![]() A U-shaped curve, when what’s fastest with downforce is V-shaped. But if you gas it at all now you can feel the differential start to tighten back up, pushing the nose into understeer, ruining your smooth, crisp line, taking you on a trip to the outer kerbs too soon. Still braking a bit you smoothly sweep the steering in, then you have to be patient. Brake all the way to the apex, gradually releasing the pressure as the aero grip fades away. The Senna GTR likes to be driven like a racing car, demands a certain technique – especially in the slow corners – to get the best from it. But somewhere a little over halfway around lap one, you’ve already sussed it. Terrifying to look at, deeply intimidating as you head out of the pits, wrenched tight into carbon buckets and gripping the little rubberised wheel. Because the downforce glues it harder to the track the faster you go, so it feels ultra-secure in a straight line. Because it responds exactly as you want, at the moment you demand it. It’s because the Senna GTR gives you so much confidence. I’m sure there’s a reason you’re sharing all this. Yes, F1 cars brake at the 100 metre board, but still… Don’t think an actual racing car would have been.Ī couple of times I managed to outbrake myself, too – this in a car that’s braking from 170mph at roughly the 170 metre board before the hairpin at Turn 1. I’m not sure I adequately apologised to Duncan Tappy, the poor racing driver tasked with coaching me around. Big slide, into, through and most of the way out of Turn 13. One proper one, coming out of 12, braking and downshifting one gear for 13, getting cocky and over confident. And the only reason I’m genuinely happy pushing on? It’s a Hermann Tilke circuit. ![]() Boy, are you going fast and is there a lot of force pressing on your body though. The best place to feel it on the GP circuit here is Turn 12, a long uphill fourth gear corner, a proper summon-up-the-blood, hold-on-and-keep-turning curve.īut you can do it, you can get to the point that you feel, even beyond the limits of the slick tyres and hundreds of kilos of downforce, a bit of understeer starting to emerge. After that it’s all about accuracy and finesse. Nailing them at 170mph on Bahrain’s main straight, literally hitting them with everything you’ve got, straining sinews, well, it’s the one time you get to attack the car, give it a proper shoeing. At high speed I don’t reckon it’s as fast as a 720S. Is it fast? Absolutely, although of the three speed areas (acceleration, braking and cornering), the acceleration is by far the least impressive. There’s every chance I’m alone in this, but I wanted you to know where I’m coming from. I want a car I have to master, a bit of a savage that’s going to get me sweaty palmed with its speed and aggression. I don’t want it to be friendly, I want it to be feral. I know it doesn’t look it, but it’s friendly. In other words it’s as easy to extract the max from as, say, a Nissan Micra. There’s a line in the literature that says “95 per cent of the performance is achievable by 95 per cent of drivers”. But I get your point about the baseline figures, although that’s a pretty poor way of judging the driving experience. Don’t forget the slicks and set-up work, too. Although that will of course actually slow you down on the straights. But only 10kg lighter than the road car.Ī bit lighter, a bit more downforce, a bit more power. Most of the body panels are unique to the GTR, the brakes are from the standard Senna, but with different pads and brake booster.ġ,188kg dry. The hydraulic K damper that did heave control and height adjustability on the Senna has been dropped – no need for it. The arms, lighter and stiffer than the Senna’s, are from the 720S GT3, as are the Ohlins dampers – although the valving and tuning is different. Suspension is double wishbone with bespoke uprights. Total downforce is over a tonne at 155mph. ![]() The pylons have been tilted backwards moving the wing aft. The side supports aren’t there for structural reasons, nor are they load generating, instead they manage the airflow down the side of the car, allowing the rear wing to work more effectively. The front splitter has been extended out several inches (the GTR is 220mm longer overall), dive planes have been added, vents above the front wheels, a prolapsed rear diffuser like Bane’s gum guard and a rear wing of towering magnificence. 80mm of front ground clearance rises to 120mm at the rear, reducing air pressure and increasing downforce. ![]() For the GTR the wings and aero surfaces don’t have to sit within the extremities of the car, plus you can have sharper edges, and alter the cars angle of attack. The road car wasn’t pretty, but sneaking 800kg of downforce through homologation was very clever indeed. ![]()
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