Tiff VS Nascar - The FULL Challenge _ Fifth Gear Classic

The Thrill of Nascar: A Learning Curve at Le Mans

As I stood on the grid, my heart racing with anticipation, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the behemoth machines before me. My car, once a familiar friend on the tracks of Australia, now seemed like a fragile toy compared to these American monsters. The 30-minute race was just around the corner, and I was determined to give it my all.

I had qualified on pole position, a feat that left my competitors in the dust. But as I took to the track, I quickly realized that being quick wasn't enough. My car seemed to flail about like a wild animal, refusing to behave as I expected. The rear end grip was gone, and I was struggling to get any traction on the wet track. It was as if my car had a mind of its own.

I sought advice from my team mechanic, Alison, who suggested softening up the rear suspension to improve traction. But with only 10 minutes until the first race, we were running out of time. The sun came out, and the track began to dry quickly, leaving me with slick tires that I had never used before. It was a daunting prospect, but I knew I had to suck it up and hope for the best.

As the cars lined up at the starting grid, my nerves began to get the better of me. I thought about all the things that could go wrong – a crash, a puncture, a mistake on the first lap. The rolling start was supposed to be a clever idea, but it only seemed to bunch us all together like a bunch of bumper cars. As we took off, I was hit hard by Frenchman Vincent Goinet, who gave me not one but two punctures.

Despite the setback, I managed to pass two cars before the first corner and take my position in seventh place. The next lap was a real eye-opener – Nascar is supposed to be a non-contact sport, but the first lap is very physical indeed. I took a hit on the inside of Frenchman Vincent Goinet from who gave me not one but two punctures great good start staying with the pack great i've traveled over 300 miles by sea and land and get to Le Mans i've dealt with constantly changing weather had a steep learning curve in a new car and being wiped out.

As I struggled to find my footing, I couldn't help but think about how far I'd come. From dealing with the constant changing weather conditions at sea and land to getting to Le Mans and navigating the unfamiliar terrain of a new car – it was all been a steep learning curve. And now, as I battled on the track, I knew that one mistake could cost me dearly.

The action was brutal, even for the leaders. Cars were shunting off the track left and right, and my relatively cumbersome car didn't seem to react well to the demands of racing. My experiments with different driving techniques only seemed to bring me more frustration – I was faster, but not by enough.

As I struggled to gain places, I knew that time was running out. With only a few laps left on the clock, I spotted an opportunity to overtake Frenchman Xavier Michelle for ninth place. But as I passed him, he had other ideas and bashed me sideways with his front-right tire. The crowd gasped in horror as I limped towards the finish line, my car badly damaged but still somehow intact.

Despite the chaos around me, I knew that this was far from over. Euronascar might be a beast of a formula, but I was determined to tame it. And so, with a sense of determination and a hint of frustration, I set off on the next lap, ready to take on whatever the track had in store for me.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe us nascar race series started in 1948 and is the most popular motorsport on earth now there's a european version and having finished the le mans 24 24-hour race in third place back in 1990 i've been given the chance of earning another podium in one of these v8 rear wheel drive beasts as most american nascar races are held on fast oval circuits the cars are finely tuned to only turn left but european nascar races are held on twisty circuits where you need to turn left and right as the cars aren't exactly designed with agility in mind i think they're going to be a bit of a handful to give me an idea of what to expect of my race car i've arranged a road trip in the brand new chevrolet camaro like my racer it's got a v8 engine at the front and rear-wheel drive by taking it through the back roads to le mall i should get a feel for how muscle cars behave on twisty tarmac leaving the ferry and heading to le mall brings back many happy memories of my 14 24-hour races the familiar roads are now bypassed by water roots if you want to get there quicker but i think i'll stick to the ones i know this 2014 model sees the camaro undergo the biggest overhaul since it was relaunched in 2009. high speed stability is said to be improved thanks to reshaped front grilles and a rear diffuser at cruising speeds it is more relaxing to drive than its pricier porsche cayman rival in fact it's too relaxing the 6.2 litre v8 kicks out 432 horsepower but unfortunately it's so muted i've no idea there even is a v8 under there come on usa where's the noise nothing it might be quiet but it is faster than a cayman typically it's the interior where american cars lose out most to european models the camaro's quality isn't up to a porsche's standards but it is packed with gadgets while my race cold probably have a little more than a rollover cage a steering wheel in the seat this camaro has got a lot i've got a reversing camera seven inch touchscreen and best of all a little gadget that relays my text messages to me if i have any let me demonstrate any messages there's an incredible amount of technology for the money but the downside is extra weight at 1 800 kilograms it's over half a tonne heavier than the race car maybe not you have a message from maggots tiff good luck in the race atlanta see would you like to reply what i'd like to say it's lamar not lemons but maybe that's how you say in america no no reply after 196 kilometers and having used half of its 72 liter tank and then some more i arrived at le mans mind you it was here that i ping pong between the barriers at 200 miles an hour in the biggest action of my career no more of those i hope my race is on the twisty bugatti grand prix circuit at le mans one of two tracks contained within the iconic 24-hour circuit as some of the 24-hour circuit is made up of public roads parts of it can be driven on all year round so i can test the camaro's handling on corners i know like the back of my hand into the sweeping right before you break really hard down to this left-handed corner turning in feeding the power and yeah controllable a bit wibbly wobbly still but no nasty snaps down the gear feeding the power oh no good grip good traction tight right feeling the power kicking down oh and a little bit of oversteer that time but nothing dramatic i'm warming to this camaro more and more this latest camaro isn't as nimble as a porsche but it is one of the best handling american cars i've driven and has a serious turn of speed and at a bargain price i'm worried that my race car will be less refined and harder to control all of this for just 35 000 pounds that's an awful lot of change from a porsche cayman i tell you what i'm now really in the mood for some full-on v8 racing action tomorrow it's qualifying and i'll need to master a tricky track in a car i've never driven to get a good grid place for my first ever european nascar race the famous american race series which has 75 million fans has come to europe and i'm in the final round of the 2013 european nascar championship to race one of the 400 break horsepower v8 beasts the championship is split into two classes elite for the full-time championship contenders and open for the less experienced drivers and guests like me the cars are identical and mine is run by team fj i hope they're better mechanics than they are spellers all the cars are made in america to an exact european specification they all have 5.7 chevrolet v8 restricted to 400 horsepower with a minimum weight of 1200 kilograms so give them the same sort of power to weight ratio as other nascar feeder series now if you know anything about nascar you'll know they don't come with any modern conveniences like doors so the only way in is through the window and that's not the easiest thing to do oh once inside the first thing you notice these pillars of a roll-over cage wherever you look this looks like the strongest thing i've ever sat in steering wheel detachable of course and with my seat fully back it's also this weird nascar driving position which really is too close for me to be comfortable no flappy paddles either just four on the floor with the other drivers having already done 10 races this year experience is on their side so with an hour to go before the 15-minute qualifying session i'm after a bit of advice who better to talk to than 2012 champion and current elite championship title leader spaniard ander villarino so what is the secret you must have to go so fast it's not a car that likes to go uh to have a lot of momentum in the corner because as we have a big wheels you know it's like a balloon the car moves a lot if the tire is very demanded the car doesn't like so you have to try to find the straight line you know straight line straight and straight line uh it doesn't have any uh you know um differential and uh it's very free and uh it's very funny it's a very fun car and uh i'm sure you you will enjoy this weekend with andrew advising me to minimize stress on the tyres my thoughts turn to the weather after rain earlier in the day the choice between wets and slicks is crucial this isn't like formula one where pit stops last two seconds due to the more rudimentary technology and smaller pit crews tire changes here take more like two minutes so it's important to get it right from the off qualifying is only 15 minutes long i want to maximize time on the track we're sharing the weekend with some truck racing and they're out this qualifying session the one before ours i'm trying to see if this track is drying or not it still looks like it's ice out there toss the coin the clock's ticking and my nerves are growing the tires are on and it's time to get out on the track for qualifying well we're in the collecting area we've chosen wet tires and looking around so is everyone else i'm up against 21 other drivers and while i may have done the famous 24-hour race 14 times this tight bugatti track and these cars are very new to me if i want another lemon podium i need to qualify as far up as possible with no limited slip differential these big nascars aren't best suited to tight corners i can't believe the track looks dry i get it everybody's tippy toe around the outside trying to find that wet line which is the line not used the rubber left by tyres on the traditional racing line becomes incredibly slippery when it rains so i'm having to take the wider so-called wet line to try and find what little grip there is i could walk faster this corner is just so slippy even the regular nascar drivers are struggling in these conditions slowly slowly slowly and it just squeeze open the throttle and i'll short shift to third that's it just when i'm starting to get to grips with the track qualifying is over you've got what you've got which is terrible i know i could have gone faster but have to head back to the pits to find out the result position no qualifying in the top 10 in a car i've never driven before among a field of 22 isn't such a bad result but the competitive side of me always wants to do better i follow the guys who are quicker than me i'm the same speed into the corner to the apexes and the fast exits are good but a couple of hairpins where i just whatever i do with the throttle i can't get the rear wheels to grip and they're just gone achieving a podium finish tomorrow is going to be tough i'll be surrounded by regular nascar drivers none of whom want to be beaten by the new boy get out of my way the world's most popular motorsport has come to europe and i'm competing in the final rounds of the 2013 european nascar championship at le mans i've qualified 9th from the grid there are now two 30 minute races and my aim is at least one podium finish 21 year old australian josh burden qualified on pole i want to know how he was so much quicker than me now come on josh i'm floundering around out there somehow you're on pole position and i'm back in the pack so you got no rear end grip no could you change the car much do you play with the settings we do yeah you've got a rear up link um so if you're struggling to get throttle the best thing to do is to lower that to soften up the car to get more grip on josh's advice my team mechanic alison softens the rear suspension causing the car to squat under acceleration this puts more weight on the rear tyres improving traction on the wet track but if it dries out there'll be too much roll with 10 minutes until the first race the sun comes out the track's drying quickly with no time to adjust my car before the race i'm going to be left with the wrong setup the track's now dried out i've got slick tires on i've never dripped them before and we'll just have to suck it and see turn where do i break my finishing position for this race is also my starting position for the next one so it's vital i gain some places you never quite get over this pre-erased nerves you keep thinking about oh everything go wrong one formation lap to settle the nerves then the race will begin with a rolling start i'm never quite sure that rolling starts for a clever idea you're all bunched up dumping a bumper and then you nail it the 30 minute race begins it's a frantic start and i take a hit before the first corner hopefully not a sign of things to come despite the contact i managed to pass two cars by the fourth turn taking me into seventh position nascar is supposed to be a non-contact sport but the first lap is very physical and no sooner am i out of one shunt i'm completely a big hit on the inside from frenchman vincent gonna has given me not one but two punctures great good start staying with the pack great i've traveled over 300 miles by sea and land and get to le mans i've dealt with constantly changing weather had a steep learning curve in a new car and being wiped out to my first race race 2 is my last chance for a podium i'm now starting from the back of the grid so it's going to be a tall order i'm not sure if i can jig to the right and do this straight away or what one down and a lot to go cars everywhere carnage one lap completed and i'm already up to 14th so far so good the action is so brutal even the race leaders are being shunted off the track that was our little championship leading aussie off doesn't look good for his championship two laps done i'm 11th my best overtake so far takes me to ninth in the middle of the third lap but there's now a clear track ahead of me and i've got a lot of catching up to do to the car in front now i'm getting frustrated i'm struggling to get the gap down so try some different driving techniques faster okay right go deep okay too high but my relatively cumbersome car doesn't react well and my experiments have allowed frenchman xavier michelle to close in on me i've been hit from the rear but thankfully this time it's the other driver that has the puncture he's surely out of the race get out of my way like breaking idiot but as i pass him he has other ideas i've now got yet another puncture but i think it's the last lap so i'm going to try and limp over the line i've got to try and finish i have to finish at least that's not the chicken flake yet where are we gonna get left with a shredded tire i'm forced to stop before i reach the checked flag again now i am i couldn't catch so i just tried to take it easy to get to the finish in my ninth and in the middle of the hair but he just bangs me sideways so i'm looking at him out the window saying but he punched his front right tire next corner i come in he's all wide he's a bunch of tyre we start the straight and he just bath hit racing in the european version of an american institution has been frantic and frustrating i haven't succeeded in my quest for a podium finish and while that's partly down to my lack of experience with these unwieldy cars i wasn't helped by my overly aggressive rivals but despite my personal trials and tribulations i can see that euronasco is a great formula they are beasty cars to drive and i come back and get the knack of it i'll sort them out youthe us nascar race series started in 1948 and is the most popular motorsport on earth now there's a european version and having finished the le mans 24 24-hour race in third place back in 1990 i've been given the chance of earning another podium in one of these v8 rear wheel drive beasts as most american nascar races are held on fast oval circuits the cars are finely tuned to only turn left but european nascar races are held on twisty circuits where you need to turn left and right as the cars aren't exactly designed with agility in mind i think they're going to be a bit of a handful to give me an idea of what to expect of my race car i've arranged a road trip in the brand new chevrolet camaro like my racer it's got a v8 engine at the front and rear-wheel drive by taking it through the back roads to le mall i should get a feel for how muscle cars behave on twisty tarmac leaving the ferry and heading to le mall brings back many happy memories of my 14 24-hour races the familiar roads are now bypassed by water roots if you want to get there quicker but i think i'll stick to the ones i know this 2014 model sees the camaro undergo the biggest overhaul since it was relaunched in 2009. high speed stability is said to be improved thanks to reshaped front grilles and a rear diffuser at cruising speeds it is more relaxing to drive than its pricier porsche cayman rival in fact it's too relaxing the 6.2 litre v8 kicks out 432 horsepower but unfortunately it's so muted i've no idea there even is a v8 under there come on usa where's the noise nothing it might be quiet but it is faster than a cayman typically it's the interior where american cars lose out most to european models the camaro's quality isn't up to a porsche's standards but it is packed with gadgets while my race cold probably have a little more than a rollover cage a steering wheel in the seat this camaro has got a lot i've got a reversing camera seven inch touchscreen and best of all a little gadget that relays my text messages to me if i have any let me demonstrate any messages there's an incredible amount of technology for the money but the downside is extra weight at 1 800 kilograms it's over half a tonne heavier than the race car maybe not you have a message from maggots tiff good luck in the race atlanta see would you like to reply what i'd like to say it's lamar not lemons but maybe that's how you say in america no no reply after 196 kilometers and having used half of its 72 liter tank and then some more i arrived at le mans mind you it was here that i ping pong between the barriers at 200 miles an hour in the biggest action of my career no more of those i hope my race is on the twisty bugatti grand prix circuit at le mans one of two tracks contained within the iconic 24-hour circuit as some of the 24-hour circuit is made up of public roads parts of it can be driven on all year round so i can test the camaro's handling on corners i know like the back of my hand into the sweeping right before you break really hard down to this left-handed corner turning in feeding the power and yeah controllable a bit wibbly wobbly still but no nasty snaps down the gear feeding the power oh no good grip good traction tight right feeling the power kicking down oh and a little bit of oversteer that time but nothing dramatic i'm warming to this camaro more and more this latest camaro isn't as nimble as a porsche but it is one of the best handling american cars i've driven and has a serious turn of speed and at a bargain price i'm worried that my race car will be less refined and harder to control all of this for just 35 000 pounds that's an awful lot of change from a porsche cayman i tell you what i'm now really in the mood for some full-on v8 racing action tomorrow it's qualifying and i'll need to master a tricky track in a car i've never driven to get a good grid place for my first ever european nascar race the famous american race series which has 75 million fans has come to europe and i'm in the final round of the 2013 european nascar championship to race one of the 400 break horsepower v8 beasts the championship is split into two classes elite for the full-time championship contenders and open for the less experienced drivers and guests like me the cars are identical and mine is run by team fj i hope they're better mechanics than they are spellers all the cars are made in america to an exact european specification they all have 5.7 chevrolet v8 restricted to 400 horsepower with a minimum weight of 1200 kilograms so give them the same sort of power to weight ratio as other nascar feeder series now if you know anything about nascar you'll know they don't come with any modern conveniences like doors so the only way in is through the window and that's not the easiest thing to do oh once inside the first thing you notice these pillars of a roll-over cage wherever you look this looks like the strongest thing i've ever sat in steering wheel detachable of course and with my seat fully back it's also this weird nascar driving position which really is too close for me to be comfortable no flappy paddles either just four on the floor with the other drivers having already done 10 races this year experience is on their side so with an hour to go before the 15-minute qualifying session i'm after a bit of advice who better to talk to than 2012 champion and current elite championship title leader spaniard ander villarino so what is the secret you must have to go so fast it's not a car that likes to go uh to have a lot of momentum in the corner because as we have a big wheels you know it's like a balloon the car moves a lot if the tire is very demanded the car doesn't like so you have to try to find the straight line you know straight line straight and straight line uh it doesn't have any uh you know um differential and uh it's very free and uh it's very funny it's a very fun car and uh i'm sure you you will enjoy this weekend with andrew advising me to minimize stress on the tyres my thoughts turn to the weather after rain earlier in the day the choice between wets and slicks is crucial this isn't like formula one where pit stops last two seconds due to the more rudimentary technology and smaller pit crews tire changes here take more like two minutes so it's important to get it right from the off qualifying is only 15 minutes long i want to maximize time on the track we're sharing the weekend with some truck racing and they're out this qualifying session the one before ours i'm trying to see if this track is drying or not it still looks like it's ice out there toss the coin the clock's ticking and my nerves are growing the tires are on and it's time to get out on the track for qualifying well we're in the collecting area we've chosen wet tires and looking around so is everyone else i'm up against 21 other drivers and while i may have done the famous 24-hour race 14 times this tight bugatti track and these cars are very new to me if i want another lemon podium i need to qualify as far up as possible with no limited slip differential these big nascars aren't best suited to tight corners i can't believe the track looks dry i get it everybody's tippy toe around the outside trying to find that wet line which is the line not used the rubber left by tyres on the traditional racing line becomes incredibly slippery when it rains so i'm having to take the wider so-called wet line to try and find what little grip there is i could walk faster this corner is just so slippy even the regular nascar drivers are struggling in these conditions slowly slowly slowly and it just squeeze open the throttle and i'll short shift to third that's it just when i'm starting to get to grips with the track qualifying is over you've got what you've got which is terrible i know i could have gone faster but have to head back to the pits to find out the result position no qualifying in the top 10 in a car i've never driven before among a field of 22 isn't such a bad result but the competitive side of me always wants to do better i follow the guys who are quicker than me i'm the same speed into the corner to the apexes and the fast exits are good but a couple of hairpins where i just whatever i do with the throttle i can't get the rear wheels to grip and they're just gone achieving a podium finish tomorrow is going to be tough i'll be surrounded by regular nascar drivers none of whom want to be beaten by the new boy get out of my way the world's most popular motorsport has come to europe and i'm competing in the final rounds of the 2013 european nascar championship at le mans i've qualified 9th from the grid there are now two 30 minute races and my aim is at least one podium finish 21 year old australian josh burden qualified on pole i want to know how he was so much quicker than me now come on josh i'm floundering around out there somehow you're on pole position and i'm back in the pack so you got no rear end grip no could you change the car much do you play with the settings we do yeah you've got a rear up link um so if you're struggling to get throttle the best thing to do is to lower that to soften up the car to get more grip on josh's advice my team mechanic alison softens the rear suspension causing the car to squat under acceleration this puts more weight on the rear tyres improving traction on the wet track but if it dries out there'll be too much roll with 10 minutes until the first race the sun comes out the track's drying quickly with no time to adjust my car before the race i'm going to be left with the wrong setup the track's now dried out i've got slick tires on i've never dripped them before and we'll just have to suck it and see turn where do i break my finishing position for this race is also my starting position for the next one so it's vital i gain some places you never quite get over this pre-erased nerves you keep thinking about oh everything go wrong one formation lap to settle the nerves then the race will begin with a rolling start i'm never quite sure that rolling starts for a clever idea you're all bunched up dumping a bumper and then you nail it the 30 minute race begins it's a frantic start and i take a hit before the first corner hopefully not a sign of things to come despite the contact i managed to pass two cars by the fourth turn taking me into seventh position nascar is supposed to be a non-contact sport but the first lap is very physical and no sooner am i out of one shunt i'm completely a big hit on the inside from frenchman vincent gonna has given me not one but two punctures great good start staying with the pack great i've traveled over 300 miles by sea and land and get to le mans i've dealt with constantly changing weather had a steep learning curve in a new car and being wiped out to my first race race 2 is my last chance for a podium i'm now starting from the back of the grid so it's going to be a tall order i'm not sure if i can jig to the right and do this straight away or what one down and a lot to go cars everywhere carnage one lap completed and i'm already up to 14th so far so good the action is so brutal even the race leaders are being shunted off the track that was our little championship leading aussie off doesn't look good for his championship two laps done i'm 11th my best overtake so far takes me to ninth in the middle of the third lap but there's now a clear track ahead of me and i've got a lot of catching up to do to the car in front now i'm getting frustrated i'm struggling to get the gap down so try some different driving techniques faster okay right go deep okay too high but my relatively cumbersome car doesn't react well and my experiments have allowed frenchman xavier michelle to close in on me i've been hit from the rear but thankfully this time it's the other driver that has the puncture he's surely out of the race get out of my way like breaking idiot but as i pass him he has other ideas i've now got yet another puncture but i think it's the last lap so i'm going to try and limp over the line i've got to try and finish i have to finish at least that's not the chicken flake yet where are we gonna get left with a shredded tire i'm forced to stop before i reach the checked flag again now i am i couldn't catch so i just tried to take it easy to get to the finish in my ninth and in the middle of the hair but he just bangs me sideways so i'm looking at him out the window saying but he punched his front right tire next corner i come in he's all wide he's a bunch of tyre we start the straight and he just bath hit racing in the european version of an american institution has been frantic and frustrating i haven't succeeded in my quest for a podium finish and while that's partly down to my lack of experience with these unwieldy cars i wasn't helped by my overly aggressive rivals but despite my personal trials and tribulations i can see that euronasco is a great formula they are beasty cars to drive and i come back and get the knack of it i'll sort them out you\n"