Remember school sports day? Your feelings on this event, a chance to perform in front of students, teachers and parents, were probably dependent on your athletic prowess. Perhaps its different in this everyone wins a prize era, but when I was a kid success meant cheers from your peers, while failure led to jeers and tears.
Essentially, the PCOTY track day is MOTORs version of school sports; some cars relish the opportunity to strut their stuff, others just want the whole ordeal to be over.
No prizes for guessing which category the Genesis G70 falls into. Hot-lapping The Bends West Circuit wasnt in its design brief and its quickly apparent that this quasi-luxury mid-sizer prefers a gentler pace, its 1:40.7sec lap time earning it the wooden spoon. It doesnt do much wrong; its just not at all designed for this type of driving.
There are no complaints about the engine, the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 singing a sweet song and motivating the G70 to north of 220km/h down the long main straight. Its difficult not to draw comparisons with the Kia Stinger, for while the two arent direct rivals they share mechanicals and the resemblance is clear behind the wheel.
The Genesis is the better operator, but so it should be given its $20K premium. Like the Stinger, the G70s eight-speed auto doesnt have a manual mode per se, but flick the paddles and it wont revert to automatic down the next straight like the Kia. It steers accurately enough and the balance is relatively benign up to, say, eight-tenths, at which point the rear end begins to slip. Time this with the arrival of turbo boost and the result is a lurid slide, which finds favour with the photographers.
Like the Stinger, the G70s brakes and tyres are badly underdone; this much power deserves Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S rubber (the current Michelins lack that crucial S) and it takes only two laps for the brake pedal to hit the floor. Its all very well to say a car isnt designed for circuit use, but all a track really does is simulate consecutive hard stops (three in the course of a lap in the case of the West Circuit) and the Genesis isnt up to it.
Happily, the Mercedes-AMG A35 is. It might only undercut the Genesis by a solitary second (1:39.7) but its much more comfortable on track. With just 225kW/400Nm to play with, there are no prizes for guessing that the A35 isnt the quickest thing in a straight line, its 208.62km/h V-max almost 40km/h less than that recorded by its GT63 S sibling, which basically uses two A35 engines and then some.
Outright grunt aside, however, the A35 is a fun little package. Gentle front-end push is its default behaviour, but the new Haldex system reacts quickly enough to prevent power understeer rearing its ugly head and a quick flick with the steering under brakes swings the tail wide. It could use more engine the funs over by 6000rpm and a quicker gearbox but then thats what the A45 is for. As it stands, the A35 is a nice, sensible semi-hot hatch.
Sensible isnt a word to describe the Renault Megane Trophy-R I mean, just look at it. It has stickers, bright red wheels and a massive slab of plastic where the rear seats should be. Its built for the track and is the current Nrburgring front-wheel drive record holder albeit with the carbon wheels and brakes that will only adorn one car in Australia which only makes the fact that its a bit underwhelming at The Bend even more disappointing.
Make no mistake, its very good quick, grippy and accurate but it gives its speed quite easily so youre left craving more. Once up to temperature, the trick tyres offer so much grip that most throttle adjustability is eradicated and while theres enjoyment to be found in the Meganes precision, I cant help feeling a Honda Civic Type R on these tyres would be more enjoyable again. And probably quicker.
Nevertheless, the Trophy-R is an improvement on thestandard Megane RS280sampled at this venue 12 months ago, but enough to justify that $75K price tag?
While were asking questions: what to make of the Stelvio Q? Like the Megane Trophy-R, this high-riding Alfa set a lap record around the Ring, though its 7min51.7sec SUV benchmark 11.6sec slower than the Megane has since been beaten by the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S.
At The Bend the places are reversed, the Stelvio besting the Renault by 1.7sec, but its a deeply strange experience. It feels a bit like those celebrity sporting matches featuring recently-retired players; the skills are still evident but the athleticism has clearly suffered. All the Stelvios component parts are great the engine is super strong, the gearbox nicely responsive, the brakes hold up well and theres certainly adequate grip but theyre installed in a bodyshell that feels well out of its depth.
Softening the dampers helps. Set to full stiff the suspension feels to be constantly fighting a losing battle against its mass; pressing the bumpy road button allows the weight shift to be used as an advantage by adjusting the Stelvios attitude its probably not any quicker but it is more fun.
Sadly, despite being off in Race mode the ESP will step in if it feels the situation is getting out of hand and the all-wheel drive system can be frustratingly inconsistent, at times allowing plenty of power oversteer, at others focusing on total traction.
No such dramas with the Toyota Supra; simply stick it in Sport, turn the electronics off (if youre comfortable enough, otherwise the Traction mode is very good) and drive the wheels off it. The brakes could be better and the steering is unnecessarily weighty in Sport, but otherwise theres very little to complain about. Its a surprisingly sharp sports car, with strong lateral grip and an unwillingness to relinquish it.
The suspension is quite soft and initially the body movement can feel a little odd, but quickly you learn to trust the car to settle and dig deep into its reserves. Burrow down far enough and youll find the rear end will edge wide under brakes and 500Nm of turbocharged torque will hold it there for as long as you wish. Yes, as youd hope for a Japanese sports car (yeah, yeah, BMW blah blah) the new Supra drifts like a champion.
As does the Lexus RC F Track Edition. With a 351kW/530Nm 5.0-litre V8 turning the rear tyres that mightnt come as a surprise, but what does is the extra effervescence the Track Edition displays compared to the standard RC F. Its enhancements primarily shed weight, but whether its the diet, the extra grip of the Pilot Super Sport tyres or the result of more subtle tweaks, the front end bites with newfound enthusiasm.
The steering is still pretty mute, but at least you now have confidence itll stick when committing to a turn. And commit you can, safe in the knowledge you dont have a million turbocharged newton metres to manage on corner exit. The RC Fs V8 is a perfect illustration of enough power, the outputs nicely matched to what the chassis can cope with.
Other cars may be faster though a 1:34.7sec isnt too shabby but the appeal of being able to drive the Lexus lap after lap, its circuit-spec brakes and tyres showing little sign of stress, shouldnt be underestimated, especially with that rev-happy atmo V8 singing beyond 7000rpm.
Despite the weight loss, you can still feel the Track Editions girth in direction changes and it seems to find bumps no other car notices on The Bends seemingly super-smooth surface, bouncing up and down through the Turn 10 kink in a unique manner.
Now were getting serious. Theres no other way to say it, the Camaro ZL1 is a beast. Its an all-out assault on the senses as you peer out of the pillbox-style windows, your ears bombarded by V8 bellow and supercharger whine, your head spinning in concert with the rear wheels as each attempts to deal with the effects of 477kW/881Nm.
The experience is made more intense by the super short gearing, each ratio used for a mere nanosecond before the next one is required; this makes selecting the appropriate gear for each corner a challenge, particularly as the mighty 6.2-litre supercharged V8 has a torque band as wide as the massive 305mm rear Goodyears.
Ah, yes. Tyres. Youre probably aware that the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3s fitted to the ZL1 in the US didnt pass the ADRs for road use, but are available as a $1000 Track Pack so given were on a track we decided to use them, as it seems reasonable to assume most owners would do likewise. Unsurprisingly, they love The Bend, but the ZL1 itself rejects any notion that American cars cant do corners.
To be frank, it handles brilliantly for such a big machine. The super-heavy steering is weird, though you get used it, but it controls a front end that can be placed with precision, while as long as you dont ask for every kilowatt at once, traction is incredibly strong. Theres fantastic balance, too, with real adjustability using the throttle and brakes. As I said, the ZL1 is a beast.
The Lotus couldnt be more different, which makes the fact it and the ZL1 are so similar in pace all the more remarkable. Remember the school sports day analogy? Well, if the Genesis is the nerdy kid that wants to stay home, the Exige Sport 410 is the athletics team captain whos been training for weeks. Its built to lap all day and will do so with a noise like an endurance racer at full noise. Morley, Robbo and our tame racer Michael Almond are unashamed fans, but Im not convinced.
Driving the Exige is an absolute event; virtually every other car feels doughy and full of rubber after the lightweight Brit and you know that everything it does is the work of you and you alone. Trouble is, if youre going to be an out-and-out track car, either be blindingly fast, utterly brilliant at the limit or, preferably, both.
The Exige is quick (1:33.7) but only a second ahead of the far porkier Lexus and while its great fun up to nine-tenths, right at the limit, just when you hope it would come alive, it becomes quite sensitive to pitch and a bit spooky. For most people, a Cayman will be faster and more fun.
Speaking of Porsche, its really dropped the ball with the new 992 911. Just kidding, its utterly brilliant.
The widened front track makes it easier to drive quickly than ever, the engine delivers its substantial power in a beautifully linear fashion, the steering chats away to you constantly, the brakes shrug off the demands of track work, its rewarding to chase a lap time in yet if you want to hoon about like an idiot its more than happy to oblige. Its sublime, its feedback providing reassurance to the less experienced and its malleability and speed a challenge to sports car veterans. But, with a 1:30.6, its not quickest.
No, this year that honour goes to a 2025kg luxury sedan-coupe-hatchback-thing. The AMG GT63 S is an incredible triumph of engineering and technology over physics, besting Stuttgarts sports car by over a second (1:29.5). Obviously, having 470kW/900Nm helps, the monster Merc hitting 245.81km/h at the end of the straight, but its in the bends that the GT63 really warps your mind.
How can a car this big turn in with such alacrity? And resist understeer like it hasnt heard of the term? Huge Cup 2 tyres do their part, as does the clever all-wheel steer system, but credit also has to go to AMGs 4MATIC+ system.
If, by some miracle, youve steamed into a corner hard enough to push the front tyres wide, adding throttle actually corrects the problem, presumably by overdriving the outside rear to right the ship. If youre really silly with the throttle itll slide into oversteer, but in general you simply teleport to the next corner on the back of that insane 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Unless you select Drift Mode, that is, which specialises in turning Michelins into fluffy white clouds. So, with the races run and won, its the beefy posh kid thats going home with the ribbons. Bet you didnt see that coming!
Pick of the 2020's onPerformance Car of the Year 2020
Carrera Cup Pro racer Michael Almond gets the honour of becoming PCOTY 2020's professional helmsman. So we set him off in each of our finalists to get a laptime around The Bend's West Circuit and get his two cents on each of them.
I had to look and check I wasnt in the AMG GT3 car I raced. This thing is wild. Sounds awesome. For such a big car it feels nimble. Brakes are amazing but they faded hard after a lap. Power delivery is easy to control... the engine is unbelievable.
I wouldve thought itd be a little bit quicker, but it felt like there was a little bit of understeer. It wouldve been nice to have a grippier tyre. Gearbox is amazing. Plenty of grunt, you can barely tell its turbo. Comfortable, chuckable, solid.
Fantastic car. Gearbox is very direct and solid. Its nimble, theres a lot of front-end grip no matter where you are. Brakes are strong and you can brake deep because its light. Could do with a little more power. A little dancey at speed, but thats exciting!
I had it in race mode but on the in-lap I turned traction off... I reckon I couldve gone quicker without it. Its a bit cautious. But its got so much grunt, it pulls hard in a straight line. Itd be hard work to control with a manual. It doesnt feel overly heavy.
I really like this. Very linear power, and slow corners you need to shift down to second. Its easy to manage the throttle and balance mid-corner. Really strong, direct brakes. Its quite stable, and neither understeery or tail-happy. Steering was a bit light.
A lot of grunt with low-end torque around 3000-3500rpm. On some corners you can leave this in third and it pulls out strong. Brakes are well-balanced... the car was very stable under brakes. I was never worried about the rear coming out either. Good car!
You forget youre in an SUV. Its nimble with lots of grunt. Gearbox is awesome, downshifts are precise. Stable through high-speed turns, and can be balanced on throttle. Brakes are amazing for such a big car. Biggest weakness is the front end push.
Its a cool-sounding car with big slabs of low range torque, but doesnt understeer or torque steer. It has plenty of front-end. The tacho has a confusing redline... it took me two laps to realise I was short-shifting. It didnt seem to make a massive difference.
Quite a punchy car, throttle response is really good and the power is very linear. Pulls all the way to redline. Gearbox is really intuitive left in sport auto, never missed a gear. Brakes are really strong. It rotates nicely on slow corners, but too fast and it pushes.
Its got a lot of power, particularly on slow corners in low gears... you can light the rears up nicely. It feels heavy and has a lot of roll. Brakes were fantastic but definitely faded. Initial turn-in is a little vague but once youre towards the apex theres more front-end there.
The Bend West Circuit, 20C, dry.Driver: Michael AlmondOfficial timing supplier:www.vboxaustralia.com.au
The Bends West Circuit - PCOTY's ideal playgroundIt's tempting to look down on The Bends West Circuit. It is, after all, the shortest and simplest of the many configurations available, but that doesnt make it easy. Its a great circuit for testing road cars as the surface isnt abrasive, there arent too many big stops, theres a nice variety in corner speeds heading left and right and even a bit of undulation thrown in for good measure. A fast car will top 250km/h down the long main straight while the super-quick Turn Five kink is probably the most exciting corner on the circuit.
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Performance Car of the Year 2020: Track Testing - WhichCar
