Race track

Speed belongs on the track, not on the road. That’s the strong belief underpinning everything Ian Luff does with his driving courses at Oran Park. Ian Luff Motivation provides a series of courses, taking drivers from the novice stage right through to defensive and performance driving and qualification for their CAMS license.Luff invited Carsguide along for a day to get a feel for what happens in the stage three of performance driving, and to see how drivers can improve over the day. "We provide the playground at Oran Park to allow people to push the upper limits of control in a safe environment,’’ Luff says."Our stage three high performance driving course is about taking people on a journey. It's the three elements: accelerating, braking and changing direction. "It's all about control. We believe it’s about being accurate, consistent and in control.’’For more information, go to http://www.ianluff.com.au  

The 26-year-old McLaren driver took full advantage when luckless Brazilian Felipe Massa pulled up and retired with three laps remaining after the engine of his Ferrari blew up on the main straight.As smoke billowed from his car, Massa slowed and stopped, gifting the quiet Nordic driver his first win in his first season with the McLaren team after spending his rookie year at Renault last season.Massa had exploded off the grid to steal a march on pole starter Lewis Hamilton, denting the Briton's hope of a hat-trick of wins.The Ferrari driver, starting on the second row, made a daring dart on the first bend to capitalise on a sluggish start by drivers' championship leader Hamilton, driving for McLaren.By the fourth lap the Brazilian had a tight 1.169sec lead over the Briton, with a chasing pack of Kovalainen and Timo Glock some 3sec further back.Massa's Ferrari team-mate, defending drivers' world champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen, came home third behind the amazing German Timo Glock who was second for Toyota just a fortnight after leaving the German Grand Prix in an ambulance.Two-time world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso, the man who swapped seats with Kovalainen, was fourth for Renault ahead of championship leading Briton Lewis Hamilton in the second McLaren.Hamilton ran second for a long period until a puncture after 41 of the 70 laps wrecked his hopes of completing a hat-trick of wins.Massa led brilliantly until three laps from the finish when he was hit by misfortune and had to pull out leaving Kovalainen to grab the best result of his career.There was drama in the pitlane on lap 31 when a small fire broke out on Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais' Toro Rosso but it was quickly dealt with by his crew.The result left Hamilton five points ahead of Raikkonen in the drivers' championship with Massa now eight points behind. 

To create jobs in the hard-hit Eifel mountains during the Great Depression, and to give his flagship car companies somewhere to develop their products, the then-chancellor of Germany approved a massive construction program.It was the 28.265km course known today as the Nurburgring, or to race fans and car enthusiasts as the Nordschleife or North Loop.It is without any question the best and most testing track anywhere in the world, with more than 190 corners, an incredible combination of climbs and dips and curves and jumps. It tests and punishes anyone in any car — or on any motorcycle — who decides to pay the 20 euros ($A32) it costs for a lap.Triple world champion Jackie Stewart called it The Green Hell because of the death and injury toll at the Nurburgring during his time as a grand prix racer, yet he scored one of the track's most famous victories on a day of thick fog and driving rain. Formula One cars were banned from the Nordschleife after Niki Lauda crashed, burned and nearly died in his Ferrari in the 1970s.But a new-age track at the top end of the course has become home to the German Grand Prix and there are still some races on the full course. That is not strictly true because the full Nurburgring track — the Gesamtstrecke or Whole Course — originally included the Sudschleife or Southern Loop and the Zielschleife or Finish Loop, which were bulldozed. So today's Nordschleife is 22.810km and it has become mecca for the world's carmakers, who use it to test, develop and define their new high-performance models.GM Holden has just begun using the Nurburgring for testing, Porsche has been the pacesetter for decades, and Nissan is trumpeting the performance of its GT-R supercar which currently holds the car company course record.Even Cadillac uses the track. Disguised prototypes are often seen and pictured lapping the track as companies look to shortcut development work and get instant answers to their pressing questions.The upcoming Lexus LF-A supercar is being put through an intensive development program at the track, although it failed miserably last month in a 24-hour production car race that drew 220 starters, including 35 drivers from Australia.There was no surprise when the race was won by a Porsche 911, confirming the marque's reputation at the Nurburgring.The track's growing importance to carmakers is reflected in a growing industrial area just outside the course, which has become the test base for General Motors, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, Michelin tyres and Ohlins shock absorbers. There are impressive new buildings and lots of shiny company cars.Even Aston Martin, one of the world's smallest carmakers, has just spent more than $2 million to build a test base that will also become home to a Nurburgring drive “experience” for owners.“Aston Martins are for the public roads, not for the racetrack, but this is the only closed track that allows us to test like we are on public roads,” says Ulrich Bez, managing director of Aston Martin. “It offers everything the normal road delivers. It is everything, even weather conditions like rain.”Bez has driven thousands of laps at the Nurburgring and even won races and knows the attraction of the track. But was it a grand plan by Hitler and his team?“This was just luck. When they put it in no one knew what it would become,” he says.Mark Reuss is a veteran of the Nurburgring.The newly-installed managing director of GM Holden has done hundreds of laps on the Nordschleife and even set-up the General Motors test program in Germany, serving as `Test Dummy' for the corporation's licensing program. Reuss says manufacturers find out more in one lap there than in a week elsewhere.“I'm talking thermal performance of differentials and brakes,” he says.“It's a blast to calibrate stability control and traction control there. If you're going to break it, you will break it real soon.”The Nurburgring is still a killer, with casualties every year, but GM and the other carmakers take every precaution. Test cars often have race-style protection including roll cages and fire extinguishers.“We have a very extensive driver-training program leading up to going there,” Reuss says. “To qualify for your GM licence takes three days and 100 laps. You can race after that, no problem, because your car control skills are so good.”And while there's a fun element to driving the laps at the Nurburgring, he says the test drivers are always working.“We're paying engineers to develop cars there, and we're doing it efficiently and in a very cost effective way,” he says. “You reduce the cycle time on new models. You really do.“We're getting into taking most cars there. We've just taken Holden there for the first time. Opel was one of the first to test there and validates most of its cars there.”GM is so impressed it has re-created several corners at the Lutz Ring — the top-end test loop at its global test base at Milford near Detroit. 

Fellow countryman Ryan Briscoe, who started third, fell out of the race on lap 171 after making contact with Danica Patrick in the pit area. He finished 23rd.Power had a consistent race, steadily moving up from his 23rd starting spot. By lap 58 he was 17th. Around the half-way mark Power had dropped back a few positions to the 20th spot. He moved back up to 14th by lap 38. With 10 laps to go, Power had moved up one position to 13th, which is where he finished, in the No. 8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car.“It was a really good day,” Power said. “I was pleased with my progress throughout the day. I was very happy that I finished the race.“It felt good to finish,” Power emphasized. “There was a lot of mayhem out there today. Luckily I was able to dodge all the bullets. It turned into a survival test today, especially on the restarts. The restarts were just crazy. When restarts happen and someone checks up, and they’re going three abreast or four abreast into one corner, it gets pretty wild.“I think we can definitely gain a lot more speed here next year,” Power said. “There is no doubt about that. So we’re going to spend the (rest of the) season developing the car, and come back stronger next year.”Briscoe’s day did not go as well, as he was having vibrations with his car. He went one lap down around the 40-lap mark. On lap 84 Briscoe did not join the drivers making pit stops. The strategy worked, and he was able to re-claim a spot on the lead lap.Briscoe then began high-tailing it towards the front, getting as far as eighth place with 38 laps to go.Less than 10 laps later, however, he found himself totally out of the race after colliding with Patrick on pit row.“It’s a real shame,” Briscoe said. “I did just see the replay and was able to confirm my thoughts. We’re both out there trying to win the Indy 500 today, and when it’s time to go, we’ve got to go.“From what I could see there was still plenty of room on the right side, for her (Danica) to get around,” the Team Penske driver said. “There are people pointing fingers, but that’s not the way we are in here. From what I could see there was still plenty of room for her to get around me.“I’m getting around Wheldon in front of me and still staying in the middle lane, you know, and I got run up the back,” Briscoe said. “It’s a real shame for both of us.“It was a no-win situation,” he said. “It’s just a real shame. She’s pointing fingers but that’s pretty typical of her, so I don’t have any comments on that.“I’m not here to get in fights and rumbles,” Briscoe said. “We can sort it out nice and quietly, but I’m sure as soon as she sees the replay she’ll understand that she’s out of line.”When Briscoe was asked if he saw Danica walking down pit road, he replied. “Yes, I did…”New Zealand’s Scott Dixon dominated Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following up his first Indy pole by leading the most laps, 115, and earning his first Indy 500 victory in six starts. Vitor Meira, of Brazil, finished 1.7 seconds behind to take second for the second time since 2005. American Marco Andretti, who led 15 laps, was third. 

The first words you hear when you tell someone you’ve just been rocketing around a race track are always the same: “Wow. How fast did you go?”Sadly, my answer to this is always a disappointment: “I have no idea; I was too scared to look.”So, last week, when I was invited to tackle BMW’s mumbo-tastic M3 for the first time in the challenging environs of Eastern Creek, I decided to fix this.As hard as it was to keep the speedo needle in focus, because it moves clockwise at such a fierce pace, I did my best. And the numbers I saw do tell at least part of the story about what a beast this car is.Coming out of the hairpin Turn 9 and pelting towards the kinky Turn 10, the M3 rocketed to 180km/h… in third gear. Yes, “wow” is the appropriate response to that, although I think it sounded like “ow”, or “ow my God” from the driver’s seat.The way the bravura Beemer went from a lazy 120km/h coming out of the final Turn 13 to 220km/h down the straight (I think it was in fifth by then, sixth gear being, obviously, for cruising at its limited top speed of 250km/h) can only be described as effortless.A proper driver would have been going a lot faster before dropping back to fourth – a down-change I struggled with several times, which probably has more to do with my shaking hands than any gearbox foibles – and hurling into the Creek’s testicular Turn One. Glancing away from the blurring horizon for a split second, I noted that we were doing a ballistic 170km/h at the midpoint of the corner. Again, wow, but nowhere near as wow as the pro steerers, who would easily carry 200km/h plus through there.And there’s so much torque, everywhere that you have to reassess your gear choices. You really don’t need second at all around the Creek, unless you just want to make a lot of noise.The new, V8-throated M3 is quick, then. Quick like Adam Spencer, or Robin Williams. Quick like Ben Johnson. Quick like a Porsche, but much cheaper.I’d known this would be the case, of course, because I’d salivated over the specs like the rest of you – 0 to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, a full 0.4 seconds faster than the already awesome old car.You know that’s fast, but you have to feel it to believe it, just like the fact that it can go from 100km/h back to zero in 2.4 seconds. What makes the car such a terrific track weapon is that braking ability. You can go harder, deeper and later than ever before, and that makes for one adrenaline-surge of a lap.I’d also seen the pictures before we met, but they don’t do justice to just how hulking the presence of this new super coupe is. The bonnet bulge, the flared nostrils, the quad pipes and rear spoiler. This car has all the visual aggression that early Q car versions of the M3 eschewed, and then some.It’s also got the sexiest roof in the business – not a phrase I’ve written very often – because it’s made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, to reduce weight and lower the centre of gravity. And to look very cool.Beneath that bulky, hulky bonnet sits the raging heart of the new machine – four litres of pure goodness, producing 309kW and 400Nm, and revving to a stop-it-my-ears-hurt 8400rpm.Only your ears don’t really hurt, in practice, they just sing. Particularly from 5000rpm upwards, the point at which all eight throttle bodies open and the beast is let fully off the leash.It’s a deep, sonorous scream but, as lustrous as it is, I still prefer the unique note of the old, comparatively weedy six-cylinder M3, which sounded heavy metallic.Of course, now that this version exists, you’d never really want to go back.The best news of all, though, is that what really made the old car, and the M3s before it, so good is still what’s best about the new one – the way it steers and handles.The new uber 3 feels heavier in the hands, but not in an unpleasant way – it just seems beefier than before, like you’ve gone from wrestling a steer to throttling a wildebeest.This car is beautifully balanced and wonderfully chuckable, and the sport settings for the traction control allow you to let it slide out the tail just enough to be exciting.Heart in your cheeks, sweat on your backside exciting.In fact, the new M3 is so track-tastic that, I must admit, it intimidated me for, ohh, about 10 laps. Then I had about five laps where I was really, really enjoying myself – hooting and hollering with joy at how good it felt to corner, how hard it kicked my spine under full throttle – and then a final three laps where I thought “Hey, you should really go back into the pits before you get hurt, Mr Thinks He’s a Boy Racer.”Of course, all these speeds and thrills are a million miles away from the real world, and I’m yet to drive BMW’s new hero on an actual real-world street, but first impressions are very important.And my first impression is that, for $157,000, BMW is offering you a superlative, semi-supercar for what is, relatively speaking, a bargain price.And it’s not often you see the words “bargain” and “BMW” in the same sentence.

Jones tipped that it will disappear from the Formula One calendar after 2010.

The State Government says a revised estimate of capital costs has jumped because of inflation and the associated costs of materials and labour.It is estimated that the cost of establishing permanent facilities for a precinct to host a round of the V8 championship has risen by up to $3 million.Flooding and cyclones in the north have also contributed to the cost hikes.State Sport Minister Judy Spence confirmed last week there had been a rise in costs because of strains on the building market and that vital products needed for construction such as asphalt and cement were in short supply.“We're aware of it as we've been part of it,” Cochrane said.“It's not really a blow-out as the costings were finalised in May, 2006, and it's just inflation."“And the Government has already agreed to the extra funding.”The State and Federal Governments have each agreed to provide $10 million to set up the V8 race along with a few million from Townsville City Council.The only loose end is that organisers are awaiting changes to the Act of Parliament regarding noise abatements and what is said to be a small reduction in railway land.“It will give us a whole heap of carte blanche Acts and we expect it to go through in the next three to four weeks,” Cochrane said.Construction work on permanent facilities, which can be used year round for purposes outside motor racing, is scheduled to start in June.Townsville mayor Les Tyrell attended the first Hamilton street race in New Zealand last weekend and covered a range of logistical topics with that city's mayor, Bob Simcock.There is the possibility of opening up a direct airlink between Townsville and Hamilton, which Tyrell says could offer more economic scope for the region.A firm date for the Townsville race is expected to be announced by the end of next month, according to Cochrane, who says it is locked into running in July next year.Hamilton event partners praised the first event although there were concerns over fans at the back of the six-storey grandstand opposite pit straight who could not see the track.And there have been unsubstantiated claims that scores of fans illegally accessed the circuit at the commercial end of the precinct through local businesses.Race promoter Dean Calvert was unaware of fans getting in free and said he had spoken with fans angered by the positioning and angle of the grandstand and promised organisers will get it right next year.There was also heavy criticism from television viewers, saying the track lacked appeal and the racing was dull.Cochrane responded to some of the criticism by asking fans to be patient.“It's not the first track in the world to get the rake of the grandstand wrong,” he said.“I recall vividly Indy (Surfers Paradise) having it grossly wrong in every single grandstand one year.” 

His car is worth only a fraction of the state-of-the-art Porsche GT2 twin-turbo of runner-up Jim Richards.But Glenney was on fire aboard his 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, which had been upgraded to Evo 9 specifications.The thoroughbred horse breeder and trainer took over the outright lead on The Sideling stage on Thursday morning and never relinquished it, giving Mitsubishi an historic first win in the 17-year-old tarmac rally.Glenney held a 57s lead over eight times champion Richards and his Tasmanian navigator Barry Oliver going into day five, the final day, yesterday.By the time the Modern category field had cleared the monster hauls across Strahan and Mt Arrowsmith, and the winding ascent out of Queenstown, Glenney had established a 1m18s buffer.Then came the cork-screw drop into Tarraleah gorge and out the other side, and Risdon Brook on the outskirts of Hobart, and by the time the field got to the Domain stage Glenney was 1m31s ahead and only had to finish the 1.36km Hobart stage to claim his first Targa Tasmania trophy.Third was West Australian rally specialist Dean Herridge in a Subaru WRX STi, 2m28s behind Glenney, followed by Queenslander Ray Vandersee in his self-designed and built Skelta G-Force.Tasmanian Jason White, who damaged his car in a crash on Friday, got back in the rally on Sunday but withdrew at Strahan with a broken gearbox.Glenney's performance was even more meritorious given his four-wheel-drive Lancer was suited to wet conditions but the event was the first ever rain-free Targa.“The event was very tough and we probably competed under conditions which didn't suit our car, which has made the win all the more pleasing,” he said.“I would love to come back and defend the Targa title next year and look forward to it.”After dominating the first four days of the 2WD Showroom competition, Rick Bates' Mazda3 MPS dropped out of contention because of a broken fan belt on the Mt Arrowsmith stage.But its twin, driven by his Scottish teammate Alister McRae, won the title by a whopping 26m35s over Phil Buggee (Vic).Tasmanian Tony Warren had an all-the-way win in the 4WD Showroom class, having set up his win with a super day three.Victorian Rex Broadbent claimed back-to-back Classic titles, but made it two in a row only with the generosity of a rival driver.Peter Eames, of Victoria, gave him a tyre, which came with a two-minute penalty from officials, but Broadbent still got home by 1m25s.“The generosity of Peter Eames was a gesture of fantastic sportsmanship,” Broadbent said.“We weren't hanging around this morning and we really had to go for it as we were starting the day 24 seconds behind.“We didn't know if we were making or losing time on the others early on, so had to drive at 10/10ths for a few stages. It all worked out which is just fantastic.” Final results Modern1. Steve Glenney (SA) , Bernie Webb, (ACT) , 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, 7m35s2. Jim Richards (VIC), Barry Oliver, (TAS), 2008 Porsche 911 GT2, 9:063. Dean Herridge (WA), Glenn Macneall (WA), 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, 9:534. Ray Vandersee (QLD), Jahmeil Taylor (SA), 2004 Skelta G-Force, 9:575. Jamie Vandenberg ( TAS), Simon Vandenberg (TAS), 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, 10:206. Greg Garwood (TAS), John Allen (QLD), 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 10:257. Matt Close (VIC), Casey Close (VIC), 2000 Porsche 911 Turbo, 11:318. Klark Quinn (QLD), Natasha Deniese (VIC), 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, 11:499. Tony Quinn (QLD), Keith Wenn (TAS), 2006 Porsche 911 Turbo, 11:5310. Tony Longhurst (NSW), Jameil Taylor (SA), 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, 13:07Classic Outright1. Rex Broadbent (VIC), John Lillyman (VIC), 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, 17m22s2. Gavin James (VIC), Neil McLeod, (VIC), 1989 Porsche 944 S2 , 18:463. Peter Eames (VIC), Will Logan (TAS), 1974 Porsche Carrera RS, 18:514. Steve Coad (VIC), Rachael Coad (VIC), 1971 Holden Monaro GTS; Jon Siddins (QLD), Darren Ferguson (QLD), 1970 Datsun 1600, 21:246. Gary Tierney (VIC), David Carra (VIC), 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, 22:127. David Morton (NSW), Malcolm McDonald (NSW), 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo, 23:128. John Ireland (NSW), Michael Ribot (NSW), 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera, 23:429. Rob Sherrard (QLD), / Roberts (TAS), 1981 Porsche 930, 25:3610. Barry Faux (ACT), Therezia Mihajlovic (ACT), 1979 Mazda RX7, 28:58Showroom 2WD1. Alister McRae (SCO), Iain Stewart (QLD), 2007 Mazda3 MPS, 20m0s2. Philip Buggee (VIC), Paul Freame (VIC), 2006 FIAT Punto Sport, 46:353. John Dunkley (NSW), Jon Parker (NSW), 2006 Peugeot 206 Gti 180, 1h3m0sShowroom 4WD1. Tony Warren (TAS), Rhonda Burrowes, (NSW), 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, 19m30s2. Scott Millar (QLD), Christopher Dean (QLD), 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, 27:593. Malcolm Klopp (SA), Damien Pearce (SA), 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, 31:42 

Australia's answer to Evel Knievel smashed his own word record for the longest motorcycle jump last weekend at Calder Park.

This 6.213km ribbon of bitumen, shimmering on a 32C day, is at the rooftop of Australian motor racing. Defined by high-speed straights, blind corners, sharp descents and a set of narrow corners across the top, Bathurst is a track that demands the most from cars and drivers.While it has been in regular use for car racing for more than 40 years and was once home to the notorious Easter motorcycle races, the circuit carries regular commuter traffic for much of the year.Apart from racing, the track has been closed only once for a car company, when Volvo launched its 760 Turbo sedan in 1984.That was until the week before Easter when Mercedes-Benz arrived in Bathurst – population, 37,000 – with its range of hardcore AMG performance vehicles.It was the perfect location to unleash the C 63 AMG for the first time on Australian soil in what proved to be a week-long speed fest. The C 63 is priced at $20,000 under the C 55 AMG it outdates, coming in at $139,500.According to Mercedes-Benz Australia managing director Horst von Sanden, the value pricing has jolted its direct rivals, with BMW's M3 coupe priced at $157,000 and Audi's RS4 at $164,500, both heavy-hitting V8-engined vehicles.The fifth offering in the line of C-Class-based AMG models runs a 6.2-litre V8, which develops 336kW of power and 600Nm of torque.On the numbers front, the C 63 hits the mark covering a standing start to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds, undercutting the M3 and the RS4 by 0.3sec. It runs a new version of the 7G-Tronic Speedshift Plus gearbox which, in the words of five-times Mercedes DTM champion Bernd Schneider, eliminates any need for a manual.Unlike the M3 where the driver can program different settings for the steering and throttle, the C 63 is set although there is a newly mapped three-stage ESP arrangement and there are three driving modes.Sport mode shifts gears 30 per cent quicker than in Comfort, while in Manual mode the cogs shift up to 50 per cent faster.Tuning of the exhaust system delivers a soundtrack not dissimilar to the DTM car on which the C 63 is based, and which has won 61 races from 116 starts in the German Touring Car championship.The C 63 is the first AMG to carry specially built front suspension geometry, which gives a far firmer ride.Picking the C 63 from the rest of the C-Class crowd is easy; it has flared front guards, power bulges on the bonnet and a DTM-like rear with a black diffuser and integrated chromed twin tailpipes each side.The nose is distinctive although the grille is based on the Avantgard while the dark-tinted headlights give it a sinister look.An order-only C 63 AMG wagon, priced at $141,300, will be available from the third quarter of the year.Australia will receive an initial batch of 350 C 63s with von Sanden convinced he could sell between 500 and 600 if he could get an extra quota from Germany."It is a big conquest opportunity for us," he said. "I don't think we run the risk of cannibalising our products because of the price. AMG customers are less likely to be driven by price alone."The options list is limited to an electric roller blind for the rear glass, a keyless-go driver authorisation system and AMG carbonfibre trim.Unlike the M3 which offers motorsport brake pads for a $2378.95 premium option, the C 63 has no such product. It is equipped with fade-resistant AMG high-performance brakes with 360mm x 36mm discs at the front clamped by six-piston callipers with 330mm x 26mm discs with four-piston callipers at the rear.The C 63 will help total AMG sales to reach a predicted 1000 for 2008 with Australia in the top five countries globally for AMG sales per capita. How the C 63 handlesThe whole process brings out a broad smile with the ESP intervening only after the rear has stepped out enough for the driver to feel a quarter of a turn of opposite lock.The smooth 7G-Tronic AMG Speedshift Plus automatic gearbox is a good match for the 6208cc V8 engine.Shifts either with the gear lever or steering wheel-mounted paddles are ultra-quick.Hug the left-hand apex at The Cutting, gently squeeze the throttle and the C 63 hunkers down, with perhaps a trace of rear-wheel slip if you are too early on the power, and then settle it for the relative fast run into Reid Park.From here the next five corners through Sulman, McPhillamy Parks and down to Skyline are the most exhilarating series of turns in Australia.Balance and body control of the C 63 are tested here with the balance quite neutral and the entire affair pinned down neatly and tightly.Attacking the left-hander into Skyline, again it wants to understeer momentarily.Hard on the brakes for the first descent, the C 63 steers obediently with some trailing brake down towards The Dipper.Squeezing the throttle for the run through some quick changes of direction and into the second-gear Forest's Elbow the C 63 remained composed.It is stable under heavy braking and the handling remained remarkably controlled.Full throttle down Conrod, it hits the hump before entering the kink into The Chase and the ESP symbol flashes up in the instrument panel.The car's 1730kg kerb weight feels considerably lighter here, triggering the stability system into action.Through the left and right of The Chase the C63 remains balanced but wants to break loose if you are too aggressive on the throttle on the exit.Hammering the brakes into Murray's corner the rear squirms to a degree before it settles down as you head towards the left for the apex and use the kerb on the right for a swift exit to the finish.We did some 40 laps over the course of the day at Mt Panorama and the underlying message from the C 63 was that it was an effortless yet razor-sharp pocket rocket.There was no road drive so we'll have to wait until the test car arrives to accurately gauge the virtues of its ride quality in the real world.But for now the C 63 is very much a sleeping giant of the compact high-performance brigade.