmed up slicks, this is probably the most obvious difference to the road car. That, and the chassis setup which means virtually no roll or weight transfer effect under heavy acceleration or braking. You can get the back to unload under braking, over the kerbs, and being idiotic with the steering but it is very stable. The road car feels almost "sloppy" in comparison. Being a relatively heavy car, it doesn't take much to get heat into the tyres, a few corners forcing the car to understeer and things start to get up to temperature.
Looking at the video, I could have braked later just about everywhere, and been on the power earlier too. But it was my first time out and things happen so fast, the experience of driving the car bombards your senses, and when you finally pull back into the pits and reluctantly turn the engine off, its all you can do to regain your breath, grinning from ear to ear, and recount how amazing it was to drive. It wasn't heavy and intimidating, it was brutally quick but almost benign in that the steering was so good, the brakes so strong, the chassis responses so well controlled, you never felt like you couldn't take more and more liberties with it.
We were lapping something like 20 secs quicker than a Scuderia (that's a 2 min lap), and it felt really quite easy.
I have the chance to drive it again at Hockenheim in October
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