the world’s greatest driving event - palmer sport · new bmw m4 gtpcorporate hospitality driving...
TRANSCRIPT
THE WORLD’S GREATEST DRIVING EVENT
THE FREEDOM OF PALMERSPORT
PalmerSport is a full-day driving event, created in 1991 by former F1 racer Jonathan Palmer, which has earned a well established reputation as the best corporate motorsport event in the world. And every year, with new developments, it just gets better.
PalmerSport’s guests drive an unrivalled collection of high performance sports cars and open-top racing cars on four purpose-built circuits at Bedford Autodrome. The unique PalmerSport philosophy is to not just permit, but actively encourage, guests to push right to the limit on every circuit in every car. These tracks have more spacious run-off areas than conventional motor racing venues, so the freedom to drive harder and faster than anywhere else in the world comes with outstanding safety too. PalmerSport guests will experience one of the most exhilarating and memorable days of their lives - and they’ll have you to thank for it.
Welcome to PalmerSport 2015.
Formula 3000 // BMW M4 GTP // Caterham 7 Superlight Palmer Jaguar JP-LM // Ariel Atom // Land Rover Defender
Jonathan Palmer is Chief Executive of the MotorSport Vision Group (MSV), which owns and operates PalmerSport and Bedford Autodrome, as well as Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton circuits. MSV’s portfolio also includes the British Superbike and BRDC Formula 4 Championships and the MSV Trackdays organisation. MSV is a private company owned by Jonathan and Sir Peter Ogden.
After a brief career as a doctor, Jonathan pursued his racing passion full-time from 1981, winning that year’s British F3 Championship. Two years later he also won the European F2 title. Progressing to F1, Jonathan raced at the sport’s top level for six years, mainly with the Tyrrell team, winning the Jim Clark
MOTORSPORT MAESTRO
JONATHAN PALMER
Trophy for drivers of cars with normally aspirated engines. Jonathan also achieved international race victories in world sportscar racing with Porsche and took second place, in 1985, in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race.
On retiring from racing in 1991, Jonathan joined the BBC TV Grand Prix commentary team, partnering Murray Walker for six years. At the same time, Jonathan launched PalmerSport with the objective of creating the best corporate hospitality event in the country. PalmerSport grew rapidly as customers found that the event can entice those guests they really want to spend time with – a powerful way of relationship building, and of retaining and winning business.
WHAT’S NEW AT PALMERSPORT?
05
In our tireless quest to make PalmerSport even better every year, we are introducing a number of major enhancements again in 2015. West circuit re-design Whilst, as with most years, we’ve got new cars, for 2015 we’re also introducing the biggest new West circuit improvement since Bedford Autodrome’s launch in 1999. A generally fabulous track, the previous chicane halfway round the lap was rather poorly defined and not satisfying to drive. Jonathan didn’t like it, and wanted it to be transformed for our guests so it would really complement the great corners elsewhere, so redesigned it to make a clearer, much more exciting corner complex that will also enable better overtaking opportunities. With other works particularly to improve corner definition, nearly £500,000 has been invested over the winter in circuit works – the results will be very obvious. New BMW M4 GTP The superb BMW M3s that we have run before are now replaced with BMW’s latest barnstormer from Munich’s M Sport engineers, the sensational BMW M4 GTP. The M4 is lighter and quicker than the M3 Coupé it replaces, and the PalmerSport M4 GTPs are faster still, thanks to a number of competition-specification enhancements.
Revised, faster single-seater – Formula 3000 Another new sight on our circuits is the Formula 3000 single-seater, a replacement for our Formula Jaguar. This embodies all the best elements of the previous car blended with an aerodynamic upgrade, just like F1 cars, to provide more grip and better balance. With revised bodywork too, a new name of Formula 3000, reflecting the powerful 3000cc V6 engine, is introduced. And yet more… Amongst the detail improvements made to the cars, we’ve given the Ariel Atom a new windshield to provide far better weather protection and a more comfortable cockpit. And our much loved Palmer Jaguar JP-LM sports prototype cars have a revised lighter steering system too. As grip is so important, all of our cars are now shod with rubber from Formula One’s official tyre supplier, Pirelli. Moving on to the important hospitality aspect, our new focus on catering excellence is proving most successful and our top in-house chef has evolved yet more mouth-watering dishes for 2015 – unlike the on track action, your personal refuelling is a time when you won’t want to rush!
From the outset my objective was to provide the best corporate hospitality driving event in the world.Jonathan Palmer
The Racer – Competing in the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix for Tyrrell
The Father – Jonathan with son Jolyon, the 2014 GP2 Champion
THE DAY BEGINSJoin your team leader and then board your PalmerSport bus that will transport you around the venue.
SOUTH CIRCUIT 1.50 Miles
NORTH CIRCUIT 1.00 Mile
EAST CIRCUIT 0.75 Miles
NORTHERN ACTIVITY AREA(NAA)
In one unforgettable day, your guests will drive a selection of fantastic cars in an eight-activity programme with live timing, scoring and awards.AT BEDFORD AUTODROME
PALMERSPORT
Bedford Autodrome is located right in the centre of England – just 50 miles north of London, with excellent road and rail links and its own runway at Bedford Aerodrome.
CIRCUIT/VEHICLES North Circuit Ariel Atom South Circuit BMW M4 GTP East Circuit Caterham 7 Superlight West Circuit Formula 3000 and Palmer Jaguar JP-LM NAA Land Rover Defender and Caterham Pursuit
R
07
R Venue Reception
Kart Circuit
Hospitality Suite
Trackside Suite With Live Timing
Workshop
Venue Offices
KEY
Pits
Bedford Autodrome
Bedford Aerodrome
RESTARTAn adrenaline-drenched afternoon lies ahead as your confidence builds with more cars to drive.
REGISTRATION & BREAKFASTYour hospitality suite opens for registration and breakfast at the start of one of the most memorable days of your life.
PEDAL TO THE METALMeet your instructor in the first of the day’s cars, get to grips with the controls and then put your foot down!
LUNCH AND REFUELA first class lunch, table-served in your hospitality suite with time to share those unforgettable moments. (Exact timings subject to change).
AFTERNOON TEA & PRIZEGIVINGTea with sandwiches and cakes is served as the coveted PalmerSport trophies are awarded to the day’s best drivers.
WEST CIRCUIT 1.87 MilesENTRANCE
THE NEED FOR SPEED
RACING THOROUGHBRED
FORMULA 3000
Driving our new-look Formula 3000 single-seater is the closest you’ll get to experiencing an F1 car. Powered by a Cosworth-developed 3000cc V6 which thumps out 250 bhp at 6500rpm, the car’s engine growls as its acceleration pushes you deep into your seat. As you work the six-speed paddle gearshift on the steering wheel, the car is still accelerating hard as it blasts past 100mph. With new high-downforce bodywork and big slick Pirelli tyres, the Formula 3000 turns-in with massive grip. And when you want to slow it all down, the powerful brakes can slam the car to a halt. On our revised, fabulous, flowing West circuit, this is performance driving at its exalted best. To see exactly how fast you were driving, you will receive a detailed data printout showing how your performance compares throughout the lap with GP2 Champion Jolyon Palmer’s. And this extraordinary experience is captured forever for you by onboard video footage, stored on a USB stick for every guest to take home.
RACING THOROUGHBRED
FORMULA 3000
6-SpeedPaddleshift
3 Litre V6250 BHP
Top Speed
170 MPH
3.1 SECONDS
0-60 MPH
12
Accelerate, change up, again, again. 130mph. Brake, HARD, turn, grip, GO! Experience the thrill of F1.
Onboard Video Live Timing West Circuit (1.87 Miles)
BAVARIAN BRUISER
BMW M4 GTP
New at PalmerSport in 2015, the sensational BMW M4 is lighter and quicker than the M3 Coupé it replaces, and the PalmerSport M4 GTPs are faster still, thanks to a range of competition-specification enhancements. Faster than the previous M3, in fact, by a full two seconds per lap. Our unique M4 GTPs have been stripped of their interior luxuries and equipped with uprated brakes and lowered, stiffened suspension to provide phenomenal on-track performance. Power is now increased to a mighty 425 bhp. The M4’s 3-litre twin-turbo straight-six engine, tuned by BMW’s Motorsport division, can howl its way to 7600 rpm, but it is in the mid-ranges that it really packs a powerful punch, with torque leaping from 295 lb ft in the old M3 to a whopping 406 lb ft in the new car. Think performance figures for a moment: 0 – 60 in just 3.9 seconds and 100mph in 8.8! Blistering – and it’s yours to tame! Coupled to a brilliant seven-speed paddleshift gearbox and a race-prepared chassis, the M4 GTP takes the supercar art to a new level. And when it’s unleashed on our ultra-fast South circuit the result is truly an incredible driving experience, with controllable rear-wheel-drive powerslides there for you to enjoy.
BAVARIAN BRUISER
BMW M4 GTP
7-SpeedPaddleshift
3 Litre Twin Turbo425 BHP
Top Speed
185 MPH
3.9 SECONDS
0-60 MPH
16
It’s big, brutal and massively powerful. Without the encouragement from your instructor, you’d never believe just how hard you can push it.
South Circuit (1.50 Miles)
Live Timing
LICENCE TO THRILL
CATERHAM 7 SUPERLIGHT
Caterham Sevens have featured on the PalmerSport event since the beginning, and with good reason: even though the design of this seminal sports car dates back almost six decades, few vehicles have ever come close to its power-to-weight ratio, raw speed, and reflex-responsive controllability. With its boisterous engine and exhaust noise, gearbox clunks and mechanical chatter, the Seven has a lovable character and is unadulterated fun to drive. If you’ve ever wanted to learn the art of drifting, the Caterham is the perfect car for it. You can enjoy controlled sideways action on the tight turns of the tailor-made East circuit, marvelling at the Seven’s agility as you buzz around the track in a series of spectacular slides. With the instructor’s encouragement, you’ll find you can use this drifting technique to direct the car, driving beyond the limit of adhesion and controlling what would once have appeared uncontrollable.
LICENCE TO THRILL
CATERHAM 7 SUPERLIGHT
2 Litre – 175 BHPTop Speed
130 MPH
4.8 SECONDS
0-60 MPH
20
6-Speed Manual
Awesome fun! It’s go go go with no time to relax from controlling slide after slide – or not, and spinning!
East Circuit (0.75 Miles)
Live Timing
ENDURING DREAM
PALMER JAGUAR JP-LM
Our stunning Palmer Jaguar JP-LM bombards drivers with all the sensations of a thoroughbred Le Mans racer. This open-top two-seat racing car is as focussed as any machine can be and provides the most sublime driving experience – with an instructor sitting right alongside to help you extract all of its mind-blowing acceleration, braking power, and cornering grip. We’ve squeezed every last bit of power from the JP-LM’s Cosworth 3-litre quad-cam V6 engine for relentless acceleration and huge straight-line speed. The breathtaking pace of this car is further boosted by its superior aerodynamics compared to a single-seater. Its swoopy bodywork slices cleanly through the air and generates impressive downforce, pushing those big tyres into the asphalt as you power through the bends. G-forces pin you to your seat. With such phenomenal performance at your disposal, this is the nearest thing to jumping into a LMP prototype and heading off around the famous Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans.
6-SpeedPaddleshift
3 Litre V6265 BHP
Top Speed
167 MPH
3.4 SECONDS
0-60 MPH
24
ENDURING DREAM
PALMER JAGUAR JP-LM
The JP-LM feels like it’s glued to the track. You carry what seems like impossible speed around the corners.
Live Timing West Circuit (1.87 Miles)
ATOMIC WEAPON
ARIEL ATOM
Stripped-down to the bare essentials, with a visible spaceframe chassis and skimpy bodywork, the Ariel Atom 3 is a machine of no frills and big thrills. Thanks to its low weight and high power, the Atom accelerates with noisy urgency and tackles corners with amazing agility. The Atom’s engine, located right behind the driver’s back, is an eager screamer – a Honda i-VTEC which rushes all the way to 8000 rpm and belts out 245bhp. Weighing merely 610kg, the Atom goes, corners and stops with a forcefulness that would outshine many supercars. The close-ratio six-speed paddleshift gearbox, unique to PalmerSport, makes shifts possible in a barely perceptible 0.05 of a second, and gunning from 0-60 mph is a three-second blur. With an expert instructor pushing you to the limit, the Atom 3 is a raw, intoxicating experience that will leave you grinning from ear-to-ear. And you’ll take home a USB stick containing onboard camera footage as a permanent reminder of your drive in this riot of a machine!
ATOMIC WEAPON
ARIEL ATOM
6-SpeedPaddleshift
Honda i-VTEC2 Litre, 245 BHP
Onboard VideoTop Speed
145 MPH
3.2 SECONDS
0-60 MPH
28
A motorbike on four wheels: intoxicating acceleration, nimble handling and focussed in the extreme – truly a ride on the wild side!
North Circuit (1.00 Mile)
Live Timing
If you expect our Defenders to give you time to relax between racing cars, think again. You’ll have to apply as much skill, concentration and commitment in the mud as you do on the track. The challenge here lies in successfully negotiating your way down rock-strewn paths, through deep rivers, and up slopes so extreme you’ll scarcely believe even a 4x4 could scale them. You’ll climb so steeply that all you can see through the windscreen is sky, then plunge off what appears to be the edge of the world. You’ll negotiate tracks covered in impossible-looking boulders, ford rivers, and drive out onto our infamous see-saw, using nothing other than the weight of the car at the pivot point to tilt the platform so you can drive down the other side. Put your faith in our rugged Defenders and listen to your instructor, and you’ll emerge from these challenges lost in admiration for a great British institution that for over 60 years has remained unequalled.
A BRITISH INSTITUTION
LAND ROVER DEFENDER
30
Dual-Range 4x4& Locking Diff
Wading Depth500mm
Maximum Climb Angle
45̊
Maximum SideTilt Angle
40̊
Off Road Course
You’ll be timed or scored on every activity at PalmerSport, but this is one with a difference: a head-to-head contest against one of your team-mates on two identical mirror-image courses with straights, hairpins and a mini-roundabout. It all looks deceptively simple at first, but then the lights count down and it’s GO as you blast from the start in one of our Caterhams, balancing grip against power as you slip and slide against the clock! Of course you’ll want to go as fast as possible, but in the Caterham the dividing line between hero and zero can be a millimetre too much throttle applied a millisecond too early, so you’ll need maximum concentration for perfect powerslides. Plenty of finesse is required too, not least for that innocent looking roundabout – if you can master tyre-smoking doughnuts, you’ll beat your opponent every time in this best-of-three contest.
PISTONS AT DAWN
CATERHAM PURSUIT
32
The JP-LM SuperRide, the only optional extra activity at PalmerSport, redefines the expectations of even the biggest adrenaline junkies. This is a chance to experience truly mind-boggling speeds by riding as passenger with one of our elite instructors. Our SuperRide JP-LMs are driven at genuine race pace, and they’re even faster than the cars our guests drive, with increased grip from fatter tyres, more downforce from the bodywork and 15 per cent more power. SuperRide will give you a new appreciation of just how fast a racing car can really be driven, and an entirely new respect for the other-worldly talents of professional racing drivers! All your SuperRide laps will be recorded on a USB stick, for you to marvel at again and again.
( OPTIONAL EXTRA )
PALMER JAGUAR JP-LM SUPERRIDE
33
Onboard Video
POWER PLAY
Former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer spent more than 12 months painstakingly designing the world’s most extensive, thrilling and safe motorsport complex: Bedford Autodrome, with four tracks totalling more than five miles of tarmac comprising endless straights, flat out curves, challenging bends and slide-inducing hairpins. The whole philosophy behind PalmerSport, making it so different to any other motorsport event, is that we want you to go as fast as you possibly can. This is why Bedford Autodrome was created specifically with flat out driving – but not motor racing – in mind. There are no Armco barriers, concrete walls or grandstands hemming-in the circuits, just endless run-off and acres of grass. With the comfort of knowing there’s nothing to hit but the rev limiter, and a professional instructor sitting right alongside, you will have the confidence to push our cars and yourself harder than you ever thought possible. By running four circuits simultaneously, we keep your waiting time to a minimum and maximise your time behind the wheel. But you’ll still have opportunities to catch your breath and relax in one of our stylish and comfortable trackside hospitality suites, swapping stories and watching the live timing screens, before you’re whisked away for your next adventure at PalmerSport.
MOTORSPORT PARADISE
BEDFORD AUTODROME
36
Designed by former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer, Bedford Autodrome was built for speed and space.
PalmerSport has a reputation as the best corporate motorsport event in the world, and not only because of its cars and circuits. Our head chef will impress you too. Indeed, every aspect of the PalmerSport experience – hospitality, food, and facilities – has been designed and refined to meet the highest expectations.
This is evident the moment you arrive at PalmerSport: would you prefer to start your day with a light breakfast with artisan pastries, seasonal fruits, Greek yogurt and honey, or fuel-up with a deliciously cooked Full English? And at the waitress-served lunch, how about herbed lamb cutlets on root vegetable mash with a redcurrant and rosemary jus, or sun-dried tomato and mozzarella-stuffed chicken breast, or grilled salmon on herbed new potato mash with a reduced white wine and anchovy cream sauce, or perhaps the mouth-watering vegetarian option instead?
You’ll revisit our modern hospitality centre for a fine afternoon tea, too – and throughout the day you’ll find complimentary drinks and light bites in all our comfortable trackside suites.
KEEPING YOU FUELLED
HIGH SPEED HOSPITALITY
38
Our entire venue has been engineered to offer you and your guests comfortable surroundings, all-weather protection and catering of the highest standards at every turn.
Maintaining a fleet of more than 100 vehicles to PalmerSport standards is a monumental task – every single one has to be fit and ready to be driven to its limit all day, every day.
This is why we employ outstanding technicians, many with race team experience. We don’t just replace consumables like tyres and brake pads - our cars follow a rigorous schedule of maintenance where parts are lifed and replaced regardless of condition, just as they are in the safety-dominated aircraft industry.
By applying such standards we can ensure that our cars are not only supremely reliable and safe, but as identical as they can be. Equality of vehicle performance is a vital component in the PalmerSport experience: if you win one of our coveted trophies, you’ll know it’s because you were simply the fastest driver out there.
THE PALMERSPORT FLEET
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
Maintaining a fleet of over 100 vehicles to PalmerSport standards is a monumental task – every single one has to be fit and ready to be driven to its limit all day, every day.
40
42
Because of the stringent standards and qualifications required to be a PalmerSport instructor, just one in ten prove to be good enough to work with us.
How good? Chances are you’ll be sat alongside an experienced racer, possibly a hotshot who’s on the verge of the big time. Double F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton is just one of the accomplished drivers who instructed at Bedford Autodrome.
Our instructors are also selected for their ability to establish a rapport with our guests, to quickly understand their levels of experience and confidence, and to help them enjoy themselves by giving encouragement.
Every guest at PalmerSport is also part of a team and every team has its own leader, who will be with you from start to finish, ensuring your entire event runs like clockwork. Your team leader will explain every activity, when you will be driving, what you need to wear, and make sure you never miss a drive. You can just relax.
THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS
TEAM PALMERSPORT
44
PalmerSport’s chief test driver, Jolyon Palmer, knows a thing or two about making cars controllable at high speed. As one of the world’s most promising up-and-coming racing drivers, Jolyon won the 2014 GP2 Championship, becoming the first British driver to do so since Lewis Hamilton in 2006. Jolyon dominated this F1 feeder-series, scoring 12 top-three finishes and four race victories while amassing the highest points score ever. This was a case of history repeating itself: Jolyon’s father, PalmerSport founder Jonathan, won GP2’s predecessor, the Formula 2 Championship, 31 years earlier. All drivers at PalmerSport benefit from Jolyon’s world-class driving skills. Jolyon has completed countless laps of Bedford Autodrome’s four circuits, pushing all of PalmerSport’s cars to their limits in order to set the benchmark lap times shared with PalmerSport guests, and providing engineers with detailed feedback on the cars’ performance and handling characteristics. This has helped to perfect the way the cars behave, so that all drivers can exploit and enjoy their performance.
TEST AND DEVELOPMENT DRIVER
JOLYON PALMER
All guests receive a printout of technical data logged on the Formula 3000 car while they were driving it. This shows engine speed, road speed, and gear selected at all points throughout the guest’s best lap – with directly comparable data from Jolyon’s drive. Your Data Jolyon Palmer’s Data
Gears
Highest Speed
Throttle Response
Speed 120mph112mph
46
Live Timing screens were introduced at PalmerSport in 2014 and immediately proved a popular part of the day’s experience. Located both inside and outside our trackside suites, the live screens work in the same way as those in Formula 1 qualifying, showing each driver’s best time the instant they complete the lap. The fastest lap is shown at the top of the screen, with the driver’s name against it, and the next-fastest driver’s lap time is listed immediately below this. The screens show a constantly changing story, as first one driver goes fastest, then another, reflecting how drivers improve as they get to know the car and the track.
When guests are not out on track, they gravitate towards the screens, enjoying each others’ conversation while simultaneously keeping an eye on the progress of their team-mates and seeing how their own lap times compare. For those of a competitive nature, the screens make for compulsive viewing.
LIVE TIMING AT PALMERSPORT
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
For those of a competitive nature, the screens make for compulsive viewing.
To discuss your requirements
Every guest takes part in every activity at PalmerSport and drives each car for the same amount of time, whether attending as a private individual or part of an exclusive corporate booking. There’s no complicated menu of items to choose from; the only optional extra is a SuperRide in our JP-LM two-seat race car.
Our season runs from March to December inclusive
PalmerSport operates six days a week (not Sundays)
Events are run in teams of 12 drivers with a maximum of six teams per day
Shared days are available from just one guest
Exclusive events are available for bookings of 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 guests. (Certain larger team sizes can also be accommodated – contact us for details.)
Half-day or evening programmes in a selection of our vehicles are also available. And gift vouchers can be purchased as a reward or to incentivise your sales team.
Our Account Managers will be happy to talk you through price and date options. Once your day is booked our team of Event Co-ordinators will liaise with you on every detail.
IT COULDN’T BE EASIER
EVENT BOOKINGS
Call:01403 733 999
Email:[email protected]
Visit:palmersport.com
