Apparently as part of your RX-8 purchase in the UK, you get the opportunity to test it on a track as well as get some driving lessons. The clip below shows: about a dozen 8's - some track time - hard braking - "wet track " footage with DSC turned off and on.

http://www.willscomputer.co.uk/prodrive

 

The Prodrive day as its referred to is excellent fun.

You get a morning on the roads around their test facility with an ex-police driver instructing you on how to safely overtake on twisty country roads, how to get the best out the car, road positioning etc - taught me a few things.

But the real fun is the afternoon, you get four events, each of about 45 mins . Each event the instructor takes you throught it driving your car, then its your go.

1. Limited Grip Wet Skid Pan
This was excellent fun, you start going down at about 15mph and try to get a fishtail skid going down the skid pan. With everything on, DSC, TC etc and it corrects it all for you, virtually impossible to spin. The noises coming from the LSD are horrible as it does its job.

Then you turn everything off, DSC/TC fully off. As soon as you start to lose the back end they tell you to put the power down and try to control it, of course you end up doing 360 spin (540 was the best I managed) after about 15 mins you start to get the hang of it and I managed one run the whole way down the skid pan, getting the back end out 45 degrees one way, then back again the other way, and so on the whole length - excellent fun but tiring, chucking the wheel from full lock one way to the other.

After this event you realise just how good the TC/DSC is on the car.

2. High Speed Track
Basically a test track they have get up to about 100 on the main straight with a corner that most take about 80ish mph, then a few hairpins etc - after a couple of laps my instructor said, right you know what to do, i'll just enjoy the ride - this event was just over too quick! Overtook a couple of people going way too slow!

3. High Speed Braking
Examples of the ABS, pile up to a barrier and at the last minute they put a left or right arrow on, slam on the brakes and steer round it the appropriate way.
Then up to 80mph and emergency stop. Amazing how good the brakes are, stops so damn quickly.
Then the 80mph emergency stop with you hands off the wheel. Keeps in a perfect straight line.
At this point my day was slightly spoilt by the car stalling at the end of the emergency stop (my foot was on the clutch but the engine revs dipped and it stalled)
Had a fraught 15mins, and eventually it coughed back into life.

4. Adverse Handling Track
Basically a go-kart track - very tight 180 degree corners and the like, just one corner after another, they get you going round it at about 50mph, all 4 tyres squeeling, but the car just kept gripping. This was the most tiring of all, continutally turning and pulling hard from one direction to the next.

The whole day was great, everyone that has gone on it has nothing but praise. A nice little bonus from Mazda UK. After all the waiting in the pre-order system it almost made up for it!

If interested, have a look on the UK owners club site and search for Prodrive for more reports.

PS. Prodrive do all the technical setup for Subaru WRC team and are now working with the BAR Formula 1 team - they also had some involvement with the DSC system on the RX-8.

 

Excellent Video, makes me want to take a trip back home just for the drive!

 

Ok mines booked...just one thing.. you not CRYING at putting your new baby through all that?!

 

Was a bit worried about stone chips on the high speed circuit, but other than that my car had done about 7K by them time I went on it - so past the honeymoon stage Tyres weren't even scrubbed too bad at all.

 

The account has been suspended.

 

is it anywhere else ??

 

I have a copy of it if anyone can host it - about 50Mb

 

Bump

 

The video is not that big of a deal. I don't have the space to host but I could more easily put it on CD the next time I see you...

 

Thats okay, I can live without it.

Up early ? =)

 

"This Account Has Been Suspended"..........?

 

Mirror available here:
http://www.bobman.net/multimedia/rx8/prodrive.wmv

Please Right Click and "Save As..." or "Save Target As..."

The file is 45Mb and is on a somewhat bandwidth limited server.

 

Yeah, you don't want to even now....... at least your getting paid for it... :p cool thanks...

 

My Prodrive day is booked for the 18 Nov, I was looking forward to this day very much but 'stone chips'. How smooth was the skidpan? A few cars appeared to leave the tarmac section and enter a muddy gravel pit!.......Only kidding I am really looking forward to this, only hope the rain holds off, but then again could be more fun in the wet. Four wheel alignment will be done tomorrow after the eibach spring install and maybe if I'm lucky some good stuff. I'm removing the cat/res for a midpipe and having the car mapped. All noise and no gain I imagine but never mind.

Regards P

 

What you doing about fooling the O2 sensors in the cat?

Stone chips, not too much trouble, a bit of loose gravel on the track, but only a problem if you drive up someones ***, which you aint allowed to do anyway!