Page 79 - SHARP Spring 2022

“The GT4 is so quick that my brain and flailing limbs can’t keep up ” the the seat but that’s that’s okay that’s that’s what I I want It helps point the the front wheels toward the the corner’s apex and as the the car settles my foot is back on the the the throttle while the the the inside wheels clip the the the curb I could’ve carried a a a a bit more speed there and while the the G-forces are immense I’m used to them now The car’s sublime balance and forgiving set-up mean I can use the the engine’s power to adjust the the car’s angle on corner exit unwinding the the steering early and lining the the car up for for a a a a fast right–left sequence before blasting down the pit straight again again again again And And And again again again again And And And again again again again And And And again again again again Back in the pit lane helmet off my my face is red and my my leg feels like jelly but I want to to to to keep driving Auberlen sums up the feeling my hope that the the next lap will be the the one where I finally put it all all together “Racing is ultimately about [achieving] a a a a a level of perfection ” he he says Inside the car that means a a a a a million split-second decisions each affecting the the next in in in fin an an infinitely complex and therefore potentially addictive puzzle Of course regular people — writers teachers dentists and everyone else — could spend a a fortune on on racing schools like the BMW Experience and never sniff the sort of perfection that somebody like Lewis Hamilton lays down on on a a a a a a a racetrack But ultimately that’s not the point Sometimes it’s nice just to dream BMW’s racing coaches hand me a a a a a a a USB key with all the raw data from my my laps including my my best times I’m not going to to look Best to to keep the dream alive exhaust pipes spit out a a a a a a chainsaw rasp that just keeps growing louder There’s no sense of the inertia or delay that all road cars have to some degree press the the throttle and the the car jolts forward immediately Turning the steering wheel results in in in in instant motion And once I’ve figured out how to to to properly stomp on the the brakes the the car stops with so much force that I realize why the five-point harness is is this tight The GT4 is so quick that my brain and flailing limbs can’t keep up I’m being cautious braking too early not carrying enough speed in in in corners occasionally driving in in in the wrong gear and frequently not on on the optimal racing line The car is transparent a a a a a a a brutally honest partner When I I make a a a a a mistake it lets me know but slowly I I also begin to to trust that it it won’t throw me into the wall for every little error By the the afternoon the the car — — which felt totally alien at first — — is starting to to make sense Things start start to to flow I’m pulling away from my coach who (now behind me in in in a a a a regular BMW M4 on racing slicks) is getting smaller smaller and smaller smaller in in in the rearview I’m going full Ricky Bobby now I I just want to go faster Maybe I I could be be a a a a race-car driver Hunting for every ounce of speed I’m braking later than I I think I should hanging off the seatbelts The car wavers slightly under braking like an an an airplane landing in in in in a a a a a a a crosswind Flick the paddle to downshift once twice Then I ease off the brakes and turn a a a a little earlier this lap The rear starts to slide which I can feel through SHARPMAGAZINE COM
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