The Weekly’s David Bonnici takes a once-in-a-lifetime spin around the ARC rally circuit at Calder.
A WISE man once told me if you want to live to a ripe old age ‘‘avoid anything that requires a helmet and indemnity form’’. So there I was at Calder Park Raceway signing the second of two waivers absolving anyone else of responsibility should my life come to a sudden, fiery end.
I had a helmet too, but it did come with a pretty schmick racing suit that fit surprisingly well, so I figured what the hell.
*Check out the video below of David’s hot lap on Friday.*
I felt a swagger in my step as I strolled past pit crews, fans, fellow journalists and organisers of the Australian Rally Championship’s Rally Calder event to my steed; the new Honda Jazz G2, which shares nothing more than a name with the nimble little street car. Honda says this is literally the fastest Jazz in the world — and they’re not talking about experimental, avante-gard stuff played by men in skivvies.
Evans Motorsport co-driver Glen Weston, who’d normally sit in the snug racing seat I was about to occupy, showed me how to climb through the roll cage, strapped me in and hooked me up to the helmet mike to speak with lead driver Eli Evans.
After a few telemetry checks and ensuring the car’s front-facing camera was on, we were on our way to the start line.
Evans accelerated slightly and hit the brakes a few times to warm them up, which is important ‘‘when you want to stop in a hurry in sixth gear’’.
I didn’t twig at the time but what he meant was this car can go from 100km/h to zip in no time at all — as I was about to discover.
In rally racing, cars race the clock rather than each other meaning we had to queue at the start behind a couple of other competitors who took off at 30-second intervals.
We were doing the complete stage 1 course of the event, around 3 kms, which included a run on Calder Park’s famous Thunderdome, tearing through the ‘‘junkyard’’ (as accurately described by Evans) and a field which was at its muddy best after the Melbourne’s wettest start to March in years.
After a minute it was our turn and a smile went across my face, betrayed by my chubby cheeks bulging out of the helmet.
Then we were off.
The Jazz accelerated like a demon on the Thunderdome’s bitumen and was pulling Gs around the arc. Evans pushed the car up the bank and down again. Just as I was about to say I’ve always wanted to do this, I was reminded that this wasn’t NASCAR by the site of orange and white barriers forming a chicane across the track.
Remember what I said about the car’s braking?
Evans stopped and drifted the car through a small gap between the barriers as though slipping and twisting on a pizza. The force of the braking sent me forward into the straps, combining with the sudden sharp turn to make it feel as though I was being pushed and punched — about eight times.
After a few more chicanes, negotiated masterfully by the 2010 Australian two-wheel-drive rally champion, we were off the Thunderdome and headed for the tunnel that goes under the grand stand and out to the fields.
The light at the end of the tunnel provided no respite from the gut busting turns. Now we were churning up the sticky western plains mud as the Jazz went in every direction except straight ahead.
Looking out the front window provided no reference as the the side windows became the new windscreen. Just as you get your bearings and think you know where you’re going, you’re pulled back in your straps as the Jazz pushes through the mud in an entirely different direction at an impossible angle. It was hard to believe the Jazz has no turbo and is just two-wheel drive. It went like the proverbial crackers.
This was bucket list stuff, though the forces on my body made me rather pleased that I chose to avoid breakfast.
Incredibly this isn’t a full-time caper for Evans and Weston, who this year have been joined at Evans Motorsport by a second car driven by Mark Pedder and Clair Ryan. However, there’s nothing unprofesssional about this Evans Motorsport/Honda Racing set up.
Mechanics have been flown from Italy and Japan to work on the Jazz’s first rally season in Australia, which, judging by the intimate view I had today, is sure to be a success.
It is hoped Rally Calder will expose the sport, mostly held on bush tracks, to a city motor racing fans already into V8 Supercars and Formula One so it can enjoy at least some of the popularity it enjoys in Europe.
This is one rev-head that’s already hooked.
Rally Calder is on this weekend at Calder Park Raceway and features the first round of the Australian Rally Championship plus a host of other motoracing events. Details:
Details: Australian Rally Championship.
David Bonnici’s Rally Calder hot lap was courtesy of Honda Australia and Australian Rally Championship.
