SharkyUK
ClioSport Club Member
It has been quite a special and exciting weekend...
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the humble and mighty Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy. In celebration of this, a group of owners were invited to a private tour of the Alpine F1 Technology Centre in Enstone. This all came into being due to the links between Renault and Alpine, and the fact that a very kind 182 Trophy owner works there... which helps! He put together a fantastic schedule, which included a short drive and visit to a car meet later in the day. A massive thank you to Tom! Legend!
It was truly an honour and a privilege to be able to see what goes on behind the scenes, including being able to take a peek at things that are normally kept away from prying eyes!
Of course, a couple of things were off-limits, but what was shared was mind-blowing and fascinating, and unlike anything else I have experienced in such a security-conscious and locked-down industry. Fabulous! It was made all the more special due to the fact that it was a race weekend (Hungaroring) and we were able to look in at the ops centre where all the live data and telemetry was incoming in real time to the various race engineers on site.
It goes without saying that photography and videography were not allowed inside the facility, but the sights, sounds and memories will remain permanently imprinted in the minds of those who were able to enjoy the event. I have my eye on the job boards...
The only downside was that my own 182 Trophy was, surprise, surprise, off-the-road! It is part-way through a frontend suspension refresh and I am awaiting parts on back order. Thankfully, I was given permission to attend in my fake German Trophy (which was the right colour and had the right licence plate at least!)
Oh yeah, here are a few pics (outside the facility!)
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the humble and mighty Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy. In celebration of this, a group of owners were invited to a private tour of the Alpine F1 Technology Centre in Enstone. This all came into being due to the links between Renault and Alpine, and the fact that a very kind 182 Trophy owner works there... which helps! He put together a fantastic schedule, which included a short drive and visit to a car meet later in the day. A massive thank you to Tom! Legend!
It was truly an honour and a privilege to be able to see what goes on behind the scenes, including being able to take a peek at things that are normally kept away from prying eyes!
It goes without saying that photography and videography were not allowed inside the facility, but the sights, sounds and memories will remain permanently imprinted in the minds of those who were able to enjoy the event. I have my eye on the job boards...
The only downside was that my own 182 Trophy was, surprise, surprise, off-the-road! It is part-way through a frontend suspension refresh and I am awaiting parts on back order. Thankfully, I was given permission to attend in my fake German Trophy (which was the right colour and had the right licence plate at least!)
Oh yeah, here are a few pics (outside the facility!)
