12:31 pm, August 25, 2011
THERE’S not an awful lot to tell you about day four of RTOTY11, only that we have shot many pictures, it has rained a lot, and I have driven my first ever Caterham.
But first the rain. We have been blessed with fine weather up until yesterday, but naturally soon as snapper Matt turned up, the sky suddenly decided it didn’t like us very much.
Yesterday we were treated to great torrents of water from above as we tried in vain to shoot the cover for the RTOTY issue of the mag.
The good news is that we eventually did it – even with wet trousers – and we’re looking forward to putting that edition of the magazine together.
We’ve also be joined by Car Dealer columnist and motoring scribbler Alex Goy. Not only were his hands welcome to help us out in actually getting our seven-strong line-up to the snapping location, but James, Duncan and I took half an hour out of the evening to do one Goy’s very good podcasts for The Gas Station Podisode. All we can say the finished result will be up on the site very soon, so do have a listen.
Finally, I have experienced my first drive in a Caterham. There’s some landmark cars out there which you’ve really got to try in your life. Obviously that includes a Ferrari, an Aston Martin, even a Morris Minor – and a Caterham is certainly one of those.
There’s nothing to compare it to. And it’s probably a real cliché, but it really is like driving a soap box with an engine, four wheels and some lights.
All week I have resisted the urge to have a go in it. I was proud of myself for getting the 1M back in one piece and I was more than happy to rest on my laurels. But with a glorious evening – the rain eventually passed and revealed a very different Wales – and a tank three-quarters full, I had to give it a go.
Some would argue that the Superlight R400 is not the best way to experience your first Caterham. It’s a savage thing with a loud exhaust, tremendous grunt, and steering that’s pin-point sharp. Get it wrong, and you really are going to face the consequences.
But I survived – and the key really was to relax. By keeping a clear head, the R400 became a friend.
What is not going to be relaxing today though is the drive back to England, all six hours of it. I don’t really care – just so long it doesn’t rain.
Road Test of the Year is sponsored by Bridford.co.uk
