Automotive
ThomasM's post captures the exhilarating experience of PuristS driving Formula Renault and Lotus F1 cars at Circuit Paul Ricard. This article provides a vivid account of a unique community event, highlighting the thrill of high-performance driving and the camaraderie among enthusiasts.
Piloting an F1 car is only a pipe dream for most, but not in the world of PuristSPro. Here, we create opportunities to live the dream and cross another line off the bucket list. Near the medieval town Le Castellet, France, a group of PuristS recently got to experience significant seat time in previous season Lotus-Renault F1 cars on the great Circuit Paul Ricard, where speeds can easily reach over 200 mph.
Unotaz will share more details shortly, but here's a preview -
We start the morning nice and early, mustering at 6:30am for breakfast before meeting in the lobby for the transfer to the Circuit Paul Ricard at 7a.
A fam tour of the track in vans allows the instructors to point out braking and turning points in the layout -
the second lap goes a little faster and we start to feel some g-forces...
we were lucky enough to be with an instructor / driver who wasn't afraid to let us experience a little lean, so we got to experience closing speeds and late braking with the van in front. 
 Coming back into pit lane after two fam laps, we pass by the tools we'll be using later in the day to carve up the track -
Beautiful vehicles, all lined up in a row. Give it to the French to be aesthetic perfectionists even when it comes to alignment of parked race cars!
The PuristS group starts with the kinesiology module, a nice way to start the day!Â
 
Look at that smile...it's great to be a Purist!
As we suited up, the anticipation and excitement were palpable. Look at the intensity in those eyes!
Our chariots await -
and now, over to you, Unotaz...
This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2012-09-21 13:19:06 This message has been edited by ED209 on 2012-09-22 23:50:49 This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2012-09-28 12:52:21We want to see more! :) Thanks for your comment about the aesthetic sense of the French people, I can't agree more! ;) Fx
So everybody arrived in Nice a few days prior to the event and we were all scheduled to stay at the hotel nearby the Paul Ricard racetrack. This was a great idea, as most of us are still trying to fight out our jet lags! Overall, the event arranged by the Lotus F1 team was well organized and the experience has been first rate! We decided to leave from Nice and arrive at the track early so that we can all get some well needed rest. My jet lag still got the better of me and I only had a few hours
Basically, the program consisted of 3 main components, split between the Formula Renault cars and the Formula 1 cars. We would start with the technical briefings, driving sessions (2 for Formula Renault and 1 for the F1), telemetry analysis, and then the AWE-INSPIRING taxi rides in the respective cars. There were also physio sessions where you learn how to stretch properly and additional technical classroom sessions learning the various components of a real Formula 1 race car! Our first technica
So here comes the Formula 1 car! The car we are using is the 2003 car with the old V-10 engine. The car has been "detuned" from 900hp to "only" 700hp. Still mighty fast though! Carbon-carbon brakes that only works when it gets hot (~900c) I want one in my car! Except it costs 80K euro! Can you guess which pedal is for which? It's a tight squeeze! Trying to assimilate as much information as possible before heading out! It's too bad we didn't get the fancy full F1 steering wheel, but I think it's
Waiting patiently to step into the F1 Going over last minute instructions on how NOT to stall the car 'I'm not going to crash, I'm NOT going to crash....' Trying to raise the rev to get a clean getaway ...and then I stalled! After a second attempt, I'm finally on my way! After our F1 driving session, it is now time for the taxi rides! Starting with the Formula Renault And then the F1 ride with Nicolas Prost (son of 4 time World Champion Alain Prost) This picture is probably taken in a slow corne
What an amazing experience... Okay, I've typed that twice now. Truly a day to remember, with g-forces felt, and an experience achieved. What an awesome event, wished I could've made it. Sometimes wished I took more short-term risks and twisted my own arm. This is on the bucket list!
This thread is active on the Automotive forum with 58 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.
Join the Discussion →
