Straight from showroom to track

Oulton Park race circuit in Cheshire was the venue for the latest ‘totalkitcar Live!’ event, on the 25th March – and DAX couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome!

Despite putting three cars onto the track, the DAX team were hard put to meet the strong demand for rides from enthusiastic members of the public.

The DAX cars on track were the hugely impressive DAX Tojeiro De Dion demonstrator (powered by a 502 bhp 8.2-litre big block V8) and two DAX Rush MCs – one powered by a standard 165 bhp Kawasaki ZX12R engine and the other by a turbocharged Holeshot Suzuki Hyabusa engine with over 400 bhp on tap. That's more than 800 bhp/ton!

All cars had benefit of the patented 'Camber Compensation & Anti-Roll' system, as fitted to the Rover V8-powered DAX Rush of reigning ‘Which Kit 750 Motor Club Kit Car’ Champion, Andy Sterling. The Rush/Sterling partnership totally dominated the prestigious series and secured Andy not just his class title but also that of the overall championship. A feat he achieved with an astonishing clean sweep of the board, winning twelve scoring rounds out of twelve and setting no fewer than ten fastest laps!

"We really enjoyed our day at Oulton Park", said Peter Walker of DAX. "The whole event was superbly organised and the day just flashed by. The marshalling was first-class and even the sun shone for the most part! We just can’t wait to do it all over again at Brands."

When asked about the Camber Compensation & Anti-Roll system, Peter said, "I think most people with an interest in our cars will be familiar with the system by now. But essentially, it's a simple cross-linked double-wishbone suspension system that maximises grip and predictability by constantly keeping all tyre treads in flat and even contact with the road – whether cornering, accelerating/braking or in any combination."

"The only way that a conventional independent suspension system can come close to achieving this is if it is stiffened it to the point where it virtually ceases to move. A route commonly taken when preparing such cars for competition use."

"In contrast, our CC&AR equipped cars don't require any suspension preparation for the track", continued Peter, "and in fact, our Tojeiro demonstrator was literally driven straight from the showroom and out onto the circuit."

The man who drove the car was DAX’s test driver Gary Sanders. "You’d normally expect such a compliantly sprung car to be wallowy and to roll a lot on the track", said Gary, "but it’s actually incredibly composed and controlled. To be honest, even though I now know what to expect, I still find the car’s abilities a little eerie – it really shouldn't be able to do what it does! It's just got so much grip and is really, really easy to drive – even at, and beyond, the limits of adhesion. Everything you ask of it, it just delivers. It’s simply amazing!"

The next 'totalkitcar Live!' event is scheduled for Brands Hatch on the 14th October. After their success of Oulton Park, it certainly isn't going to be a day that DAX would want to miss.