Another training session went well today at Silverstone in an Elise S2 from ES Motorsport and race tuition from Malcolm.

Temperature on arrival was a scary -8C with biting winds – I was amazed the Yokohamas gave as much grip as they did. Best lap time was only about a second better than my record, but that was set in a more powerful Boxster S with terminal speeds on the Hanger, Wellington and National Pits Straights being around 15mph higher.

Malcolm said that after a bit of tweaking, my lines are pretty much right but my biggest “problem” now is having the confidence to apply sufficient power out of corners. When you trust yourself and the car sufficiently to do it, its like you’ve fitted a grippier set of tyres half-way through the corner – the power at the back pushes the front down, meaning the steering tyres have more grip.

The day wasn’t perfect, though – many, many red flags, one caused by a Smart Car that rolled in spectacular fashion at Becketts – hope the driver is OK.

Here’s a video of my best actual lap time from the day, shot with Malcolm’s Race Technology analysis equipment. This lap in particular was slightly ruined by creeping through Stowe after someone spilt oil a little earlier. Time was 2:48.41 which I’m rather disappointed with – its mostly down to lack of confidence in the grip level available, but I’m also still coasting up to braking zones in a number of places instead of keeping my foot to the floor and just braking harder. To put this time into perspective, Malcolm can do the same circuit in a similar car in under 2:31!

Incidentally, if you’re interested in buying a professional in-car video and data logging system, I can recommend the Race Technology VIDEO 4, which is an all-in-one package.