November 2001 - Westfield Test Day at Curborough Sprint Circuit
This is an article that I originally wrote for Pistonheads. Unfortunately, by the time I had got the pictures developed, the article was out of date. Anyway, I don't think it's professional enough for Pistonheads these days! And, as you know, I didn't buy a Westfield in the end...Factory Visit
Having sold my Griff, I was looking for a trackday toy that would be as much fun, but cost a lot less. What better place to start looking than Westfield and their 'Mega' bike-engined series? Westfield currently produce two superbike-engined models: the Megabird, which features the 1100cc/170bhp Honda Blackbird engine and the Megabusa, which features the 1300cc/175bhp Suzuki Hayabusa engine. Both models are capable of the 0-60mph sprint in less than four seconds! The 900cc/140bhp Honda Fireblade engined Megablade is still available for self-build.
I had already visited the Westfield factory in Kingswinsford, and was very impressed with the quality of the cars and components on display. Holly Bond, the sales executive, showed us around the build-area, where complete cars are assembled, and then into the factory, where the actual chassis's are made. We saw a half-finished chassis being welded on a beautiful jig and I came away confident that each Westfield chassis would be as good as the last.
Once outside, Holly started up the Megabird and blipped the throttle a few times. It sounded fantastic, like, er, a big motorbike. Then came the bad news: Westfield don't offer test drives of the Mega series on the public road. Fortunately the good news was that they hold a test day for prospective purchasers every month at Curborough Sprint Circuit near Lichfield, so I booked myself in for the next one.
Curborough Sprint Circuit
I had heard that superbike-engined cars can be tricky to drive at first, due to the lack of flywheel effect and that they are easy to stall when pulling away due to the sensitive clutch and lack of low down power. Were these comments true? These thoughts were going through my mind as I approached the Curborough Sprint circuit on the morning of the test day; I was about to find out!
Westfield had brought two cars along for the day, a black Megabird and a dark burgundy Megabusa. The Megabusa was fitted with the standard minimalist aero-screen, whilst the Megabird had a full windscreen with wipers. I looked up to the sky. The forecast was for rain, yet at that moment, the sky was clear. Would it rain before I had my test drive? I crossed my fingers and hoped that it wouldn't.
First the Westfield staff driver Richard Smith drove me for a lap of the short Curborough circuit. He took it quite easy, keeping below 7,000rpm, but even so, the acceleration and road holding were astonishing. He explained that he doesn't use the full performance of the car on the demonstration lap in case it encourages premature heroics by the guests when they get to drive. After the demonstration ride, it was my turn. You get four laps in each car, unaccompanied.
Megabird
First it's the Megabird. Once I was strapped in by the standard four-point harness, Richard explained the controls. A green light on the dashboard indicated that I was in neutral. Unlike a normal car, the gear lever moves only backwards and forwards. You push the lever forward for first and then back to change up to second and beyond. Just like a motorbike, unsurprisingly.
I depressed the clutch and pushed the gearlever forward. There was a slight clunk, and the green light went out. Richard recommends releasing the clutch without any throttle to get moving. This I did and thankfully, I pulled away without stalling. My first surprise was that the engine pulled cleanly and strongly from idle. I depressed the clutch and pulled the lever back, there was another slight clunk and I was in second.
A problem! The lever had gone back to neutral! What had I done wrong? Quickly, I depressed the clutch and pulled the lever back again. It still wouldn't stay in gear! Then I remembered. The lever only clicks backwards and forwards. DOH! It's amazing how years of operating the controls of conventional cars is ingrained in your brain even though you've just spent ten minutes concentrating on the new controls.
Once I was used to the gears, I started to build up speed. I was determined to get to the 11,000rpm redline on the short Curborough straight. Second click! Third click! Fourth! Time to brake! I'm was pushed forcefully against the harness, and I was only using half of the pedal travel! I later discovered that the test car had the optional four-pot racing callipers fitted, although Richard insists that these aren't really necessary as the car is so light.
I turned in to the right-hander at the end of the straight. The steering was not as quick as I had expected, but I could still navigate every corner of the circuit without moving my hands on the wheel, just. Although nowhere near the Megabird's limits, I was getting faster and faster and with 10,000 revs available, the chassis was incredibly throttle adjustable. I was keen to push the tail out a little bit on the next corner and then, no! The chequered flag was swirling around ahead; my four laps were up. Blast! I could have drive around there all day.
Megabusa
Next it was time to drive the Megabusa. It has a bit more power than the Megabird, but its biggest advantage is extra low-down torque. The controls are identical to the Honda-powered car. Once strapped in, I used the same no-throttle careful getaway, except this time I stalled it. I dipped the clutch, pushed the starter button and the engine instantly roared into life. Try again. Blast! Stalled it again. This was getting embarrassing. I was extra careful on my third attempt, bringing the clutch up ever so slowly and finally, I was on the move. You would get used to the sensitive nature of the clutch, but this incident does highlight the fact that these cars are not really suitable for taking granny down to the shops.
The extra performance available from the 1300 Hayabusa engine was, perhaps surprisingly, instantly noticeable. With more confidence I quickly got into the groove on the session and really started to enjoy myself. I found that you could get onto the power really early coming out of the corners and with the progressive and wide nature of the engine's power delivery the tail only came out when I wanted it to.
Conclusion
Overall, I was very impressed with the superbike engine installations in the two Westfields. They were not as difficult to drive as I had imagined and the engines were both unexpectedly smooth and tractable. Once mastered, the sequential gear change really adds to the thrill of driving. The only difficulty I had was pulling away without stalling, which I think would never be easy, but would be less of a problem with practice. Many of the guests on the day expressed their preference for the Megabusa, which certainly seemed easier to drive fast, however to my mind the Megabird felt tighter and more refined; I suppose it's down to taste. Personally, I will specify the optional quicker steering rack when I order my car as I felt the steering was a bit slow in both cars. 'When' I order my car? Oh yes, it's definitely a case of 'when' not 'if'…