A Track Day At Elvington Circuit (Part 2)

This is part 2 of my track day coverage from Elvington – you can read part 1 here.

There’s nothing quite like looking at a Lamborghini in the flesh as it were.  Even compared to the next-fastest (and expensive) piece of machinery I’ve driven – a Subaru Impreza WRX for the record – it was clearly obvious that as I jogged up to the Lamborghini Gallardo it was a very special bit of kit.

After a quick check of the paperwork with the instructor outside of the car, I then half-fell into the passenger seat.  Unless you’re used to it, I guarantee your first entry into a supercar will not be an elegant one.  That’s fine though – because you’ll soon forget your lack of grace when you see the interior.

Naturally, for a car that has a price tag more than a small flat, there are swathes of leather, carbon fibre and beautifully machined parts to look at.  I was taking all this in as the instructor was giving further information about the car.  The Gallardo I was driving was manual, and, surprisingly, extremely comfortable.

With the turn of the key, the V10 barked into life with less drama than I was expecting.  My first impression actually was “wow, this is incredibly civilised” – and it was.  The small steering wheel fitted perfectly in my hands.  Perhaps I still have the mentality of supercars of old, but I was expecting something that would be unwieldy at speed, yet as the instructor trundled it up the strip it was quiet.  In fact, it was more than quiet – it was near silent.

As we made the approach to the track, this all changed however.  Instructions followed quickly to look to the right before engaging the throttle – hard.  Suddenly, the engine cleared its throat and made an urgent bellowing as the car launched forward.  The sensation of speed was overwhelming as we hurtled through turns, chicanes and down long straights.

Before I knew exactly what had happened or even realised we were back at the start point, the instructor turned to me said “now it’s your turn!”  Stepping out of the car, I went out to the other side.  I couldn’t believe I was actually about to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo – one of my favourite cars of all time!

Settling in to the seat and pulling down the scissor door sent a thrill down my spine.  I knew, I just knew, this was going to completely live up to the experience I had in my mind.  Brilliantly, I wasn’t disappointed at all.  The ease of driving the thing initially was reinforced as I slowly pulled off in first, finding the biting point.  Thankfully, the Gallardo suffers from none of the well-known problems with supercars – such as possessing a very heavy clutch.  In fact, I marvelled at the simplicity and directness of it all.

The gearchange was sharp and precise, with the gates being open.  I instructor helped me to find the apex as I gradually weaved the car around the intricate circuit.  I didn’t know what sort of speeds I was doing as the central RPM indicator is all dominating – but I do know it felt pretty quick without even using half the revs.

Building up more courage (yes, you need a lot of courage driving a car with this much power), I started to get more of a feel for what the Lamborghini Gallardo could do.  So, I put more power down.  I’ve never felt anything quite like it, as the car simply bit into the tarmac and surged forwards.  It was at this point that the drive went from quiet to amazing – the noise from the engine behind me filling the cabin and urging me to drive faster.

Steering seemed precise and light, even turning in at 3rd gear through the chicane and sharp turns proved to be an easy, manageable experience with no tyre squeal – though still plenty of white knuckles as I wondered whether the car was at the right speed for the manoeuvre.

Luckily, the course had useful indicators on such as braking signs etc, so I’m quite happy to say that each lap I managed to build up more and more speed.  The final straight was breathtaking as I tried to hold onto the gears for that little bit longer.  Exhilarating probably just about nails it!

It was with sadness that I stepped out of the Lamborghini Gallardo – but I was grateful that I survived the experience.  Truly, it is a motor that thoroughly deserves the title of ‘supercar’ and it definitely be something that I’d love to own.  I’d imagine with a little more time behind the wheel one could get a better idea of what the car is able to do – though you’d have to be a very special driver indeed to find the limits of the thing…

Look out for Part 3 of A Track Day At Elvington Circuit, when I describe my experience driving a Ferrari Challenge Stradale.