Had a fantastic and very challenging day with the V on Mosport’s Grand Prix Track on Friday. This was the first opportunity for me to “let ‘er rip” on a track day without the limitations that we had to drive under during last year’s Cadillac Track Experience, which was also at Mosport. I was able to get an inkling of what this car is capable of during GM’s event last year, but I must say I was very surprised (and very pleased!) to experience some higher limits (for me, anyway) of what this incredible vehicle is capable of!
The Toronto area weather forecast had been calling for rain on Friday since the beginning of the week and for once the forecast was actually correct. The day started off cool and wet with a constant drizzle. No matter, as lapping on a wet track is a different ball game and can be a very valuable learning experience. Mosport’s wet lines are completely different than the dry lines and we started the day on the wet lines. But lo and behold! The rain let up around 10:30 am and the track dried up quickly. Back to the dry lines! The rain held off for pretty well the whole day and as I became more comfortable with the car, I gradually extended the envelope and went into territory and explored speeds that I could never have reached in my Camaro. 236 km/h up the Andretti Straight and then quickly braking down for a very fast 140 km/h right hand sweeper while on the edge of traction is simply an amazing thrill!
I felt that the car is far more capable than the tires, (either that or I was just plain “chicken”) although the PS2s were simply fantastic in the wet and stuck like glue when it was dry in the afternoon, never getting slippery. They held up very well and the wear on them was minimal, considering the car was on the track for almost 2.5 hrs. during the day. I ran 42 lbs. front and 38 in the rear. The brakes are nothing short of amazing! I couldn’t believe how fast I could push the car and how late I could brake after figuring out that I could depend on the brakes to haul the car down from high speed in the blink of an eye. I sure never had that luxury before!
Oh yes… and the car is completely bone stock
Other Observations:
- it takes a lot of getting out of sorts to have the nannies cut in when in competitive mode.
- gotta be very judicious about laying down the power when coming out of a corner, especially if you want the car to go where you’re expecting (or hoping) it will go. Had a bit of an “Oh Sh!t” moment laying down the power coming out of a tight turn while the pavement was still a little damp. Steering with the throttle is almost too easy!
- engine temp never budged from its normal street reading.
- no message in the DIC about differential overheating
- car didn’t use a drop of oil, but did run through almost 2 tanks of fuel!
- damn this thing is quiet!
- flashing red tracer lights in the tach come on a little early at 5500 rpm!
- the car definitely liked the “exercise” and is now feeling more responsive and even quicker than before!
So all in all, a most excellent day! I have an even higher level of respect for this car than I had before, given how easy, solid and quiet it is to be driven at high speeds. The car certainly doesn’t communicate with you the way a sports car does, but it does manage to talk to you – you just have to listen a little harder! LOL!
I feel very privileged to own this vehicle and even luckier to be able to drive it on a road course the way it was designed to be driven. I would also encourage anybody who might be on the fence about whether or not to take a track school to do it and gain the experience of driving and handling this incredible vehicle at speed, in a safe and controlled environment.
I made some in-car video with my Samsung Android and a simple windshield suction mount. It gets a little jiggly in a couple of places, but it’s a reasonable representation of the track…
Best regards,
Elie
The Toronto area weather forecast had been calling for rain on Friday since the beginning of the week and for once the forecast was actually correct. The day started off cool and wet with a constant drizzle. No matter, as lapping on a wet track is a different ball game and can be a very valuable learning experience. Mosport’s wet lines are completely different than the dry lines and we started the day on the wet lines. But lo and behold! The rain let up around 10:30 am and the track dried up quickly. Back to the dry lines! The rain held off for pretty well the whole day and as I became more comfortable with the car, I gradually extended the envelope and went into territory and explored speeds that I could never have reached in my Camaro. 236 km/h up the Andretti Straight and then quickly braking down for a very fast 140 km/h right hand sweeper while on the edge of traction is simply an amazing thrill!
I felt that the car is far more capable than the tires, (either that or I was just plain “chicken”) although the PS2s were simply fantastic in the wet and stuck like glue when it was dry in the afternoon, never getting slippery. They held up very well and the wear on them was minimal, considering the car was on the track for almost 2.5 hrs. during the day. I ran 42 lbs. front and 38 in the rear. The brakes are nothing short of amazing! I couldn’t believe how fast I could push the car and how late I could brake after figuring out that I could depend on the brakes to haul the car down from high speed in the blink of an eye. I sure never had that luxury before!
Oh yes… and the car is completely bone stock
Other Observations:
- it takes a lot of getting out of sorts to have the nannies cut in when in competitive mode.
- gotta be very judicious about laying down the power when coming out of a corner, especially if you want the car to go where you’re expecting (or hoping) it will go. Had a bit of an “Oh Sh!t” moment laying down the power coming out of a tight turn while the pavement was still a little damp. Steering with the throttle is almost too easy!
- engine temp never budged from its normal street reading.
- no message in the DIC about differential overheating
- car didn’t use a drop of oil, but did run through almost 2 tanks of fuel!
- damn this thing is quiet!
- flashing red tracer lights in the tach come on a little early at 5500 rpm!
- the car definitely liked the “exercise” and is now feeling more responsive and even quicker than before!
So all in all, a most excellent day! I have an even higher level of respect for this car than I had before, given how easy, solid and quiet it is to be driven at high speeds. The car certainly doesn’t communicate with you the way a sports car does, but it does manage to talk to you – you just have to listen a little harder! LOL!
I feel very privileged to own this vehicle and even luckier to be able to drive it on a road course the way it was designed to be driven. I would also encourage anybody who might be on the fence about whether or not to take a track school to do it and gain the experience of driving and handling this incredible vehicle at speed, in a safe and controlled environment.
I made some in-car video with my Samsung Android and a simple windshield suction mount. It gets a little jiggly in a couple of places, but it’s a reasonable representation of the track…
Best regards,
Elie