It’s a rare opportunity to sit alongside a master when they’re working their craft. You can’t sit next to David Gilmour trying a new Fender Stratocaster in a guitar shop, or get in the batting nets alongside Steve Smith.
What some can do though is find themselves in the passenger seat next to a professional racing driver, and that’s what I was fortunate enough to do this past week.
With a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 at our disposal, we thought it best to give the keys to Craig Lowndes to give it a shakedown around Queensland Raceway, partly on account of his 12 V8 Supercars wins around the joint, as well as his depth of product knowledge in his current role as GM ambassador.
It’s been a few years since the last time I took to the track in anger, and even then it was in a Skoda Octavia RS, not a mid-engined 5.5-litre V8 supercar that’s quick enough to lap the Nürburgring in just seven minutes and 11 seconds.
After a few quick laps of Craig warming the Z06 up, he pulled into the pits and allowed me to strap in – and boy, was I unprepared.
A lot can be said of the Corvette’s ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tyres and its wild aero package, but those factors would be doing nothing with me behind the wheel. With Craig steering, it felt about as close as you can get to being in a GT3 car with a numberplate and enough tread to not get defected.
Out of the pits at full speed, he tips it into turn one hard and late, running all the way out to the outside kerb. My brain is still trying to process when he first lifted off the throttle a handful of seconds ago.
QR’s second turn comes back on itself and is deceptively long, opening up late to blast down the back straight. As turn three approaches I see the brake marker boards fly by, wondering just when the Brembo ceramic brakes are going to be put to the test.
Less than 150 metres out and at more than 210km/h, he hits the left pedal and I put a dent in the floorpan trying to support myself. With the brakes still applied we turn into the hairpin, and soon it’s back on the power with a dab of opposite lock as Craig uses all the available track on the left-hand side to get a good run down to the double left-handers at turn four and five.
These are two very awkward corners, and a touch of throttle is applied between them before he again rattles the Corvette on the outside kerb, shaking whatever fillings could have been in my teeth out again.
Finally we approach turn six, again with Craig full of beans and happy to be the last of the late brakers. He gets an early apex and picks up the power, charging down the front straight towards the bumps of turn one to do it all again.
At the end of the lap, we pull into the pit lane as if we’re trying to undercut a non-existent competitor, jamming the brakes on at the last second to get down to the 40km/h speed limit.
I can hardly process what happened across the past three minutes, perhaps a reason why I could never in my wildest dreams think of competing in anything other than a track day session.
But for drivers like Craig and almost everyone else throughout Australia’s motorsport categories, that was a Sunday drive – something which required next to no thought.
While it could’ve been enjoyable in an Excel – because really, what isn’t? – it was eye-opening to sit beside one of the best to do it, in a car that’s not only capable but also accessible. I’m just glad I didn’t need to bring a paper bag with me.
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