Kill a Vauxhall VXR day

[shark_90 8]

No, they're the Astra "Design" as I mentioned in my write up. I imagine VX wouldn't want to have to write 4 Astra VXR's off every few weeks...

[Sponge 14]

Thoroughly enjoyed the day. Could have done with 3, or even 4, laps of the track though. It was a little too short to get used to the car and really take advantage.

A few pictures:

Gallery

[Ian_C 417]

Ahhh fair enough! They were for handbrake parking, Russ Swift style. You don't want gumball 18s or 19s for that.

Ian

[shark_90 8]

It was Paul (his son) that was doing the instruction

[Ian_C 417]

No way!

Ian

[techieboy 0]

Got my session at Brands tomorrow morning but looks like I might need to be doing an all-nighter tonight.

Not sure I can be arsed to dice with death on the M25 and QEII bridge first thing in the morning.

[Tarmac_Terrorist 0]

I considered doing one of these events. Wish I had now

I wonder if these models will end up on Vauxhall forecourts with Network Q banners slapped on them. Now wouldn't they make good buys.......not!

[bazza_g 369]

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WARNING - YOU GET PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE FIRST CAR YOU GET INTO, DON'T DO THE SAME AS ME AND BE LAST IN THE QUEUE BECAUSE THE ONLY CAR LEFT WAS A FECKING MERIVA!

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sounds like a great day out mate - and your quote above is brilliant, sounds like a bazza move

[Sponge 14]

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I considered doing one of these events. Wish I had now

I wonder if these models will end up on Vauxhall forecourts with Network Q banners slapped on them. Now wouldn't they make good buys.......not!

[/ QUOTE ]

Several people in our group wondered that very thing and asked them. Once the cars have done their stint as track vehicles, they go back into the dealer network.

I was in the Vectra when I got my photo taken. Not quite the VXR8, but at least it wasn't the Meriva!

Oh, one more thing. They said the real cost of the day (afternoon), what they would charge a company for example, was in the region of £400-£450!

If they do another event like this, I'll definitely be signing up for it again. I really enjoyed driving on the track. I just wish I could afford to run a track car.

[shark_90 8]

[chasdrury 164]

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Several people in our group wondered that very thing and asked them. Once the cars have done their stint as track vehicles, they go back into the dealer network.

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When I did the Audi Driving Experience in March, the same goes for the cars they use. They are serviced very regularly and they will all be sold through the dealer network like any other Audi UK car!!

[techieboy 0]

Just got back from my morning at Brands and glad I decided to go. Traffic on the A1 and M25 aside, it turned out to be a really good day.

Despite being "limited" to 2 laps, most of the instructors let you get 3 or 4 laps in (and I managed 5 laps in the VXR8 on my final run in the 8).

Managed to avoid the embarrassment of a photo in a Meriva (in fact I managed to avoid going in either the Meriva or Zafira all together).

Corsa VXR - shifty little motor, sounded a bit coarse but went well with pretty sharp handling.

Astra VXR - quick but the couple I tried felt a bit skittish under braking and seemed to suffer with torque steer when the boost came in.

Vectra VXR - Nice all rounder and felt quite effortless to hustle along quickly. Pretty decent steering and turn-in. Lovely sounding engine and exhaust.

VXR8 - Very quick but it didn't feel it in the slightest. Couldn't hear that much from inside (although great from outside) which is probably testament to it's interior build quality. Had a decent amount of grip and was quite forgiving if you provoked it a bit too much. Could make you into a lazy driver as it's got torque enough to do probably everything in 4th gear. Decent brakes as well as I kept finding out when I was outbreaking all the cars in front of me at Paddocks Hill and Druids. I actually really like the looks of the VXR8 now if only I could afford the petrol to feed a 6 litre engine

Had my fast lap with Tom Chilton which was great, plenty of sideways action through Paddock Hill and down through Hailwood.

Don't know when the re-profiled the Graham Hill bend but it's not as fierce as I remember it from a few years back.

All in all, £95 well spent and has really whetted my apetite for my evening on the GP circuit in a couple of weeks. I pity anyone buying these cars in 2 weeks time, once this has all finished (and if you're in the market for an Astra 1.6 Design, don't buy one in red or advertised as a Directors Wife's car )

[RobK 21]

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Corsa VXR - shifty little motor

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I misread that the first time!

[techieboy 0]

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Corsa VXR - shifty little motor

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I misread that the first time!

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Yeah, I mis-typed it first time round

[amoeba 0]

I did my half day at Thruxton on the 25th.

Parallel Parking - only got 2 attempts. Need 3 at least IMO. To be honest too much waiting around.

Auto Competition - good fun, but only 1 practice and 1 timed lap. Would be nice to have made it a bit more of a competition - i.e. top 2 drivers race each other at the end.

Circuit - Only allowed 2 laps per go, 3 would have been better (but then maybe people tend to push too hard on their 3rd?). Instructors were pretty good, although they didnt really encourage putting your foot down much - perhaps because it was very wet.

Overall, despite the shortcomings a bargain for £95. I'd probably pay £200 if they do it again and improve the format.

Mini car review:

VXR8 - surprisingly large inside. Effortless engine, but a little big & heavy.

Vectra - lovely to drive, effortless, great all rounder.

Corsa - nippy and great handling.

Astra - surprisingly my least favourite, a bit raucous and did not feel very smooth.

Meriva - I really liked this, no seriously! I guess its just a Corsa with a Meriva shell, but fun and practical.