Author: Darren Cassey

While 2020 will be best remembered for the coronavirus pandemic, it’s also been the year of the big luxury SUV.

Not only has the new Land Rover Defender finally gone on sale, the long-awaited Aston Martin DBX is also hitting dealer forecourts. Meanwhile, the Bentley Bentayga has been given a big update.

With that in mind, we run through the best luxury SUVs on the market to see how the new competitors stack up against the competition.

Bentley Bentayga

Bentley’s best-selling model received a refresh earlier this year, getting updated engines and a new look to bring it into line with the rest of the firm’s models.

What’s more, it’s just been joined by a high-performance W12 engine that makes a massive 626bhp, meaning you can outpace some supercars while sitting in sumptuous comfort.

Aston Martin DBX

The DBX is probably the most important car Aston Martin has ever made. The firm has been struggling financially in recent years, but now it’s in the hugely lucrative SUV market that could change.

It boasts smart looks and a lovely interior, but has put a focus on being one of the most fun SUVs to drive. That means it’s not quite Bentley levels of waft on the motorway, but it should be a hoot in the corners.

Land Rover Defender

The new Defender has upset some purists, who would prefer it to have remained the utilitarian off-roader it used to be. However, the switch to the premium segment will make this new model far more successful for Land Rover.

Fortunately, despite now having a more upmarket interior and vastly better on-road manners than before, it’s still the best off-roader the firm has ever made.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Much like the Defender, the G-Class made its name as an off-roader. Its boxy shape and back-to-basics interior won it many admirers, but these days it’s more likely to be seen cruising the streets of Knightsbridge.

It retains its squared-off aesthetic but boasts the kind of fantastic interior and buckets of badge appeal we’ve come to expect from the German brand. And it can still haul you up a mountain when required, too.

BMW X7

If you’re after the biggest most comfortable car you can find, the BMW X7 is the one for you. This absolute beast is the biggest car the firm makes and is best thought of as an SUV version of the luxurious 7 Series saloon.

As a result you get some monstrous diesel engines that pull you along in near silence thanks to the solid but premium cabin.

Volvo XC90

When Volvo made the switch to building premium cars it absolutely nailed its niche in the market, providing a cool and sophisticated minimalist-inspired alternative to its predictable German rivals.

That’s epitomised by the XC90, which is big, comfortable, brilliantly put together and comfortable behind the wheel. If interesting design is important to you, give this large SUV a shot.

Any list of the most iconic cars ever made will feature the McLaren F1. When it was released in the 1990s it was well ahead of its time, and its designer Gordon Murray is world-renowned as one of the greatest ever.

He’s created a new company in his own name, and has just revealed his first supercar, called the T.50. No expense has been spared in the production of the car, which has some fascinating details. Here we highlight some of the coolest features of the car.

The V12 engine

The T.50 is powered by a bespoke V12 engine that has been built by Cosworth. Murray had high demands of the company, but it has achieved them all. It makes an incredible 651bhp and revs to an unbelievable 12,100rpm. There’s no turbocharger, and Murray doesn’t like belts, so it has a small 48-volt motor that runs a number of parts to keep the design ultra clean.

When not in gear it can rev 28,400 times in one second. By revving so quickly up, it also revs quickly on the way down, so the company is having to develop software to help with gear changes.

It’s a manual

Modern performance cars almost never have manual gearboxes nowadays, because automatics are so much quicker, and so few buyers opt for the manual. However, Murray wanted the T.50 to be the ultimate drivers car, and decided to include a six-speed manual shifter.

The linkages between the shifter and the gearbox are on display, too, so passengers can see the inner workings of the car on the move.

Central driving position and no touchscreens

Much like his earlier design, the McLaren F1, the T.50 has a central driving position with a seat behind on each side for passengers to provide the purest possible driving experience.

There’s nothing in the car that’s unnecessary, so there are no touchscreens, because Murray isn’t a fan. Instead, the car connects wirelessly to the driver’s phone for entertainment and navigation purposes. Anything that can’t be controlled through the phone has a physical button or dial.

Ground effects

On the back of the car is a large fan, which aids downforce. Most cars rely on wings of varying sizes across the car to create downforce and improve handling. However, the fan allows the air to be sucked through the diffuser at a steeper angle, making a lot of downforce without the need for wings. The result is a very clean-looking car that therefore also creates minimal drag, improving top speed and efficiency.

The fan has various modes depending on the driver’s need, including one that sees it spin up to full speed during emergency braking.

It’s lightweight

Given the huge performance on offer and the mid-rear-mounted V12 engine, you might be surprised to learn that the T.50 is tiny – it’s actually slightly shorter than a Porsche 911. That’s partly because Murray didn’t want anything unnecessary on the car to keep weight low.

Through the use of lightweight materials and clever tricks, such as hollowing out the alloy wheels to save weight, the T.50 weighs just 986kg. For some perspective, the Mazda MX-5, itself considered a tiny, lightweight car, weighs more than 1,100kg.

With dealerships closed for a couple of months during the coronavirus pandemic, new vehicle registrations were almost non-existent in April and May.

However, after showing signs of a resurgence in June, the industry was able to relieve a lot of pent-up demand in July, seeing sales up 11.3 per cent on the same month last year.

Here we look at the models that sold best when dealers reopened.

Vauxhall Corsa – 5,455

Vauxhall’s latest Corsa continues to be a massive hit with buyers, topping the charts again and outselling its key rival, the Ford Fiesta last month.

The latest generation was introduced earlier this year and is clearly striking a chord with buyers, who appear to appreciate its stylish new look, improved equipment levels, and the option of an electric version for the first time.

Ford Fiesta – 5,421

It was incredibly close at the top of the charts in July, with the Fiesta coming second by just 34 units. Ford won’t be too worried, though, with its supermini still topping the year-to-date sales figures for 2020.

Despite the Corsa’s popularity, the Fiesta is still widely considered to be the best to drive in this class, proving incredibly affordable despite being a class leader. It’s also getting some new mild hybrid engines to make it more economical too.

Ford Focus – 4,981

The Ford Focus has long been the go-to family car, fighting off the popularity of crossovers to hold its place high in the sales charts.

Variety is one of the Focus’s key selling points, with lots of trim options to suit every budget and lifestyle, as well as estate and more off-road-focused body styles furthering its appeal. With a recent update improving kit and introducing mild-hybrid engines, expect the Focus to continue to sell well.

Volkswagen Golf – 3,936

For most people, a Volkswagen Golf is all the car you could ever need – it looks good, has badge appeal, drives well and is decently practical. It’s a great all-rounder even if it’s not necessarily class-leading in any specific area.

The Golf’s shot back up the charts this month because a new eighth-generation model has gone on sale. That means there are great deals on the outgoing model and plenty of buyers are after the latest version.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 3,922

The latest A-Class has been a huge hit for Mercedes. It brings premium appeal to the small hatchback market, offering a relatively affordable route into the German brand.

The interior is a step above most other rivals in this class, with large infotainment screens and high quality materials used throughout. It’s also got plug-in hybrid and diesel powertrains to give it wide appeal.

Nissan Qashqai – 2,971

When it comes to crossovers, the Qashqai is king. It revolutionised the segment and has continued to be a sales hit.

There are technically better and more recently updated rivals, but with good looks, tonnes of practicality and a decent driving experience, it’s no surprise so many buyers turn to the Qashqai – and stick with it when it’s time for something new.

Volkswagen Polo – 2,932

Although largely overshadowed by the Golf, the Polo continues to quietly rack up sales, proving hugely popular with supermini buyers. It brings a little premium appeal to the small car market, feeling solidly put together and packed full of kit.

It has wide appeal thanks to offering everything from tiny petrol engines that are perfect for young drivers, to more powerful GTI versions.

Mini – 2,906

Despite Mini’s move to the premium segment, its Hatch continues to be hugely popular, thanks to its style, heritage and the fact it’s British-built.

It’s available as a three-door and a five-door, while an Electric model is also now on offer with a 145-mile range, though it remains to be seen whether this particular variant will be a sales hit.

Volkswagen Tiguan – 2,880

Another popular car for Volkswagen is the Tiguan, which although it’s outsold by the Golf and Polo in the UK, is the firm’s best-seller worldwide.

It’s set to be updated soon, with a performance-focused R version on the way as well as a more economy-focused plug-in hybrid. Expect these to contribute to the Tiguan remaining in the best-sellers chart.

Ford Kuga – 2,686

Finally, it’s another Ford to wrap up the top 10. The Kuga has long been a big hit with UK buyers, providing decent SUV space and equipment while representing great value.

It was recently updated, slipping out of the charts during the changeover, but now it’s back. With a more stylish new look and a plug-in hybrid that will make it hugely appealing to business buyers, expecting it to make its way back up the charts.

A new British-built supercar from the company started by legendary car designer Gordon Murray has finally broken cover.

The Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) T.50 claims to be ‘the most driver-centric supercar ever built’, with the ‘most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car’.

Power comes from a bespoke 3.9-litre V12 engine that makes 654bhp and revs to an incredible 12,100rpm, while the car itself weighs just 986kg.

However, the unique selling point is the 400mm rear-mounted fan, which rapidly accelerates air passing under the car. Known as ‘ground effects’, it has a big effect on downforce, so the technology allows for the surface of the car to have fewer aerodynamic devices resulting in a cleaner design.

The fan is run by a 48-volt motor, and has six different modes to optimise airflow for high downforce or high top speeds.

Speaking of the fans, which Murray also used on his most famous car design, the McLaren F1, the 74-year-old said: “Next-level aerodynamics allow us to avoid the current supercar trend for exaggerated wings, vents and ducts. I was determined to create a clean and pure shape that would remain timeless, ensuring the T.50 will still look fresh in 30 years.”

If it wasn’t for the fans, the engine would be a major talking point too. Developed by Cosworth, the engine is a naturally aspirated unit that GMA claims is the lightest V12 ever made thanks to its aluminium, steel and titanium construction.

Murray said of the engine: “To be truly remarkable, an engine needs to have the right characteristics: highly-responsive, an amazing sound, engaging torque delivery, free-revving, and it has to be naturally aspirated. For all those reasons, the engine in the T.50 was never going to be anything other than a V12.”

Customer deliveries of the T.50 will begin in January 2022, and each will cost £2.36m before local taxes.

Motorists have been reminded that the MOT extension period ends next week and those that forget could face a hefty fine, points on their licence or even a ban.

The extension was issued because of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, with the government announcing that cars with an MOT ending after March 30, 2020 would get an automatic six-month extension.

However, it recently announced that this would no longer apply to vehicles with an MOT ending on or after August 1, 2020.

Paul Loughlin, solicitor and a specialist in motoring law at Stephensons Solicitors LLP, has warned motorists that there will be no exemptions or extensions.

He said: “With the easing of lockdown restrictions, there can be an overwhelming urge to jump in our cars and travel anywhere other than being cooped up at home. However, that sense of urgency can come back to bite, particularly if you’re found to be driving without a valid MOT or driving a dangerous vehicle.

“The government’s decision to reintroduce mandatory testing from August 1, 2020 means that if your MOT is due on or after that date, you must book your vehicle in to be tested as usual. Failure to do so can result in a fine up to £1,000 and if your vehicle is found to be dangerous, it can mean fines of up to £2,500, three points on your license or even a possible ban from driving.

“There is so much going on at the moment that it can be easy to prioritise other areas. However, the cost of inaction can be so much greater, not only financially but also in respect of your safety and that of any passengers.”

The solicitor also warned that rules around taxing and insuring your vehicle have not changed during this period.

What is it?

If you’re after a purist driving experience, the Lotus Elise is one of the go-to names. The model has been around since 1996 and has become world-renowned as a lightweight sports car that’s utterly fantastic to drive.

In the two and a half decades since its inception, the principles have remained the same and the car doesn’t look much different either. It’s still very small and very lightweight, preferring to be agile in the corners than fast in a straight line. As mainstream cars get bigger and bigger this Lotus arguably gets even more appealing, but is it still as relevant in 2020 as it used to be?

What’s new?

This is not just any Elise, this is the Cup 250, which Lotus says is designed more for track use than as a sporty road car. In fact, the Norfolk-based firm boasts that the car could be raced competitively ‘by adding little more than a roll cage’.

With weight the brand’s key focus, the Cup 250 is 14kg lighter than its predecessor thanks to the use of carbon-fibre, titanium and aluminium. The manual gear shifter has been optimised, and now has a beautiful open-gate design that lets you see its inner workings. Meanwhile the body design has been tweaked to improve aerodynamics.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Elise Cup 250 uses a 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 240bhp. While that might not sound like much when hot hatches make more, the little Lotus weighs just 931kg, giving a power-to-weight figure of about 275bhp-per-tonne.

The result is a 0-60mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 150mph, but that’s not what this car is about. Behind the wheel, putting your foot down results in a sharp response from the engine, which fizzes away behind your ear and feels every bit as fast as you could want from a sports car.

What’s it like to drive?

It’s immediately obvious, though, that straight-line performance is not its USP. On a country road, the immediacy of response from every turn of the wheel is a delight, and actually takes some getting used to. It’s so responsive that you’ll find yourself turning in too early, but once you’re dialled in it’s a joy to thread along a country lane. The car feels light and nimble beneath you, and you can see why Lotus fans have eulogised its cars for decades.

It’s also an engineering marvel. Often with small sports car companies you make excuses for parts that don’t feel well put together, but everything is solidly built. Whether it’s the smooth as silk clutch, the snickety gear shift or buttery smooth suspension, there’s nothing sloppy.

How does it look?

While its predecessors could almost be considered cute-looking, the latest Elise has a somewhat meaner appearance. It’s far from aggressive, but there are fewer curvy lines and more sharp and focused ensign features. Much of this is likely to do with aerodynamics, but particularly with the Cup 250, it helps to indicate that this is more of a track-focused model.

It’s also tiny. It’s not until you’re alongside other traffic that you realise just how small the Elise is. However, despite the small surface area, there are some nice design touches, such as the air intakes ahead of the rear wheels, the Union Flag on the rear wing end plates, and the smart but simple multi-spoke alloy wheels.

What’s it like inside?

Much like the outside, the inside has a less is more approach, but here it’s taken to the extreme. There’s really little here that isn’t related to actually driving, with a small stereo headunit and soft Alcantara upholstery about as close as you’re getting to creature comforts.

The highlight is the gear shifter, which has a beautiful open design that allows you to see the linkages at work, but that’s about all there is to talk about.

It’s all about the driving position, though. At first, it’s tricky to climb inside, but it’s surprising how it doesn’t feel too claustrophobic inside once you’ve got into the seat. As a six-foot-plus driver I struggled for leg room, with my knees barely fitting beneath the steering column, but even that didn’t do much to take away from the driving experience.

What’s the spec like?

When it comes to on-board equipment, there really isn’t much to discuss. There’s a new in-car infotainment system by Sony, which has iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, with improved speakers for when you want to take a break from hearing the engine all the time. There’s also a heating system, classic analogue dials, and a plaque bearing the name of the person that built your car.

Outside of the cabin, the performance equipment is more impressive. For example, that exquisite ride is helped by Eibach coaxial coil springs and Bilstein high-performance dampers, while AP Racing twin-piston ventilated brake discs offer impressive stopping power. Meanwhile, endless grip comes from a set of Yokohama Advan A052 tyres.

Verdict

The Lotus Elise is a breath of fresh air in 2020. It’s been around more than two decades, but at a time when cars are getting heavier and more numb for the driver, this car is a reminder what a pure driving experience really is.

While the Cup 250 is theoretically the more hardcore version of the Elise, it actually hits a sweet spot for a road-going performance car, offering more than enough power for a car this light as well as instant response to your inputs.

It’s wholly impractical and lacking in on-board technology, but that’s actually what makes it so appealing.

If you suffer from illnesses that could affect your ability to drive, you’re required by the DVLA to inform them.

However, while some might be quite obvious, the DVLA has a list of health conditions that you might be surprised to learn put you at risk of a £1,000 fine if you don’t declare them.

Car hire comparison site StressFreeCarRental has scoured the full list of conditions to find the less obvious ones you should know about…

Diabetes

If you have diabetes that is treated by insulin, and the insulin treatments last more than three months, you must inform the DVLA. This also applies to gestational diabetes, or if you are at risk of low blood sugar, known as hypoglycaemia.

Vertigo

While most people associate vertigo with being at height, this is specifically known as ‘height vertigo’. Regular vertigo sufferers can get attacks anywhere, making it feel like the world around them is spinning. If you suffer from sudden, disabling, or recurrent vertigo you must tell the DVLA.

Déjà vu

This is something mostly written off as an odd feeling that you’ve been somewhere before, but it can be much more serious. The DVLA must be informed if you suffer from seizures or epilepsy that cause déjà vu.

Sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition that causes the throat to relax and narrow during sleep, which can cause difficulty breathing. It’s one of a number of sleeping disorders that the DVLA must be told about, including narcolepsy and cataplexy.

Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis has nothing to do with mazes, it’s actually an inner ear condition that causes dizziness, nausea and loss of hearing. Since all of these things could affect your ability to drive, you must inform the DVLA if you have it.

Heart palpitations

This condition results in the sufferer becoming more aware of their heartbeat, which may feel like it’s pounding or fluttering, or perhaps beating irregularly. While the NHS says they are usually not a sign of something serious, the DVLA requires you to declare if you regularly suffer from them.

Formula 1 is back. After months of no racing because of the coronavirus pandemic, the pinnacle of motorsport is heading to Austria for the first of two races at the Red Bull Ring.

With this being the first race of a new season, and new rules and regulations designed to keep everyone involved safe, here’s a roundup of everything you need to know.

The ‘new normal’

One of the key conditions for professional sport to return has been safety protocol designed to keep everyone involved as possible safe from catching and transmitting coronavirus.

Like all sports, there will be no fans attending races. However, specific to Formula 1 is the fact that teams can bring a maximum of 80 personnel, while no media will be allowed in the paddock or pits. All team members must receive a negative test before being allowed to travel, and must be tested every five days while working and wear PPE.

Finally, there will be no podium for the drivers, who will instead be interviewed and receive trophies on the grid after the race.

Double- and triple-headers

F1 is used to double-headers, which involves racing at two tracks in two consecutive weeks. It has even done a triple-header before, but teams hated it, with personnel working flat-out for three weeks to prepare cars and move everything between circuits.

However, this will be a common theme in 2020 as F1 tries to cram as many races in as possible. For the first time, F1 will race at the same circuit twice in one season, with the opening round at the Red Bull Ring in Austria followed the next week by another race at the circuit, then a race in Hungary for the first triple-header.

After a week off, F1 will return for two British grands prix at Silverstone followed by a race at Catalunya in Spain for the second double-header. So far, the rest of the confirmed calendar only includes Spa in Belgium and Monza in Italy, but a second Italian race at Mugello is one of a variety of new European venues under consideration.

Races in the Americas and Asia will be confirmed later in the year if possible, with Bahrain rumoured to be considering different layouts to make a double-header more interesting.

Fighting for equality

During the coronavirus crisis, the Black Lives Matter movement also gained a lot of attention worldwide. F1 champion Lewis Hamilton was the leading voice in the paddock, calling for equality and for his fellow drivers to speak up.

Formula 1 launched its We Race As One campaign, making a public pledge in “the fight against Covid-19 and the condemnation of racism and inequality”. Teams and drivers will be racing with rainbow symbols, with some of the most prominent placing the images on the halo devices above the drivers’ heads.

Mercedes-AMG F1 has made a powerful statement in support of Hamilton, as it has ditched its traditional silver paint scheme in favour of a black livery. It said the move was a ‘signal of the team’s commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms’. Both Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas will also wear black race suits.

Battles at the front

All the talking will soon be over and it will be down to the drivers on the track. With very little development time and teams struggling for budget in the wake of the pandemic, changes to the cars might not be as widespread as we’ve come to expect from F1.

Mercedes is expected to dominate, as it has done for many years now. However, Red Bull Racing has been closing the gap and looks strong, so 2020 could be the year it fights Hamilton and co. for the title. Ferrari makes up ‘The Big Three’, but it has revealed that it has ditched its early car design after finding serious flaws, so expect the red cars to be off the pace in Austria.

And that’s before we get into the drama of Sebastian Vettel, who will leave Ferrari at the end of the year. Can he prove a point and beat his young team-mate Charles Leclerc this season? Time will tell.

Best of the rest

In recent years, the midfield battles tend to be where the action is. For 2020, it’s likely that the battle for best of the rest will be between Racing Point and McLaren.

The former has drawn criticism because opponents say the team, which uses a Mercedes engine, has copied the championship-winning team’s design from last year. It says motorsport’s governing body the FIA is happy with its design, but if it is successful expect these complaints to rumble on.

The Formula 1 season begins this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, with qualifying starting at 2pm on Saturday and the race starting at 2.10pm on Sunday.

The Cannonball Run is a 1981 comedy film that saw teams race across the United States. Actors included Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore and Jackie Chan, with their characters all hoping to win a $25m prize.

It might have been a goofy comedy, but it sparked a craze that would last decades. Cannonball Runners, taking inspiration from the film’s premise, have been competing in unofficial – and highly illegal – timed runs from New York to Los Angeles.

The traditional starting point is the Red Ball Garage on East 31st Street in Manhattan, and the finish line is the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California. It’s approximately 2,800 miles, depending on your route.

There’s a small but dedicated community of people who not only attempt to break records, but also oversee the legitimacy of claims by those who take part. Most use GPS to verify their trip, or record the full journey.

One of the best-known record attempts was American journalist Alex Roy, who spearheaded a drive into the record books. His team’s time of 31 hours and four minutes beat the previous record by more than an hour, and because they had filmed it, ushered in a new generation of Cannonball Run fans through the internet.

The record stood until 2013, when a team consisting of Ed Bolian, Dave Black and Dan Huang hit a time of 28 hours and 50 minutes, then six years later, Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt and Berkeley Chadwick achieved a time of 27 hours and 25 minutes.

These attempts are far from a bunch of people jumping in a car and driving fast. There’s some serious planning, money, and a big support network to make it happen. In 2007, Roy used a spotter plane to follow his car and see potential dangers ahead. Bolian and crew had someone in the back seat using stabilised binoculars to watch out for police or obstructions. Most teams have cars festooned with technology, from military-grade navigation software to police speed gun jammers. Many rely on a network of cars driving ahead to spot police.

Unsurprisingly, traffic tends to be the biggest issue. While weather can come and go, traffic is everywhere, and often the fastest runs are simply those that picked the right time to leave and got a bit of luck.

So it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that some Cannonballers saw the coronavirus pandemic as an ideal opportunity to break some records. Former record holder Ed Bolian now runs a YouTube channel called VinWiki, and is widely considered the go-to voice for Cannonball Runs.

He recently exclaimed: “Consider that it took six years and dozens of extremely well-prepared attempts for anyone to beat [his record of] 28 hours and 50 minutes, in the span of five weeks it was just beaten seven times.”

In fact, with no traffic on the road, times have been tumbling so quickly it can be tough to keep up. Bolian told The Smoking Tire podcast that there have been other times that would have been records a week or so previously, but don’t even register now.

In April, anonymous drivers achieved a time of 26 hours and 38 minutes, smashing the previous record set in November 2019. They had planned to keep it a secret, but a friend gave the game away.

Most record attempts are achieved using high-performance vehicles, but this attempt was in an unmodified Audi A8 L that hadn’t even had its 130mph speed limiter removed. Considering most records are achieved with drivers hitting top speeds well in excess of 150mph, this seemingly encouraged others to have a go.

As it stands, the “official” record – or as official as this wholly unofficial competition can be – is held by Fred Ashmore with a time of 25 hours and 55 minutes. That’s an average of 108mph. His story is particularly fascinating because he completed the run in a rented Ford Mustang GT, all alone.

He ripped out the interior and fitted large fuel tanks that meant he could complete the trip on one stop. A friend had an industrial fuel pump on a pickup truck and met him at the side of the road.

Breaking the 26-hour barrier must have seemed impossible even a few months ago. With police otherwise occupied, Ashmore said his only law enforcement encounter was just outside LA, where he was spotted but immediately lost the officers chasing him when his sat nav redirected him.

However, according to Bolian, there’s another record, and it’s beaten the 26-hour mark ‘by a considerable margin’. The team has decided to remain anonymous for now because they’re making a documentary about their exploits, but it’s not inconceivable that they would have averaged 130mph-plus through some States.

The Cannonball Run community appears to have had a crisis of conscience over these coronavirus runs. Bolian himself admits that he tried to discourage others from taking part by hinting that these runs will always have an asterisk next to them, because they were achieved during exceptional circumstances.

He also acknowledges that, despite the fact ‘there have never been any crashes involving other cars or any serious injuries’ during these attempts, these runs are even less ethical than usual because no one wants to divert the emergency services during a pandemic.

However, there are those that point to the fact that this is the very spirit of the Cannonball Run, and that it is there to show the government that they can’t tell them what to do.

While few outside this secretive pasttime could find many reasons to justify triple-digit speeds on public roads, Bolian appears to be more concerned about the future of this community.

In another of his videos discussing the recent records, he says: “The only reason I was able to pursue the record was that, given the availability of existing technologies, I thought I could beat Alex Roy and Dave Maher’s time of 31 hours and four minutes. I don’t know if people can go out, after the full record story is announced, and think they can do that.”

Could this be the end of the Cannonball Run as we know it? As traffic levels begin to return to normal, to the disappointment of very few, this particular chapter appears to be over. What remains to be seen is whether it adapts and lives on.

It’s 6am, I’ve hardly slept, and the car behind me is not taking it easy. What’s worse, his car is ‘blinking’ because he has a bad connection, which is terrifying because you’re never totally sure where he’ll reappear.

It’s at this point I start to question the sanity of using up my whole weekend competing in the virtual version of the world’s most famous endurance race. So how did I end up here?

What is sim racing?

There’s much debate about the correct terminology within the community, but ‘sim racing’ is essentially a video game that tries to create the most realistic feeling of racing cars possible, hence being a ‘simulation’ rather than a ‘game’.

Whatever you call it, there’s no denying it’s a booming business that has seen a huge increase in participation during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s been driven by real-life drivers turning to the virtual world to get their competitive fix, and real-world racing series such as Formula 1 creating virtual versions of their events.

As a long-time gaming fan, particularly racing games, I’ve long wanted to try iRacing, which is widely considered to be the most competitive sim racing software on the market. I signed up at the start of the pandemic and updated my gaming rig – a steering wheel and pedals that works in games for extra realism and control. I wasn’t alone, as iRacing saw its signup numbers shoot into the stratosphere.

Chaos at the start

Each year, iRacing holds various special one-off events, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Given the huge increase in interest in iRacing, this year’s event drew massive signups – and the game’s servers simply couldn’t handle the thousands of teams and drivers logging in when registrations opened 30 minutes before the race started.

The result was hundreds of teams, including us, unable to join. Fortunately, the organisers hosted another race to start an hour later than planned to allow people to still compete. This didn’t make much difference to us, because we’re new and have a low rating, so we would only be put against other low ranking drivers. However, long-standing, higher ranked members were left angry, as it meant the ‘top split’ of drivers was broken up, meaning their ability to race against the best drivers in the game, including many famous real-world drivers, was taken away.

The actual competition

After the initial stress of trying to sign up, we joined the later race, due to start at 3pm BST. Usually, 24-hour races involve teams of four drivers taking about six hours each, but because we’re pretty new to this we only knew three people who could take part.

The first team member was me, a long-time gamer who hasn’t played much in the past few years so is still getting back to grips with it all and hoping I don’t let down my two more experienced colleagues. The second member was my good friend Jayson Fong, a leading automotive photographer from Australia who I’ve worked with ever since he moved to the UK about six years ago. And finally we had Joao Beato, another automotive photographer, though living and sim racing in Portugal.

While in the real world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans would take over drivers’ lives for the weeks leading up to it and they’d have no distractions on the weekend of the race, we had to work our scheduling around the fact I had to run errands on the Saturday afternoon and Joao had a real-life track day on the Sunday.

Joao took a steady pace during qualifying, putting us 30th of 54 entries, and after completing his first ‘double stint’, he’d managed to stay out of trouble to get us up to 15th. A stint is the time it takes to use a full tank of fuel, with drivers swapping during the pit stop.

Jayson and Joao shared driving duties all evening, and I put in a single stint at about 9.30pm before going to bed for a few hours. When my alarm went off at 3.30am, I was groggy. I had a shower to wake myself up and actually felt more tired afterwards. Coffee wasn’t helping either.

When I took over the wheel from a bleary-eyed Jayson, who’d volunteered to do the tough 1am to 4am slot, I was nervous. The guys had been lapping consistently and got us to 10th place, and a top 10 finish was looking on the cards – astonishing given our inexperience and lack of preparation.

And that’s when it happened. Just over two hours into my four-hour stint in the pitch black, with the car full of fuel, a car that had completed fewer laps than us was catching me. Our tactic had been to go slow and steady and avoid crashing, because the worst thing you can do in these races is get stuck in the pits doing repairs.

He was ‘blinking’ because his connection was bad and the game couldn’t always tell me where he was on the track. I had decided that when he got close enough to pass I would just move over, because it wasn’t worth the risk.

However, heading into the difficult right-hand kink heading into the Indianapolis corner, he disappeared behind me. His headlights that had been filling my mirror vanished, then as I turned in at high speed he appeared again – alongside me. I moved the wheel to avoid a collision and lost control, spinning into the tyre wall.

I was gutted, but with just 15 minutes of repairs it looked like we’d only lose three or four places. Our ninth position turned into 12th, so I headed back out onto the track to continue our slow and steady pace in the hope of regaining a top 10.

But just two laps later, it all went wrong. Coming out of the Tertre Rouge S early in the lap, the right hander goes over a small crest. It’s enough to unsettle the car as the rear goes light, but it’s not usually enough to cause a crash. We’d been lifting the throttle slightly during the race just to make sure.

Inexplicably, whether due to residual damage, a touch too much throttle, or simply driver fatigue, the car span as I crested the corner. It was a crash I’d never done before, not in testing or practice races. I couldn’t keep it out of the wall and caused damage that would require about 30 minutes of repairs.

Not only was our shot at the top 10 gone, but we found ourselves in the high 20s. Jayson and I would battle on with a lightly damaged car for the remaining eight or nine hours, eventually finishing 25th after a splash and dash fuel strategy call that paid off and gained us two positions on the last lap. Our battered and bruised Porsche 911 RSR finished less than two seconds behind 24th after 24 hours of racing.

The verdict

It’s safe to say that the ending was bittersweet. This might be a virtual race with nothing on the line, but the sense of achievement was fantastic. We had fewer drivers than most teams, no experience, and two of us had never met. Yet we worked together, came up with strategy, supported each other when it went wrong, and got to the finish.

On a personal level I spent most of Sunday absolutely gutted. The first incident wasn’t my fault, but the second, more damaging one was. I watched the replay multiple times and I’m still not totally sure what I did differently to every other time, so we’ll just put it down as a learning experience.

What it did leave me with was an appreciation for the real thing. It’s a tiring, emotional rollercoaster, even when there’s no prize at the end of it. How those guys deal with the pressure and physical exertion of the real thing is admirable.

The next 24-hour race on iRacing is in July at Spa-Francorchamps. We’ll be there – hopefully this time we’ll have a fourth team member, a little more practice, and a little more luck!