Back in June we launched our Fathers Day Supercar driving competition through JOE.ie and our Facebook page. We had loads of entries and understandably so, the prize was awesome! The winner would get the chance to tear around Mondello Park, Ireland's premier racetrack with Arón Smith, professional British Touring Car driver in a selection of high performance machinery including a Porsche 911 and full-on Lola racing car.
We picked a winner from the virtual hat of randomness and Declan Reamonn from Wexford came up trumps! The date was set for July 18th and we all waited impatiently!
Dec had sprung the news just half an hour previously that he would be handing over his prize to his wife, who was an even bigger petrol-head than himself! The nerves had clearly set in but both were buzzing with excitement which was great to see.
When we got to Mondello the 3 gleaming cars Gina would be driving were all lined up and ready to go. We headed up to the suites above pitlane for a one-on-one briefing session with Aron but something was going on because both Gina & Declan were getting briefed.
Sure enough, 2 crash helmets appeared..... Turns out a space in Mondello's schedule had free'd up and they were going to get both Gina and Declan out on track! Fair play guys, you're absolute legends!! :)
First up was the Mazda 3 training car, completely stripped and decked out with bucket seats, racing harnesses and a full roll cage. What the little hatchback lacks in outright power, it more than makes up for in handling.
Grin-Factor: Off the scale!
After the Porsche's it was time for the pro to take over! We strapped Dec into the passenger seat of the race prepared MX5, The revs rose and Aron dumped the clutch leaving 2 thick black lines of rubber down pitlane as he headed out on track for some Hot Laps. Watching from the sidelines it was clear he wasn't messing about, he was trying pretty hard! The pasty face and nervous laughter from Declan certainly backed that up when the pair returned to the pits!
The last car we had lined up for the guys was in a different league altogether in terms of performance. The Lola (above) is a proper racing car. It has a 300bhp race prepared engine, 6 speed sequential gearbox, racing brakes, slick tyres and bodywork that produces downforce....in short it's bloody fast! Couple that with a world class driver and you're in for something a bit special.
As the Lola accelerated out of pitlane the difference in speed was immediately apparent and in just a few hundred yards they were up to 6th gear and really shifting. I got a couple of laps in the car myself and apart from the outright speed and Aron's car control it's the way that the Lola pulls just as hard in 6th as it does in 2nd or 3rd that really impresses. To put it in perspective, the Lola lapped the track a full 15 seconds faster than the 911 and 911's aren't slow!
I think I can safely speak for everyone and say a fantastic day was had by all! Huge thanks go to our competition winners Declan and Gina, a sounder couple you are unlikely to meet! Mondello Park who went above and beyond to put on an experience that won't be forgotten in a hurry, Aron Smith for frightening the living daylights out of us and JOE.ie for spreading the word. Fingers crossed we'll be back with another competition in the near future! Watch this space
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