Dodge Challenger Hellcat - A Car Chase Heroes Drive.

Recently, I received an email from Car Chase Heroes telling me that they had just bought a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and were making it available to drive.

Having driven the General Lee (http://kirbyscarblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-general-lee-car-chase-heroes-drive.html), I wanted to find out what the modern Dodge models are like so I took up their offer and went to Abingdon Airfield in Oxfordshire to have a go. Upon arrival, I signed in, attended a safety briefing then I was taken around the airfield track by an instructor in a BMW who gave us two laps of the track and gave some great pointers. 

The 2018 Dodge Hellcat weighs around 2 tons and comes equipped with a 6.2 Litre Hemi V8 SRT Demon engine that sends 707 horsepower to the rear wheels. This Dodge can go from 0-60 in just 3.2 seconds and then carrying on up to 199 mph. Controlling this is a six speed manual TREMEC gearbox, power steering, traction control and to slow this monster down, Dodge uses Brembo 6 Piston High Performance Disc Brakes along with Hydraulic Assist Brake Booster. 

This will be the most powerful car I have driven to date and on the day it was a wet track. This would make for an interesting drive.

Inside you have comfortable seats and an 8.4 inch touchscreen display that give a wide range of settings such as dual zone climate control and integrated voice Command with Bluetooth. This car also comes with heated seats and mirrors, automatic headlights and a myriad of other controls to make your dive as comfortable and as easy as possible.The back seats look a little cramped but Dodge has the biggest backseat area in it's class. The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that this car is left hand drive, Dodge has no plans to make this a right hand drive car but don't let put you off diving it.

Push the clutch down and press the red start button and the hellcat's V8 roars into life. You can literally hear its power waiting to be unleashed.

I was pleasantly surprised when I put the car into gear, the clutch and gear shift are light. I was expecting this to be like a workout as previous cars I have driven were. I made my way from the paddock to the track and waited for other cars to pass and give me a bit of room to enjoy the Dodge. Once underway the torque and speed of the car become apparent, changing up through the gears this car moves so quickly and the engine noise is great. braking for the first corner, the Hellcat has no issues here but i'm not pushing the car too hard as i'm getting used to the car and the track is wet.

Apply more power for the next straight, more speed and noise and the next corner approaches quickly. The brakes the car are good and they would have to be given what they have to slow down.  Around the next corner and let the car drift out towards the edge of the track and accelerating, towards the final corner. As I carry on around the track, my confidence with the Hellcat increases. On the second corner of lap 2, I feel the back wheels starting to spin as I come out of the corner, ease up on the accelerator a little and let the car grip before accelerating down the straight. 

On the last lap, I see a 2013 Shelby GT500 in front of me and I begin to chase it down. by the second corner, it is much closer, finally on the third straight, I make my move and pass it. 

Sadly it was time to head back to the paddock and give the car back. I shook hands with Neil and went to get the photo's

This car is bonkers and great fun to drive and is an out and out assault on the senses. Even with traction control on you can still have fun in the corners. Like previous muscle cars, this car is great for long straight roads and drag racing. Given it's width and how the car drove, it's not suited for tight twisty country roads with sudden changes in the road.

As I left, I spoke to the company owner Tom. Tom informed me that this car had come off of the boat from America 3 days prior to me driving it and this was the first event it had been at. 

I would like to thank the staff at Car Chase Heroes for an easy morning of fun. The staff were all friendly and extremely helpful. 

For further information, please visit

https://www.carchaseheroes.com/

https://www.dodge.com/

Castle Combe Autumn Classic

October 6th 2018 saw the seventh running of the Castle Combe Autumn Classic. This years Autumn Classic celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Fords victory at the 1968 Le Mans with the GT40 as well as local racer Ron Fry who raced GT40's during the late 1960's. Plenty of these iconic cars were on display and made their way around the track on demonstration laps. Alongside the GT40's other Le Mans cars such as Nick Masons Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione and Mark Finburgh's Porsche 917K were on show for all to see.

Numerous car clubs had an area for displaying their members finest cars. Marques such as Jensen, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Marcos, Gilbern and more were represented.

On track, seven races would take place under very wet conditions that would put any driver to the test and provide the crowd with some fantastic action at every corner. Later in the day the rain did ease up. 

The races were:

Formula Vintage -  for Pre war Sports Cars. This race was won by Mark Gillies in his Aston Martin Speed Special.

Norman Dewis Trophy - for Pre 1966 Jaguars. John Young took the win in his Jaguar Mk1,

Phil Broster Memorial Race - for Healeys. Bruce Montgomery won in his Healey 3000 Mk1,

FJHRA/HSCC Sliverline Formula Junior UK - Formula Junior cars. Richard Bradley took the flag in his Brabham BT2.

Historic Intermarque Race - for 1950's Sports and GT Cars. Martyn Corfield won the race in his Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica.

GT and Sports Car Cup - for cars from 1959 to 1965. Gary Pearson won this race in his Jaguar E-Type.

CCRC Touring Car Challenge - for Pre 1966 Touring Cars. This race was won by Michael Squire in his Ford Mustang.

Below are my photos from the event.

Car Club Avenue

In and around the Paddock

Blakeney Motorsport

Le Mans Cars

On track action

This Jaguar hit the grass and the driver became a passenger at Quarry Corner. He hit the barrier hard but thankfully driver Kevin Zwolinski was got out unhurt.

 

Despite the heavy rain, this event was fantastic. There was plenty to see and there was a great atmosphere around the track. Paying in advance rather than on the gate saves you money and £20 a ticket for a days entertainment is great value for money.

If you have never been to Castle Combe, it is well worth a visit. The 1.85 mile circuit has great views from where ever you plan to watch the action and you can watch from around the whole track. There are no grandstands and not a lot of shelter from the elements as I found out, so if its a wet day be sure to take waterproof clothing. Decent foot ware is also a must as the Castle Combe has a combination of grass and concrete.

For further information, please visit

https://castlecombecircuit.co.uk/