PH Competes: Stelvio Quadrifoglio lap challenge

Alfa’s 510hp SUV has added to its Nurburgring lap record with fast times around the UK. Then came our turn

Not content with a lap record for SUVs at the Nurburgring, Alfa Romeo has let its Stelvio Quadrifoglio loose on three of the UK’s most iconic circuits to throw down a gauntlet for rival brands to challenge. Pro racer David Brise has set the first officially timed laps for an SUV in the Stelvio at Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington – and to test how quick he is, PH was on hand to have a go at challenging one of the times!

Brise clocked a 55.9-second lap in the 510hp Alfa on Brands’ Indy layout, which is only 4.5s off what Fastest Laps would have us believe is the quickest road car time, set by a Caterham R500. Perhaps more telling was Brise’s stint on Silverstone’s full GP circuit, where he recorded a 2 minute 31.6 second lap to place the twin-turbocharged V6 Quadrifolgio within three tenths of the front-drive record time, which you may remember is held by the Honda Civic Type R – a model that’s 204hp less potent but 450kg lighter.

But then things got really interesting. PH joined Brise on the day of his Donington timing, where yours truly was sent out on track for three laps practice before setting an initial time for Brise to beat. With the layout fresh in my mind thanks to a prior stint on track and the Stelvio having impressed us on multiple occasions, the task didn’t seem so daunting. That was until Brise climbed aboard for our timed attempt and the reality of being observed by a pro on one of the UK’s most challenging tracks set in.

With only two timed laps against the stopwatch the pressure was intense, so much so that before Old Hairpin my first lap was wasted thanks to a big oversteer moment. It tested my bravery because an SUV, even one as agile as a Stelvio, can quickly turn into a runaway juggernaut when presented with damp grass. Thankfully, things were gathered up before any real mess and we could head around for attempt two without a change of underpants.

This time we made it down Craner Curves cleanly and through the Old Hairpin with a lovely throttle-angled approach. Brise reminded me to not overdrive but the Alfa is so much fun when it’s slightly rotated that it proved too tempting to get greedy on the throttle. It felt fast through McLeans and the turn-in for Coppice’s blind apex; it’s such a rush when the front end’s as hooked up as the Alfa’s. But then my overeagerness caused the tail to step out as we powered around the latter part of the the long right-hander onto Starkey’s Straight, causing the car’s ESP (it’s never fully-fully off) to bite the left rear brake and bog the engine down. Balls.

We finished the lap and crossed the line with a 1 minute 23 second time, which felt ok and better still when it became clear we were the quickest of the journos on hand, albeit by a few hundreths of a second. But, of course, Brise went out and embarrassed us all by logging a 1 minute 21.1 second blinder straight after – confirming his unquestionable ranking as a proper pro and emphasising how humble he was as he observed the driving of a certain PH staffer. To put it into perspective, Brise’s time was about 10 seconds shy of what the sharp end of the BTCC field managed a few weeks later; that’s impressive for any road car, let alone an SUV with zero track modifications.

Ok, so Alfa’s times are unchallenged by another SUV for now, but the brand’s decision to set them at all despite already having the ‘Ring record illustrates a certain confidence in its product – not to mention an eagerness to be respected by people like us. Will the times be challenged by Alfa’s SUV-making rivals? Perhaps we’ll find out sooner rather than later; it can’t feel too good for Jaguar having a rival stealing the limelight on home turf, after all…

Brise’s laps

 

PH’s attempt

 

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