MarkCup
ClioSport Club Member
Hi All…first post here…bear with me on this…
First there was a Triumph Toledo (anyone remember them?). Absolutely knackered rear suspension with nothing in the way of damping meant at a standstill you could press the boot down and "bounce" the back wheels off the road. It taught me huge amounts about how front engined rear wheel drive cars behaved as the rear used to drift with no provocation at about 20mph…I lived for the local wet/greasy roundabouts!
Second there was a 1.1 Fiesta which reliably got me to work 50 miles away every day for three years solid and cost nothing at all while it did it. Taught me a lot about front engined front wheel drive cars as the grip levels could be breached without it ever getting out of shape (did spin it once though!). Eventually got it up to 160k miles and it was time to chop it in for…
Third there was a Pug 306. Nothing special, bog standard TD model. Four years of commuting during which I discovered the joys of lift-off oversteer. Had it optimised by Van Aaken Development which made it fly (relatively speaking). Had such a blast with it but by the end it was all to "woolly", never focussed, too much sidewall flexing, not precise enough. So it went to make space for…
Fourth…then came the Mondeo (knee jerk reaction to having a baby – I thought I needed more space). Nice car, lovely car, well made, sounded great (2.5 V6), no sidewall flex (225 40 18’s), handles very well (but then it has got a sizeable footprint). Shortly after I got it I got the wife a Ford Focus to replace her Ford Ka. Since the Focus arrived, not once have I had anything in my back seats or boot of the Mondeo that the Focus couldn’t handle. So the Mondeos more car than I need.
Then I discover Evo Magazine. What’s this little blue thing on their fast fleet? A cup eh? What’s that then? 172bhp? 1011kgs? 147lbft? A car that is designed with one purpose in mind…to reward the enthusiastic driver. So I do a bit of digging…and come across this website…and all my questions are answered. Three arguments later and the wife is convinced (actually, I think she agreed to get me to shut up about it) that it makes sense.
So I’ve done it. After years of having cars that were to get me from A to B and then back again, I’ve got a cup on order, to be delivered during the third week of September. It can’t come soon enough as my friend came round yesterday with his brand new, only had 64 miles on it, Cupra R. I need the Cup now to wind him up. This is from a family man who’s a Finance Director for a living!
Could someone please tell me I’ve not made a huge mistake?
Am I going to regret this?
Anyone know any good track-day insurers? My wife bought me a day at Castle Coombe for my birthday but I don’t want to bin it uninsured.
