Part and parcel of being a car tester is regularly setting the driver’s seat, steering position and mirrors. There is a wide variety of heights across the CAR team so this is something you have to do almost every time you alight a test car. In road cars this isn’t a problem; it merely delays your departure from the office by a few seconds.
Racecars, however, aren’t that user-friendly. The pilot’s chair is usually bolted down with no slide adjustment. Same applies for the seat height and, more often than not, the steering column. This can pose a real problem if the person who regularly races the car happens to be a bean pole. On this occasion I am really happy that multiple Production Car champion, Michael Stephen, doesn’t look down upon me. More of that in a bit…
A yardstick
As reigning champ (when) we invited the Audi S4 pilot to bring his racecar to the 2015 CAR Performance Shootout held recently at Aldo Scribante Race Circuit near Port Elizabeth.
Stephen and team boss Terry Moss were happy to oblige as we explained that the S4 would partake in the testing procedures – measuring acceleration and braking as well as a lap time – which would then serve as a benchmark to show how fast road cars are (or not) compared to a pukka race machine. (You can see the results in the January issue of CAR on sale December 15 – Ed)
A tricky shifter
Unlike previous years where I conducted the clutch and throttle duties when testing racecars we’ve featured, Stephen was concerned about me wrong-slotting the gear shifter in my haste to get a quick zero-to-100 km/h time; his car is left-hand drive and I’d be shifting with my “other” hand. So he was charged with making the dash up the drag strip to record the data.
Our resident hairy track tester Deon Joubert was responsible for the hot lap times to make matters more comparable across the assembled vehicles. Aldo Scribante is in Michael Stephen’s back yard and he would have undoubtedly set a searing pace, but not representative as he is au fait with his car in that arena having pounded hundreds of laps of the circuit over the years.
An opportunity not to be missed
The small height variance between Stephen and I came into play a little later. There was a lull in proceedings and Michael recalled my words (partly in jest) from earlier when I suggested that he let me drive his pride and joy. I initially thought he was joking when he suggested we set the five-point harness and seat height for when the track was free.
When I realised that he was being serious I assumed that he must be a very brave man, handing me the proverbial keys to his VERY expensive racecar. Or perhaps he believes, like many other racers, that if you can race a Polo Cup car you can drive pretty much any tin-top racer.
It seems that the PE-based, engineer followed my adventures in Polo Cup racing and despite all my on (and off-) track antics was still happy to let me experience a full-blown, Class A Production Car. Who was I to say no…
Don’t f*** up the engine
Before he had a chance to reconsider or the free track time was squandered we made the necessary adjustments, thankfully not too much apart from some under bum stuffing. He then talked me through the basic controls and urged me to be very careful when affecting the 2nd to 3rd upshift as a wrong-slot into 1st with plenty of revs would result in costly engine damage.
The underlying sentiment was: Don’t f*** up my engine by being a ham-fisted d**s, though Stephen is far too polite to have said it out loud.
Fired up
With my Stilo affixed to my noggin and given the all-clear by the S4’s race crew I fired up the motor to be met with a cacophony of noise. There is very little sound-damping anywhere so the blown V6’s aural assault floods the cabin. Thanks to the hard-mounting of the seat I could also feel the engine’s every nuance tingling through to my butt, feet, fingers via the elongated steering wheel and in the pit of my stomach
I headed cautiously out of the pits short-shifting to second and quickly into third (the run out from the pits at Aldo is particularly long) then rode the 600 N.m-wave of torque that the supercharged 3,0-litre motor puts out as I eased onto the circuit.
Impressive numbers
In race trim the S4 produces 405 kW, thanks almost entirely to the Life Racing standalone engine control unit (ECU), added levels of boost and custom exhaust system, and with a mass of 1 445 kg it boasts an incredible power to mass ratio of 280 kW/ton.
Comparatively, a road-going S4 (245 kW/1 820 kg) has a rather less impressive 135 kW/ton (CAR Nov 2009). An Audi R8 V10 Plus’ (404 kW/1 662 kg, CAR Oct 2013) 243 kW/ton still isn’t close to the race-prepped S4.
Further up the Audi family tree the Lamborghini Huracan’s (449 kW/1 636 kg) 274 kW/ton was about as close as I could find. Considering the power/mass ratio you can imagine how the S4 accelerates.
Getting up to speed
On an earlier hot lap with Stephen driving I noted the car is set-up to oversteer on turn-in and the Bridgestone semi-slick rubber (mandated for the class) needs a little warming up. With that in mind my out lap was slow.
After weaving around and sensing the tyres were warm enough for my purposes I decided to let rip. If you’ve ever driven an S4 or something similarly powered you’d think you’d have an idea of what to expect next… but boy was I surprised.
Searing pace
I exited the tight final corner (T8) that leads onto the long front straight in second gear and smacked the loud pedal (appropriately named in this car) wide open. The Quattro system clawed all four tyres into the tar and widened my eyes as a result. The astounding level of grip means that you can apply more throttle far earlier in any corner allowing the car to be slingshot out of the corners and up the straights.
Before long I was shaping up for the 2-3 shift which, as promised to the trusting owner, was made very carefully. The 700-odd metre front straight was eaten up in a flurry of acceleration and blurred scenery without a moment to take a breather. The last racecar I piloted down here had a slightly less impressive 150 kW (on 1 115 kg) so there was time to look around.
Flat-shifting with a BOOM!
Thanks to the dash-mounted shift lights I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road before making two more shifts flying down the front straight. Third to fourth is easy enough and the 4-5 poses no threat, going across the gate to a corner with no wrong-slot possibility.
None of the upshifts require a lift of the throttle. Flat-shifting is possible as the ECU momentarily cuts ignition while you select the next cog. Be quick with your left foot/right hand and you’ll be rewarded with loud BOOM as unburned fuel is ignited while escaping down the exhaust.
Go AND whoa
If the straight line pace was impressive the brakes even more so. The 362 mm Performance Friction ventilated discs up front are clamped by AP Racing four-pot callipers , which provide a retardation force of 1,16 g. I was (obviously) more circumspect on the brakes effectively using twice the distance to slow the car than Stephen.
Once done with braking for the right-hander at T1 I aimed the Audi into the odd race line that seems to work here effectively lengthening the braking zone by taking a slightly early apex. Tackling the Esses (T2 and T3) proved to be a treat as the S4 doesn’t mind riding the kerbs and revels in the quick direction change.
Oversteer on demand
Even though I saw Stephen fire through the long right hand dip at Hangar (T5) I wasn’t about to follow his example. I was cautious through there with the car goading me to lean a bit more heavily on the available grip.
I wasn’t as circumspect exiting the hairpin (T6) and climbed on the gas early exiting having to dial on some opposite lock to manage the oversteer as a result of the early power application; but don’t tell Mr Stephen that.
Know when to fold ’em
The remainder of the laps I spent building up more and more pace, challenging the brake markers and the moment I started consider where I could match Michael’s efforts I knew it was time to call it quits. These excursions always seem to end badly when you decide to do “just one more lap”.
Sadly the team manager, Terry Moss, wasn’t there to see my debut test session in his car so it was unlikely that there would be a contract waiting on my desk when I arrived back at the office. Though I was told it was partly by Moss’s good graces I was given the opportunity in the first place, which I am very thankful for.
Pining for a return
All my colleagues and editor (ahem) will know that I am pining for a return to racing. Driving that Audi Production Car did nothing to satiate the craving – and for that I hate you Michael Stephen – but I also thank you for the unique opportunity, which few will ever be offered.
Driving the S4 also gave me new appreciation for how good these guys really are. Driving that car at full tilt is a skill all on its own. To do so surrounded by half a dozen or so top race drivers (read: hooligans) all vying for the same spot of tar, lap after lap must be extremely taxing but a HUGE adrenaline rush.
Considering that Michael Stephen has held the Class A title for three successive seasons, shows how good he (and of course the Audi S4) really is. He’s a demon at the wheel and all-round nice guy but waaaay too trusting if you ask me…
