Bang! The lights have changed, and my driver drops the clutch, propelling the car towards the horizon and compressing my spine into the seat. Bang! Snatching second, we lurch across the road. Bang! We’re millimetres away from the car in front as we grab third, but still we’re accelerating. Slam! A jab at the brakes just before we turn into the right-hand bend, forcing my innards to retreat further into my rib-cage. Nnaaaarrrrrr! We’re accelerating harder now, and my spine is being compressed again – downward, this time, as we hit the bottom of the hill and begin the climb back up the other side. Slam again! More eyeball-popping braking, this time just before we nip up the inside of the car in front and beat them through the next corner.

In any normal circumstances, this would be considered the behaviour of a pair of hooligans on their way to a court appearance and a public burning of their driving licences. But I’m sitting in the passenger seat of a brand new Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, my driver is Giles Dawson, who’s made quite a name for himself in the Ginetta G20 Challenge among other series, and we’re at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.

Giles Dawson and I chat calmly before the Scorpion is unleashed

Giles is testing the car with a view to competing in the Trofeo Abarth 500 GB launching in 2010. This is his first time in the Assetto Corse, too, and despite this allegedly being our slow ‘out’ lap, I fear I may have lost a couple of inches in height and maybe a stone or two in weight.

I can’t hear him over the angry noises coming from the engine bay, or the crackling and popping from the straight-through exhaust, but Giles is providing a running commentary as we rip from corner to corner.

The tight right-hander at the top of Druids becomes a favourite over-taking spot for us, suiting the 500’s ankle-biter character as we nip past the bigger cars on their inside.

We build up speed on the run down into Graham Hill Bend where the rear begins to drift, and carry it through Cooper Straight, before grabbing some kerb at the entry to Surtees but go easy on the brakes while the back end unloads. We’re tight up behind an MR2 now, despite its serious power advantage over us. The 500 holds its line tightly through Clearways while the Toyota drifts wide and, ever the cheeky up-start, we nip through.

We hold our advantage on the Brabham Straight, too, claiming another scalp – a Legends Championship car – just before we cross the start-finish line. I make brief eye-contact with the driver as we slip past, and imagine to myself the words running through his head: “Damn that infernal shopping car!”

The Assetto Corse overtaking at warp speed

It’s Paddock Hill Bend that Brands is famous for, though. With a wide entry, blind apex and negative camber, there’s a choice of lines before it plunges down into the compression.

In the Assetto Corse, it’s like driving a post box through Alton Towers – the sky disappears from view, your lunch tries to hide in the corners of your stomach and, with the suspension compressed onto its bump stops, you can’t help but run wide towards the impending doom of the gravel trap. Just as I’m praying for Carlo to rescue me from this petrol-fired hell, the 500 claws its way off the kerb, my vital organs stop fighting with each other for position, and blue sky fills the windscreen.

After a handful of laps, its time to return to the pit lane. I’d have happily stayed out there all day, being alternately tortured and elated. I shake Giles by the hand, unfold myself from the car, and undo my helmet. My first words?

“I gotta get me one of those!”

Abarthisti to support the 2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 GB

It’s hoped that our involvement will lead to unprecedented access to the Trofeo series for all Abarthisti members, including ticket give-aways, pit-lane access, the chance to meet drivers and engineers, and more.

The 2010 race calendar can be found below:

2010 Trofeo Abarth 500 GB Race Calendar

For now, here’s a couple of gratuitous shots of our logo, proudly adorning the sides of the one day-old Abarthisti-mobile.

This isn’t this car’s final livery – the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse race cars are delivered in white from the factory, and we added these temporary graphics for the RaceCar Live event at Brands Hatch.

RaceCar Live is billed as Europe’s only ‘live’ motorsport event, and provides a chance for racing drivers – both current and potential – to meet race teams, sponsors, series organisers and suppliers.

There was also the opportunity for drivers to test a range of race cars around the Brands Hatch circuit, and the Trofeo Abarth 500 was well represented, with four cars in total.

You can read about my experiences as a passenger during one of those tests elsewhere in the Abarthisti Magazine.

You can also find more information about the Trofeo Abarth 500 GB here: Trofeo Abarth 500 GB.

The owners – mostly of the Abarth 500 and Grande Punto, but also classic models such as 595 and 695 esseesse, 850 and 1000 TC, 124 Abarth Sport Spider, Ritmo (Strada) and Autobianchi A112 Abarth – had the opportunity to enjoy a few laps on the track, to meet drivers such as European Rally Champion Giandomenico Basso, Luca Rossetti and Umberto Scandola, who performed at the wheel of the Abarth Grande Punto S2000, Abarth 500 Assetto Corse and Abarth 500 R3T Rally.

1st Abarth Race Day

Among the other events were an electric karting race, driving simulators, and the chance to take a test drive with an instructor from the Abarth Sandro Munari Driving School. Parked in the paddock, along with the racing cars, were the newer models like the Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari” and Abarth Grande Punto “SuperSport”.

One of the highlights of the day was the Abarth 500 Assetto Corse race, which saw Italian Trofeo champion Salvatore Tavano and European champion Emanuele Moncini locked in a fierce, no-holds-barred battle, lasting the entire 30 minutes scheduled for the race.

At the start, after the first corner, contact between Alex Campani and Manuel Lasagni forced the deployment of the safety car. At the race resumption, with cold tyres, the duel between the two leaders became more heated. English driver Adam Jones finished fourth after starting from the pits. Third place went to Matteo Milani, while rally driver Andrea Dallavilla achieved 6th, after being passed in the final stages by Alan Simoni.

Results: 1. Salvatore Tavano 21 laps in 32’32″694, average of 97.524 km/h; 2. Emanuele Moncini to 1″411; 3. Matteo Milani at 5″126; 4. Adam Jones at 8″287; 5. Alan Simoni to 17″967; 6. Andrea Dallavilla to 18″984; 7. Franco Cimarelli to 19″968; 8. Tobias Tauber at 55″870; 9. Michela Cerruti at 1’11″265; 10. Paolo Scudieri at 1’18″033; 11. Giovanni Ciraso at 1’20″463; 12. Luca Cassol 1 lap. Fastest lap: Adam Jones in 1’21″801, an average speed of 110.859 km/h.

The Imperial War Museum at Duxford is home to more than 200 military and civil aircraft, as well as maritime and land warfare exhibits housed in seven cavernous exhibition halls and hangars. As well as static exhibits, Duxford is also a working museum, with major restoration projects and routine maintenance of many historic aircraft taking place in publicly-accessible areas. The recently-opened AirSpace tells the story of British aviation, and its Aircraft Hall contains over 30 historically significant aircraft, such as the Lancaster, Vulcan and Concorde.

Our base for the day is the American Air Museum (pictured). Designed by Lord Foster and opened by The Queen in 1997, the AAM is an outstanding piece of architecture. It houses the largest collection of American warbirds on display outside the United States, including a vintage B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, P-47 Thunderbolt, and aircraft from the Cold War era such as a B-52 Stratofortress, SR-71 Blackbird and F-4 Phantom, with many suspended from the ceiling as if in flight.

We’ve been granted special access to park on the apron directly outside the AAM. Not only does this provide a fantastic photo opportunity, and a convenient base before exploring the rest of the Duxford site, but the AAM’s huge glass front allows us to seek refuge should the weather turn without straying more than a few feet from your car!

The AAM also has its own cafe – Station 357 – serving coffee, sarnies and snacks, while The Mess Restaurant in the Visitor Centre offers a more extensive menu.

The date for the event is Sunday 31st January 2010. Gates open at 10:00am. Duxford is just off the M11, 8 miles south of Cambridge – Google Maps link.

Cost of admission – including parking outside the AAM and access to the full Duxford site – is £19.90 per car. The standard admission rate is normally £16 per adult, so if you bring a friend or partner, that’s a substantial discount. However, due to the nature of our arrangement with Duxford, payment must be made prior to the event, either by PayPal (+£0.91 PayPal fees) or bank transfer well before booking closes on 16/1/2010.

To book your place, please visit:-

http://www.abarthisti.co.uk/duxford/

See you there!