Downforce is dark magic

"Mr. Ternström. Trust me." The instructor's voice crackled over the radio. I was driving the new Lamborghini Huracan STO at full throttle along the long straight of the Vallelunga circuit, just 50 meters behind the instructor, who was driving an identical car. I had just changed gears before the start finish line. The engine was screaming behind me and the speed was well over 200 km/h.

"Listen to my voice. Don't brake before the next corner. Just lift the gas. No sudden movements, you will upset the car. Follow me through the next bend!"

The proposal was insane. Impossible. Last lap we did the same combination of corners in fourth gear. Now I was in sixth. This was absolutely not going to work. The instructor was completely crazy.

"You have almost 500 kilos of downforce now. Trust the car, trust me. Do exactly as I say and you will be fine."

The corner in front of me was tight and I was not going to be be able to take it at 100 kilometers per hour faster than the last lap, I thought.

No one remembers a coward. Instead of braking for the corner, I eased off the throttle a little and steered in. Smoothly. I did exactly as the (crazy) instructor said. I entered the corner at an unbelievable speed. This was going to end really badly.

The sense of self-preservation screamed loudly in my head. The maneuver I made was against all my instincts. I was absolutely certain that I would slide off the track, crash into the railing and make a fool of myself forever. I could forget about being invited to exclusive Lamborghini test drives in the future.

Then it happened. The laws of physics were broken. At an unimaginable speed, I took the corner just behind the instructor's car. We were glued to the tarmac. An invisible hand from the sky pushed me down to the asphalt and let me take a curve much faster than I thought possible.

"Welcome to the wonderful world of downforce!" the instructor shouted happily over the radio.

The feeling was exhilarating and unrealistic at the same time. It was unbelievable that this was possible. This car will break lap records on many tracks in the future, especially with much more competent drivers than me.

If you take a racing car that has won Daytona three times in a row and make it street-legal, you have a good start to an insanely fast car for track use, and your favorite road at home.

The Huracan STO does this by sacrificing the minimal front trunk space and replacing it with air ducts, which at high speed give you extra downward pressure over the front end. This, coupled with a proper wing at the rear and a venturi duct under the car, gives a total of almost 500 kilograms of extra downforce.

The system is not for cowards. You can't take a corner 20 km/h faster on a track and think the car is glued to the tarmac. No, you have to let go of self-preservation and dare to take the corner much faster. Only then will you get the effect I describe.

Many thanks to my instructor who helped me cross the line. Not only did I get to test-drive the most fun car I've ever driven, I also lost my downforce virginity at the Vallelunga circuit outside Rome on the 28th of July.

Peter Ternström

peter@granturismo.org