09 Aug 06
Give or take a bag of spuds, the GP Masters two-seater weighs 700kg. Give or take a bag of chips, I weigh 85kg. And give or take me risking a demonstration of Nigel Mansell's black-belt karate skills, Britain's most famous racing driver isn't about to be asked what the bathroom scales tell him each morning, but I suspect it's in the mid-to-upper-80s. So that's 700, plus 85, plus 85: call it 870kg.
This number has some significance because, as I climb the aluminium step-ladder that grants access to this weird contraption, I'm hastily trying to calculate just what kind of speed sensation to expect. It's a preoccupation that interrupts the need to listen to the instructions from the mechanic trying to fix me in to the tiny cubby that sits behind the driver's seat.
'You won't be able to stretch your legs out, so hitch your knees up.'
So 870kg and 650bhp, crikey, that's a bit strong.
'Pass me the two extra straps and we'll tighten the belts. You'll need them very tight, believe me.'
So that's 747bhp per tonne. Double crikey.
'You grab the handle in front of you and there are two red buttons for your thumbs. Those are the panic switches and if you let go of either of them, Nigel will see a warning on his dashboard and come back in to the pits.'
Recall some comparative numbers: I don't think the McLaren F1 had much more than 500bhp per tonne, nor does that new 1,000bhp Bugatti. And neither of them has big slicks and wings. And neither of them is being piloted by Nigel Mansell at Silverstone.
