Yesterday at sunny Pembrey circuit, the home of Welsh Motorsport, with the superb Motorsports Events http://www.motorsport-events.co.uk/ team was a lot of fun. If you've been thinking about taking your Cupra to the track - do it! It's a hugely capable car out of the box and you will grin from ear to ear. If you are a first time track day goer I highly recommend Motorsport Events their days are friendly and non competitive.
I'd originally booked the day as a last hurrah for the Type R (FN2) before it departs to be replaced by the new one. As it turned out the day was so quiet and with plenty of free track time available I also decided to give the Cupra 280 its first track miles.
Fast laps and Scirocco R chase.
Let's start with a couple of fast laps in the Cupra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gz5g2E83g0
These laps include chasing down a well driven Scirocco R running a stage 1 remap. What surprised both me and the Scirocco driver was that the Cupra had a significant advantage in straight line speed. The Cupra visibly gains on the straights. This Cupra certainly feels like it has a healthy 280 horses. The Scirocco owner is someone I've met on track before, we used to have some friendly battles between his VX220 and my S2000. He wasn't too impressed with the Scirocco and thought it would need quite a bit of work to be good on track. The Cupra is pretty good on track as it comes.
Fun laps and external chase video
Now for some more fun laps, chasing a track prepared MR2. We both had cameras on board so you get to see my Cupra from outside (1:32ish) too. For a short while at least. Watch the Cupra's party trick as it squats down then rockets off out of Hatchett's Hairpin!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy9SEiMH40w
Cupra Vs Type R
With so much time on track had time to make this comparison video. Standard Civic Type R (FN2 with LSD) vs Standard Cupra 280 DSG. Let the one sided battle commence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44udIEZD2rk
158bhp/ton vs 212bhp/ton was always going to end that way. Both cars were running on standard road rubber - Type R on Goodyear Eagle F1 and Cupra on the usual Potenzas. The Honda has only the LSD and the ability to switch off stability in it's corner. The Cupra makes good use of its many settings, especially the stiffest damper settings which give it great stability and grip on a flat race circuit.
What is the Cupra like on track?
The standard non Sub8 car is good on track, not quite great but certainly more than up to the job straight out of the box.
The positives:
+ the brakes. After a little hissy fit on the first set of laps where the ABS kept kicking in way too early the brakes settled down and were strong and positive throughout the 50 or so track miles. With short sessions on track the brakes didn't fade or the pedal go long. This is impressive at Pembrey which can be a bit of a punisher on brakes with hatchets hairpin at the end of a 114mph straight. Sub8 brakes would be a good upgrade but only required if you are going to do lots of track time in your Cupra.
+ traction. Even on the standard Potenzas traction is superb. There is none of the wheel hop people report and I've experienced once for myself on road. The Cupra just grips and goes. It was also quite light on it's tyres. Some cars will damage the outer edge of standard road tyres within a few laps but the tyres showed no signs of abuse after this day which is always a good thing.
+ power! Plenty of it, 114 mph at the end of the main straight, a full 10mph more than they Type R for example shows just how much grunt the Cupra has. Neither a tuned Scirocco R nor a tuned Astra VXR running on slicks could get close. Highly impressive.
+ bucket seats. They really come into their own on track, lovely and grippy through the 1g corners.
The negatives:
- The Cupra throttle setting is too aggressive for the track, it feeds the power in too quickly and causes wheelspin in the slower corners. Luckily there are other settings. Sport worked perfectly for me.
- Road tyres do not inspire confidence through the fast corners. The Kink at Woodlands can be taken flat in some cars. My R26.R on R888s could take this corner flat without issue. The Cupra is travelling faster by the turn in point and the Potenzas don't allow the confidence to keep the throttle pinned. A balanced throttle was the best way through this corner. This is where track rubber would make a big difference.
The lap leaderboard
So where does this leave the Cupra among the cars I've owned and lapped at Pembrey?
1:09.9 Audi RS3* (modified remap, brakes, tyres)
1:10.7 Evo MR360 (Semi Slicks)
1:11.3 Megane R26.R (Semi Slicks)
1:12.1 Westfield Sport 2000 (Semi Slicks)
1:12.2 SEAT Leon Cupra 280
1:14 Honda S2000
1:16 Honda Civic Type R (LSD)
A fine showing on road tyres, well within reach of the Megane R26.r time with a set of Super Sports let alone Cup2 tyres. That this is a fully daily usable daily car and not some track special makes this even more impressive.
So go on book a trackday and have some fun, you know you want to!
I'd originally booked the day as a last hurrah for the Type R (FN2) before it departs to be replaced by the new one. As it turned out the day was so quiet and with plenty of free track time available I also decided to give the Cupra 280 its first track miles.
Fast laps and Scirocco R chase.
Let's start with a couple of fast laps in the Cupra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gz5g2E83g0
These laps include chasing down a well driven Scirocco R running a stage 1 remap. What surprised both me and the Scirocco driver was that the Cupra had a significant advantage in straight line speed. The Cupra visibly gains on the straights. This Cupra certainly feels like it has a healthy 280 horses. The Scirocco owner is someone I've met on track before, we used to have some friendly battles between his VX220 and my S2000. He wasn't too impressed with the Scirocco and thought it would need quite a bit of work to be good on track. The Cupra is pretty good on track as it comes.
Fun laps and external chase video
Now for some more fun laps, chasing a track prepared MR2. We both had cameras on board so you get to see my Cupra from outside (1:32ish) too. For a short while at least. Watch the Cupra's party trick as it squats down then rockets off out of Hatchett's Hairpin!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy9SEiMH40w
Cupra Vs Type R
With so much time on track had time to make this comparison video. Standard Civic Type R (FN2 with LSD) vs Standard Cupra 280 DSG. Let the one sided battle commence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44udIEZD2rk
158bhp/ton vs 212bhp/ton was always going to end that way. Both cars were running on standard road rubber - Type R on Goodyear Eagle F1 and Cupra on the usual Potenzas. The Honda has only the LSD and the ability to switch off stability in it's corner. The Cupra makes good use of its many settings, especially the stiffest damper settings which give it great stability and grip on a flat race circuit.
What is the Cupra like on track?
The standard non Sub8 car is good on track, not quite great but certainly more than up to the job straight out of the box.
The positives:
+ the brakes. After a little hissy fit on the first set of laps where the ABS kept kicking in way too early the brakes settled down and were strong and positive throughout the 50 or so track miles. With short sessions on track the brakes didn't fade or the pedal go long. This is impressive at Pembrey which can be a bit of a punisher on brakes with hatchets hairpin at the end of a 114mph straight. Sub8 brakes would be a good upgrade but only required if you are going to do lots of track time in your Cupra.
+ traction. Even on the standard Potenzas traction is superb. There is none of the wheel hop people report and I've experienced once for myself on road. The Cupra just grips and goes. It was also quite light on it's tyres. Some cars will damage the outer edge of standard road tyres within a few laps but the tyres showed no signs of abuse after this day which is always a good thing.
+ power! Plenty of it, 114 mph at the end of the main straight, a full 10mph more than they Type R for example shows just how much grunt the Cupra has. Neither a tuned Scirocco R nor a tuned Astra VXR running on slicks could get close. Highly impressive.
+ bucket seats. They really come into their own on track, lovely and grippy through the 1g corners.
The negatives:
- The Cupra throttle setting is too aggressive for the track, it feeds the power in too quickly and causes wheelspin in the slower corners. Luckily there are other settings. Sport worked perfectly for me.
- Road tyres do not inspire confidence through the fast corners. The Kink at Woodlands can be taken flat in some cars. My R26.R on R888s could take this corner flat without issue. The Cupra is travelling faster by the turn in point and the Potenzas don't allow the confidence to keep the throttle pinned. A balanced throttle was the best way through this corner. This is where track rubber would make a big difference.
The lap leaderboard
So where does this leave the Cupra among the cars I've owned and lapped at Pembrey?
1:09.9 Audi RS3* (modified remap, brakes, tyres)
1:10.7 Evo MR360 (Semi Slicks)
1:11.3 Megane R26.R (Semi Slicks)
1:12.1 Westfield Sport 2000 (Semi Slicks)
1:12.2 SEAT Leon Cupra 280
1:14 Honda S2000
1:16 Honda Civic Type R (LSD)
A fine showing on road tyres, well within reach of the Megane R26.r time with a set of Super Sports let alone Cup2 tyres. That this is a fully daily usable daily car and not some track special makes this even more impressive.
So go on book a trackday and have some fun, you know you want to!
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