Member company news: BAC Mono wins the 2012 Cholmondeley Pageant of Power Supercar class
NAA member company BAC won the Supercar class with its single-seater Mono at the 2012 Cholmondeley Pageant of Power event which took place over 15-17 June, beating competitors such as the Lamborghini Gallardo, Nissan GT-R and Ferrari 458 Italia…
The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, which has NAA member Bentley as a founding sponsor, is the North West’s largest and most entertaining annual automotive event, and this year it took place over the weekend of 15-17 June on the Cholmondeley estate in Cheshire.
The Pageant features a wide variety of attractions, ranging from boating action on the estate’s own lake to aerial displays. However, of most interest to petrolheads is the motor racing on the 1.2 mile circuit, and this year there was an intense battle between a fascinating mix of cars in the supercar class.
NAA member and Cheshire-based car company BAC entered its Mono in the competition, driven by Duncan Tappy, who is currently racing a McLaren MP4-12C GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The Mono was up against stiff competition including a Lamborghini Gallardo, Nissan GT-R, Ferrari 458 Italia, Radical SR 3 SL, Porsche 911 Carrera S, and Ariel Atom V8.
Following Friday’s wet practice session, all the cars had three runs each on the Saturday and Sunday. With the weather remaining inclement, the competitors had to wait until the final day to post their fastest times on a dry track. The Pageant circuit is technically demanding; although it is mostly flat, it has bridges, slippery hairpins and adverse cambers to contend with.
The final result was that the NAA’s own Cheshire-based BAC won with its Mono, with a fastest lap time of 63.06 seconds. See the full results below.
Neill Briggs, Director at Briggs Automotive Company Ltd, says “I’m delighted to have achieved our first win with the Mono, especially on our own Cheshire territory, and against such capable opposition. The Pageant circuit is a significant challenge for any car and its driver, as it’s more like a Welsh B-road than a smooth race track. This victory shows that the Mono has got the performance and the handling to beat cars costing more than twice its price, but that the Mono is also well suited to typical UK roads.”
“I’d like to thank a number of people who have helped with this win, starting with our driver, Duncan Tappy, for doing such a good job in conditions that were often very wet, when the various four-wheel drive competitors should have had a considerable advantage. Also thanks go to all our staff, suppliers, sponsors, family and friends who have supported us whilst we have developed the car over the last few years.”
Neill also says that the Pageant of Power event has improved every year, a result of the passionate leadership from event director James Hall and his staff, and that even the rain on the Saturday this year didn’t detract from the spectacle of the event.
The single-seater, road-legal BAC Mono is powered by a 2.3 litre, 285bhp, four-cylinder powerplant provided by Cosworth, mated to an F3-spec six-speed sequential gearbox from Hewland, which delivers paddle-shift changes in 35 milliseconds, helping the Mono to hit 60mph in under three seconds.
Cholmondeley Pageant of Power 2012 Super Car Class results – Top 10
Vehicle Driver Fastest Lap Time
BAC Mono Duncan Tappy 63.06
Lamborghini Gallardo Niki Faulkner 64.58
Nissan GT-R Jann Mardenborough 64.99
Ferrari 458 Italia James Pickford 66.59
Radical SR 3 SL Mike Smith 68.71
Porsche 911 Carrera S Richard Bott 68.86
Continental GT V8 Nick Beaumont 68.95
Ariel Atom 500 V8 Matthew Prior 70.00
Jaguar XFR Karl Jones 70.76
BMW M5 Tom Onslow-Cole 71.23
See an in-car video of the drive around the Pageant circuit at http://www.green-car-guide.com/caterham-at-the-cholmondeley-pageant-of-power-press-day-2012—video.html
