Heaven's Above: A Flying Hyundai
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday February 11, 2000
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a ... Hyundai? After 30 years in Holdens, the Precision Driving Team has switched cars. Joshua Dowling strapped in for the exclusive first ride.
Just a few metres behind the lead car, we approach the skinny ramp which will tip us on two wheels.
The first car's launch goes to plan, it's up and away. We hit the ramp about a second later and we're up, over, rolled onto our roof... Or so it seemed.
When I opened my eyes, we hadn't rolled at all. We were motoring along comfortably, if that's the word, on two wheels.
"It feels like you've rolled over because we have to go past 45 degrees to find the balance," says Peter Mapstone. While he's driving.
From the outside, the cars look smooth and steady. Inside, Peter's hands are on spin cycle trying to steer the car around Brisbane Showground's main arena. His head is about 30 cm (or a foot) from the gravel track, my feet are dangling about 30 cm (or a foot) from his head.
From this angle, the view looks the same as it does from a Holden. But, after 30 years of Aussie V8s, how will Australians view the Precision Driving Team after switching to Hyundai?
The Lion's roar has been replaced by a raspy V6 growl. The Sonata has half the engine capacity and about half the power of a Commodore - and, significantly, that power is delivered to the front wheels, not the rear.
The drivers claim the manoeuvres are no more difficult in a Hyundai than they were in a Holden, although getting sideways now requires discreet use of the handbrake instead of a squeeze of the throttle.
For the jump, the Sonata needed to leave the arena to muster enough speed, but the drivers insist the V8 Commodores needed the same distance - because they had so much power, they lost traction.
In case you wondered why they're called the Precision Driving Team, they hit the ramp "between 64 and 66 km/h". If they go too slow they won't make it across, too fast and they miss the landing ramp - and finish in the fence.
Maximum speed during the show is 100 km/h in second gear - and 60 km/h in reverse. As they say on TV, don't try this at home.
Apart from some extra air in the tyres, the only modifications to the cars are stiffer suspension and a special brace under the bonnet of the cars used for the two-wheel performances.
While some people might judge a car's attributes as being easy to park, these guys say "they fly really well". "They sit really flat in the air because they're lighter and better balanced," says founder Lloyd Robertson, who, for the first time in 30 years, will be watching his team from the sideline, rather than through the lead car's rear vision mirror.
Now assuming a manager's role, Robertson claims he has not had one cancellation since the switch to Hyundai was announced late last year. "In fact, we're away 30 weekends this year compared with 25 the year before."
So the country show promoters across Australia have accepted the change, but how long will it take for the public to accept?
"About five minutes," says Robertson. "There will always be V8 fans but the cars still go the same speed and the manoeuvres have the same precision."
"Grown ups who remember the V8s will be surprised but the kids will still love it," says Doug Croker, the managing director of Hyundai Automotive.
The first test, that is the first public performance, will be at the Canberra Show in a fortnight. Sydneysiders will be able to decide at the Easter Show.
Whatever your preconceptions are, you'll need to get used to the new look and the new sound. Hyundai has signed the Precision Driving Team for three years.
"We jumped at the opportunity to sign with them," said Croker. "Holden took them for granted. I don't think Holden realised what they had until they lost it. By then it was too late."
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Hyundai Precision Driving Team
www.hyundai.com.au
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© 2000 Sydney Morning Herald