Page 124 - Bespoke Issue

and a Ferrari at that. This presented me with two problems, the rst being my deteriorating eyesight - I need glasses now for reading so have a great pair of varifocals that give me great all round vision, I don’t actually need them for driving as my vision is ne after about a metre, so with the VR headset having two individual lenses inside everything was out of focus, I’m sure this could be adjusted as it can in my camera view nder, but for today it was blurred. The second issue is to suspend belief, as your mind knows you are sat in a chair xed to a steel frame, but you feel like you’re in car. Once you get used to this, then it really does feel the car as programmed.
I did a few laps, starting to learn the circuit, I came to grief in the chicane, but managed to wrestle the virtual Ferrari back onto the circuit with armfuls of opposite lock, keeping her out of the Armco. I was starting enjoy this and get the hang of it. There was a tyre line of darker tarmac that gave a good queue to the racing line and where the track was going, even with my blurred vision, so I was starting to string it together. The multi axis machine really gave the feeling of being in the car on the circuit, through the Raidillion at Eau Rouge I could actually feel the compression and elevation in my stomach, the only thing I could nd was the pit lane entrance, so I parked up on the start line and let Jenny have a go.
Jenny plays even less video games than I do, preferring to get out on her skateboard or bike at any opportunity, but she was just getting into it and starting to get the feel of the circuit, when Stephane suggested we go for lunch as the circuit was closing for the lunch break and we should be ready to drive as soon as it reopened. A buffet lunch in the Pit Stop Terrace cafe was a great time to get to know a bit more about our hosts and the team that would be looking after us today.
The idea of D2P was hatched from Stephane being a customer of a racing academy run by Rob Stanbury at Ascari, he went the rst time for a bit of fun, then became a regular customer. This was the start of the idea for Stephane’s D2P project, Rob had sold his company so was more than happy to consult for Stephane bringing years of experience in the game to the table, which is probably why D2P doesn’t feel like the new kids, what they have done is inject the customers point of view into the ethos of the race academy. Stephane has set it up to be exactly what he wanted when he was a customer, a point that is all too often forgotten with track companies. Many forget that their clients are new to the game and although they may own some nice cars they can still be a little apprehensive around the cars, the circuits and indeed the prospect of actually driving and maybe even racing a real race car.
Back in the garage, all fed and watered; Oliver sized us up for race suits. We were given full Adidas reproof under-layers and brand new, D2P branded light weight Adidas race suits. So now we certainly looked the part. We are both offered boots but opted to stay in our Vans. Next was the helmet selection, all carbon bre, lightweight and comfortable with HANS devices attached.
I’m now being strapped into the driving seat of the Lotus 3 Eleven, with a HANS device you can’t actually look down far enough to fasten your own harnesses, the 3 Eleven is the track day version of the Exige S, with a six speed manual gear box, transmitting over 500bhp per ton, so it’s a nifty little weapon. This one is left hand drive, so not only do I have one of those old school gear stick thingy’s
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