Wham! I slam forward against the racing harness as the Excoet Alcosense Audi of Rob Austin slams on the brakes at Silverstone circuit.
Then as we turn the corner, the car hits the kerb with the right hand wheels and launches into the air on the other two wheels! What’s going on and how did I get here?
A couple of weeks ago we got an invite from FAST Excocet. They liked our BTCC coverage and would we like to come and see Rob Austin’s Audi at Silverstone from a rather different viewpoint? Of course the answer was yes and so on a very windy day I headed to the Silverstone wing.
FAST Excocet have been a title sponsor to Rob Austin Racing’s BTCC Audi A4’s for the past two seasons and have seen their brand recognition increase dramatically. But for 2016 they are taking the company in new directions and so sadly the partnership comes to an end. Founder of FAST Excoet Rob Hall explains;
“Ideally we’d like to have continued supporting the team as the ideal period to sponsor a team for maximum exposure is five years but we have new areas we want to expand the business into in 2016 and sadly we don’t have the money to do everything so we have to decide our priorities. That’s not to say we won’t be back one day.”
But despite that you wouldn’t say that their sponsorship of Rob Austin Racing hasn’t been a success, the exposure has dramatically increased their brand awareness and has enabled them to launch products specifically aimed at racers and track day enthusiasts such as Rush 101.
Rush101 in simple terms is an octane booster which will increase the octane rating of ordinary pump fuel from 95 to 101. Without getting too technical this allows a suitably adjusted engine to produce more power and so more performance. It’s aimed at track day enthusiasts and club racers looking to get maximum performance from their fuel. One can will treat 50 litres of petrol. Sadly the BTCC’s extremely strict fuel regulations prevented testing on Rob Austin’s Audi but the additive has been used in club racing where regulations allow and has produced impressive results.
They are also successful in other areas and if you have oil fired heating at home or work, it’s likely it uses their products as they have 95% market share in this area.
With their sponsorship finishing at the end of 2015, FAST Exocet used the opportunity to arrange a fast ride day for various guests to get an opportunity to experience a current BTCC car from the inside which is where we came in!
So when the time came, I was strapped into a racing seat alongside Rob Austin in his Audi, Sherman. Incidentally not just any seat but team mate Hunter Abbott’s borrowed from the other race car. Once the mechanic made sure the straps were as tight as possible, the Audi was pushed backwards into the pit lane and we were off. Initially the car seemed slow and stuttery as the pit lane speed limiter held it back but as we turned the corner at the end of the pit lane, Rob hit the button to turn it off and the car streaked forwards.
Within a few seconds we were at the first corner and I flew forwards only being held back by the very tight racing harness as Rob was hard on the brakes before he was back on the power as we exited the corner. There was a further bend before we were out onto the back straight and back on full power. I was pushed back in the seat as the car powered behind the various, Mazdas, Caterhams and Lotuses that were also sharing the track. These slower cars (Rob was easily quicker than all of them!) proved to be rather good at being mobile chicanes as they were surprised by a BTCC car looming up at them. This really emphasised the BTCC cars excellent braking abilities as Rob had to slow to avoid wayward cars pulling across him.
But when the track was clear he certainly wasn’t holding back as he was on maximum attack into the corners even monstering the kerbs! Being in a touring car as it slides up on two wheels around a corner is an interesting experience but at no point did I feel like we were going off with Rob always keeping the car pointing in the right direction. The thing that was most impressive about Sherman was the huge acceleration as soon as Rob got on the power, it makes even the quickest everyday car feel slow in comparison. After an out lap, a flying lap and then a final in lap to head back to the pits it was over. Rob pulled into the garage and the mechanics all descended on the car and the door was opened to let me out and after threading my legs through the gap in the roll cage I was out and back into normality. Rob Austin has indicated that this year would be the last for Sherman and Panzer his two Audi A4’s as they have become less competitive so I used the opportunity to ask him about his plans;
“Yeah, we’re working on plans for new cars for next season, sadly the long wheelbase of the Audi just doesn’t allow us to be competitive anymore.” Said Rob.
Sadly he wouldn’t (or couldn’t) say any more about the car they hope to use other than to say that plans are well underway. They ‘ll also be looking for new sponsors with the departure of FAST Excoet but as they were informed early on it seems plans are already in place to obtain new funding for 2016. So as Sherman and Panzer aren’t racing in 2016, does that mean that this was Sherman’s last ever outing?
“Possibly for this year although I think we’ll be out one more time.” Replied Rob.
So will he be selling the cars on?
“No, I think we’ll be keeping them. We might even race elsewhere!” was the interesting reply from Rob on that question although he didn’t elaborate any further on where elsewhere could be!
Despite parting ways, perhaps only temporarily, 2016 looks like it will be a good year for both Rob
Austin Racing and Fast Excocet, two groups of people who all know about making machinery go well! By Marc Waller
