Getting up close and personal with some of the world’s most desirable supercars and hypercars is one thing, but seeing them go wide-open throttle on a kilometre-long straight is something else.
For attendees of Supercar Fest’s flagship event, The Runway, this past weekend was another opportunity to witness just that.
The event came about in 2019, two years after Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire created a brand-new concrete runway. It was the perfect place for some of the fastest production cars in the UK to put on a show.
The venue is rich in history, spanning back to the Second World War when it was known as RAF Sywell. Tiger Moth pilots were trained here, and Wellington bombers repaired. The 1969 film Battle of Britain starring Sir Michael Caine was filmed in part here too.
Although the runway is the event’s main attraction – and where an Aston Martin Valkyrie hit 200mph last year – there is always lots more to explore, including the Supercar Paddock and First Point Hypercar Zone.
All the cars up for grabs in The Iconic & Classic Car Auction, hosted by Iconic Auctioneers, provided good viewing too. There was something for everyone, from European classics to a few sweet Japanese offerings.
Ciro Ciampi of Petrolhedonism was in his element as the event’s voice, imparting his knowledge and interviewing the drivers as they made their way to the paddocks or geared up to launch off the start line.
Amongst the sea of state-of-the-art machinery, there was a selection of elegant sports and supercars from the past. Standouts for me included this Lamborghini Countach and a couple of Ford GT40s wearing iconic Gulf liveries – they all sounded sublime.
To celebrate the Gumball Rally’s 25th anniversary this year, an incredible selection of supercars dressed in official rally liveries past the gantry. The sound of one of these machines on its own is sweet enough, but a whole ensemble – that’s music to your ears.
Of all the cars that ripped up the runway, one stood above the others for me. Nothing came close to the acceleration of the near-2,000hp all-electric Lotus Evija, and it left most people speechless.
I’ll be back at Sywell, same time next year.
Samuel Cherry
Instagram: samgcherry
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I think i have succeeded in getting on to this app...
But I dont see any pixels from enlarging the Lamborghini pics...and tonight I am a bit too tired to fuss with it..patience please
First off Bub, your presence on this websight is not NEEDED nor WANTED!
You don't deserve to communicate if your car was not featured!
You have been on this planet since, what, the 1950s? The canyons have been here for billions of years. REVERENCE is the name of the game. You certainly didn't seem enamoured with Southern California and you can't afford to live here full-time anyway.
I enjoy Rupert’s comments a lot. He’s pretty funny and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Dont be mad just because you got exposed for lying about a bunch of stuff. That’s what little babies do. Are you a little baby Frank?
Frank was name dropping this mysterious Rupert guy for like 18 months and proxy-bragging about his car collection? What happened?
Frank tried to brag about him to make me feel like the small man or try and belittle me.
I found out Rupert’s full name and what series he competed in. Once this was brought to light Rupert admitted he did not know Frank and Frank proceeded to turn on him and insult him.
Profera is a lying scum bag. Something I’ve known for years now but Rupert helped drive this point home by saying he doesn’t really know Frank.
Now ole Frankie pie is super upset and doesn’t want to play anymore
"Serious drivers need to put in gravity-boot sessions at least 3 or 4 times a week to help cope with the G-load generated by true "tuner cars". I doubt many of the drivers pictured here are at the level of most canyon runners, but I could be wrong."
-Frank Ronin
Rupert #2-
That is one of the most insane quotes I’ve ever read and I forgot about it. No road car is sustaining more than about 1.3G and that is a very sustainable g level for the average guy. It isn’t until about 2-3G sustained that most people struggle. Karting is extremely difficult because there is no shocks or springs and the chassis can sustain 2G (not 3 like most amateurs claim). If you condition you can handle 2-3 but it’s not easy. Over 3 things start getting very serious. Look at what f1 drivers do to sustain 3.8-4.8. Peak g force doesn’t mean much and is what most people will quote. You need tunnels and flat floors to start getting over 2 in a road car or a fan and it starts to become a bit of a design challenge for obvious reasons.
on here 5AM. the problem is my prostate. Frank I never said a bad word about ya mate and I know you take the internet stuff seriously. You called me on WhatsApp to "defend" on unknown enemies on the post of Red Gordon Murray T50. Not a car I can really afford but I would love to try it. The day McLaren F1 released was a bad day for me because I can not afford it either yet I pined for it. Still do. Hope you will see sense I do enjoy your stories and anecdotes. Apologies for driving your car too hard at the time you never mentioned such to me. The open top Lotus. Nice little car and seems to have some power upgrades. Would love to have another go in it. All the best Rupert Apologies if message was at the wrong place, this app seems a bit troublesome for me, problem is on my end I'm sure.
Never claimed to be a great driver but I did it for my Dad, was his dream for me. My dream was to sail round the world with a french bird but that never materialised. Life flies by in the blink of an eye, don't waste it on bombastic rows with strangers
Rupert you have just been banned from this websight!!! Nobody needs hear your aggrandizement ANY MORE! Understand what that word even means?
You really need to get punched in the face Frank.
Same
HA! She just revealed your deepest,darkest secret!
Impossible, I would have caught it.
good, goooooood, let the envy flow through you... ever heard of aerodynamics being used to reduce the amount of drag a car generates so they can reach your "terminal velocity"? now you have.