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Race Relations


Race Relations

Author: Adam DavisDate: 23 March 2011

The world-famous Mount Panorama circuit reverberated to the sound of a different V8 when 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and Five-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes swapped seats for a memorable demonstration.

Button became the first driver to punt a Formula 1 car around Bathurst when he took his Vodaphone McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23 for a four lap stint (and set a new lap record), before realising a long-held dream of tackling Mount Panorama in a V8 Supercar.

Having already been impressed by lapping the circuit in a Mercedes road car, Button echoed the comments of many first-time visitors to the daunting 6.21km road course: “The guys that race here are crazy- they really are. Television just doesn’t do it justice!”

When he took to the track in the McLaren, he posted an 'unofficial' lap of 1 minute 48 seconds and clearly wanted more of a taste. "That was phenomenal. It was such a rush...it's just a pity I don't have more laps to test it out," he said, adding that the most enjoyable section was the climb to the top of the Mountain. Conrod straight was another matter as the ultra-stiff setup of the McLaren made for a roller-coaster ride- Button noting that “it was a bit scary with it being so bumpy!”

The nine-time Grand Prix winner then climbed behind the wheel of Lowndes' Team Vodafone Holden Commodore. After some 'friendly' advice from Lowndes, who intimated that "you're not trying if you come back with wing mirrors", Button was pleasantly surprised by the local brute's performance: "I didn't expect so much grip, but was looking forward to attacking the kerbs and building up a nice flow. It took me a while to get used to doing that again. I haven't hammered a car over kerbs like that for 12 years...it was something I've missed." He also had further appreciation for the way top-line V8 Supercar drivers manhandle these machines: “I was holding on tight all the way across the top. It takes everything out of you.”

For Craig Lowndes, the opportunity to drive a Formula One car on any circuit, let alone Bathurst, was a once in a lifetime opportunity. When Vodafone initially approached him with the idea, he admitted to thinking it was “a little crazy. But it would be one hell of an experience. I never thought in my lifetime we’d see something like this!”

After his run it appeared as though the MP4-23 had recalibrated his senses, despite having to alter his natural line to avoid the kerbs and bumps, deflections the Commodore simply pounds into submission. “The car is quite easy to drive to a certain point but it’s that extra half-second where it becomes difficult. The acceleration is what surprises you...in comparison the V8 seems to labour up the mountain,” he said.

Like any racing driver worth his pay check, both men were left wanting more time at the end of the experiment. “It would be great to have another go because after four laps you really start to feel just how far you could take it,” said Lowndes of the McLaren, but the last words belong to Button: “It (driving the V8 here) was the experience I have wanted to have for many years,” he said. “That’s probably not a good thing, because it has made me hungrier to return...”

 

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