Last week, I took my i8 on track for the first time
I normally use my Lotus for any track activity, but I wanted to see what the i8 would be like on the limit.
I am glad I tried it out
The pit marshal said it was the first i8 he had seen on track there.
Sorry about the poor quality pics, but I only had my iPhone.
Spot the i8
Pit lane:
There was a nice range of cars there and most were a LOT quicker and more track focused. Some were full race cars on slicks. Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens aplenty.
Cars included F488GTB, F458 Speciale, McLaren 675 LT, Aventador SV, Radical RXC, and Mercedes SLR McLaren. Supercar Royalty basically
I took the i8 out a little nervously, as I have no track insurance on that car, but I gradually built up speed.
I found the i8 to be very precise and sure footed, just as on road. Power was sufficient.
It also felt pretty quiet on track, because everything else made so much noise
The weakest aspect, preventing quicker laps was the weak braking, which was nowhere near powerful enough for track use. The primary limiting factor was tyre grip and not the brakes themselves. If I could have braked later and harder, I could have gone a LOT quicker.
The poor braking meant I was often off line and missing my apex, as I am more used to a Lotus, which brakes like it has dropped an anchor into the tarmac. I was therefore braking far earlier and softer than I normally would, and this was throwing me off.
The next biggest weakness, which was linked, was the lateral G I could pull. The car needed more grip to be able to corner harder. The chassis felt impeccably balanced and capable of so much more than the relatively skinny tyres could give me. Relative to the other cars on track that is.
With wider, stickier, rubber the i8 would easily be able to go round much quicker than some of the cars that I struggled to catch. For example, I found that the i8 was very slightly slower than a V12 Ferrari I chased for a couple of laps. He surely but slowly edged away from me over 2 laps.
Of course no tyre option would have allowed me to catch the quicker machines in an i8 e.g. F488 GTB.
I did not feel power was lacking, and nor was the handling. Handling on the limit was in fact simply delightful. The i8 was beautifully balanced, and would 4 wheel power-slide in a wonderfully balanced, progressive, easy to control manner when I pushed it past its limit. It also cornered in a beautifully flat and poised manner, just like it does on road.
This was fantastic to experience, as it is very rare to be able to safely power-slide the i8 on road.
Only when I braked too late, and then turned too hard, off the racing line, did the i8 understeer. It was entirely my fault whenever this happened, but I made the mistake often, being used to dramatically stronger braking in my Lotus.
The other big problem of taking the i8 on track was that it uses FAR more electric power than it can regenerate. My charge only lasted 20-30 laps, and then the power reduction was dramatic and noticeable. Also noticeable was the significant deterioration in handling and balance, as the car lost its 4 wheel drive, becoming rear drive only.
On road of course none of this is an issue at all. The i8 recharges quickly and very effectively on road in Sport mode. Braking is sufficient, and cornering capability far exceeds anything you would want to do on road.
For comparison with a more track focused car, here is an old video I shot on the same track, from my Lotus Exige R.
Or a shorter one:
A little tip for i8 owners wanting to film from it. Whilst I have GoPro mounting hardpoints on my Lotus, I didn't want to do anything permanent on my i8. I don't trust a suction mount for track use, so I used a rucksack clip mount!
I simply clipped this to the front splitter, and put 2 pieces of thin kitchen sponge wipe between the jaws to stop them scratching the car. It was perfectly secure
I should patent that
In summary, I am very glad I took my i8 on track as it allowed me to experience it safely on the limit, and measure it against the fastest supercars around. Yes it is much slower, but it was interesting to do nevertheless.
I found the i8 is wonderful on the limit, and its limitations on track are a complete non-issue on the road. It is perfectly designed for its intended use on road.