OneShift at the Cupra Racetrack Experience in Castelloli, Spain

CASTELLOLI, Spain - As journalists, we get to go to many racetrack events. However, due to various reasons, most of these trackdays have a very wide margin of safety, which means we do not nearly get anywhere close to the full potential of the cars. Although I understand the practical aspect of it, it kind of defeats the purpose, isn’t it?

I faced none of these issues at the Cupra Racetrack Experience which I attended at the Castelloli Circuit in Spain, about 50 minutes by car from Barcelona. In fact, I recall that the last time I could drive this hard at a press event was with Porsche many years back.

It wasn’t just a handshake of confidence in our driving abilities (misplaced or not), it’s also a firm belief that the cars could handle it easily. That really left an impression on me that Cupra truly means business as an enthusiast brand; it isn’t just a branding exercise.

The day was jam-packed with activities but I couldn’t complain. We started off the morning sharpish with a track drive of the Formentor VZ around the full 4.1 kilometre circuit (believe me it was better than any caffeine hit), followed by the Exponential Experience in the Cupra UrbanRebel Racing Concept, a gymkhana in the Born VZ and finally taxi rides in the Leon VZ TCR. Phew, let’s get going.

Cupra Formentor VZ on the Castelloli Circuit

We arrived at the track early in the morning and could already hear loud rumbles, obviously from a race car. The first surprise was seeing the 340 hp Leon VZ TCR warming up. The second was that we would be following the instructors in it with the Formentor VZ. Looks like the stage was set for quite a chase.

Driving the Formentor VZ from the buzzing urban streets of Barcelona to the circuit via the highway was dead easy. It felt as easy and relaxing to drive as a Golf. So it really showed its breadth of abilities when it suddenly transformed into a very, very capable car on the track that’s all too willing to play catch-up to a stripped down racer.

The engine actually has a very decent top-end so it’s well-worth wringing it out; the gearbox is simply flawless in its execution while the inherent chassis balance is that of neutrality with a slight lean towards understeer. Although the car comes with Drift Mode, we didn’t test it out on the track; it would undoubtedly add another dimension to the Formentor’s VZ dynamic repertoire.

Due to my rusty amateur abilities, I soon lost sight of the Leon VZ TCR leading us and even almost couldn’t catch up with veteran Leow Ju-Len. But I came away very impressed with the Formentor VZ.

Is it as good to drive as the Mk8 Golf R? The laws of physics apply and the answer is no. The Formentor VZ is simply bigger and heavier, and definitely feels it. The Golf R feels racier overall. But for the added space and practicality the Formentor VZ offers, it’s extremely capable. Not to forget that it’s substantially cheaper than the Golf R, by almost 10%.

Exponential Experience in the Cupra UrbanRebel Racing Concept

I felt a little unprepared to drive a concept car in real life while wearing virtual reality goggles, but this is exactly what happened and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

What the Exponential Experience does is essentially to merge virtual and physical worlds. You get strapped into a harness seat belt into a 429 hp electric race car, and then don a high-definition mixed reality headset to bring you into a dynamic virtual environment. It’s so real, events in the virtual world can physically affect the car, like driving over a speed boost for example. It translates into an actual torque boost in the car.

I drove around a little circuit 3 or 4 times (I lost count), but the experience I daresay is every bit as visceral as being in a proper race car. There’s no power assistance to the steering, while the braking feels naturally heavy. I felt totally immersed into the virtual world and - although there’s a little fear in the back of my mind that I might crash into something in the real world - there’s a lot of buffer designed in and there is an instructor with an emergency brake lever as well.

I’ve always been skeptical about calling EVs fun, but this drive completely changed my mind. I think it could well be the best VR driving experience I’ve ever had.

Born VZ Gymkhana

The next part of the day was a gymkhana, but not the sort that you’re thinking of. I’ve driven the Born VZ briefly in Singapore, but not in the way we did at Castelloli.

Firstly, we had to do a slalom - but in reverse. Although it appeared impossible, it was actually quite doable once you get the hang of it. Just use the side mirrors to avoid the cones, and don’t get dizzy.

Then we did a U-turn in a small square area. This is pure precision driving. You need to enter at a precise angle to minimise the number of ‘points’ you have to make. I did not perform well here, but what it does show is that the turning radius of the Born VZ is surprisingly small.

Lastly, we did the slalom albeit forwards, and then had to cross a narrow lane of cones while going at least 40 km/h without hitting any of them down. This was pretty easy to do too, thanks to the Born VZ’s ease of placement on the road and linear throttle.

Us Singaporeans apparently did a pretty good job at all of the gymkhana activities, who would have guessed it? But kudos to Cupra for conjuring up such an interesting gymkhana!

Leon VZ TCR taxi ride

To cap off the day, we were given an unexpected treat - a taxi ride in the Leon VZ TCR. And just as how the TCR was driven in an unhinged way while we chased it in the Formentor VZ, it too was committing 100% to giving us the ride of our lives.

I never knew it was possible to hit such speeds on the undulating track with elevation changes, and the car even went sideways for some parts. And it’s a front-wheel drive car for goodness sake! The driver? Utterly calm and in control. This is one tax ride I’d not forget easily.

Photos by James Wong, Cupra

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