Autodrome: Every Second Counts

The adrenalin is already pumping as I squeeze into the passenger seat of the race spec Volkswagen Golf GTi. I am sitting in – or more accurately strapped into - a stripped down, light-weight, two-litre, turbo-charged, race-tuned, high-speed version of a production car which throws out a hefty 238 brake horsepower and hits top speeds in excess of 200km/h.

As a racetrack rookie, I really don’t know what to expect during the testing session. A few minutes later we are back in the pit, hot and sweating, after the ride of my life. It was all I could do to keep my head upright and breathe properly as the heat inside the car built up under the searing Dubai sun and huge G-forces were exerted on us as we slammed around the high speed corners of the 4.343km track.

Amazingly, Mike was not only able to drive the car on the limit, he also was able give a commentary into a voice recorder as he did so.

Below is his second-by-second, corner-by-corner account of driving a lap of the Autodrome.

START LINE
00.00.00 seconds After two warm-up laps we’re touching 140km/h as we cross the start-finish line. Mike takes up the commentary: “Now hitting 150, 165, touching 5,500 revs as we change from fourth to fifth down the main straight. 180. Fifth. Now 190km/h, back down into fourth. Hard braking. Back into third. Braking for first corner.”

TURN 1
00.21.00 “Turn in, first corner. Exit. Going flat out through next turn”

TURN 2
00.23.00 “Into third, 4,500 revs. 140km/h. Into fourth. Brake at the 100m board. Down into third. Turn.”

TURN 3
00.32.00 “Take the corner. Clip the apex.”

TURN 4
00.38.00 “On the back straight now. 6,000 revs. 140. Into fourth gear. 160, 170, 180. 6,000rpm again. Now into fifth gear. 190. Back to fourth, braking hard. Back into third. Turning point. Turn in.”

TURN 5
00.56.00 “Clip the apex. Let the car run out. OK, moving over now to the right, keeping the racing line.”

TURN 6
01.02.00 “120. Third into fourth. 150. Brake hard. Fourth to third. Braking hard.”

TURN 7
01.15.00 “Ran wide there. 5,000, 6,000rpm. 140. Fourth gear, 5,500rpm and 160km/h.

TURN 8
01.32.00 “Flat out through the bend. Into fifth, braking hard from 180. Back into fourth. Down into third.”

TURN 9
01.39.00 “Second last corner before the main straight. Maintaining the speed through the corner. Taking that
one at 90.”

TURN 10
01.49.00 “Back on the gas. Last corner before we turn back to the straight. 5,000rpm. 120. 130. 140. Fifth gear. Fourth gear. Back into third. Last turn into the pit straight.”

TURN 11
01.59.00 “Now just entering the home straight. We took that corner in third gear at 100km/h. Still third gear, 5,500rpm. Accelerating hard. Fourth gear. 6,000rpm. Passing the start finish line at 140 and into a new lap.”

FINISH
02.10.00

Our Flying Lap In Numbers

2 mins, 10 secs Lap time
4.434km Lap distance
122.78KM/H Average speed

More information at www.dubaiautodrome.com