Top Down Or Not - A Convertible Conundrum

Graham King ponders the complicated relationship Brits have with drop-tops

As I write this it's a lovely, sunny day. Cold, but lovely and sunny. The perfect weather, then, to go for a top-down blast in my Mazda MX-5. I probably will go for a drive later, but the roof will remain firmly in place. In fact, since I bought the car last December I haven't once gone topless.

You might be wondering what the point is of having a convertible and not converting it. Well, I bought an MX-5 because it's small, rear-wheel-drive, dependable and doesn't cost much to run. The fact the roof comes off had nothing to do with it.

And yet I've found my self driving along on lovely sunny days like today and couldn't help but feel like I should go alfresco. But I just could not bring myself to do so. Why?

We Brits have a complicated relationship with convertibles. We buy more of them than any other country in Europe, probably because of, not despite, our unpredictable weather; on those rare occasions the sun does show itself we want to take advantage of it.

Clearly we love convertibles, but vast swathes of the population despises convertible drivers. Car people generally respect the roofless motorist. I certainly do. And the worse the weather the better. Back in January I was driving into a freezing, drizzly London at silly o'clock in the morning and was passed by a roofless Aston DBS. That bloke got big respect from me. But I bet every single pedestrian he passed thought he was a posh dick.

Whether or not we like to admit it, Britain is still a society divided by class. These days it manifests itself as a deep aversion to the fact the that there people out there who make more money than you. We especially do not like having that fact rubbed in our faces. We hate conspicuous consumption, and no consumption is more conspicuous than the car as it offers a unique opportunity to connect a complete stranger with their likely income.

Sports cars count as conspicuous consumption because by no stretch of the imagination does anyone need such a thing. If I was being completely sensible I would have bought a Citroen C1. I don't need much space and most of my driving is local with a couple of longer trips a month. A C1 would cope perfectly well with that, probably better than the MX-5, and cost a damn sight less to run. Or I could have bought a £500 snotter and had a few extra grand in my pocket.

In short, I bought an MX-5 because I wanted it. It's the reason anyone buys a sports car. How many people have that luxury? Most people's car buying decisions are constrained by running costs, finance rates and needing to take the kids with you. A sports car shouts to the world that you don't have worry about any of that, that you have money to burn. Which is a truly heinous crime these days.

I try to live by the credo popularised by Chanel 4's The Last Leg: don't be a dick. That I'm not a dick is the only thing I care people think about me. By driving a sports car, as I've explained above, I'm inviting people to think that of me. With the roof up I can at least insulate myself from people's judgement. So up it shall stay.

Or am I being a complete idiot?

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Five Cars You Probably Didn't Realise Are Still On Sale

Graham King takes a look at some cars that cling on to life, despite selling in penny numbers and/or being way past their sell-by-date

CITROEN C5

When it was launched in 2008 the new C5 was a huge leap forward over its ungainly, badly built predecessor. It was stylish, drove well enough and the build quality could just about give the Germans a run for their money. Every model came generously equipped and was extremely comfortable, either with the standard steel suspension or the hydropneumatic system fitted to top-spec versions and automatics. Unlike the idiosyncratic first-generation model, it was a genuine alternative to the Mondeo and Insignia. And probably just about the most soothing way of doing 50,000 miles a year.

It proved fairly popular for a few years, but in recent times sales have dropped off a cliff. The range was facelifted in 2011 but that didn't really help matters. I dare say most of the thousand or so that are sold every year go to Citroen loyalists and taxi firms (it is very spacious).

The C5 is still everything it ever was and still makes a lot of sense, even if it is getting on a bit. Unfortunately, you will probably walk straight past your local Citroen dealer and buy an Insignia instead.

FIAT BRAVO

In 2007 Fiat wanted to distance itself from its previous attempt at a mid-size hatchback, the decidedly stodgy Stilo, so revived an old name with the Bravo. Like the original Bravo from the mid-90's, the new car was very stylish, in fact by far the prettiest Focus rival available. It still is, come to think of it.

As you would expect from a Fiat, the rest of the Bravo was a bit of a mixed bag. The turbocharged petrol engines were very keen as were the diesels, even if they were rather harsh. But the handling wasn't as involving as the Focus's. Typically some of the interior plastics were a bit cheap and the build quality questionable. There wasn't much space either, but it was at least very good value. And very pretty. But now its been overtaken by the Kia Cee'd and Hyundai i30, which are much better and cost about the same.

The Bravo has never been a big seller in the UK and a 2011 facelift didn't change that. The range has been cut back to three models, and with sales in the low hundreds and Fiat's attention increasingly focused on the 500 family, the Bravo must be due for the chop soon.

HONDA ACCORD

While it was built in the UK, the Accord was everywhere. The fact the current generation hasn't sold in anything like the same quantities is probably less to do with the fact it is built in Japan and more to do with it being pitched at low-end Audi A4/BMW 3-Series territory, rather than the highish-spec Mondeo area it occupied before.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Accord per se. Indeed when SpeedMonkey tested one recently we found it perfectly acceptable; it drives well, the diesel engine is brilliant if held back by the thing's bulk, the interior's pleasant, the build quality is excellent, its good value, etc etc.

On paper, the Accord does everything a biggish family car should. But it doesn't have the image to compete with the Germans, the saloon isn't all that practical and the estate is outclassed by the Skoda Superb. Actually, thinking about it, I wonder how many people part-exed old Accords for new Skodas? I'm betting a fair few.

But I digress. The point is, the Accord is a good car, but it's hard to come up with a reason to actually buy one. Which is probably why there aren't that many about.

MITSUBISHI SHOGUN

There's no getting away from the fact the Shogun is pretty ancient now. The current Mk.4 version was launched in 2007, though it was, in effect, a reskin and revamp of the Mk.3, introduced all the way back in 2000.

Its always been a bit crude to drive, and the ginormous 3.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine is old hat now. But it comes with loads of kit and space, it's conspicuously good value, it's the only full-size SUV that you can still get in short wheelbase form, and it's pretty much unstoppable off-road.

Mitsubishi still sell a few hundred a year, probably to rural types who appreciate its ruggedness, value, and 3.5 ton towing capacity. Style-conscious urbanites who used to buy them for their seven seats have long since switched to the Volvo XC90 and Land Rover Discovery.

SMART FORTWO

The ForTwo will be back in the news soon as the third-generation version and its Renault Twingo twin will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks. But you'd be forgiven for forgetting about the current one.

The Smart has always been billed as the ultimate city car, ultra frugal and so short you can park end-on to the pavement, although that never seemed to catch on. For a while it was even quite fashionable, but since it looked like a commercial ice maker I was never sure why. Then it was comprehensively out-fashioned by the Fiat 500 and people realised it wasn't very pleasant to drive, had a terrible gearbox and was generally fairly pointless.

It seems a couple of thousand ForTwos still find homes every year, most the tax-free hybrid. Presumably most live in London, not that I've seen one recently.

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CAN GLOBAL TOURING CARS SUCCEED WHERE OTHERS HAVE FAILED?

Graham King assesses the new saloon car formula's chances

The history of motorsport is littered with series' and formulas that promised much but sank without trace. Some lasted a few seasons, some never even got off the ground in the first place. Some were ridiculous ideas, some aimed at a niche that simply wasn't there. Some actually were perfectly good ideas, but in practice they proved too costly, or the organisors failed to deliver what they promised.

Into this bear pit of wasted money and broken dreams steps Global Touring Cars, a new saloon car formula that seems promising.

The people behind GTC should know what they’re doing. Executive Director Mark Woolley has worked on the events side of motorsport for over 15 years with an impress roster of clients and the project is spearheaded by respected South African racer Gary Formato. The concept (hate that word) behind the formula is to sell franchises to run GTC series around the world. It's a perfectly sound idea and GTC claims to have sold a franchise in South Africa already.

But none of that will matter if the car is no good. Though it looks like it might just be.

Every car on the GTC grid will use identical spaceframe chassis, powered by a 500bhp V8 engine of unnamed manufacture, driving the rear wheels via a sequential gearbox. The chassis has been designed to accept original equipment body panels from most mid-size hatchbacks/saloons (a Ford Focus is pictured). Presumably the aero gubbins would be identical across the different cars, just adapted to fit.

Again, the car is a perfectly sound platform. The fact that chassis and running gear are identical across the grid would ensure a level playing field and keep a lid on costs, while a wide choice of bodies would provide variety and marketing opportunities.

So GTC looks like it should work. From a team's perspective the car should be relatively easy and affordable to acquire and run - the press release doesn't mention any numbers, but let's spitball and say £150k to buy the car and about the same to run it for a season. Affordability matters for the drivers, as does a powerful, challenging car that they make the difference to. That leads to close and spectacular racing for the spectators, both trackside and on TV, who will be able to recognise and relate to the cars they're watching. All of that means the franchise holders should have an easy job running and making money from the series.

That's the theory, but will it actually happen? Well, GTC is entering a very crowded marketplace. It's not trying to rival or replace any existing series, but it's tough to tell were it would fit. In the UK, Europe, South America and Australia, there are any number of super-competitive and high-profile tin-top series that already deliver what GTC aims to.

But those areas all have long motorsport histories with established series that GTC is unlikely to muscle in on. Where GTC might find its niche is Africa and Asia, massive continents with disparate racing landscapes between individual countries. If GTC plays its cards right, it could become a unifying force. There could even be a place for it in the USA, where multi-chassis touring car racing has traditionally struggled.

One factor heavily in GTC's favour is the current prevalence of 'global cars' - the Ford Focus you buy in Kenya is the same Ford Focus you buy in China. That is true of at least one car in pretty much every manufacturer's range. They could catch on...

The idea behind Global Touring Cars works and the machinery looks exciting. But ultimately the weak link in any project like this is the people running it. Woolley and Formato have one hell of a job on their hands to get GTC off the ground.

I'm rooting for them.

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Catch-Up Corner - Specials Edition

Graham King takes a look at some stories we missed this week

For reasons I can't work out, quite a lot of special/limited edition cars were launched this week. But are any of them worth your time? Let's have a look...

Jaguar XK Dynamic & XKR Dynamic R

The rather old but still quite lovely XK has had a bit of Botox to keep it fresh. The Signature is based on the standard 379bhp, 5.0-litre V8-powered XK and features more luxurious interior trim than standard and the mack-daddy infotainment system incorporating a new reversing camera. The 502bhp XKR-based Dynamic R adds the Black Dynamic Pack (essentially the XKR-S's suspension), Speed Pack (174mph top speed limiter), the Aerodynamic Pack (self-explanatory) and a Performance Active Exhaust. Plus a sportier interior and the mack-daddy infotainment. Both get 20in wheels. The Signature costs £54,950, the Dynamic R £69,950. So quite a lot less than if you added the options individually. Deliveries start in March. Worth it? Yep.

SEAT Mii by MANGO

For those that don't know, MANGO is a Spanish fashion house that has teamed up with SEAT to create this one. For your unspecified amount of money, you get some MANGO-specific exterior trim and badging, those 15in alloys, and the 'Nude' colour pictured (Deep Black also available). Interior add-ons include leather steering and gear knob, alcantara seats with the car's name stitched into them and a handbag hook. The first 1000 sold will also come with a MANGO umbrella, handbag and a currently unknown something designed in an online competition. Deliveries start in July. Worth it? Fashion avids only.

Fiat Panda 4x4 Antarctica

This celebrates 30 years and half-a-million sales of Fiat's go-anywhere city car. The 300-off model is only available in white with a black roof and comes with orange trim details inside and out, and that rather large image of a reclining penguin on the side. 15in alloys and rear privacy glass are added to the 4x4's already generous (for a Panda) kit list. Choose from TwinAir petrol or MultiJet diesel engines. Deliveries start in March with prices from £14,895. Worth it? The Panda 4x4 already has a sense of humour and this adds more giggles for only another couple of hundred quid, so why not.

Kia Picanto, Rio & Cee'd VR7

The VR7 package adds the same trinkets to the Picanto, Rio and Cee'd: alloy wheels, parking sensors, electric heated door mirrors and electric windows, air-conditioning, Bluetooth and USB ports. You can have it on 1.0-litre Picantos, 1.25 petrol and 1.1CRDi diesel Rios and 1.4 petrol and 1.4CRDi diesel Cee'ds. Available now. Worth it? Well, they add some appeal to competent if unappealing base-model cars. If you're buying with your own money and want maximum value, you could do worse.

Audi Q7 S-Line Style S-Line Sport

Both Style and Sport are based on the existing top-spec Q7 S-Line Plus so come with HDD nav, Audi's advanced parking assistance system, Verano leather upholstery, powered tailgate and Audi Music Interface. S-Line Style adds titanium-effect 21in alloys and ruggedised styling with stainless steel underbody protection, bigger wheelarches and new front bumper. The S-Line Sport (pictured) also gets titanium-effect 21in alloys and borrows its bulging wheelarches and gigantic air intakes from the batshit-crazy Q7 V12 TDi. Both are available with V6 (245PS) or V8 diesels, starting from £52,975 (Style) and £54,475 (Sport). Worth it? If you really want a Q7, you may as well.

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Catch-Up Corner - 2014 Detroit Motor Show Special #NAIAS

Graham King takes a look at the most interesting new concepts unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show

Something a bit different this week. Here is a run down of the most significant cars unveiled at this week's Detroit Auto Show and whether or not you should care about them.

Porsche 911 Targa

What is it? The latest 911 with a big sunroof. A very clever big sunroof that folds away, but a big sunroof none the less.

Should I care? Not unless you're a dentist who is inexplicably afraid of the proper 911 Cabriolet.

Volvo Concept XC Coupe

What is it? A big coupe/SUV crossover thing.

Should I care? Yes. The Concept XC is a showcase for Volvo's new styling themes and gives some big clues to what the next XC90 will look like.

Kia GT4 Stinger

What is it? A turbocharged, 315hp, rear-wheel-drive Toyota GT86 rival.

Should I care? Probably. Kia may end building something like the Stinger if there is demand for it, but how much of the concept's styling would survive?

Ford F150

What is it? The latest, mostly aluminium version of Ford's evergreen pick-up.

Should I care? Not really. It will no doubt carry on as the best-selling vehicle of any sort in the USA, but it's pretty much irrelevant over here.

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge

What is it? Infiniti's new M3/C63 AMG rival.

Should I care? Absolutely. Infiniti may not have made much impact in the UK over the last couple of years, but this could change that: it will have a forced induction 'V' engine with over 500bhp. Does that sound like a GT-R engine to anyone?

Chrysler 200

What is it? The latest version of Chrysler's often woeful mid-size saloon.

Should I care? Debateably. We are unlikely to see it in the UK as it is, but since Fiat has now bought-out Chrysler entirely, we might see its platform.

Audi Allroad Shooting Brake

What is it? Small coupe/SUV crossover thing.

Should I care? Probably. Audi will introduce a small SUV below the existing Q3 in 2016, so this could be some sort of preview of that. But is it just me who is seeing the next Audi TT in the front?

Nissan Sport Sedan Concept

What is it? A mid-size, sporty saloon.

Should I care? Maybe. Nissan gave up selling conventional saloons in the UK years ago, but it does showcase Nissan's future styling direction.

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06

What is it? The steroidal version of Chevy's 7th generation icon.

Should I care? Ludicrous power with a proper manual gearbox in a car this sexy? I should say so.

Subaru WRX STi

What is it? The latest Scooby rally car for the road.

Should I care? Yes, but can you be bothered? It's hardly pretty (but then the WRX never has been) and Subaru has been out of the World Rally Championship since the end of 2008, so do past glories really still stick? The WRX STi has to stand on its own four wheels.

Toyota FT-1

What is it? Show stopping super-coupe concept.

Should I care? Good God, yes! Everyone is referring to it as the Supra, so let's hope that if we see the name return it's attached to a car that looks like this, that can give the GT-R a run for its money.

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DAKAR RALLY 2014 - TRUCK & QUAD CATEGORIES RESULTS ROUND-UP

Graham King reviews and rounds up the 2014 Dakar Rally

Week 2 of the Dakar from Salta, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile via the Andes mountains and the Atacama desert, saw a dramatic battle for the truck category lead, while a local hero dominated the quads.

Read the Rest Day update here

Truck category overall leader after Stage 6: Gerard de Rooy (Iveco)

Week 2 stage winners:

Stage 7: Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz)
Stage 8: Andrey Karginov (Kamaz)
Stage 9: Karginov
Stage 10: Ales Loprais (Tatra)
Stage 11: Karginov
Stage 12: Gerard de Rooy (Iveco)
Stage 13: Loprais

Gerard de Rooy might have led the event at the start of Week 2, but it was dominated by the Kamaz of Andrey Karginov. A string of indifferent stage times by de Rooy allowed Karginov to take big chunks out of the gap to first place.

A loss of nearly 16 minutes on Stage 11 dropped de Rooy down to second, promoting Karginov into the lead. De Rooy fought back over the next two stages, but couldn't quite do enough, ending the rally just 3mins 11secs behind first time winner Karginov. Kamaz now has 12 Dakar triumphs to its credit.

Karginov's teammate and 2013 winner Eduard Nikolaev was safe in third all week, but not in a position to trouble the leaders. Dmitry Sotnikov and Anton Shibalov ensured Kamaz held four of the top five positions at the finish.

After losing their two Wildcats early in Week 1, the Race2Recovery team's attention turned to getting its Renault truck to the finish. It took a Herculean effort with only half the power of the leading teams, often running close to the time limit and overcoming suspension problems. But the crew of Mark Cullum, Chris Ratter and amputee Daniel Whittingham finally crossed the line 49th out of the 50 finishers.

Top 5 runners after Stage 13:

1st Andrey Karginov/Andrey Mokeev/Igor Devyatkin
Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - 55h00m28s

2nd Gerard de Rooy/Tom Colsoul/Darek Rodewald
Team de Rooy Iveco Torpedo - +3m11s

3rd Eduard Nikolaev/Evgeny Yakovlev/Vladimir Rybakov
Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - +1h34m52s

4th Dmitry Sotnikov/Vyatcheslav Mizyukaev/Andrey Aferin
Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - +3h22m10s

5th Anton Shibalov/Robert Amatych/Almaz Khisamiev
Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - +4h37m25s

Quad category overall leader after Stage 6: Sergio Lafuente (Yamaha)

Week 2 stage winners:

Stage 7: Ignacio Casale (Yamaha)
Stage 8: Casale
Stage 9: Sebastian Husseini (Honda)
Stage 10: Sergey Karyakin (Yamaha)
Stage 11: Casale
Stage 12: Casale
Stage 13: Casale

With pre-event favourite Marcos Patronelli's dramatic exit during Week 1, the quad category was anyone's for the taking. But Ignacio Casale comprehensively stamped his authority during the second half of the rally.

Casale had been third on the Rest Day, but a strong win on Stage 7 promoted him to the lead. The previous top two, Sergio Lafuente and Rafal Sonik dropped to second and third respectively. Casale pulled the gap out, Lafuente just about staying in touch while Sonik dropped further and further out of contention.

Lafuente retired on Stage 11 leaving Casale virtually uncatchable, but that didn't stop him claiming the last three stages, taking his tally of wins to seven, more than anyone else on the whole event. Casale crossed the line in front of a home crowd 1hr 26mins clear of Sonik.

Top 5 runners after Stage 13:

1. Ignacio Casale - Tamarugal XC Rally Team Yamaha Raptor - 68h28m04s
2. Rafal Sonik - Sonik Team Yamaha Raptor - +1h26m49s
3. Sebastian Husseini - Maxxis Dakar Team Honda TRX700 - +5h40m24s
4. Mohammed Abu-Issa - Maxxis Dakar Team Honda TRX700 - +10h07m11s
5. Victor Gallegos Lozic - Tamarugal XC Rally Team Honda TRX700 - +10h23m41s

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DAKAR RALLY 2014 - BIKE CATEGORY RESULTS ROUND-UP

Graham King reviews and rounds up the 2014 Dakar Rally

Week 2 of the Dakar from Salta, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile via the Andes mountains and the Atacama desert, saw one man assert his dominance on the rally.

Overall leader after Stage 6: Marc Coma (KTM) Read the Rest Day Update here

Week 2 stage winners:

Stage 7: Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)
Stage 8: Cyril Despres (Yamaha)
Stage 9: Marc Coma (KTM)
Stage 10: Barreda
Stage 11: Coma
Stage 12: Despres
Stage 13: Barreda

Throughout the second week of the Dakar Rally, second-placed man Joan Barreda Bort did all he could to overcome his deficit to leader Marc Coma. But despite adding three more stage wins to his account (for a total of five), there was nothing he could to stop Coma edging ahead.

On Stage 12 the wheels almost literally came off Barreda's challenge when he broke the steering on his Honda. He struggled to finish the stage several hours behind the winner, Cyril Despres. Despite winning the short final stage, Barreda could only salvage seventh overall, almost three hours behind the winner.

Five-time winner Cyril Despres managed a recovery of sorts from a first week blighted by endless problems on his unproven Yamaha. Having been outside the top ten on the rest day, he set three fastest times to finish fourth overall, albeit over two hours behind.

Barreda's trouble left Coma nearly two hours clear of Jordi Viladoms who had held third all week having displaced Alain Duclos on Stage 7. Viladoms couldn't afford to be complacent about his position however, with only a slim margin over Oliver Pain. But Pain couldn't do quite enough, so the order remained unchanged at the finish.

That left Coma to cruise to his fourth Dakar triumph, continuing KTM's unbroken run of victories that stretches all the way back to 2001.

Top 10 runners after Stage 13:

1. Marc Coma - KTM Red Bull Rally Factory Team KTM 450 Rally Rep - 54h50m53s
2. Jordi Viladoms - KTM Red Bull Rally Factory Team KTM 450 Rally Rep - +1h52m27s
3. Olivier Pain - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Yamaha YZF450 Rally - +2h00m03s
4. Cyril Despres - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Yamaha YZF450 Rally - +2h05m38s
5. Helder Rodrigues - HRC Rally Honda CRF450 Rally - +2h11m09s
6. Kuba Przygonski - Orlen KTM Rally Factory Team KTM 450 Rally Rep - +2h31m46s
7. Joan Barreda Bort - HRC Rally Honda CRF450 Rally - +2h54m01s
8. Daniel Gouet - Tamarugal XC Rally Team - Honda CRF450 Rally - +3h10m34s
9. Stefan Svitko - Oraving Slovnaft Team KTM 450 Rally Rep - +3h50m10s
10. David Casteu - Team Casteu KTM 450 Rally - +3h58m09s

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DAKAR RALLY 2014 - CAR CATEGORY RESULTS ROUND-UP

Graham King rounds up and reviews the 2014 Dakar Rally

Week 2 of the Dakar from Salta, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile via the Andes mountains and the Atacama desert, might have been a two horse race, but there was still plenty of drama.

Overall leader after Stage 6: Nani Roma (Mini) Read the Rest Day Update here

Week 2 stage winners:

Stage 7: Carlos Sainz (SMG)
Stage 8: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Mini)
Stage 9: Stephane Peterhansel (Mini)
Stage 10: Al-Attiyah
Stage 11: Orlando Terranova (Mini)
Stage 12: Peterhansel
Stage 13: Giniel de Villiers (Toyota)

Week 2 of the 2014 Dakar Rally quickly became a battle of two Minis between long-time leader Nani Roma and 11-time event winner Stephane Peterhansel.

Peterhansel had battled through a litany of problems during the first week to lie third overall on the rest day. He resumed his fight back on Stage 7, displacing fellow X-Raid driver Orlando Terranova from second. He gradually chipped away at Roma's lead as the week wore on, closing to just 2mins 15secs at the end of Stage 10.

At that point X-Raid boss Sven Quandt decided that Roma's and Peterhansel's pace was too fast and, not wanting to risk a clean-sweep of the podium now that Nasser Al-Attiyah had pushed his way into third, ordered his drivers to hold station.

Both Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah did as they were told on Stage 11, falling back from Roma but the plan went out of the window on Stage 12. Peterhansel took the stage win from Al-Attiyah and Roma, the top three seperated by less than six minutes. That put Peterhansel in lead by a scant 26 seconds. After thousands of kilometers of on-the-limit driving, the rally would go down to the wire.

Carlos Sainz's testing event came to an end on Stage 10. Various issues had stymied the two-time World Rally Champion's campaign during week one, leaving him sixth overall. He took his second stage win on Stage 7, not that it got him back into the top five. He finally crashed out three days later on a road section in Stage 10. Sainz and co-driver Timo Gottschalk were okay, the car was not.

But back to the lead battle on Stage 13. Giniel de Villiers took his only win of the rally from Krzysztof Holowczyc on the short, 157km run to the finish at Valparaiso by just 23 seconds. Al-Attiyah was safe in third overall so his deficit of 4mins 51secs to fourth-placed de Villiers didn't matter. So all eyes were on Roma and Peterhansel. In the final reckoning on a close run stage, Peterhansel dropped just over six minutes to Roma on Stage 13, making Roma the 2014 Dakar champion.

Whether or not Peterhansel gave Roma the win will be endlessly debated. But the records will show that Roma, bike category winner in 2004, is now a two-time Dakar champion. Which will be all he really cares about.

Top 10 runners after Stage 13:

1st Nani Roma/Michel Perin
Monster Energy X-Raid Team Mini ALL4 Racing - 50h44m58s

2nd Stephane Peterhansel/Jean Paul Cottret
Monster Energy X-Raid Team Mini ALL4 Racing - +5m38s

3rd Nasser Al-Attiyah/Lucas Cruz
Qatar X-Raid Racing Team Mini ALL4 Racing - +56m52s

4th Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz
Imperial Toyota Hilux - +1h19m07s

5th Orlando Terranova/Paulo Fiuza
Monster Energy X-Raid Team Mini ALL4 Racing - +1h27m44s

6th Krzysztof Holowczyc/Konstantin Zhiltsov
Monster Energy X-Raid Team Mini ALL4 Racing - +3h55m42s

7th Marek Dabrowski/Jacek Czachor
Orlen Team Toyota Hilux - +5h34m25s

8th Christian Lavieille/Jean-Pierre Garcin
Haval Rally Team Haval H8 - +5h35m50s

9th Martin Kaczmarski/Filipe Palmeiro
Lotto X-Raid Team Mini ALL4 Racing - +6h58m12s

10th Vladimir Vasilyev/Vitaliy Yevtyekhov
X-Raid Team Mini ALL4 Racing - +6h59m34s

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Catch-Up Corner - Lexus RC F, A Faster Roller, A Speedy Seat, An AMG GLA And A Nissan Taxi

Graham King takes a look at some stories we missed this week

Don't order that M4 just yet

The motoring world is going to burst with excitement later this year when the BMW M4 (nee M3 Coupe) is launched. But it's going to face some stiff competition in the battle for mid-size super coupe supremacy from the Lexus RC F. Where the Beemer has a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo straight-six making a respectable 431bhp, the Lexus has a gigantic 5.0-litre V8 with "well above 450bhp".

On the one hand, the M4 will be more precise and comes with a manual gearbox. On the other, the RC F looks better and will be a lot more dramatic. It's the difference between a tightly controlled opera and a raucous musical. I loved the stage version of Happy Days...

Ghost with more go

If the surprisingly quick Rolls-Royce Ghost isn't quite fast enough for you, don't worry as Rolls have turned up the wick a bit to create the Ghost V-Specification. Apart from some nice trim details and shiny 21in wheels, the big change is the extra 30bhp under the bonnet. The total output jumps to 601bhp, halfway between the standard saloon and the related Wraith coupe. The increase drops the 0-60mph time 0.3secs to 4.7secs. Which isn't very much in a 2.5ton drawing room on wheels. You can have a V-Spec Extended Wheelbase version if you want to be terrified by your chaffeur.

Speedy SEAT

SEAT have introduced the all-new Leon Cupra. For the first time you can have a three-door version in the rather handsome Leon SC, though the five-door is a looker itself. As with the previous generation, the new Cupra is fast, spacious, good value (the difference between SC and 5dr is £300) and now it's surprisingly frugal too - the manuals return a claimed 44.1mpg, DSG's 42.2mpg.

If you want the fastest version get the Cupra 280 DSG, which does 0-62mph in 5.7secs and 155mph flat-out. The best value is the 265bhp SC Cupra, which is only 0.2secs slower to 62mph, still does 155mph and costs less than £26,000.

Mercedes GLA now with extra giddy-up

Mercedes' new A-Class-based crossover, the GLA-Class, arrives later this year. If the run-of-the-mill petrols and diesels don't do it for you, you might be interested in this, the GLA45 AMG. As the name suggests, it shares its engine and running gear with A45/CLA45. So that means a 2.0-litre, turbocharged 'four', developing a slightly swivel-eyed 355bhp, connected to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch 'box. 0-62mph takes 4.8secs and top speed is limited to 155mph. I'm not entirely sure why you would buy one, considering it won't be quite as good to drive as the A45. But that sort of thing doesn't matter in markets like China, where they love this kind of thing and probably where most GLA's will sell.

The new face of London black cabs

Nissan is entering the cut throat world of London's taxi trade with this NV200 van-based interpretation of the black cab. In many ways, it really shows up quite how archaic the traditional LTI TX has become, particularly in environmental terms. The Nissan's 1.6 petrol/CVT powertrain will be more economical and a lot cleaner than the ancient diesels used by LTI, producing a less noxious and particulate emissions (there will be a zero-emissions version later on). Its even been modified to achieve the required 25ft turning circle, hence the stretched front wheelarches.

But there is one modification that was completely unnecessary. The regular NV200 is an innocuous-looking thing, but for some reason for this version, Nissan has tried to emulate the 'traditional' black cab nose. I'll leave you to your opinions. The Nissan NV200 Taxi for London, to give it its full name, will hit the streets of our nation's capital in December.

By Graham King

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DAKAR RALLY 2014 - CAR CATEGORY REST DAY UPDATE

There was a script for this year's Dakar Rally, but after six stages and a day or more of flat-out driving, no-one seems to have read it. The event has thrown up many surprises between Rosario and Salta in Argentina, but seems to have settled down at the mid-point.

Stage winners

Stage 1: Carlos Sousa (Haval)
Stage 2: Stephane Peterhansel (Mini)

Stage 3: Nani Roma (Mini)

Stage 4: Carlos Sainz (SMG)

Stage 5: Roma

Stage 6: Peterhansel

The form book said Stephane Peterhansel should walk away from the front, but he wasn't even in the top five after Stage 1. Carlos Sousa took a surprise win in the unfancied Haval - he said the heat in the un-air-conditioned CAR spurned him on: he wanted to get out! The X-Raid Minis of Orlando Terranova and Nasser Al-Attiyah rounded out the podium, than less than a minute behind.

Sousa dropped out of contention on Stage 2 with a blown turbo. Peterhansel took his first stage win, moving into the overall lead. Carlos Sainz was close behind in his SMG Buggy, followed by the Imperial Toyota of Giniel de Villiers. Sainz ended the day second overall, with Al-Attiyah third.

Peterhansel endured a torrid Stage 3, picking up six punctures as he cleared the road. Nani Roma capiltised, winning the stage and taking the overall lead. Roma's teammate Krzysztof Holowczyc and Toyota man Leeroy Poulter finished third. Terranova finished fourth, vaulting past Al-Attiyah into second overall as Sainz failed to make the top five.

Sainz fought back on Stage 4 to take the win, claiming the overall lead from Roma who lost 14 minutes on the stage. Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah were some way back in second and third. Roma displaced Terranova from second overall, while Al-Attiyah remained third.

Sainz dropped out of contention on Stage 5, getting lost and incurring a one hour penalty for missing a way point. Roma picked up his second stage win, in front of de Villiers and a distant Robby Gordon, enduring yet another trying event in his brand-new Hummer. Roma, Al-Attiyah and Terranova all moved up one place in the overall standings to first, second and third respectively.

Peterhansel managed to grab his second win on Stage 6, with only a narrow margin over Al-Attiyah in second and Terranova in third. Despite finishing the stage down in sixth, Roma retains a half-hour lead heading into the second week. Terranova lies second, while Al-Attiyah having fallen to fifth after a one hour penalty. Peterhansel has moved up to third, 33 minutes down, maintaining the all-Mini podium.

Unfortunately for Roma, 30 minutes is not much of a margin when there's still seven stages to go through Bolivia and Chile. And the Andes to cross.

Sadly both of the Race2Recovery Wildcats retired after Stage 2. Navigator Philip Gillespie lost the chance to repeat his record of being the only amputee to finish the Dakar when the head gasket blew on his and driver Ben Gott's car. Tony Harris's hopes of becoming the first amputee driver to finish were dashed after an end-over-end roll. He and co-driver Quin Evans made it to the end of the stage, only for the mechanics to discover a large crack in the rollcage. The team's Renault race truck is still in event, albeit last over 250 hours behind after (many) penalties. It'll still be a massive achievement if they finish.

Top 10 runners after Stage 6

1. Nani Roma - Monster Energy X-Raid Mini ALL4 Racing - 22h11m28s
2. Orlando Terranova - Monster Energy X-Raid Mini ALL4 Racing - +30m30s
3. Stephane Peterhansel - Monster Energy X-Raid Mini ALL4 Racing - +33m23s
4. Giniel de Villiers - Imperial Toyota Hilux - +40m54s
5. Nasser Al-Attiyah - Qatar X-Raid Mini ALL4 Racing - +1h22m35s
6. Carlos Sainz - Red Bull Rally SMG Buggy - +1h59m38s
7. Marek Dabrowski - Orlen Toyota Hilux - +1h59m39s
8. Pascal Thomasse - MD Rallye Optimus Buggy - +2h21m08s
9. Krzysztof Holowczyc - Monster Energy X-Raid Mini ALL4 Racing - +2h28m57s
10. Adam Malysz - Orlen Toyota Hilux - +2h43m13s

By Graham King

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DAKAR RALLY 2014 - BIKE CATEGORY REST DAY UPDATE

There was a script for this year's Dakar Rally, but after six stages and a day or more of flat-out driving, no-one seems to have read it. The event has thrown up many surprises between Rosario and Salta in Argentina, but seems to have settled down at the mid-point.

Stage winners

Stage 1: Joan Barreda Bort (Honda)
Stage 2: Sam Sunderland (Honda)
Stage 3: Barreda
Stage 4: Juan Pedrero Garcia (Sherco)
Stage 5: Marc Coma (KTM)
Stage 6: Alain Duclos (Sherco)

The smart money was on a battle royale between Marc Coma and Cyril Despres. It hasn't quite turned out that way.

Joan Barreda Bort claimed his first win of the rally on Stage 1, with Coma and Despres within touching distance in second and third. The pair fell to ninth and tenth respectively on Stage 2, won narrowly by Briton Sam Sunderland from 'Chelico' Lopez and Barreda. Those positions were reversed for the overall podium.

Barreda took Stage 3 honours. Despres and Coma claimed the remaining podium places, the overall order matching the stage order. Juan Pedrero won Stage 4 on the French Sherco machine, while Lopez took second and claimbed to third overall. Third on the road moved Coma up to second overall, the delayed Despres dropping out of the top five.

Coma finally won his first stage of the event on Stage 5, well clear of Jordi Viladoms and Kuba Przygonski. Coma took the overall lead as issues for Barreda demoted him to second, a long way back. Lopez maintained third, but well out of touch. Mechanical problems dropped Despres further out of contention.

After three top five stage times earlier in the week, Alain Duclos took Sherco's second win of the event on Stage 6. He moves up to third overall after Lopez crashed out. Coma finished the day second, extending his lead over Barreda who crossed the line fourth. Michael Metge annexed the bottom step of the podium for the stage. Despres dropped out of the overall top ten.

Coma looks comfortable with a lead of over 42 minutes, but he will know there is still a very long, very challenging way to go yet.

Tragically, Stage 5 was marred by the death leader amateur rider Eric Palante, who was competing in his 11th Dakar Rally. The 50 year-old Belgian's body was found by a clear-up crew at kilometer 143. The cause of his death is currently unknown.

Top 10 runners after 6 stages

1. Marc Coma - Red Bull Factory Team KTM 450 Rally Rep - 23h08m00s
2. Joan Barreda Bort - HRC Rally Honda CRF450 - +42m17s
3. Alain Duclos - Samsung Factory Sherco 450SR - +1h00m58s
4. Jordi Viladoms - Red Bull Factory Team KTM 450 Rally Rep - +1h08m09s
5. Jeremias Israel Esquerre - Mapfre Speedbrain 450 Rally - +1h33m28s
6. Olivier Pain - Factory Team Yamaha 450YZF Rally - +1h43m08s
7. Kuba Przygonski - Orlen Factory KTM 450 Rally Rep - +1h49m59s
8. Helder Rodrigues - HRC Rally Honda CRF450 - 2h01m24s
9. David Casteu - Team Casteu KTM 450 Rally - 2h12m05s
10. Daniel Gouet - Tamarugal XC Honda 450 - 2h17m26s

By Graham King

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DAKAR RALLY 2014 - TRUCK AND QUAD CATEGORIES REST DAY UPDATE

There was a script for this year's Dakar Rally, but after six stages and a day or more of flat-out driving, no-one seems to have read it. The event has thrown up many surprises between Rosario and Salta in Argentina, but seems to have settled down at the mid-point. 

Truck category stage winners

Stage 1: Ayrat Mardeev (Kamaz) Stage 4: de Rooy
Stage 2: Gerard de Rooy (Iveco) Stage 5: Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz)
Stage 3: Andrey Karginov (Kamaz) Stage 6: Pieter Versluis (MAN)

Of all the categories in the Dakar, the trucks are following the script most closely. Gerard de Rooy took the overall lead after a strong win on Stage 2 and has stayed there ever since, helped by another win on Stage 4.

As expected, de Rooy's main competition has come from the Kamaz team, three of its drivers picking up a stage win each. Going into the rest day, Andrey Karginov lies second overall, with Eduard Nikolaev third, despite not winning a stage.

The only man to break the Iveco/Kamaz hegemony so far is Pieter Versluis, who took a surprise win on Stage 6 in a MAN having been well out of contention all week. His winning margin of just over a minute did little to reduce his seven hour deficit, though.

De Rooy holds a slim buffer of just under half an half going into week two. He had a similar margin this time last year when his turbo blew. He won't be taking anything for granted.

Top 5 runners after Stage 6

1. Gerard de Rooy - Team De Rooy Iveco Torpedo - 23h14m27s
2. Andrey Karginov - Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - +29m05s
3. Eduard Nikolaev - Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - +1h07m42s
4. Dmitry Sotnikov - Kamaz Master Kamaz 4326 - +1h22m35s
5. Hans Stacey - Team De Rooy Iveco Trakker - +1h34m44s

Quad category stage winners

Stage 1: Ignacio Casale (Yamaha) Stage 4: Casale
Stage 2: Marcos Patronelli (Yamaha) Stage 5: Sergio Lafuente (Yamaha)
Stage 3: Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) Stage 6: Sonik

Perhaps the biggest shock in the entire event so far came from the quad category on Stage 3. Pre-rally favourite Marcos Patronelli took the overall lead on Stage 2, but then dramatically crashed out the next day, being forced to bail off his machine before it went down a deep ravine.

In Patronelli's absence, stage winners Ignacio Casale, Rafal Sonik and Sergio Lafuente have been disputing the lead, pulling a very long way ahead of the everyone else in the process.

Having reached the top five on Stage 3, Lafuente now leads the rally with Sonik second and Casale third. Separated by only 24 minutes, the quads will have the closest battle for the lead next week.

Top 5 runners after Stage 6

1. Sergio Lafuente - Uruguay Team Yamaha Raptor - 29h22m20s
2. Rafal Sonik - Sonik Team Yamaha Raptor - +22m18s
3. Ignacio Casale - Tamarugal XC Yamaha Raptor - +24m04s
4. Sebastian Husseini - Maxxis Honda TRX - +3h18m54s
5. Mohammed Abu-Issa - Maxxis Honda TRX - +5h27m02s

By Graham King

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2014 Dakar Rally Preview

Graham King previews the 2014 Dakar Rally

The Dakar Rally gets under way for the 34th time this weekend. The 2014 route takes the 434 competitors nearly 5,000km through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile over two weeks. Honours for cars, bikes, quads and trucks are all up for grabs.

First run through Saharan Africa in 1979, the rally was forced to abandon its traditional home after the 2008 edition was cancelled due to threats of a terrorist attack against the rally. The Dakar moved to South America in 2009 and has gone from strength to strength.

So, who is in contention for victory this year?

CARS

It would be brave to bet against Stephane Peterhansel taking his third straight win in the Monster X-Raid Mini. With 11 Dakar victories to his credit (five in cars, six on bikes), the Frenchman knows exactly how to win the event. Something he demonstrated last year, biding his time while his rivals fell by the way-side, then pushing on to the finish.

But Peterhansel faces a lot of competition, not least from within his own team. 2011 winner and WRC regular Nasser al-Attiyah looks likely to be the main threat, in his debut in a Qatar-sponsored Mini. Fellow X-Raid drivers Nani Roma, Orlando Terranova and Krzysztof Holowczyc have the speed, but perhaps not the consistency, to win.

Elsewhere, 2010 victor and two-time WRC champion Carlos Sainz debuts a brand new, two-wheel-drive buggy. The Red Bull SMG team is bidding to become the first 2WD winner since 2000. American Robby Gordon will be hoping that his Hummer's enormous speed will finally be backed up with the reliability to get him to the podium for the first time since 2009. That year's winner Giniel de Villiers has been around to pick up the pieces for the last two years, finishing on the podium in his Imperial Toyota Hilux and should be there-or-thereabouts again this year. It's also worth keeping an eye on Ford Racing's new Ranger, with lead driver Lucio Alvarez.

British interest centres on the Race2Recovery team, manned partly by injured Forces personnel. The team endured a torrid race in 2013. Two of the team's three cars dropped out, while a support car was involved in a crash with a taxi that left several team members injured and two locals dead. During the second week, both service trucks broke down terminally, but despite everything the team managed to get one car (which suffered continual overheating) across the finish line. Navigator Corporal Philip Gillespie became the first amputee to finish the Dakar, achieving the team's goal. 2014's two car effort is led again by Captain Tony Harris, navigated by Quin Evans. Ben Gott returns to the team, with Cpl. Gillespie on the maps.

BIKES

The bike section is likely to be dominated by Marc Coma and Cyril Despres. Frenchman Despres took his fifth win last year, while Spaniard Coma had to sit the event out with a shoulder injury. Coma looks like the favourite on paper, as he bids for his fourth win and KTM's 13th in a row. Despres is looking for a record-equalling sixth win, but has switched from his usual KTM to an unproven Yamaha.

Coma's works Red Bull KTM teammates Francisco Lopez, Ruben Faria and Jordi Viladoms will be in with a shout at the podium. Honda men Joan Barreda Bort and Helder Rodrigues, Despres' factory Yamaha partner Olivier Pain and KTM privateer David Casteu shouldn’t be discounted either.

TRUCKS & QUADS

Russia's factory Red Bull Kamaz team locked out the truck category's podium in 2013, led by Eduard Nikolaev. He and teammates Ayrat Mardeev and Andrey Karginov all return this year, but their mounts have brand-new engines. Will they have the reliability to claim Kamaz's 12th Dakar victory?

2012 winner Gerard de Rooy (he of the bright orange car transporters) led much of the 2013 rally before the turbo blew on his Petronas Iveco. With reliability, he could again be a major thorn in the Russians' side. As might his teammate, 2007 victor Hans Stacey. The Tatra-mounted pair of Ales Loprais and Martin Kolomy, and MAN man Pieter Versluis are also likely to be in the mix.

Argentinian hero Marcos Patronelli won the quad category by nearly two hours last year. Barring disaster, you can pretty much guarantee a similar performance this year. Ignacio Casale, Rafal Sonik, Sebastian Palma and Sebastien Husseini will fight amongst themselves for the remaining podium positions. Chileans Casale and Palma will be particularly keen to finish well in front of a probably deeply partisan home crowd.

The Dakar Rally starts on Sunday. I'll keep you updated throughout the event.

Graham King

Image source: Dakar.com

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Meeke and Evans to compete in 2014 WRC - Finally some Brits to cheer

Kris Meeke and Elfyn Evans will compete in the World Rally Championship next year, driving for Citroen and Ford respectively. They will be the first Brits who could challenge for the title in over a decade.

The last great era of British drivers in the WRC was the Burns vs McRae wars of the late Nineties and early Two-thousands. That was forced to close at the end of the 2003 season when the Citroen team dropped McRae and Burns showed the first symptoms of the brain tumor that would ultimately take his life in 2005. McRae made three more appearances, twice for Skoda in '05 (a late clutch failure denied him a podium in Australia) and a single outing in Turkey in '06, driving a Citroen (again, he retired). He was killed in a helicopter crash in '07 with his son and two family friends.

Since then other British drivers have competed in rallying's top flight, but none have ever been in a position to fight for wins and titles. Now we have two who should be able to.

Kris Meeke

Northern Irishman Meeke has finally caught his big WRC break, being signed to lead Citroen's attack on the championship. He should have been signed by one of the big teams years ago, but lack of budget meant he was never really in the frame. It looked like he got the break in 2011 when he drove Prodrive's promising Mini John Cooper Works, but BMW pulled the funding rug from under the project. He was taken on by the PSA Group as a development driver for its various Citroen and Peugeot projects, which led to two outings with the factory Abu Dhabi Citroen team in 2013. He showed huge speed in Finland and Australia but crashed out on both occassions, a theme throughout his career. But Citroen was clearly impressed with the 34 year-old's performance and potential regardless. After all, the security of a full-time drive with Peugeot UK resulted in claiming the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Hopefully he can perform a similar turnaround driving his new DS3 WRC.

While Meeke has been on the fringes of the WRC for years, Welshman Evans is a complete newcomer, driving for the Qatar M-Sport Ford team. The son of 1996 British rally champion and sometime WRC driver Gwyndaf Evans, 24 year-old Elfyn claimed the 2012 WRC Academy title driving a Fiesta R2. That led to a funded drive in a four-wheel-drive Fiesta R5 in the second-tier WRC2 category during 2013. He had to play second fiddle to the dominant Robert Kubica, but took an emphatic victory on the season-closing Wales Rally GB. A single drive in Italy in the full-fat Fiesta RS WRC normally used by Nasser al-Attiyah netted an impressive sixth place.

Elfyn Evans

Though Meeke and Evans will be driving cars with the speed to claim the championship (indeed the DS3 has already won two), they will be in for a very tough fight. Volkswagen and Sebastien Ogier steamrollered the WRC in 2013, winning 10 of the 13 events, Ogier taking nine of those. Ford had to settle for second, while Citroen looked rudderless without Sebastien Loeb. Few would bet against VW continuing its form into 2014.

Meeke knows the Citroen team well and is apparently very popular with the mechanics. But it will still be a challenge to galvanise the team around him, whilst finding consistency in his driving. At least his teammate, the sporadically fast Mads Ostberg, is unlikely to pose much of a threat. However, Citroen's resources will be split between the WRC and its new World Touring Car Championship program in 2014. Will rallying suffer with favoured son Loeb driving for the WTCC team? Time will tell.

Evans faces less pressure as M-Sport Ford's number two driver. Team leader Mikko Hirvonen returns to the Cumbrian squad after two seasons with Citroen. Evans' pure speed might outstrip Hirvonen's, but the youngster's consistency is unproven. There's also a big unknown from within Ford's own ranks, as F1 refugee and 2013 WRC2 champion Robert Kubica will contest a full season in a Lotos-backed Fiesta. Kubica's speed is undoubted, but he is still only getting used to gravel and has never competed on snow. He could prove devastating as he gains more experience. Evans will have to work very hard to gain the upper hand in the fight to be fastest Ford.

Both Meeke and Evans will face huge challenges both within their own teams and in the battle to overcome the might of Volkswagen. But whatever happens on the stages, the United Kingdom's rally fans now have two drivers who will battle at the front to cheer on.

That's a victory in itself.

Article by Graham King
Check out Graham's Facebook page, Headboltz

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How I Learnt My Limits In A Rear Wheel Drive Car

Graham King recently went on a driving day at Bedford Autodrome. It didn’t turn out quite the way he expected.

If you read my columns on my trackday at Thruxton and the day I spent learning how to drift, you might remember that I've spent the last couple of months preparing myself to get a racing license.

The last stage of my preparations was to be a PalmerSport day at Bedford Autodrome that I went on recently. It was a lot of fun, but it taught me much more about what I can't do in a car than what I can do.

You see, when the scores were totted up at the end of the day, I finished 21st out of the 30 participants. Which was some way below where I was hoping I'd be. There is a perfectly valid reason, though.

During the day I drove a Caterham, an Ariel Atom, an M3 and two bespoke racing cars, one a single-seater, the other a Le Mans-type sportscar. The one thing they all have in common is that they are rear-wheel-drive. Something I have little meaningful experience with.

Inevitably I had a couple of spins. The problem was, though I felt the car getting away from me, my brain and body simply didn't know what to do about it. I know the theory inside out, but in the heat of the moment, theory goes out of the window. There's only instinct. And right now, I clearly don't really have any.

With that praying on my mind, every time the instructor told me to put my foot down when the steering wheel was pointing somewhere other than dead ahead, I thought to myself: "If I do that there's a good chance the back end will step out on me. And I don't know if I'll be able to catch it." That thought process probably cost me six or seven seconds a lap.

It started to get really frustrating. In many ways, I should have monstered it - I learnt the circuits within two laps and, as it turns out, my 'feel' for the cars' handling was fantastic - I picked up on every nuance of what was going on. But my ability to act fully on what I felt was sorely lacking.

If the cars had been front or four-wheel-drive, I hope my times would have right near the top, since I know exactly what I'm doing with those layouts. But with rear-wheel-drive, not so much. Barely at all, clearly.

I left Bedford Autodrome wondering what to do next. I took an easy decision to put off taking the ARDS test to get a racing license until such time as I get more rear-wheel-drive experience. But the question was, how to get that experience?

Actually, that was fairly easy too: sell the Octavia vRS and get an MX-5. I figure a year ripping round in one of the little Mazdas should get me to a point where I'll be willing to put my credibility on the line in the heat of competition.

I learnt a valuable lesson in what my limits are. It's a lesson we should all learn - so many accidents happen when drivers overreach themselves. Fortunately I did so whilst on a track, not whilst heading uncontrollably towards a large tree.

Be safe out there.

By Graham King

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Catch-up Corner - Dacia Duster Plus Quad, Seat's Sporty Ambitions And More

Graham King takes a look at some stories we missed this week

DACIA DUSTER FINDS ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD

I've always thought the Dacia Duster is the ideal farm/country estate hack as it's cheap, spacious and tough. Dacia clearly think so too and are unashamedly chasing after the farmer-on-a-budget market with the ATV Pack that's now available on the Duster.

Ticking that particular option will get you a towbar, an Ifor Williams trailer and a Yamaha Grizzly quad bike. Choose between the basic 2WD 125cc version for £5,400, or the 350cc with 2WD or 4WD for £7,800. You can spec it on any Duster model, so at its cheapest you get car and quad for £16,495. You can retro-fit it to an existing car, too.

Completely unsurprisingly, the Duster/ATV combo will debut at the Royal Welsh Mid Winter Fair next week. Like I said, they clearly know their target market...

SEAT LEON EUROCUP LAUNCHED

Since May, SEAT has been hawking its new Leon Cup racer around. It's a pretty serious piece of kit: 300bhp+ from a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, choice of DSG or sequential gearboxes, full race suspension and brakes, an aerodynamically-effective bodykit and those wheelarches that add 40cm to the car's width, and all the usual safety gear. All for EUR70,000 with the DSG (EUR95k with the sequential).

It was inevitable that SEAT would run a one-make series for the Leon Cup as it has with previous generations of the car since 2003. And so they have announced the 2014 SEAT Leon Eurocup that'll run over six rounds in six countries, using the DSG version of the car. No doubt various national Leon Supercopa championships will follow - previous versions have run in eight countries.

At EUR70k the car itself is very good value. I doubt it'll be all that expensive to run either and it'll be eligible for many more racing series besides. If you can swap between DSG and sequential 'boxes, it would open up a whole world of possibilities. Am I starting to sound like I want one?

TWINGO TURNS 20

The Renault Twingo is 20 years old. We never got the cheery and cheeky first-generation version in the UK, though I'm sure some you had one as a holiday hire car. It looked like a shrunken Espace and was surprisingly spacious. The second-gen version arrived on our shores in 2007 (the Mk.1 lasted 14 years) and though the cooking models arguably aren't as characterful as the original, the Renaultsport version is a suitably exuberant little pup.

RECORD RUN IN ANCIENT FORD

These smiley happy people are Rod Wade and Michael Flanders, pictured on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, having driven 3,000 miles from New York, non-stop in their 1930 Ford Model A. Their time of 50 hours, 20 minutes 6 seconds is a new record for a pre-war car.

The run wasn't entirely trouble free, the car suffering a broken camshaft before battling through freezing conditions in Texas. It was done in a bid to raise awareness and funds for kidney disease - the Wade family run a project to fit caravans and campers with dialysis machines so sufferers can travel. They're the kind of people that make the world a better place...

C-CHARGE-FREE PANAMERA

Porsche has confirmed that the 416bhp, 71g/km of Co2 Panamera S E-Hybrid will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge. With a top speed of 167mph, it has the slightly useless distinction of being the fastest car to be C-Charge exempt (it's not quite the quickest - the 0-62mph time of 5.5secs is around a second behind the Tesla Model S).

Much more significant to the people who will actually buy the Panamera is that it carries a company car tax liability of only 5%. With a £88,967 price tag, that could save tens of thousands of pounds a year. Which would be enough for me to see past the styling.

By Graham King

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